That letter from Mike Carlson, et al, is such a sad collection of falsehoods. So let’s analyze it.

Let’s start with partisanship. They allege that Kari McVeigh is violating the spirit of the county charter and “the island way” because she received the endorsement of the county Democrats. Ever since the Charter made the council positions non-partisan, back in 2010, this nonsensical charge has surfaced whenever a candidate was endorsed by one party, especially the Democratic Party. Getting endorsed by a local party does not make the office partisan, nor does it make the candidate partisan.

Now let’s talk about hypocrisy. Minnie Kinch, an active Republican, sent an email to everyone on the Republican’s email list telling them who to vote for in the primary, including Kari’s opponent. That meets my definition of a party endorsement. Also, Kari’s opponent asked our Democratic state senator for her endorsement. And I would guess that means she asked our Democratic state representatives as well. And let’s not forget Kari’s opponent has run ads touting the Democrats who support her. If it looks like hypocrisy and smells like hypocrisy it probably is hypocrisy.

Finally, they allege that she’s too new (eight years in the county), that she doesn’t understand the problems of working families (she was superintendent of one of the largest school districts in northern California with one of the highest poverty rates and parents working two and three jobs). And she was superintendent on San Juan Island so she understands the challenges working parents face in this county.

The Carlson, et al letter reminded me of a quote I read somewhere. “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

But, hey, to their credit, they didn’t accuse her of eating her neighbors’ pets.

Richard Grout

San Juan Island