The Kitsap County commissioners had a chance to do the right thing on Monday night, but they blew it.

The Hearing Examiner’s decision to deny the permit for the Montessori Farm School in South Kitsap was riddled with errors.

Commissioner Charlotte Garrido read them off one by one. Yet the commissioners took the easy way out.

They remanded the ruling back to the hearing examiner for re-consideration. They should have overturned the ruling.

Appeasement — isn’t that nice?

And everybody lived happily ever after.

The neighbors of the Montessori school who are trying – and so far have been successful – in denying the school’s permit to operate are not the type to compromise.

That option has already been offered to them and they have refused mediation.

These people are classic “I’ve got mine — you don’t get any,” “Not in my back” (NIMBY) and I’m glad they are not my neighbors.

Gutless decisions like the county commissioners made last night just embolden people who think they have the right to tell other people what they can and can’t do with their own land even when property owners are seeking lawful use of their property.

VIVIAN HENDERSON

Kitsap Alliance

of Property Owners