Letters

Editor: 

After watching President Barak Obama deliver his state of the union address, I turned the dial to Channel 21 to watch the telecast of the January 26 City Council meeting.

During the public comment period, Don Hall stepped up to the podium and expressed his concern about a celebratory gathering at Engles Pub attended by four council members (a quorum) and a handful of citizens.

My interpretation of RCW 42.030 is that it is lawful for a quorum to “gather” as long as no decisions are made. I told my neighbor, Dr. Richard Senderoff, that he should have invited Mr. Hall to join the festive group. 

The next speaker, Ron Wambolt, took his turn at the podium.

He questioned the legitimacy of the appointment of Diane Buckshnis to the City Council. He chided Council member Adrienne Fraley-Monillas for nominating Laura Petso and voting for Mrs. Buckshnis.

I would like to point out that the City Clerk’s instructions to the council allowed for a two step process.

First, each council member was instructed to select a candidate to nominate. Second, each council member was instructed to vote for a candidate. The procedure does not require a council member to vote for the same candidate that he or she nominated. 

After I turned off my TV set, I reflected on the national and the local political scene.

During President Obama’s address, the members of the Party of No sat on their hands. Their facial expressions and body language said it all. At our City Council meeting, the Party of No made accusations of impropriety on the part of city council members. The new council has a host of issues to face beginning with economic development. They don’t need obstacles thrown in their path. Instead of “Just Say No, let’s say “Yes We Can.”

Barbara Tipton