I am disappointed that Federal Way City Council member Jim Ferrell is attempting to ramrod the mayoral selection process.

His drive to hold an April election, whose filing period would end on Dec. 11, is a bit disingenuous and contrary to his public statements of a few weeks ago.

During the campaign, Ferrell and the Proposition 1 supporters stated repeatedly that the citizens of Federal Way could only be properly served if there was an open and fair mayoral election. One that is devoid of any ramrod or strong-arm tactics. An election where voters would be able to “fully vet” the candidates on their positions.

Should an April election be held, a primary would need to be held by early February. With a Dec. 11 filing date, the voters would be allocated what is essentially a two-month period of time to fully scrutinize and explore the candidates. If we are making a decision that we will have to live with for several years, we had better get it right. Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to remove an ineffective or incompetent mayor from office.

During the Nov. 17, city council meeting, Ferrell inferred that the voters (with their 51.4 percent approval) demanded and expected an immediate change to the city government. He portrayed a sense of urgency that seemed to be on the scale of the Orange Revolution.

By taking this stance, Ferrell really came off as using tactics that were recently successful for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by suppressing dissent and competition.

I can only speculate as to why he is taking this tact. Is it fear of competition? Or would an August or November 2010 election interfere with the timeline set by his campaign manager?

Mr. Ferrell, I have voted for you every time you have run. Be it for city council or for a seat in the state House of Representatives. I did so because I believed in your integrity. Please continue to show integrity to the mayoral vetting process and to the people of Federal Way. The city and your constituents will be a lot better off if we have an orderly and methodical transition to our government.

Larry Paterson, Federal Way