Dear Editor:

The Vidette’s headline for Oct. 13 reads “Gordon vs. Ross” in the race for Grays Harbor County commissioner for District 2, followed by an interview of each man. So what can we make of the comparison between the two candidates that may not already be cooked into pre-existing views.

Commissioner Frank Gordon is clearly a man of the people, “just a blue-collar guy” as he puts it. For four years now he has worked tirelessly on quality of life issues for Grays Harbor County residents. He listens to his constituents and keeps them updated in regular Facebook posts.

Frank Gordon advocates for preserving and protecting the delicate balance of our ecosystem; maintaining the beauty, abundant marine life, and tourism which are the life’s blood of the community. He would like four more years to continue building on progress already made.

Challenger and commercial banker Randy Ross has a privileged background, no doubt about it. He proudly brings to the table abstractions like numbers and strategies and plans, with no indication of an ability to empathize with the day-to-day concerns of ordinary people.

Randy Ross does not even mention the word “environment” in his interview. He does not take a stand against oil trains, facilities, and crude-filled tankers on the harbor that, if there was a spill, could kill thousands of people and devastate the entire region. He does not see the looming threat of Big Oil on the harbor as relevant in any way to the work he would be undertaking as a Grays Harbor County commissioner.

For me the choice between these two candidates is abundantly clear.

Judith L. Alberts

Hoquiam