Editor,

To say the decision by two of the three Port of Coupeville commissioners, Marshall Bronson and John Carr, voting to break the agreement that has been on-going for over 15 years with the Greenbank Farm Management Group was a surprise, is a profound understatement.

“Shocking,” “unreasonable,” “out-of-nowhere,” “indefensible” and “underhanded” all say it better.

To illustrate how shocking it is, one need only read the Values statement in the latest Port of Coupeville Comprehensive Plan, developed at the request of and at the direction of the Port of Coupeville commissioners. It pledges, “A commitment to open and honest public disclosure.”

The two commissioners who ramrodded through the motion will not discuss their action, nor did they allow any discussion of the subject before making their vote. Perhaps they have never heard of Roberts Rules of Order, which says, “members should never rush through a motion without any discussion.”

It is my opinion that their actions were neither open nor honest, and showed no attempt at public disclosure.

In fact, they seem to be disdainful of public involvement, of any type.

In an informational meeting held Wednesday evening July 15 at the Greenbank Farm, members of the management group fielded questions from the packed house, according to sign-in sheets to be at least 150 people, to try to shed some light on the port’s decision.

Frankly, the management group seems just as mystified as everyone else as to what the commissioners of the Port of Coupeville are up to, and what they hope to accomplish.

The two commissioners who instituted the vote, Carr and Bronson, are lame ducks. One will be leaving office in November 2015 and the other’s term expires Dec. 31, 2015.

New occupants for both offices will be elected.

So, the unanswered questions remain, what were they trying to accomplish? An in-your-face “nyah-nyah” statement? A meaningless exercise of power, before they faded off the scene? An attempt to wipe out the work of hundreds of volunteers over nearly two decades, and the boundless enjoyment and enthusiasm of thousands of Greenbank Farm visitors every year?

I think we all deserve answers, don’t you?

Terry Rose

Former member, Greenbank Farm Management Group

Greenbank