On March 10, the Federal Way Kiwanis Club hosted a panel discussion on the potential impact of the new strong mayor form of government the voters approved last fall. The change in government will be implemented via election this November.
The panelist were all former mayors: Jack Dovey, Federal Way council member; Cary Bozeman, who had the distinction of serving as mayor in Bellevue’s council manager form and more recently as Bremerton’s mayor in a strong mayor system; and myself, who served as Auburn’s mayor in a strong mayor system.
It was good to see Cary, whom I had worked with when he was in Bellevue and I was in Auburn.
It was an interesting discussion with the Kiwanians posing a lot of questions about how a new mayor and city council might get along with each other.
The mayor’s powers are clearly spelled out in state law, but mayors sometimes want to exceed their authority, and councils sometimes want to intrude on the mayor’s prerogatives.
The city council will retain its policy making role, but the mayor will become a policy partner with the council. At the same time, the council’s role will change from supervisor of the city manager to that of check and balance on the mayor. Due to these changes, some level of friction is very likely.
Bozeman’s city of Bremerton provides a learning experience for Federal Way. When Bozeman stepped down as mayor to become CEO of the Port of Bremerton, Mayor Patty Lent was elected over a member of the city council in a very close race.
According to news coverage by the Bremerton Patriot, Lent replaced the director of financial services with the county treasurer without either a public process or consulting with the city council.
The city council had questions about the treasurer’s relevant experience and the lack of process.
Further complicating the mayor-council relationship was an assertion by the council that Mayor Lent had previously told the council she would involve them in the interview process for the finalists. Without a process, there were no finalists.
While the treasurer eventually filled the finance position, it did appear to set an uncomfortable tone with the council.
Now, Mayor Lent has fired the public works and utility director to “go in a different direction.” Lent is not required to consult with or include the city council in any hiring/firing decisions within her authority. However, members of the city council appear to be concerned about the mayor’s actions. Can Federal Way learn something from Bremerton?
We can learn a lot. First, we as citizens and of course our city council need to understand that in a strong mayor system, the mayor has specific powers to hire and fire. The council, while obtaining some confirmation role in the mayor’s appointments, cannot substitute its judgment for the mayor.
The mayor can fire any department head, and even if the council doesn’t like the mayor’s choice to lead a department, they will still have to confirm them — unless they can demonstrate that the person isn’t qualified.
Additionally, clear communication on policy and appointments between the branches of government is essential to obtain and retain a smooth running government.
Also, if either side makes a commitment, then stick to it, no matter how tempting doing something else might be.
Lastly, to us the voters, we better get this right and elect the best person because the downside of electing the wrong person could be chaos and stalemate.
Bremerton is struggling to find a balanced way to work together. They have had a strong mayor for several years. We don’t want to go through that. The change in form of government will be challenge enough.
