I have served on the Arlington Planning Commission for the past three years. During that tenure, it has been clear to me that Arlington is at a crossroads. We have in place a comprehensive plan for our city which lays out an aggressive 10-year path for population and business growth. The details of that plan have not been filled in.
As with most plans, the devil resides in those details. In this election year, all of the candidates have talked about quality of life issues; parks, open space, transportation, economic development and crime prevention. If we are to successfully weave our way through the pitfalls of rapid growth, our citys best and brightest must be involved in the process.
I have known Barbara Tolbert personally and professionally for 10 years. The Arlington Fly-In has grown from 50 volunteers to over 500 under her leadership. She has guided the Fly-In from a small local gathering of aviation enthusiasts to a major, nationally recognized event. Along the way she has spent many thousands of hours in service to the city through time volunteered with the Chamber of Commerce, economic development committees, Snohomish County Tourism Board, and a wide variety of other service organizations. Everyone who has worked with Barbara has developed a respect for her professionalism and ability to get the job done. She is without doubt one of our best and brightest. It is simply not good enough to give lip service to the future of our community.
We need people with enough vision, intelligence and drive to guide the city through the challenges and opportunities that lie directly ahead of us. We need Barbara on our City Council.
Bruce Angell
Arlington