Editor,

The July 11 Whidbey News-Times editorial about the Port of Coupeville and Greenbank Farm Management Group was spot on.

It identified farm problems and criticized the abrupt cancellation of ongoing negotiations.

The commissioners — two with an agenda and short on ethics — one a stand up guy.

The management group — given a raw deal.

Port Executive Director David Day is putting a favorable spin on this by saying, “since the meeting … most of the response is positive toward the decision.”

Who exactly is in favor of this deal? Certainly not the 200 who attended the July 8 port meeting.

That said — and because of the situation with the two commissioners voting aye on the proposal and then bailing out at year end without offering a solution other than the wildly unpopular WSU extension — I would ask that the incoming commissioners weigh in now as to their willingness to review the contract issue. They should determine who does what to keep the Farm running, and evaluate the risk of leaving the farm without the existing, experienced team in place today.

Firing the management group may not be the ideal solution unless a far better solution to achieve profitability has been evaluated.

After all, it will be on their watch to salvage what could be a worse situation; a farm without management, management from a distance, or no farm at all.

For myself, I use the farm for the off-leash dog park opportunity it provides. I buy art, cheese, wine and pies from the vendors. I know the management group.

If the contract is not to be, it should be done through diligent revue, without prejudice, all options identified and tested, taking into account the years of hard work the tenants have put into its struggles and then honorably announced to the management team and the community.

Greg Davis

Coupeville