Gig Harbor Community Member

Letter to the editor: Lonergan will bring experience to Pierce Co. Council

Oct 14, 2022

With only weeks to go before the Midterm elections here in Washington, Paula Lonergan continues putting the word out about where she stands for the voters of Pierce County and District 7. As a Pierce County Council member, Paula would be responsible for passing legislation, setting county policy, adopting the county’s budget, and holding government

Letter to the editor: Smiley, Kreiselmaier support liberty

Oct 14, 2022

Like many voters, I have become increasingly frustrated with the direction that D.C. progressives have been dragging our country. Inflation, crime, homelessness, declining education, growing racial division, massive national debt and everything they touch is becoming worse and worse.  Their only answers are more control, more spending and more taxes. Elections are about choices, but

Guest column: Another great Film Festival in the books

Sep 30, 2022

“It’s like I have ESPN or something,” a quote from the 2004 movie “Mean Girls.” Well, probably not ESPN, but if you had any ESP going on, you took yourself to the 2022 Gig Harbor Film Festival last weekend. And what a weekend it was! The festival launched on Thursday evening with a welcome chat

Guest opinion: Ordinance makes city’s operations less transparent

Aug 05, 2022

At the July 25th Gig Harbor City Council meeting the council passed Ordinance #1492 and you need to know why I could not support it. Ordinance #1492 changes the way our Gig Harbor volunteers are selected to serve on our boards, commissions and committees. These volunteer positions are very critical because volunteer commissioners take their personal

Letter to the editor: Don’t institutionalize donations to non-profits

Jun 21, 2022

While I support the residents of Gig Harbor joining Pen Met — my recent letter was not to suggest that all of the non-profits in Gig Harbor would be funded by the Peninsula Metropolitan Park District. The park district has specific grants that they may be able to help with. Additionally the park district can

Letter to the editor: Gig Harbor needs a public pool

Jun 20, 2022

As summer approaches, families in our region are once again scrambling to find places where their children can learn how to swim. Our community is surrounded by water, yet our available pools are beyond capacity, some with hundreds on their swim lesson waitlist. Swimming is a joy, and an essential life skill. According to the

Letter to the editor: Cultural Arts District is the best option

Jun 13, 2022

Thank you for publishing Bill Sehmel’s letter regarding the proposed Peninsula Cultural Arts District. I’d like to provide a few key details and differences between what park districts and Cultural Arts Districts can do for the community. While I’m a big fan and supporter of all our regional parks, there are Washington State laws that

Letter to the editor: City should consider joining parks district

Jun 09, 2022

Recently the executive director of the Harbor History Museum went before the Gig Harbor City Council and spoke on the idea of forming a new taxing district to support nonprofits in the Gig Harbor community, with a boundary that mirrors the Peninsula School District. While the idea is noble and deserving, the size of the

Letter to the editor: Support Gig Harbor Fire bond

May 23, 2022

I want to thank the Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Board of Fire Commissioners for placing a facilities bond on the August primary election ballot, and I thank our community for considering this vital measure.  With Gig Harbor’s growth of 16% since 2010 and a concurrent 37% increase in call volumes, we require adequate facilities to

Keep trees healthy; no more topping

Feb 14, 2022

Cutting off the entire top of a tree to open a view can kill or weaken it and encourage it to quickly grow back.