A year has come and gone since the death of 14-year-old skateboarder Frank Russo, and the Port Angeles City Council has yet to consider a helmet law his family believes would have saved his life.
Interviews with city officials in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend show little support for a new regulation.
“My choice is, I’d just as soon see it go away,” he said Saturday.
Welch also favors a route adhered to by Port Angeles City Manager Mark Madsen and City Attorney Bill Bloor: beefed-up safety education.
Family members believe the city of Port Angeles is stalling on even bringing the issue up for public discussion, said Ken Laidlaw.
He’s Russo’s grandfather.
“I think the city manager and the city attorney do not want to bring this forward to the City Council,” he said.
“It’s just stalled. I’m disappointed they haven’t at least brought it forward to the City Council for them to say yay or nay on it, for them to have a discussion on it.
“My guess is they don’t want to get involved it. Maybe they’re afraid of some political backlash.”
An estimated 1,000 youngsters in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend skateboard, based on the 12.5 percent of Washington youth who skateboard, according to American Sports Data, a consumer survey research group that tracks 120 recreational and sporting activities.
That includes an estimated 609 skateboarders in Port Angeles and 89 in Sequim.
