PORT TOWNSEND — A group of 10 randomly selected Port Townsend residents participated Friday and Saturday in the first “Wisdom Council,”‘ a series of meetings meant to ease community dialog and address issues that everyone faces.
The members agreed that creating unity in Port Townsend was the highest priority and that that could be achieved with non-vehicular zones in the city, community gardens and a community center.
They also affirmed the value and importance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and thought Port Townsend should be an economically viable place to live.
The wisdom council members, who were randomly selected from a list of registered voters, met for eight hours to establish like priorities, issues and solutions for Port Townsend.
On Saturday, a meeting open to the public took place in the gymnasium of Grant Street Elementary to share what the council had come up with.
Hung on one wall, several pieces of fully-written-on, poster-sized paper showed the many ideas that had been brainstormed during the two days of meetings.
During the public meeting, the council presented a single 8-by-11-inch piece of paper that boiled down the agreed-upon values.
“To come to that kind of consensus on that diverse of topics gives me a lot of hope,” wisdom council member Louis Hoffer said.
But not everyone who participated was so enthusiastic.
Laureen Martin said her highest concern was Naval Magazine Indian Island and issues with depleted uranium.
