For Tom Fouts: The Guemes Island Community Center election meeting last night to me was as close to the fiasco of the Bush/Cheney Iraq war and its unintended consequences as is possible. Is the Island to be a two party system generating all the angst of “sides”? I have lived on this Island for a mere five years and have been overwhelmed by the industry, can do spirit, thoughtfulness, and vision of the future that has been demonstrated by actions and deeds here. I have never lived in a community that demonstrated by its action that the Golden Rule works; here it does! It has been an honor for me to participate in this community’s good works. I have found it particularly profound that it seems there is room for everyone at the table. I hope what I witnessed last night at the hall elections was an anomaly. As an Island neophyte the election meeting for me went from bad to worse to awful. A resolution that I think was meant to bring a feeling of legitimacy to the vote wound up looking like an accusation of a manipulated previous vote. The resolution seemed to accuse members of the council of acting in their own self interest. I was outraged that a suggestion of impropriety could potentially stain the reputation of the vote counters. In short I cast my vote and went away. I hope my early departure and that of many others helped to demonstrate to the council and vote counters my faith in their efforts. I would have liked to stay at the meeting and contributed to the agenda. I wanted to hear what plans there were for the future. I wanted to participate as I have had the honor to do in the past on this Island. I hope this election meeting was an unintended anomaly and not a new paradigm. Tom Fouts