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Home My WebLink About65 Ball11/13/2019 Title 8 & 18 - Planning Commission Desk https://owa.co.jefferson.wa.us/owa/#viewmodel=ReadMessageItem&ItemID=AAMkAGM0ZTI0NjQ3LTE2OGItNGQzZi05MWNjLWE2NTE2NGZjMzFhN…1/1 Title 8 & 18 CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hello Planning Commissioners, I would like to point out something that I assume you have all noticed. The county endured a laborious process which dragged on for well over a year. Our elected representatives held numerous events during which many hundreds of comments were submitted. They painfully and carefully deliberated on this complicated issue. They toiled to thread the needle. They endeavored to be comprehensive in their approach. Despite all that, their decision was ruled invalid by the GMA Hearings Board. They failed. Why? I will tell you why. They failed because they were threatened by law suits and coerced by the arrogance of their own legal council. I hope the Planning Commission does not make the same mistake. I attended every one of those meetings and hearings. I watched the train wreck. I saw the legal council force feed his conclusion to the County Commissioners and lead them to the slaughter. His arrogance deprived the Commissioners and the residents of the county their rights. His incorrect determination of the outcome and persistence to thwart a inevitable court action preempted the county's ability to protect its people and serve as their elected voice. The arrogance of thinking that you are the judge, jury and executioner in an untried case is abhorrent! The county has every right to enact code and land use restrictions. If our actions are deemed unlawful in a court of law, so be it, but the proper venue for that decision is not in the hands of a single attorney. Allowing the legal council to single-handedly make all those judgments is wholly and completely unjust. I have watched as the Planning Commission grapples with this same conundrum. I have watched as the same legal council offers the same unaltered and unyielding advice. I have watched as his approach, once again, guides us toward the rapids, the outcome of which will outlive us all. I want to caution the PC against swallowing this legal advice hook, line and sinker. It appears to me that there has been no adjustment in thinking and that is what got us in hot water last time. I hope you are aware of this pitfall and you exhibit greater spinal fortitude when standing up to bad advice than the BoCC did when they passed the tortured title 8 and 18 ordinances. While I agree the Second Amendment has a great deal of gravitas, I do not agree that it is without limitations or that it is supreme above all else. No single Constitutional Amendment outweighs another or is without limitations. The Second Amendment in my copy of the Constitution says we shall not infringe the right of the people to "keep and bear arms". It does not say that we must allow commercial shooting facilities which conflict with the peaceful enjoyment of our rural lifestyles or the promise to which we subscribed when we bought our lands in rural Jefferson County. It does not say that we must allow degradation of our forest resource lands. It does not say that we must allow pollution of our critical areas or waters of the state. It does not say that the rights of any citizen outweigh the rights of another. It does not say that everyone must yield to any gun related land use. Benjamin Franklin, signer of the Constitution, said "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety". Therefore, I encourage the Planning Commissioners to be bold, do the right thing, stand up for the people, push back against this tyranny and think for yourselves. Do not be lead to the slaughter by single-minded advice from council with blinders on. If this must be settled in court, at least you will have a clean conscience. Respectfully submitted, Jean Ball, Jefferson County resident Jean Ball <gnarleydogfarm@gmail.com> Fri 11/8/2019 4:16 PM To:Planning Commission Desk <PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us>; J Ball Gnarley Dog Farm <gnarleydogfarm@gmail.com>; Kevin Coker <kevin@greenpods.org>; Mike Nilssen <nilssen51@gmail.com>; Lorna / Darrell Smith <ecosmithspt@gmail.com>; christine Llewellyn <info@serendipityfarm.org>; Cynthia Koan <cynthiakoan@gmail.com>;