I am writing in response to a letter authored by Denise Hood, re: “Who is the county watchdog?” — that appeared in another local newspaper.

Ms. Hood’s diatribe concerning Commissioner Angel’s record regarding economic development efforts and the sinister implication that Ms. Angel was somehow plotting with the Silver City Group and others in secret, is both incorrect and flagrant.

As a participant at the economic development sessions Ms. Hood alluded to, I can safely say that her observations are based on hearsay and some kind of hidden agenda.

First, the Silver City Group was contacted to assist the county in fact gathering and conducting surveys. It is a local consulting firm and has no relation to the county or to Angel. And for once, the county used a local consulting firm instead of a Seattle company, and still commissioners take the heat for it.

As a participant in these meetings, I can assure you that the facilitators were professional, educational and motivating. At no point were we asked to rate the effectiveness of the Economic Development Council (EDC) or effectiveness. We were never led to believe that the session was meant to be an EDC evaluation – if this is what you were told then you were sadly mislead.

The focus was entirely on business people offering their perspective on the state of our county’s economy, nothing more.

The development of industrial clusters is not a unique idea to Kitsap County or Commissioner Angel. It is a method that is recognized by groups throughout the country and has proven to be very successful.

I am thankful to Commissioner Angel and the Silver City Group for soliciting the opinions of area business leaders. Since we’re the ones who live in the economic trenches day in and day out, it was refreshing that someone took the time and effort to ask us how we can create economic vitality and avoid the sad fate of becoming a bedroom community.

Let’s leave the political agendas out of this for a moment and focus instead on the greater needs of this county and its communities. We need fresh ideas, not the tired liberal/conservative finger pointing.

Sharon N. Zerr
CommuniCreations, Inc.
Port Orchard

(Editor’s Note: The letter Ms. Zerr refers to in her opening sentence appears directly before hers.).