Letter to the Editor: It's time for a change in City leadership

To the Editor:

Mary Jane Goss understands the underlying economic conditions for many of our residents. Recent graduates are struggling to find work, those with small businesses are struggling to make ends meet, and seniors and others on fixed incomes have had no cost-of-living increase.

Currently there are 18 homes scheduled for auction, 30 short sales and 23 foreclosed in Lake Forest Park. Our city decreased in size in the 2010 census because too many of our former residents could no longer afford to live here.

Yet our current City Council, including our Deputy Mayor, continues to approve additional unbudgeted items they expect residents to pay for.

Incumbents and their supporters need to more appropriately address our City’s financial problems – and to stop misrepresenting Proposition 1, which they proposed, supported, and funded. Although a 38.6% increase would have been levied in the first year alone, with additional cumulative increases for 5 more years, the City’s underlying financial structural problem would not have been resolved.

There are some in our city who seem to think if they repeat misstatements often enough, they will be believed. For the record, Mary Jane supported the funding of programs at the Commons as well as the Farmer's Market during her term in office, which ended six years ago. She is not responsible for the costs of expanded City administration nor other decisions made after she left the Council.

Mary Jane served on the 2010 “No on Prop 1” campaign because of her commitment to keeping Lake Forest Park affordable. And like others, she volunteered many hours this summer helping with needed park maintenance.

It’s time for a change in City leadership. I urge you to vote for Mary Jane Goss for Mayor – and Jeff Johnson, Tom French, and Brian Cathcart for Lake Forest Park City Council.

Jean Thomas

Lake Forest Park