A different Edmonds Theater back in the day

Re: "Edmonds Theater at 100" (Nov. 15):

I've lived in Edmonds since 1945 and, during the early '50s, was allowed to go there.

My memories are of Mrs. Giezentanner stomping down the aisle of the theater, turning off the movie and announcing from the stage that "unless all of us settled down" she'd call all of our parents and send us home.

Another memory was about the only bathrooms upstairs and ONLY people over 15 years old could sit in the balcony, which was to the left of the bathrooms.

She patrolled them like it was a life-or-death situation!

Carol Leidinger McCreary
Edmonds

Disrespect towards citizens of Edmonds can be off the charts

Administrative Services Director Dave Turley's request for a public apology ("Director: Council should issue public apology," Guest View, Dec. 15) provides all with an opportunity to consider how Edmonds city government is supposed to work.

The City's organization chart clearly documents that the citizens are at the top of the chart, above the mayor, City staff, and councilmembers.

Despite this, they are willing to not perform their duties. For example, Mayor Mike Nelson took no action regarding the failure of City Council to hold the required public hearing for Ordinance 4210. City code requires a mid-biennial budget review and modification, but mayor and staff act like they can just not address that.

Based on my efforts to engage with Edmonds city government for roughly 15 years, I can't imagine how it could ever argue it respects the code of conduct or code of ethics.

The disrespect towards citizens of Edmonds can be off the charts.

Around the same time of council's vote to contract with Lighthouse Law Group in 2023, Nelson informed two citizen members of the Planning Board that he would not be reappointing them. The public has not been informed of any evaluation done supporting the mayor's decision.

(Editor's note: The Beacon has confirmed that the two are current chair Roger Pence and member Mike Rosen. Rosen announced recently that he planned to run for mayor next year. There are now four vacancies on the Planning Board.)

Hard-working volunteer citizens on the Planning Board are not provided with the respect of an evaluation while highly paid City attorneys are kept around in part so that more time will be available to evaluate their work. Councilmembers had three years to perform this basic function but failed to do so.

Efforts should be made to increase respect for the City's organization chart. One way that can be accomplished would be to adopt the following simple policy, a policy I believe reflects how a true representative democracy should work:

If the attorney or staff speak specifically to citizen public comment after the public comment is made, the citizen will be granted one additional minute to speak. The attorney or staff are not allowed to make the final comments to the City Council specific to a citizen public comment that has been made during an open public meeting.

If the attorney or staff speak specifically to a citizen public comment after the additional one minute has been granted, the citizen will again be granted one additional minute to speak. This process will be repeated until the citizen is provided with the opportunity to make the final comments before decisions are made by council.

To all in Edmonds government – please commit to improving your conduct and the quality of City government. Citizens of Edmonds, those at the top of the organizational chart, deserve much better city government.

Ken Reidy
Edmonds