Letter: Tri-Cities should band together to support projects deserving community support

Let’s see how the next round of voting goes in the Tri Cities … I see Kennewick is set to vote on the Link project and the Pasco city council is again mulling plans for an aquatic center.

As a West Richlander who shops in all of our communities, I continue to scan my ballot, looking for an opportunity to vote on these issues that impact our quality of life. Alas, my community is exempt from these decisions.

I look over to the Seattle area from whence I hail, and lo, there are areas like Ballard, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill — all within the Seattle city limits. Or take Spokane, with its designation as the “second-largest city in Washington state,” which I believe we would surpass if we banded together.

Check out the challenge the STEM schools and Delta buildings are having, because they are funded solely by Pasco and Kennewick.

I’d like to vote on transitioning to a metro area where the sub-communities maintain their identities, but our joint voting input is included on these capital projects that are not getting the input and support they deserve from our community as a whole.

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Letter: Tri-Cities should band together to support projects deserving community support."