The controversy over the accident potential zone in Dugualla Bay carries with it some concerns that I believe should be brought to the public’s attention. How did this emergent change in the zoning come about? What benefit does it provide and to whom? Why is this APZ treated different from the Boyer property? All good questions, and in some cases, can only be speculated on at this time.
Changing the zoning from agricultural to residential to APZ is one of Mac McDowell’s moves that drastically lower the value of the property. This is Mac’s baby, the Navy didn’t ask for it, the state isn’t involved. Not notifying the aggrieved parties so they may have their comments entered into the record is just one more “good old boy” stunt from your incumbent District 2 Republican commissioner. Of course publicly elected officials of his caliber cannot allow lowly citizens to make comment on his decisions. He’s been in office too long to allow dissenting views.
King Mac may be using the rezone as an effort to enrich himself by making the land south of Oak Harbor more valuable; remember the Bremerton developer and his strip mall plan? By lessoning the value of the land north of the city and removing the land from desirable development, he has, in effect, set the stage for annexing the land south of Oak Harbor into the city. Mac owns approximately $4 million worth of land south of the city, think about it!
When Boyer could not sell his poor business decision at Fakkema and Highway 20, Mac jumped into the game and managed to get the funds, all of which came from our tax dollars, federal and local. He made sure Boyer received full value for the property and the county taxpayers now have some grossly over-priced property of little value. Nice job Mac, now why don’t you offer to buy all of the property you are single handedly responsible for devaluing for no reason other than that stated above? Why not treat the voting public the way you treat your cronies? If that is too much for you, then it really is time for you to go.
Angie Homola is running against Mac in this election cycle. She will bring government for and by the people. Now won’t that be a great change from King Mac and his crony politics.
Donald Bettner
Oak Harbor
Editor’s note: Mac McDowell said he does not own “$4 million worth of land south of the city,” as Mr. Bettner alleges. McDowell said he owns no land south or west of the city. He owns three adjoining lots inside the city limits, one with his house, one with a small rental, and one vacant, with a total assessed value estimated at $400,000. He’s building a new house at Mariner’s Cove. “I’m hoping to move out there one of these days,” he said.
