To the editor:

Providing parking for the convenience of people who choose to live on an island and work on the mainland is not the responsibility of the citizens of Mukilteo. Particularly, at the expense of them losing the ability to use their park, rebuilding their community building or otherwise impacting their rights and privileges to use facilities in the city in which they pay exceptional property taxes.

Our family currently pays for parking in the lighthouse park lot. It makes it very convenient for my kids to get to a quality high school.

If the ability to park at this facility goes away, we’ll have to figure something else out. But I am not going to tar and feather Mayor Joe Marine because he’s representing his constituency and taking back what is rightfully theirs.

Whidbey Island residents enjoy significant transportation subsidies/options. Island Transit is “free” to ride through a 6/10th of 1 percent sales tax in Island County; the cost to ride/drive-on to the WSF doesn’t even come close to actually paying the true cost to operate; the Sounder train is an exceptional bargain at $8 round-trip to Seattle — again, I’m sure that doesn’t come close to actually paying the true cost; and the Community Transit bus on the other side is subsidized by the federal government (your tax dollars), and the fare in no way pays the actual cost of operation.

We choose to live in a beautiful area. As a result, there will be inconveniences and sacrifices that we have to live with. It’s not the citizens of Mukilteo’s responsibility to subsidize our lifestyle.

Caig Buchanan

Freeland