Editor,

First let me just say, “Shame, shame on you editor of the South Whidbey Record!” I assume that’s who wrote the unsigned editorial in Wednesday’s paper throwing Martha Rose under the bus.

After 27 years proven as a community leader and literally building Island Transit from the ground up by her fiscal responsibility, you kick her as soon as she’s down and needs our support the most? A rogue employee lied to Martha about our financial health. We can’t pull together and get through this without using classic nasty politics? We live in an especially beautiful small community where we work together for the good of the whole. So could we do that please?

And Jim Campbell! I was in the information meetings that Martha held with each board member to explain exactly what happened. You had the opportunity to voice your opinion and sure did not voice the opinion you threw out in Saturday’s front page article, and you made it sound like you were speaking for the whole board, which you were not. It seemed very clear to me that Martha had the support of the board in this difficult situation — and rightfully so, as she has more than earned that support. She is shocked and embarrassed that this could happen, she has taken the steps so it cannot happen again, and has developed a long-range fiscal plan to get Island Transit back to its healthy community based service.

I say, let’s help her work forward, and maintain our confidence in the strong leadership and integrity she has always shown.

P.S. Enough already about charging a fare; it has been researched and documented that an agency our size would pay more for collecting the fare than we could possibly collect. How would that make sense?

SANDRA KUYKENDALL

Acting Financial Advisor

Island Transit