To the editor:

I have been giving these proposals a lot of thought, and my personal decision is: marina and pool, no; PUD, yes.

The country’s economy is not doing well, to say the least.

South Whidbey’s economy is beginning to feel the pain. There are a lot of ways to spend our tax money which are not on the ballot, such as affordable housing and healthcare. I just don’t feel comfortable increasing my taxes to pay for a marina expansion and a couple of pools when there are people near me who are hungry and homeless. Maybe when the economy improves and we deal with the necessities, these luxuries will make more sense to me.

The PUD study, on the other hand, looks like a good long-term plan. If the study determines that Whidbey can benefit by creating a public electric utility, I predict that the island will save money and get better service.

As a former public employee (accountant with Snohomish County), I can state with assurance that a public nonprofit can run a utility as well as a private company and with more accountability. Here is an issue on which we can educate ourselves and make an informed decision.

Susan Bennett

Freeland