Gayla Hardison wrote on Feb 18, 2008 7:16 PM:
" If citizens truly understand this issue, they will vote YES!!!
Don’t buy the LIE
As you know, this ballot has a proposal for Federal Way to finally have an elected mayor. Those advocating against an elected mayor have told you that you don’t need one – the current system works. What they don’t tell you is that it works for a select few, leaving the rest of us ignored and footing the bill for our city councils bad decisions. They tell you that you aren’t smart enough to vote for a competent mayor- that you will elect a “sixth grade dropout who can’t even balance his own checkbook” They tell you we won’t get any qualified people to run for mayor, yet most of our city council members and our state representative have stated that they will run if the citizens vote to have an elected mayor… gee, I hope these people can balance a checkbook! They will tell you that you will know nothing about mayoral candidates, yet those candidates will have to run on a platform informing voters of their priorities and backgrounds. They tell you that there is nothing wrong with the city’s business atmosphere – that we are imagining the mass exodus of businesses along the Hwy 99 corridor –yet I see it and you probably do too. They tell us how valuable the Community Center is yet it is operating at a huge deficit. They tell us that the city council is running our city wonderfully, yet we are incurring a deficit of $3.4 million annually because of the council’s bad decisions. They tell us that a strong mayor won’t give us the benefit of national selection that we have with a city manager, but it is a good thing that we will have a city leader who has a vested interest in our city, and it’s not likely that we will vote for “hire” someone with a known questionable background as they did. They tell us a new mayor will cost us taxpayers tons of money, yet in actuality, an elected mayor can SAVE us tons of money! They tell us that there will be gridlock with an elected mayor, but there won’t be as long as everyone is voting in the citizen’s best interest They tell us that we will lose our professional city employees, but we will in fact retain our professional city employees because we are not going on a firing spree. They tell us that a strong mayor can hire and fire people at will – but they forget to tell you that our city manager can do that now, and you didn’t even vote for him! They tell you that our city council built Celebration Park in order to provide a place for “families to come together,” yet the park, built with taxpayers money charges for parking and is virtually unusable by families. The council encouraged moving the 320th library to the grassy area by the crime laden transient… oops transit center, and only reversed their stance when huge numbers of citizens showed up council meeting after council meeting in outrage… but they will tell you that is okay. The city council thought it best to “beautify” 320th by planting trees along the sides of the roadways and has plans to do the same down much of Hwy 99, yet those very trees are breaking up the sidewalks and pavement and will have to be removed. They tell you it is a good thing that the city council is requiring new development in our city core to have businesses and retail AND residential all in one building yet have you noticed how few developers are rushing in to this? They tell you that our council’s decision to buy and develop property on speculation is a good thing, but they forget to tell you the developer they chose has some real legal issues involving other projects in both the US and Canada. They tell you that having a city manager is the best way to go, but if you don’t like what he does, you can’t fire him – even through the voting process, but you could a mayor. They tell you that it will be hard to remove a bad mayor, when in fact, it would be easy… just don’t vote for that person again. And… isn’t it easier to “fire” one bad mayor than it is just about the entire city council who chooses the city manager? They say it will turn this into partisan politics – but it won’t because this isn’t a partisan issue, it is merely about having someone represent “we the people.” They tell you that our city’s history of closed-door meetings is okay… that you really don’t need to know what’s going on. They tell you that our city doesn’t need a proper system of checks and balances that they are above that, but our city council has proven the contrary. Lastly, their signs tell you “Don’t vote for an elected mayor.” The question of the day is this: Why would the people who have ultimate control over you want to relinquish that control if they don’t have to? The citizens of Federal Way are not idiots! I choose to vote in my best interest… and yours, and hope you will do the same. VOTE… YES for a strong mayor.
"
Frosty E hardison wrote on Feb 13, 2008 3:37 PM:
" Unsupported and undocumented? You know, if you read enough of your own lies and continue to repeat them - you might start to think they're true.
Tell you what... Take a drive down 99. Count how many closed and empty stores there are. We took pictures DOCUMENTING 65 of them in 2006.
Take a stroll through the Commons - count how many vacant stores there are in that facility.
Interview the managers of Bally's and 24 hr. Fitness yourself. See if their membership has risen or declined since the Community Center opened.
Have a talk with the leaders at Christian Faith Center about how long it took to get approval for their building. Ask them if there were any "hidden costs" like road repairs, traffic lights and other added ammenities the city asked for them to pay for to get their church built.
As the leaders of Grace Church if maybe they know of some one that may have had interest in the AMC Theater property before the city stepped in to buy it and destroy the facility.
Do some of the research we have into the history of Neal Beets when he was run out of the last two towns he managed - Roseville, MN & Mesa, AZ. We've sent all those links into the newspapers - did they get published? Obviously not.
Trumped up allegations? No. Lazy reporters and an uneducated public? Yes.
You know, one of the reasons for the protections granted by the U.S. Constitution is for the press to get off their chairs and do some investigative reporting... to protect the citizens by exposing some of the very garbage that has gone on in Federal Way in the full view of everyone.
Ask yourself how is it that wetlands off 21 SW AND So. 368TH can be owned by a retiring widow that can't sell to a developer herself because the property is deemed "wetlands" but how the city of Federal Way can come scoop it up for pennies on the dollar through eminent domain, sit on it for less than a year and suddenly - it's no longer a wetland? How much did the city make on that deal?
I hope people can see through your smoke and mirrors. "
Judy Lee wrote on Feb 13, 2008 10:27 AM:
" I really hope the people of Federal Way (note I didn't say ACT because ACT has nothing to do with my VOTE) prove you wrong. It is high time for the citizens to gain control over their own destiny... and the taxes they will be responsible. At one time the council-manager system worked. It does not work any longer though. Right now, it council position races are popularity contests. And the same old faces keep coming around. Did you notice Mary Gates tried to get back in the political arena not too long ago? Point is, our council has not been voting in our best interest. It has somehow come to the idea that being a destination city means having everything NOW... instead of as us taxpayers can afford it. When our city stops having a vastly growing annual deficit THEN our council should look at making improvements. Until that time, continuing to build things that aren't in our best interests and that are raise our already high taxes, is ridiculous. How about the council members each chip in and foot the bill for the deficit that our new Community Center is incurring? Since that isn't likely to happen and since they will still spend money like crazy, it's time for a change! VOTE YES FOR AN ELECTED MAYOR! "
Don Dennis wrote on Feb 4, 2008 8:53 PM:
" Thank you, you have it right. The ACT people will not get what they think they will get. An elected Mayor will not have any power or authority over city policy. He or she would only manage the city departments while the council makes all the decisions. I just hope the citizens understand this issue so they will vote NO. "
