City's good, bad and ugly

The cost of healthcare is pricing me right out of the picture. Could be I’ll have to stop buying milk and some of my other favorite things if prices keep climbing. My retirement funds took a deep dive and I’m overjoyed (believe it?) at the prospect of returning to work after enjoying retirement for three years. Sure would be nice to feel secure that I won’t be taxed out of my home. I could go on and on. Nothing I say or do is going to change anything in our country. We seem to be on a downhill slide. Two giant steps backward.

I’m struck by the similarities. Federal Way citizens are also fighting a seemingly losing battle with our own elected officials. There exists in our City Council the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. There are council members who actually listen to the public. They look you in the eye when you speak, note your wishes, evaluate them, then act upon them (if they can). The Good. Unfortunately, the council majority overrules their every effort. Ah, yes! They have their own agenda, and taxpayers be damned. After all, follies can be financed by just raising our taxes here and there. You know the drill. Ergo, the Bad.

Councilman Eric Faison’s comment at the special early session of the City Council meeting March 4 was a prime example. He’s okay now with purchasing the Paragon Building for the new city hall (now that the cat is out of the bag). The public has just learned that the building has been offered to the council for more than a year now, at a price lower than all others, but the council majority didn’t even give them a nod. So now Faison says we can purchase and modify this building because we (the council majority and, no doubt, another folly tax) will just build a new city hall downtown at a later date. (Bye-bye, Eric!)

Yet another example of the council majority’s ruthless disregard and lack of just plain good manners: We’ve all read the wonderful news that SeaTac Mall has sold. Unless you were at the March 4 council meeting or watched it on television, you may not know that the California buyer, Steadfast, was not told of the council majority’s plans to break up the property with three or four streets running through it. The Ugly.

The Mirror quotes Faison as saying, “The mall is considered unique from all other downtown properties, and I don’t think that is fair.” Well, Eric, it seems unfair that your vision, as head of the city’s Land-Use and Transportation Committee, was evidently not shared with Steadfast before they purchased the mall property. Oh, and Eric, the mall is unique. That is why such convenient structures are called malls.

Federal Way citizens, have you stopped to add up these levies and taxes being imposed on us? Each cause or proponent will have you believing a few dollars per year is not placing a burden on the taxpayer. Add up the municipal, county and state taxes and levies for transportation, parks, library, schools, highways and city hall. Now, sit back and watch your utility and property taxes rise. I call that a burden in today’s economy, which is worse than in 1929.

Sheryl Nevers

Federal Way

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