O’Neill says 20-20 hindsight brings regret on comment ban

Commissioner Pat O’Neill, now in the final weeks of a heated re-election race, last Thursday said he now believes the commissioners made a mistake last January when they shut off public comments on the county’s revised proposal for the Hawkins shopping center project. O’Neill made the comment during a campaign interview with Bill Weed on Pullman radio station KQQQ.

He noted 20-20 hindsight on the decision now leads him to the conclusion the commissioners should have listened to all the residents in the room at the time.

The comment related to a session last Jan. 3 in the commissioner’s chamber...