HomeMy WebLinkAbout111924 - Follow Up - Hearing re Flood Zone in BrinnonALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Jefferson County Commissioners,
Thanks for taking the time to come to Brinnon yesterday for the Hearing re Flood Zone in Brinnon. It was a rough crowd, and I appreciate your staff taking the time to present the issue,
and the officials for taking the responsible vote, in spite of opposition in the room.
As a newer member of the Brinnon community, last night was the first time I had the opportunity to sit in a council meeting or discussion with county representatives. It was disappointing
and frustrating. That is because the county is in many ways doing a good job providing services to South county, but there is a clear lack of communication and trust between the community
and their elected officials. What I heard in that discussion was on the one side, a frustrated community base who feels like they aren't included in decisions, don't have access to
information about what is happening, feel like they don't have any options provided by their government to meet their most urgent needs and concerns, and do not trust their electeds
to be accountable to them. I heard a frustrated group of dedicated county government officials describing the myriad ways in which they are in fact providing services and resources
to the community, prioritizing the interests of the community and working within the confines of federal and state requirements, tight budgets, and an overwhelming number of urgent
priorities to be addressed. At the end of the day - everyone is left feeling unseen, unheard, and disrespected. Ultimately, the community loses faith in governments to help solve their
most basic problems.
From the Brinnon community side, I suspect it would not have mattered if it was about the flood zone or some other issue - people in this community are asking you to see them, respect
them, and work with them differently, to make government work for them. Until that happens, I don't think they'll be able to appreciate all the good things that the county, and government
does provide. With that in mind, I'm offering recommendations for community engagement that may serve to build the trust required to meet the moment. These are not suggestions vetted
by the community, just those which I think could be helpful.
1. Work with Brinnon to create a small advisory council. There are a handful of people in Brinnon that are clearly connectors. They bring people together, are often seen at the community
center or local events, and hold trust and sway with the community. Because the council does not have trust of the community yet, they will benefit from working consistently with a
small group, ~5 people would be willing to work with a County Representative to prioritize mutual communication, prioritization of Brinnon issues and recommendations for actions, and
ways that the community can really lead in it's own development, with support from the county.
2. Periodically host the Council meeting in South County. Tech connections are hard for many people down here, and driving is a challenge for some. Gas prices make it difficult for others.
Prioritize meeting people where they are. Recognize that power feels far away for people in principle and in geography. Making the effort to hold meetings in the south will help people
feel more connected, more trusting of how the government is working.
3. Utilize Social Media for Communication. Unfortunately, a lot of people spend a lot of time on Facebook down here. There are 2 different Brinnon pages that can be posted to. Consider
posting updates to the site about priorities that have been identified by the community.
4. District 3 Commissioner meeting round tables. Greg, I'm sorry, but you have a credibility and trust issue with the people in Brinnon. I don't know where it started but it's clear
as day that it's real. Consider steps to fix it by coming to Brinnon on a monthly basis and hold round tables at local establishments: The Geoduck, Pleasant Harbor, Halfway House, the
Cove Store etc. Report on people's concerns addressed from the last meet and greet and let people share their priorities regularly.
Maybe all these are underway - but if it hasn't been evident to me after three years of being here, the message isn't getting through. I want my community to resolve some of these big
challenges: flooding and environmental issues that are only getting worse with climate change; housing affordability while maintaining a rural lifestyle; safety and access to community
resources. For those things to happen, we'll need to work with the county closely, but that isn't likely to happen until trust and communication gets fixed. I'm hopeful last night's
meeting opened the door to a better way of working together and also hoping to hear quickly about what next steps are being taken to resolve this first challenge so we can get to the
bigger issues.
Best, and good luck.
Ashleigh Flowers
835 Pollock
Brinnon
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Ashleigh Flowers (she/her)
206.795.0101
ashleigh.flowers@gmail.com <mailto:ashleigh.flowers@gmail.com>