Backs Gilfilen, rejects jail tax initiative

While pondering the issues and candidates before us for the upcoming election, I have been especially comparing the candidates for county executive.

I believe that Joy Gilfilen is by far the better candidate for county executive. As a businesswoman she is able to draw on her experience in her many diverse roles in her career; developed and ran the Fairhaven 1990 Task Force, pioneered systems at SPIE, managed the Visitors & Convention Bureau, she ran multi-million dollar sales business, and trained entrepreneurs. Because Joy is a whole systems solutionary thinker her expertise is problem solving and paradigm shifting.

Gilfilen has studied the La Bounty Road jail proposal and found many questionable issues that I feel have not been appropriately researched, including the land purchase at $155,000 per acre ($6.2 million for 40 acres). Joy proposed alternatives to jail (before arrest), has found no complete needs assessment, and $18.5 million is earmarked to build a second Sheriff’s office.

When the jail is currently in crisis conditions, why are we waiting four years for relief?

I urge your readers to vote for Joy Gilfilen for county executive and vote no on Prop 2015-1, the jail sales tax initiative.

Belllingham

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Backs Gilfilen, rejects jail tax initiative."