Dear Editor,

I’m writing to say thanks to all the candidates who ran for the island’s hospital district board of commissioners. A big thanks for putting yourselves out in the public eye and running for something you believe in.

I am very gratified to see a large majority of Vashon-Maury islanders voted for local health care. Now is when the heavy lifting comes for us all — letting the new commissioners know what you want and need for local health care so they can assess our needs and find providers to meet those needs. I plan to show up at many of the commission meetings and hope you will, too, so we can ensure that the commissioners spend our tax dollars wisely and efficiently to get the kind of care we need. And thanks, too, for the even bigger vote for our local parks district — together, we can make a great island even better for its citizens.

Debby Jackson