Judges have to be like Caesar’s wife. Above reproach. Those on Federal Way’s Municipal Court are batting .500. Judge David Tracy, other than some start-up glitches, did an OK job. Judge David Larson has been on an even keel. Judge Colleen Hartl left the bench after unethical behavior. Judge Michael Morgan has been feuding with the city (and nearly everyone else, according to the Stephson Report) for nearly a year.

The Judge Morgan flap has caused the Federal Way City Council to hold two study sessions (June 16 and June 30) on municipal court options. In a logical move of due diligence, the city council is trying to decide whether or not the city-funded municipal court is viable in the long term. Or, should the city contract with King County for a District Court?

At this juncture, the council should ask itself two questions:

1. Why did Federal Way incorporate as a city in 1990?

2. Why did Federal Way start its own police department in 1996?

The answer to both is the same: Because the services provided by King County were unacceptable and the increasingly negative cost/benefit ration was uneconomic.

Given that King County has become less efficient and less fiscally prudent (check out the jail, audit of construction projects, and animal control), the possibility of hooking up with the county for 12 years of court services (as outlined at the June 16 study session) is a non-starter.

Now is a good time to remember some often quoted sayings:

• Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.

• You can’t see the forest for the trees.

While the study sessions are valid exploratory actions, the city council should not act precipitously. Let the November election take place see what the makeup of the municipal court will be for the following year. At that time, the city council can review material from the study sessions and can evaluate the overall municipal court operation in a cooler, calmer atmosphere.

That would avoid another often quoted saying: Haste makes waste.

H. David Kaplan, Federal Way