The issues in Area C involve community, economics and environment.
How do we find the proper balance between using land or water for wilderness sightseeing areas, or for housing, community needs, and resource extraction?
How do we employ residents locally and strengthen the family setting for an affordable lifestyle on the Discovery Islands and Mainland Inlets? How do we protect our environment from inappropriate activities? What infrastructure do we need, and how will we pay for it without creating a burden on tax payers? How do we develop a peaceful community we are proud to call “home”? How do we get anything done with such polarized views and the seemingly divergent interests of area residents?
The answer to the questions above is hard work, honest dialogue, and fair process. That is how I would approach each and every issue facing Area C. That is what has been missing in our local representative.
In many controversial decisions that have polarized our residents, Jim Abram imposed his own version of what is best for all of us, setting aside the truth and fair process to achieve an outcome he ultimately brands as “the desire of the community.”
The tourism sector provides significant employment opportunities for Area C residents. So does fisheries and forestry. We need to shed extreme views and work toward consensus, based on facts not emotion or a singular voice.
Let’s work together to make Island life better. On Nov. 19, vote for Shawn O’Connor.