I appreciate strong ongoing Herald coverage of what I find to be Whatcom County's lack of diligence in protecting Whatcom's rural economy and Lake Whatcom water quality.

However, I would like to correct what I believe to be a misconception embedded in the coverage. Futurewise Washington is not, as Kathy Kershner alleges, a Seattle funded interloper. As a steering committee member of Futurewise Whatcom, I know that policy positions on Whatcom growth issues are generated locally. Furthermore, we have a local director and office and hundreds of Whatcom County citizens have contributed financially to the success of our efforts. To learn more about Futurewise Whatcom and how you can support our work go to futurewise.org/whatcom.

One parting shot: How long is the council majority going to continue to waste hundreds of thousands of hard earned taxpayer dollars attempting to avoid compliance with the Growth Management Act, a law they are sworn to enforce?

Jim Hansen

Bellingham