Yes, the builders are gaming the system.

And if the Council allows them, my guess it is reasonable to speculate that the city needs the money.

“Community Values?” The phrase causes me to remember my Latin: “De Gustibus non est disputandum.”

Of taste there is no dispute.

“Uniform form mass-produced widgets.” Really?

“Toxic load of restrictions … that transfer even more control to a bureaucracy that has zero understanding of or concern over your personal circumstances. You, and you alone, are the only capable of acting in your own best interests.” (Ayn Rand?)

Then the hectoring begins: “So to all Mercer Island residents, I ask that you don’t let your autonomy simply slip away. Stand up, state that your life is your own, and demand your right, including your property rights be restricted. (SIC)

I’m going to spare you the writer’s last paragraph, but there is something of an existential and threatening nature in it, rendering it worth reading. “I believe so and hope you agree.”

Cy Baumgartner

Mercer Island