In your Aug. 29 edition, Mr. McCollum, the CEO of Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, states the failed bond issue for the hospital move is a “statement about taxes” and “vote against more taxes.” Both statements are false and made to obscure the real reason for the negative vote. Go talk to people in the Valley and ask them if they would vote for the hospital if there was one good reason for moving the hospital.

The hospital has broadcast ads that claim the move will make the hospital a first-rate general hospital. I heard another claim that the move will allow the hospital to be a first-rate emergency hospital, yet there is not even one staff member at the hospital who has an emergency room medicine specialty.

These are silly claims – we do not have the population nor the need for a new general hospital, nor a new first-rate emergency medicine hospital in this Valley.

The hospital site has one of the best views in this Valley and taxation has nothing to do with the vote. Squandering $20 million to move the hospital so private developers can develop the hospital site for commercial purposes is the real reason for the negative vote.

This tired claim of Valley residents’ resistance to new taxes is also used to obscure the real reason for the school bond issue failure. People in this Valley support schools, however, they are not interested in paying for new schools in developments where the governing agencies failed to require the developers to pay mitigation fees so that the cost of the schools is spread equitably.

Mr. McCollum, please give the Valley residents more credit.

David J. Shea

North Bend