Prop. 1 flier: Extraordinary claims | Federal Way letters

Published 3:23 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The latest flier from the Proposition 1 sponsors claims that having an elected mayor would end violence at the Federal Way Transit Center. To quote Carl Sagan, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”

I read the flier quite carefully, expecting to find robust statistical evidence upon which these claims are made. Instead, I found manipulative appeals to emotion. The flier recounts the stories of several tragic events at the transit center, with the clear implication that these horrible situations could have been avoided if only we had an elected mayor. I am curious to know if the family members and survivors agree?

I don’t make my voting decisions based on the exploitation of victims of crime. I like to see strong evidence. Where are the independent studies showing crime rate comparisons between cities run by councils vs. elected mayor-run cities? Are variables such as population size and proximity to major metropolitan areas taken into account? Is the sample size large enough on which to base a solid conclusion? I would have been far more impressed with Accountability Comes to Town had they demonstrated their “accountability” with a factual, honest flier. I suspect ACT is underestimating the intelligence of Federal Way voters if they think this kind of campaign will inspire support.

Rachelle Wirfs, Federal Way