A balanced community life for us all in San Juan County depends on two things: preserving and improving our shared access to natural land—forests, mountains and shores—and creating and preserving affordable housing for those who live and work here. Both are on the ballot this fall. The link between them is both visionary and legally mandated. These two vital dimensions of our life together are enabled by the small investment each of us makes when we buy property: the Real Estate Excise taxes of 1% for the Land Bank and 0.5% for affordable housing. The Land Bank REET is coming up for renewal on the November ballot and needs our support. By law, the REET that supports affordable housing on our four ferry-served islands can only continue if the Land Bank REET that preserves our public lands across the whole county continues. We need them both, now more than ever. Vote yes to preserve our Land Bank.

Margaret Mills,

San Juan Island