Letter to the Editor: We will not be bullied
Friday, September 10, 2010
To the Editor:
On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the 32nd District Democrats voted on a NO Vote on Prop #1. The motion was brought by Wendy DiPeso. The vote was 15 yes for the negative motion (to oppose) to 14 no (to validate the proposition) with, I believe, six abstentions.
Under the rules of the 32nd District Democrats, all members are eligible to vote. This means that Esperance in Snohomish County, LFP residents, Kenmore and Finn Hill members were allowed to vote.
The majority of Shoreline residents compose the 14 opposed to the motion. In other words, the citizens of Shoreline overwhelmingly support the Proposition #1 for the Levy-Lid lift to ensure that our city has the operating funds to maintain services in the next six years.
The vote was skewed by residents who reside in LFP, where they led a fight to fail their Prop #1 Levy Lid lift and to place their city in financial jeopardy as deep cuts have been mandated in citywide services.
Our Shoreline citizens have had many opportunities to attend educational forums where City staff members have explained the needs and provided charts and graphs to explain the complex city funding. Debbie Tarry, finance director, has given powerpoint demonstrations on Channel 21 during televised city council meetings.
We will not be bullied into placing our city in financial jeopardy. Our citizens will overwhelmingly support the levy-lid lift by voting YES on Proposition #1. We want to maintain our beautiful parks, our streets and the safety of our citizens.
La Nita Jordan Wacker
Shoreline
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7 comments:
Looks like the local Democratic flaks got smacked down by the grass roots, who've had enough of the tax increases. Of course their natural response is name calling. FAIL
However, bullying is very much in style here. The major bullies here are administrators at the Shoreline School District and their shills, the Shoreline School Board who will rubber stamp anything the Superintendent and her lawyer wants.
Kill the Museum -sure.
Give huge salary increases to administrators - fine.
Cut hours of SESPA workers - no problem.
Cut public comment - absolutely.
Blackmail the Museum Board and demand a gag order - sure, why do we need free speech and the truth out there in the SSD?
The Levy Lid Lift is still a matter for debate. The people have a choice.
But the voters got really played by the SSD spinmeisters. $150 Million Bond!
No limits to taking whatever the bullies want here.
So nice that the "Anti-SSD" crowd are here once again SPAMMING an article that isn't about the MUSEUM!
Much like the article on PIRATES a few days ago.
Goodness.
Ms. Wacker,
As you are well aware, the vote taken Wednesday night was to establish the organization's position on Prop. 1. The fact that you note that "members from Esperance in Snohomish County, LFP residents, Kenmore and Finn Hill members were allowed to vote" demonstrates an awareness that the 32nd District Democratic Organization represents including but not exclusively restricted to Shoreline.
Are you therefore suggesting that non-Shoreline residents are somehow less equal in voting on an organizational position, even one that, on the face of it, only applies to Shoreline? Funny: I don't recall too many Shoreline members recusing themselves from voting on the similar organizational position on the LFP Prop. 1.
I'm also intrigued by your comment as to the vote counts. Did you take a formal count of members who voted either way to arrive at your conclusion that "the majority of Shoreline residents compose the 14 opposed to the motion." You must be very quick at your count, and have very good knowledge of who lives where. Kudos!
What I find most fascinating, however, is how, during the meeting, you took it upon yourself to lecture the body on how Democrats should behave, when, if I'm not mistaken, your yard is currently host to a campaign sign for Dr. Art Coday, Republican candidate and darling of the TEA Party. Perhaps I'm missing something here?
Then again, the question in my mind is: who is the REAL bully in this picture?
Ms. Wacker:
I was was at that meeting too. You were in front of the room -- I was in the back of the room. You asked for a raise of hand of the people were from Shoreline. You did not even look around the room when the show of hands. What I saw was that almost EVERYONE was from Shoreline. Your assessment is inaccurate and self-serving.
Some of us from Shoreline who voted on the Levy Lid Lift resolution at the 32nd LD Democratic meeting had been on the fence for quite a while.
Speaking only for myself, I recognize the need for additional city revenue in the short term. But I was deeply concerned about what I perceived to be the overreaching of the proposal.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to amend the resolution to give some guidance to the Shoreline City Council as to what might be a better approach and more likely to succeed.
Here is what i oould support:
The Shoreline City Council and Staff should consider having public hearings, preparing and submitting to the citizens of Shoreline a new proposal for a temporary Levy Lid Lift that will be an emergency measure only, will extend no longer than 6 years, will not set the basic tax rate for levies after that date, will omit any reference to Seattle CPI and will specify precisely what services and/or departments the additional revenue will be applied to.
What Ms. Wacker forgot to add after "We want to maintain our beautiful parks, our streets and the safety of our citizens." is "Democrats also want our citizens and businesses to be able to afford to live in Shoreline and to conduct business in Shoreline."
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