The surest, foolproof, quickest way to reverse the trend of operation expenditures for the Dumas Bay Centre is to sell it. For one simple reason: Neither Cipalla Communications, Lee Iacocca nor Donald Trump can turn a business into a “going Jesse” that lacks an owner’s entrepreneurial leadership. Government employees, no matter how trustworthy and honorable they are, lack that essential ingredient. The biggest reason is they’re not risking anything and thus critical decisions are not ever truly critical. Because private owners risk their capital, tough decisions are made and made quickly. Unlike Dumas Bay Centre, a private owner doesn’t have the luxury of an inexhaustible source of money to bail them out. Spending money on a marketing plan for Dumas Bay is throwing good money after a bad cause. The city should sell it and cut its losses to zero. Federal Way should not be involved in any business that competes with free enterprise.

Robert E. Morgan, Federal Way