Hello there. What does ‘finding your civic voice mean?’ It means accessing our rights as community members and being empowered to speak to what matters.
I attended an awareness and skill building day-long workshop Jan. 24 hosted by WEAN–Whidbey Environmenal Action Network–and held by WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson, and Engagement Director Amanda Bullis. Six of us gathered at the wooden table upstairs at Bayview Corner as we talked about what matters to each of us. From 9 AM to 4 PM we chitchatted about the Comprehensive Plan and the purpose and structure of public comment as a broader tool for participation in democracy, then each focused on a topic of our choosing.
We wrote speeches, broke into pairs to rehearse, learned how to breathe from deep down in our belly when hit by an adrenaline rush that hits when speaking publicly, and delivered our talk, critiqued by Marnie, Amanda and our peers. Simply put, we practiced standing at a public meeting podium: we introduced ourselves, saying where we live, and stated what we wish to speak about. We had three minutes.
The focus of our workshop is the Island County’s Comprehensive Plan, mandated by the Washington State’s Growth Management Act–GMA– passed in the 1990s. In a nutshell the GMA is: “a series of state statutes, first adopted in 1990, that requires fast-growing cities and counties to develop a comprehensive plan to manage their population growth.”
In an email prior to the workshop, Amanda posted elements of the Comp. Plan we might like to speak to. Her email notes:
“Choose one point,” said Amanda at our workshop. “What policy you like, how to improve it, and how it relates to you personally. The public comments we’ve helped people craft that are most successful are personal stories. None of us are experts.”
Relief! I don’t have to be an expert. We will stand up at the Feb. 3 Board of Commissioners’ hearing. Our topics? Preserving rural character, adopting affordable housing models such as Whidbey Home Raising, using existing resources to map wetlands, and ways to reduce wildlife/car collisions.
Meanwhile, Marnie noted: “All our commissioners recognize the complexity of issues before them. They recognize that nature and our ecosystem are threaded through their decisions. For everyone involved in planning, there’s a lot of pressure, and time sensitivity. The Comp. Plan is a huge body of work.”
She added that this is still a draft, and community input is needed to correct errors and strengthen protections for what we collectively value.
Marnie advised us on “…crafting a compelling message. Evoke a feeling in the listener on what matters. It’s not about all the numbers, not a perfect solution. You don’t have to engineer the outcome. Invite the Board of County Commissioners into action, even if it’s just by piquing their curiosity about the issue.”
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Visiting Island County’s Public Engagement website, we learn:
A draft Comp. Plan was published Dec. 2026. The public is invited to submit comments through Feb. 9 at 4:30 PM. The Comp. Plan website notes: “The Draft Elements, Development Regulations, and SEPA documents were published on December 10, 2025, for a 60-day comment period, through February 9, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.
Written comments can be submitted:
- Below, via the comment forms under the “Draft Comprehensive Plan” and “Draft Code” tabs.
- Via email: CompPlan@islandcountywa.gov.
- Via mail: Planning & Community Development, 1 NE 7th St, Coupeville, WA 98239.
Verbal comments can be submitted:
- At any Planning Commission meeting (in person or online)
- At Board Tuesday Regular meetings (in person or online)