Editor,

Former County Commissioner Mac McDowell’s letter to the editor shows that he has done his homework. He apparently found the name of a candidate for hospital commissioner on an earlier COER petition demanding cessation of flight operations at OLF Coupeville.

While it might be argued that the OLF Coupeville is unrelated to the hospital board election, it is instructive to note that COER repeatedly claimed in its propaganda that OLF flights are a problem for Whidbey General Hospital.

To check out that claim, I personally did a sample survey of various wards and clinics throughout the hospital while I was serving as a patient’s advocate.

In the process, I asked more than 20 members of the hospital staff if the military jet noise was a problem there. Every single staff member stated emphatically that the flights posed no disturbance to them or the hospital. Many of them said the only aircraft noise that caused a disruption was from medivac helicopter flights, but nobody suggested that medivac flights should be stopped.

It was good to see the candidate’s letter to the editor stating that she recognizes the value of the Navy to this community.

I cannot imagine that OLF flight operations would ever be a credible agenda item for the hospital board.

Vin Sherman

Coupeville