We four members of the Poulsbo City Council are writing to rebut the negative and misleading comments by Mayoral Candidate Becky Erickson in the Kitsap County local voters’ pamphlet, and to make public our endorsement of Mayor Kathryn Quade for re-election.
Councilmember Erickson’s comments in the voter pamphlet that there will be “no more decisions behind closed doors” “no purchases without clear purpose, and no extravagant expenditures” clearly attacks the integrity and wisdom of the City Council on which she serves.
Decisions of our council are not always unanimous, but contrary to Erickson’s assertions, they are made in public with careful attention to needs, budget constraints and are fully transparent.
Council’s land purchase for Public Works department responded to a great need and opportunity. It was not a “purchase without clear purpose,” nor an “extravagant expenditure.” Although development is in the future, council decided the location, availability and price made acquisition a benefit to the taxpayers.
All major decisions regarding the New City Hall were made in public, with voting majorities of at least 5 to 2, and occasionally 7 to 0, including councilmember Erickson.
Her comments on the size miss the unique needs of a city hall vs. typical office building. A city hall requires courtrooms and security, council chambers, working public counter spaces and lobbies, public parking. Her comment “total costs are unknown” is misleading. The project is currently projected to be completed $2,000,000 under budget and ahead of schedule.
Over the past four years, the mayor and council have had more workshops, open houses, and citizen advisory efforts than ever. Such open government efforts to listen to the citizen’s wishes contradict Erickson’s assertion that these are not happening.
Her claim that we need “a mayor that says no!” fails to acknowledge that the mayor does not have a vote on these matters, but follows the direction of the city council.
We endorse Mayor Quade, who has grown immensely over the past three and one-half years. She has worked closely with the council in a collaborative manner, and helped us improve our communication with our citizens. She has represented the city well in dealing with our businesses and neighboring jurisdictions. We believe Mayor Kathryn Quade has earned our support and your vote for re-election.
Kim Crowder, Connie Lord, Dale Rudolph, and Ed Stern
