At every level of government, citizens have shown they are tired of the “Politics as Usual”, yet more of the same seems to be all we get. At the Federal level one party claims to have a mandate by the election two weeks ago as the other party looks stunned and confused as to why they lost control of the House. Neither party understands what the voters of this nation really said. They are tired of the shouting and discord that has dominated political and governmental commentary. They are fed up with both sides saying they are going to turn this nation around and wisely spend our tax dollars. They fact is it is not this Nation that needs to turn around, it is the attitude of our elected leaders. And that is at all levels.
When I first ran for Mayor, I promised the citizens of this city that I would put an end to the small town politics that has haunted this city in the past. As hard as I may have tried this latest blow up between the City of Pacific’s Community Services Program and the 501 c 3 non profit board that used to be a part of it got me caught up in those old politics. For this I apologize to our voters. Although I was acting in what I saw was the best interest of the city, I did not do a good job of managing the situation without it slipping into a battle of egos. As we move on from this issue, I will attempt to always do better.
After the election in 2007, I was convinced that I would not be seeking a third term as Mayor. Although I love the governance and providing service to our citizens, I was worn out from the politics of it. Since that time the politics of it only has appeared to get worse. A month ago I was informed that the same person who had financed my opponent’s campaign in 2007 had recruited a Council member to run against me in 2011. I was also informed that this person was willing to invest whatever it took to get me out of office. I know that he had invested tens of thousands into the last race. From all appearances, the Mayor’s race for 2011 may end up dirtier and more costly than ever before in history. All because a certain business owner is not getting his way in the city ignoring his violations of zoning and the law. As much as I hate the “Politics of it all” I am not willing to let this person buy the Mayor’s office.
I have gone back and forth over the last few years as to if I would run again or not. Originally my plan was to hold office for a few years as Mayor and move on to higher office. But with a growing disenchantment in partisan politics and my growing interest in emergency preparedness I changed my mind. I now see my future in helping prepare this city, this state and this nation to face disaster, respond and recover quickly and be stronger because of it. I believe that this is my ultimate calling. But I have work to do here in Pacific still.
If I was to leave office at the end of this term, I would most likely split my time between teaching emergency management and my regular job as an electrician. In a few years I plan on retiring after 25 years in the trade and most likely move on to teaching full time. I could do this while staying in office or not. But we would lose some ground in the meantime.
Because of the training I have received from FEMA, the courses I am still taking and my position on the Washington State Emergency Management Council our City has remained in the focus of King County, the State and the Army Corps of Engineers for providing both short term and long term mitigation for the flooding of 2009. We are actively working regionally in both King and Pierce County on long term mitigation for flooding of the White River. If I were to not run for reelection we would lose some of that clout and the position on the EMC. Although I would get many of my evenings back, our city would lose some of our momentum in preparedness.
I believe we could also go backwards in Economic Development. As we emerge from this recession, we have many new businesses now moving into Pacific. We are seen as a progressive city that is willing to find solutions rather than obstacles. That is with the exception of turning a blind eye to businesses breaking the law. When I first took office we were near collapse economically. We had massive debt and no reserves to cover our day to day cost. Under my watch we paid off debt, built a reserve fund of almost $800,000 and were moving forward when the downturn in our economy hit. Although we have used most of our reserves, we kept the city going without mortgaging our future with new debt. Keeping with sound fiscal policy, we should recover over this next year stronger than ever.
After looking at the prospect of a harsh campaign in 2011, what our city might lose and what I hope our city can achieve I have decided that I will run for reelection in November 2011. I will make a more formal announcment in December. I know this may mean a nasty campaign will be waged against me but I feel the voters deserve someone who will stand above that. As I promised the voters before, I will stand above the small town pettiness that has plagued this city in the past. I wish my opponent and his financer well, but I will not stoop to dirty campaigning, no matter how much they throw at me. I promise instead to talk about solutions, to talk about our future and what we can accomplish and most of all I will talk about Pacific being a government that actually does listen to and understand what the voters are saying.
"We want a government that is lean, effective and accountable to the people".
All I will say as to how we have been treated by politicians at other levels is
“ We deserve better!”