We taxpayers pay for our public government. Our taxes finance the operation of the physical plant called the City Hall, its utilities, tech equipment and operations staff, etc. Our taxes pay council and all staff salaries plus retirement and medical, dental and eye care packages.
At the Sept. 15 council meeting, the city council arbitrarily declared a public hearing on Proposition 1, brought to the November ballot by an energized and active citizen initiative. This would change our government to an elected mayor/council form, which would finally give the citizens of Federal Way a participating voice in our destiny and that of our city’s destiny. The council heard from both sides of the debate, then each council person gave their own lengthy opinion of the issue, then recommended, to the voters, for or against the issue.
In venting at the News Tribune’s reporter for Federal Way, a very nice and capable young man, he said, but they have to declare a public hearing should they want to endorse Prop. 1, and of course, he was correct. He just didn’t know that this deceptive and hidden agenda is how they operate.
Hmm, I wonder how they voted? Wink wink. They used their council status to get a captive audience in a predetermined intent to sway the outcome of the election in their favor, all at public expense! I find this collective behavior nothing more than a self-serving scandal and, frankly, I’m embarrassed by them.
No matter how hard they work at making their actions appear legitimate, it is an outrageous abuse of power and demonstrates yet again what a grip this controlling council majority (four people) has on our citizens’ throats and to what shameful lengths they will go in order to hang onto their waning power.
They had their unfortunate relationship with the truth publicly documented (Mirror, Aug. 29) and proudly reiterated their even less professional excuse for ignoring us citizens, that even though we are approaching 90,000, we’re just a “vocal minority” and if allowed to vote would probably elect a Clem Caddidlehopper. They represent us?
Also, in a misguided effort to explain the council’s run-amok spending, Jerry Vaughn, alleged writer of the letter in the Sept. 2 Mirror, tells us the council is charged with providing a community in which to live work and play within financial constraints.
Well, let’s see how that worked for them! The state government in Olympia, when fighting off ugly development, denigrated “the stereotypical strip-mall” city by declaring: “This is not Federal Way!” (News Tribune, April 17). Darn those old financial constraints, and right when they’re desperately trying to nail down $50 million for a performing arts and cultural center (PACC).
If, as rumored, the last “C” in PACC is really for a convention center, we taxpayers will be looking at up to $72 million, and who knows how much higher. But remember, these are the leaders under whom we taxpayers have to support the overbuilt community center unable to support itself, and who can’t secure the spectacular Camp Kilworth for us, and who can’t maintain the Dumas Bay Centre, and don’t fall for the tall tale that we would be getting money from the Feds. I wonder where the council supposes the federal money comes from?
Fellow citizens, we worked together and stopped the planned wanton destruction of our lovely Steel Lake Park. Help us get a new vision for our future: An elected mayor who will represent all 88,000 of us vocal minority sorts. Vote yes for a new day and a new mayor.
Clara McArthur, Federal Way
