We received this letter to the Executive Board of the 46th, and I wanted to share it on our blog.
September 6, 2009
Executive Board
46th District Democrats
Dear Executive Board Members:
We write to respectfully request your consideration of making an endorsement of the Open Space Preservation Act. This King County Charter Amendment, which will appear on the November ballot, will provide enhanced protection for more than 156,000 acres of open space land that is either owned or held in a conservation easement by King County.
Ninety-five properties would be protected by this Act, representing the most treasured conservation and recreation spaces in King County. They are public lands along our rivers and streams, large wetland areas, huge blocks of forest, and wildlife and salmon habitat, including the Squak Mountain and Tiger Mountain Corridor, Cedar River Waterways, Cougar Mountain, the Upper Raging River Forest, the Snoqualmie Forest, and the Maury Island Marine Park.
The proposed charter amendment does not require the purchase of new land. The Open Space Preservation Act simply strengthens the existing protections on these properties. As such, there are no direct costs associated with the proposed charter amendment.
The Open Space Preservation Act will strengthen the protections on these lands by requiring a supermajority (7 of 9) vote of the King County Council to sell, transfer, or change use. Additionally, the Act requires a public hearing, findings of facts, and 28-day waiting period between introduction and enactment of any sale or change of use. For more information, please visit www.openspaceamendment.org.
The Open Space Preservation Act has received widespread bi-partisan support. It was unanimously supported by the King County Council and Executive, and it has been endorsed by many local organizations including the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.
We respectfully request consideration for endorsement by the 46th District Democrats. Please let us know your organization’s process for endorsements and how we can be of assistance in putting this item forward for consideration. Mamie Marcuss and Mina Hashemi Mercer are organizing this effort on our behalf. Mamie can be reached at 206.409.7456 or mamie.marcuss@gmail.com. Mina can be reached at 206.661.0281 or mina@wcvoters.org.
Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mike Lowry
Former Washington State Governor
Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember, District 1
No comments:
Post a Comment