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Dear editor, Please advise, cannot understand. Good grief!? Shelter Bay, a community across the Swinomish Channel from La Conner, is under attack from an out-of-order insider group? One judge has already thrown out an unsubstantiated lawsuit for lack of material proof, so what can possibly be the reason this group continues to harass the board of volunteers who have been elected to steer the community to further the processes they have begun, specifically the extension of the lease on the land owned by the Swinomish Tribe. Anyone who lives...
A majority of the current and recently past volunteer Directors of Shelter Bay (SB) have accomplished the following over the past several years. • Voted to have the members of SB pay the fine of $92,500 imposed by the Swinomish Tribe against a now-former director, who denuded Rainbow Park for his sole personal benefit, and further, and has obligated the members of SB to pay for the reforestation and maintenance of Rainbow Park at the cost of an additional $120,000. They did not legally pursue this former Director to collect the fine and d...
The Swinomish Tax Authority used the same levy rate for 2023, 2022 and 2021: $11.98 per thousand. But, the assessed value of homes in Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned increased from $196,279,100 to $206,399,050 over the past year. The Swinomish government aims to collect $2,440,832 in taxes from Shelter Bay, Pull & Be Damned and Thousand Trails. Three taxing districts will receive contributions from the Swinomish. These are: Fire District 13 at $400,000 for operations and maintenance, plus $90,000 impact fees from the casino, plus a medical...
Shelter Bay resident Jan Henrie wants another day in court, continuing her lawsuit to stop the five Shelter Bay Community board of director officers from making financial decisions and to remove them. Meanwhile, the board approved a lease agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community April 19. Henrie’s March motion for injunctive relief in Skagit Superior Court was denied April 14. She filed a motion for reconsideration April 24, alleging Judge Laura Riquelme’s denial of her motion was “contrary to law, that substantial justice has not b...
A perennial issue topped the agenda of a rare short La Conner Town Council meeting last Tuesday. As had the town’s planning commission a week earlier, most of council’s 40-minute April 25 session emphasized downtown parking and traffic congestion. The parking topic likely would have consumed even more Council time – as it has for springs and summers over decades – were it not that many at the meeting wanted to attend the much-anticipated Matika Wilbur book launch at Swinomish at 7 p.m. Even longtime La Conner resident Linda Talman, an attende...
Believe it or not, I was a star athlete in high school. My senior year I was an all-county linebacker, an undefeated wrestler and a catcher in baseball who batted .517. There were scouts at all of my baseball games but I decided instead to go to Colgate University on a football scholarship but only played freshman year because I was 5’ 8” tall and weighed 175 pounds. Now at age 76, I play golf and tennis and pickleball and work out twice weekly in a gym with very healthy equipment. As a resident...
It is sad that Jack and Julie Jones moved out of Shelter Bay over misperceptions (Citizens’ View, April 19). I wish for their sake the Jones had served on the board of directors and on committees. If they had they would still be here enjoying the beauty and tranquility of our lovely community, knowing their neighbors who serve care as much about the community as they do. The Shelter Bay marina, like every popular rental property, increases in value, pays off its debt and produces cash flow. The marina pays 10% of the land lease. It would pay m...
Skagit County Superior Court judge Laura Riquelme sided with the five executive committee members of the Shelter Bay Community board of directors Friday, denying a request for an injunction that could have led to their removal from the board and would have prevented them from making financial decisions, including approving the community’s 2023 interim lease with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. In a near hour-long hearing attended by 15-20 Shelter Bay residents and watched over Zoom by another 45, attorneys for defendants Wendy P... Full story
Last spring, Judy Kontos won election to the Shelter Bay Community’s board of directors on a platform of increasing transparency and ushering in reform as part of the nine-member governing panel. This time around, Kontos didn’t fare well when Shelter Bay residents marked their ballots. Kontos was recalled on a 343-149 vote last Wednesday when in-person and mail-in ballots were tallied. Kontos, whose career background is in finance with extensive experience as a mortgage broker, was sanctioned and suspended from the board in February pen...
Recently, some friends have asked us why we moved from Shelter Bay into the town of La Conner. The simple reason is, we lost trust in the board to act in the best interest of the community and we lost faith that the board would begin to act in the best interest of the community. Our trust started eroding with the outcome of the Rainbow Park fiasco. We were told it was in the best interest of the community to bail out a sitting board member to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. When we asked questions, we were told to attend... Full story
As a resident of Shelter Bay, I’m grateful for La Conner Weekly News coverage of the community’s recent challenges. Because we are a very significant segment of the wider community, we unquestionably have an impact outside the confines of our neighborhood. So, it is appropriate for the local newspaper to cover the activities of our board and members, despite the apparent wishes of some to avoid that particular source of light. Thorough, balanced news coverage demands skepticism, rather than meek regurgitation of officially sanctioned com...
The turmoil continues in Shelter Bay. Resident Judy Kontos filed five petitions, one against each executive committee member of the Shelter Bay Community board of directors, Thursday, April 13. The day before Kontos, elected to the board in May, was ousted from the board by a 55% yes vote of 492 of residents. This followed Kontos’ sanction and suspension from the board in February. “Collectively, I delivered over 1,000 signatures,” Kontos told the Weekly News Monday. Each petition had 220 signatures, she said. Community rules require 25% of th... Full story
Will Judy Kontos be a Shelter Bay Community director tomorrow? Community leasehold members voted through 12:30 p.m. today “whether or not you approve the recall,” with “yes” a vote to remove her. Kontos was sanctioned and suspended Feb. 15 based on four code of conduct complaints filed against her in the fall. A special membership meeting was held April 12, starting at 11 a.m., recessing at 11:45 a.m. and reconvening at 5:30 p.m. The sole agenda item was Kontos recall for “four violations of rules and regulations of the associati...
In your editorial (“Free Speech in Shelter Bay,” April 5) you state “Public governments are regulated by the revised Code of Washington, or RCW.” You neglected to mention that Home Owners Associations (HOAs) are also regulated by the RCW, specifically RCW 64.38. I agree with you that Weekly News coverage of Shelter Bay should be allowed unless restricted by RCW 64.38. I also feel, as stated before, that the Weekly News should be a valuable resource in assisting our three interwoven communities better understand each other – warts and all. So,...
A Skagit County Superior Court judge will rule Friday on a motion to continue Shelter Bay leaseholder and resident Jan Henrie’s civil complaint accusing five Shelter Bay Community board of directors of violating their statutory fiduciary duty and malfeasance. The lawsuit, filed March 15, Jan Henrie vs. Wendy Poulton, Elaine Dixon Monte Hicks, Joseph Hurley and Louise Kari, is on the April 14 civil motions docket. The case number is 23-2-00221-29. To participate remotely: zoom.us/my/skagitsuperior2; 253-215-8782; Meeting ID: 667 929 1013; P...
Much worse than metaphorical slings and arrows are being fired on Shelter Bay social media community platforms, including their Next Door community. A handful of residents who have criticized sanctioned Shelter Bay Community Director Judy Kontos for her postings have called on the Weekly News to investigate, alleging she continues to violate association rules and regulations of confidentiality as a board member. They criticize as not true, as she told residents attending the April 2 town hall meeting - and as the Weekly News summarized in its...
Let me tell you why I am looking forward to seeing you Friday supporting the McLeod Family at a 5-7 p.m. spaghetti dinner fundraiser at La Conner Elementary School cafeteria. Thirteen years ago when I stumbled upon what I thought was the ideal house in the perfect neighborhood, my kids were somewhat skeptical. So, they came up to La Conner and Shelter Bay, unbeknownst to me, and checked it out by driving randomly around several streets. They were greeted with smiles and waves everywhere they...
Olga is offering a glimpse into life in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. The article last week left Olga at work in Ivano-Frankvisk in West Ukraine. She had just read on social media that Kiev was being bombed. Her dad and brother had left there an hour before to join her 340 miles further west. Olga has asked her family’s last name not be printed for security reasons. Twenty years ago Olga had received a scholarship to study in the U.S. There she met Steve and Jan Paul of Shelter Bay. These quotes and summaries are from e...
Since COVID-19, the Zoom communications platform has been the next best thing to being there. And for Shelter Bay residents, it was even better than that Sunday night. Over 200 of the community’s homeowners logged onto a one-hour Zoom-only town hall addressing the April 12 recall election of Shelter Bay Board Director Judy Kontos. The start was delayed about 15 minutes to accommodate increased participant capacity, which drew more than twice the number of people who regularly attend monthly in-person meetings at the Shelter Bay clubhouse. It a... Full story
Is democracy dangerous to the health of Shelter Bay community board members? Or, is the board’s leadership allergic to free speech? Is it possible that the Weekly News is just plain wrong in its efforts to cover Shelter Bay governance? The Weekly News has taken the standard journalistic approach to cover Shelter Bay: attending meetings; interviewing people; reading documents – including court filings; and tracking social media posts. Staff have spoken to people on and off the record, on background and for source material, including holding nam... Full story
Anne Marguerite Rice 4/3/1939 - 3/17/2023 Anne was born in Seattle to George and Mary Connell. She attended school on Queen Anne Hill, but at age 15 her family was uprooted and they moved to West Seattle where Anne met Lauren Rice, age 16. They became inseparable friends graduating from West Seattle High School, the University of Washington, and both earning masters degrees from Oregon State University. Anne and Lauren were married at West Side Presbyterian Church on December 26, 1959. They had... Full story
Should the Town of La Conner’s new Emergency Management Commission have five or six members? Town Council tabled adding a sixth person last week. An alternate might be added, though. Resident Linda Talman nudged officials toward that compromise position during a lengthy discussion. Mayor Ramon Hayes proposed adding a sixth voting member after Jamie Throgmorton applied. Her background makes her an asset to the commission. Town Administrator Scott Thomas was tasked with drafting a resolution modifying membership. Former council member Bill S...
This article is taken from edited emails received from Olga in Ukraine to Jan Paul of Shelter Bay. Jan has known Olga for twenty years. For security reasons we are not using Olga’s or her family’s last name. Olga became friends with Steve and Jan Paul of Shelter Bay after winning a scholarship to study in the U.S. for one year. She did not live with the Pauls but visited often and stayed in contact with them through the years. They connected. Olga writes: “Before war there were two kinds of people – those who thought it possible and those w...
Embattled Shelter Bay Community Director Judy Kontos is on the offensive, petitioning since mid-March to have residents recall the five members of the board’s executive committee. The board sanctioned Kontos in February after an ethics committee investigation Kontos believed was patently unfair. The petitions against board President Wendy Poulton, Vice President Joseph Hurley, Treasurer Louise Kari, Secretary Monte Hicks and Secretary pro tem Elaine Dixon read the same: “In accordance with Shelter Bay Community, Inc. Article V, Section 2, we...
Five Shelter Bay Community board of directors will get their day in Skagit County Superior Court April 14, but until then are restrained from taking any action on the organization’s master lease with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community or destroying any financial records. In a hearing Friday, March 31, Judge Laura Riquelme found “good cause to grant some requests, essentially temporary restraints” against the board’s executive committee: Wendy Poulton, Elaine Dixon Monte Hicks, Joseph1 Hurley and Louise Kari. Leasehold resident Jan Henrie...
