Why do you want to serve on the Guemes Island Ferry Committee?

What skills and experience would you bring to the committee?

On what other island organizations have you served?

Why do you choose to live on Guemes Island?

How would you describe the point of view you might represent on the
Ferry Committee?

How do you see yourself representing those with whom you disagree?

How did you participate in the Fares and Scheduling Task Force process?

One issue of concern to Ferry riders is whether or not the ferry should operate past 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday.

What do you see as the benefits of such expansion?

What do you see as the consequences?

Are you in favor of expanding the ferry's hours of week night
operation?

Do you believe expanding Guemes Island ferry service, either with a
larger ferry or extended hours, should require assessment of potential impacts
on Guemes, such as population, property values and taxes, water resources,
just to name a few?

In what ways would you improve communication between the Ferry
Committee and Guemes Islanders?

How do you see improving the role of the Ferry Committee as intermediary and advocate for ferry ridership?

How do you see the Ferry Committee helping islanders understand the
complexities of issues and assess impacts of policy decisions?

How do you imagine encouraging walk on traffic, especially among those reluctant to get out of their cars?

Do you walk on regularly?

How do you envision the ideal Guemes Island Ferry system?

What issues do you see as being paramount in the next 5 years?

I've lived on Guemes since 1947. My parents moved here after WWII when I was three years old. I went to school on Guemes for four years and 8 years in Anacortes, graduating in 1962. 1 went to college at Western Washington Univ. in Bellingham, graduated in 1968 with a BA in Economics/Business. I married Janice in 1968 and moved back to Guemes. We have two sons, Adam and Eric, who we raised while I worked at farming, commercially fishing and the Anacortes Brass Works, a business I started in 1970, with partner Kit Marcinko. I'm slowing down now, as the boys are on their own and I downsized the business. I'm looking forward to the years ahead when I'll have more time to enjoy the peace and quiet of Guemes as a retired person.

From 4-H activities as a kid, 19 years as a volunteer fireman (1969-1988), to the present, I have been involved in community activities. As member of the Community Club, I served twice as president. As a volunteer fireman, I was president of the Firemen's Association for many years. Much of my focus in both these groups was the improvement to the Playground. Fundraisers were aimed at securing more property and increasing the playground area which includes what you see today. I was a member of the original GIPAC and worked to help create the 1991 sub-area plan for Guemes. My last volunteer effort was work on the completion of the Murray Read Pavilion.

I have a long history of ferry riding spanning three different ferries going back to the six car, Guemes I. I have always been interested in our ferry service and served on the standing "ferry committee" in the Community Club prior to the reorganization of an independent Ferry Committee in 1980. Having helped in this re-organization, I was elected to serve on the Ferry Committee and have been re-elected many times over the years.

The role of the Ferry Committee has always been important since it serves as the liaison between Guemes ferry users and the County in matters related to ferry service. Since 1980, there have been seven different Public Works directors and 11 different County Commissioners. Much of the role of the Ferry Committee has been to provide information on the ferry operation to the changing County administrators. I believe that my knowledge of the history of the operation and the rationale behind many of the policies have proved a valuable asset over the years and most recently on the Task Force.

The Task Force consisted on 14 people of varying views of the ferry operation. As chairman of the TF, I was able to respect the view of others while working to reach group consensus on fare and schedule policy recommendations. This process required a lot of information, communication and debate but proved that common ground could be found on most issues. The possibility of extending ferry service beyond 6:00 PM, Mon.-Thurs., is an example of an issue that couldn't gain support in the TF process. Personally, I believe the potential consequences of such a proposed extension of service are farreaching. I'm personally surprised that those proposing these changes would put their personal convenience ahead of the community welfare. After all, the last ferry at 6:00 PM. Mon.-Thurs., has existed since 1912 and has been an accepted part of living on Guemes by all those moving here. Any proposed change should involve a broader community dialogue, particularly co-ordination with the Guemes Island Planning Advisory Committee (GIPAC) regarding its potential impact on our limited resources.

Having served many years on the Ferry Committee, I believe that the increasing pressure on the ferry system requires better communication between ferry users, Public Works and the County Commissioners. To this end, I believe that the effort the Ferry Committee has made over the years, and especially over the last year, has resulted in improvements toward this goal. Last year, the Ferry Committee held quarterly public meetings, created a website and is linked to the Linetime.Org website. We have attempted to be available to ferry users to answer their questions and represent their concerns in discussions with the County. If re-elected, I will work to strengthen this co-operative process between Guemes Islanders, Public Works, and the County Commissioners. The newly established Performance Round Table should provide this opportunity.

I see the Guemes ferry operation nearly at its maximum capacity in trying to handle vehicular traffic. I agree with the 15 year capital facilities plan to encourage walk-on, or passenger traffic. I've been a "walk-on" for years. Although we are getting a new parking lot, there are other ways of decreasing vehicular traffic including public transportation, such as SKAT, which has not been discussed yet but which should be fully explored before there is any talk of a larger ferry.

Finally, I have appreciated the words of support by many of you during the challenging process of the past year. In this first-ever mail out ballot election, I am seeking your vote of confidence to continue to serve the Guemes Island community through re-election to the Ferry Committee. Thank You!

Sincerely.
Glen Veal