I support our mayor | Letters
Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, March 29, 2016
I feel the need to respond to your article in the Federal Way Mirror, titled “Principles and Politics.” Though not mentioned by name, I am the one who complained to Mayor Jim Ferrell about Marty Gillis in October 2014.
Your article makes Marty Gillis out to be a saint. She was not.
I first dealt with Gillis in 2013 when a business opened next to my restaurant, Billy McHale’s. I called the city to complain about them flying a large balloon from their roof, which used more signage than allowed under city code. I must have upset Gillis with my complaints about the balloon, which stayed up for months, because I soon had code compliance officers come and order me to remove a sign we had.
In 2014, we were remodeling an old casino to become our new location. We ran into many frustrations with the planning department that delayed our move, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in changes and cost overruns. There are many times I could complain about, but I’m going to focus on the worst three.
We submitted our building plans to the state Liquor Control Board and the county Department of Health, as well as the city. In our remodel, we chose not to change the basics of the raised-bar area, declaring the lobby area part of the bar and allowing minors to be there with adults until 10 p.m. We also could use the area as bar seating for the handicapped. Both the liquor board and the health department approved our plans; Marty Gillis would not. She said she “wanted a 30 foot wheel chair ramp placed in front of the entrance to the bar because she did not want the lobby to be used for seating of minors with their parents,” as is allowed by law, and she “wouldn’t want to come” to my restaurant and “sit in the bar to have a cocktail if minors would be near” her.
I reminded her that state law allowed it and the liquor board and health department did too. She wouldn’t budge. So I spoke with Ferrell, Brian Wilson and three City Council members, for the first time, to complain about my treatment and about Gillis using “personal preferences” to make decisions that were delaying our opening. A few days later, Gillis and I met again. She said she’d approve my plans as they were, with no changes, but I “had better make sure that on the support beam by the entrance to the restaurant” I had “two exit signs that were not called out in the plans.” I assured her I would.
When it came time to get our Certificate of Occupancy from the city, South King Fire and Rescue said we needed to move the exit signs Gillis wanted. As the fire department has priority in this decision, my electrician moved them. The next day, the city code officer checked us for the permit. He took two steps in, looked to see if I had the signs where Gillis wanted, then said the inspection was over and we couldn’t get our permit. I explained the fire department required we move them. He said he didn’t care; if I didn’t put them where Gillis wanted then I wasn’t getting the Certificate. My electrician moved them back. Guess what? A fire chief came back the next day and had me move them again! A third time!
This was the second time I contacted the mayor to complain about Gillis.
The last time was in October 2014. The city had delayed the installation of our entrance sign because of the shape of our building, so we put up a temporary banner on the entrance. A week after we opened, John Fairbanks, a code compliance officer for the city, showed up and told me I had to take the sign down. I told him the city had caused the delay and everyone knew this. He told me Gillis instructed him to come and tell me I had to remove our banner. I took John outside and pointed out 10 other sign code violations and asked if Gillis told him to contact these other businesses. He said no.
I thanked him and told him I would not take down my banner, and for the third time called Ferrell to complain about Gillis treating me in a way that could easily be seen as harrasment.
Ferrell and Wilson said they were moving sign compliance to a different division not headed by Gillis. After that, our problems stopped.
I have lived in Federal Way for 54 years and have been in business here for more than 38. I have never been treated as poorly as I was by Marty Gillis. I want to thank Mayor Ferrell for his actions to correct a city employee who was not treating me and my business fairly and equally.
Jim Ross, Owner, Billy McHale’s Restaurant
