Editor,

Your Jan. 6 edition included a headline that read, “County commissioner calls prosecutor ‘snake,’ accuses him of lying.” Directly above the article appeared a photo of me.

This might cause a reader to assume I was the person using those words. I was not. Name-calling is a form of bullying, which is unacceptable, period.

It is unfortunate for any elected official to engage in such behavior. I am a member of the local Civility First group and took the pledge to increase civil discourse and “repudiate the divisive language and hate speech permeating our society,” and will continue to strive to do just that.

I invite all other local office holders to join me.

This is an election year for many county offices and I urge voters to seek out and support candidates who uphold these principles.

I hope this message helps to clear up any misunderstanding the photo, headline and article may have caused.

Helen Price Johnson

Island County Commissioner, District 1