It was a sad day for many Lopezians, who watched as public works trucks rumbled down the dusty roads of Watmough Head, preparing to put down pavement.

We understand the protesters’ desire to keep a rural road free of asphalt. But we don’t agree with those who say democracy has failed.

We elected county council members to vote and make decisions on our behalf. The council listened to Lopezians’ concerns as well as those in support of the project, took into consideration the petition and held several meetings to discuss the matter. It was put to a vote, and it came down to a tie. The council requires four votes to take action, so the earlier approval of chip-sealing Watmough Head Road stood.

Yes, there were 300 signatures on the petition against the road improvements. But that does not represent the majority of Lopez Island. We agree with the council: Watmough Head Road should not be exempt from normal road maintenance because 300 people out of 2200 do not agree with the environmental implications.

Chip-sealing of the road was included in the county’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan – which was approved by the council in July 2010 – but it did not cite specific roads. The council says that future plans will list where road improvements will occur. We sincerely hope the county does this as well as widely publicize NEW roads that are slated to be chip-sealed. This is of little solace to Lopezians who feel like the chip-sealing of Watmough came out of nowhere and without enough time to properly voice concern, but it’s a positive step forward.

We think the council gave this matter its due reflection, and while the verdict may not be satisfactory to some, the democratic process was not ignored.