The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."A fact to which the chair of the Queen Anne Community Council, Ellen Monrad, is not entitled is a statement she made to reporter Russ Zabel of the Queen Anne News.On page 3 of the April 30 article, Monrad is reported to say, "The residents who supported the plan [to "close off" parts of the neighborhood to cut-through traffic when the Fremont Bridge was out of service for repairs] were not pleased [that the council would not support the plan] and tried to get revenge by coming to the council's last election and trying to vote Monrad out.""Revenge" and "vote Monrad out" my foot. Facts: Those of us who live on residential streets plagued by a combined number of just under 2,000 cut-through vehicle trips per day took steps to get support for a plan that would redirect that traffic to arterial streets. There was strong support for the plan in the neighborhood.Certain members of the council ignored our request for their ideas and ultimately opposed the plan. To gain a voice about Queen Anne issues that might be heard, and encouraged by a member of the council, a person in the neighborhood ran for a position on the 22-member council on September 20, 2005. She lost. It was not a move to get revenge or oust Monrad - and she knows it. But, what's the harm in a little hyperbole, right?And oh, Queen Anne residents, do you know how council members are elected? Be assured it's by a very few and the buddy system is alive and well. Déjà vu - high school politics all over again! - John JonesQueen Anne[[In-content Ad]]
