Johnson over French

World population will increase 50 percent during our grandchildren’s lifetimes. We’ll need to divert our course so as not to consume and pollute another 50 percent of the fish and wildlife habitats that make Earth such a nice place to live.

Rural, suburban and urban sprawl are pretty devastating when it comes to leaving our grandchildren any semblance of the beauty of nature we enjoyed as kids. Dense urban infill is the best we can do to minimize our impact on nature.

Thoughtful urbanization not only minimizes our per capita consumption of pavement, energy and habitat, it also creates an efficient and productive lifestyle that leaves more time and resources for enjoying a break on the slopes or at the lake.

Sadly, my longtime friend and Spokane County Commissioner Al French has been swayed by owners of inexpensive outlying land that a good way to create jobs is to promote more sprawl – ignoring the fact that dense infill creates just as many jobs.

On a more positive note, I also have a longtime friend by the name of Mary Lou Johnson, whom I believe would do much more for the Earth and mankind if she had French’s job.

Please vote for Mary Lou.

Mickey Thompson

Spokane