As the editor of a community newspaper, it warms the cockles of my heart to see that more and more people are putting pen to paper and contributing impassioned and insightful letters to the editor.

As The Reporter does what it can to compliment the role of the excellent community papers that serve Issaquah and Sammamish, hopefully more people will feel comfortable in stepping into the town square, the forum that is the public opinion section of our paper. And so rather than ramble on in this column, I’m going to give plenty of space to these letters, which contain views on, amongst other things, the efficiency of Sammamish council and the use of federal stimulus funds.

But I wanted to make just one comment, to clear up something that seems to be clouding the air with misunderstanding, leading to aggravation.

I have heard a few people say of late something along the lines of “why would the city use $3.5 million of federal stimulus money on the Parkway project? Surely there is a better way to spend the money?”

Now, as the offspring of convicts mixed with colonial Irish troublemakers and Bushrangers, rarely do I feel comfortable defending the actions of local government, or bureaucracies of any description. But this misunderstanding about the source of the stimulus funds is getting in the way of what could be a good argument.

The core of the matter is that the council is not free to spend that $3.5 million as it feels fit — it is tied to the Parkway project, as that was the project submitted to the Federal Government, which was handing out money for transportation projects only. The criteria for projects was complex and strict, and included such provisions as being ready to go, and capable of providing immediate employment and business activity. Only four projects in the state received this funding, and the Parkway project was fourth on the list. Basically, the city gets $3.5 million for the Parkway, or it gets nothing, and that money is given to the next city on the list.

The merits of the Parkway construction are an entirely different matter, and no doubt that debate will continue, hopefully here in the pages of The Reporter.

But it should not be stained by misunderstanding just how the City of Sammamish came across that $3.5 million windfall, and what it is able to do with the money.