Congratulations to council member Linda Kochmar, who was awarded an Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). She should be commended for her initiative.

But why would this training be touted as “award” worthy? Why isn’t this training considered mandatory for every council member and the mayor?

After all, they have taken on the huge responsibility to serve almost 100,000 citizens of Federal Way.

They need to hone their skills in all four core areas that the AWC sees as critical. Let’s make this training mandatory for everyone who takes office.

John Donhauser

Federal Way