Q: Mr. Federal Way, we have a problem in our area I hope you can help us with. I read your column each week and know you are as concerned about our city as I am. I am a senior (age 85) and I don’t know who to contact at our City Hall.

At the corner of 17th Avenue and 325th Street is a wooded area that, until recently, has been a place for people who must be homeless to camp. In order to get rid of them, someone cleared about half of the trees and bushes, leaving a real eyesore of garbage and dead bushes. This is a nice area of the city, only two blocks behind The Commons mall. If you could look into it and call the proper people for us, it would be great.

A: Well, Mr. Federal Way is quite flattered. But Mr. Federal Way doesn’t work with the city (thank God) and can only point you to their website: www.ci.federal-way.wa.us.

A concerned citizen need only click on the far right tab that says “How Do I…” to see a list of resources for whatever ails you. Something tells Mr. Federal Way you aren’t the most computer savvy, so let’s break it down. To report a code violation, call 253-835-2617. There’s also Waste Management at 253-833-3333 and a special way to report abandoned shopping carts. To report abandoned shopping carts or to request extra patrol in that area, call 253-835-6700.

But what about the heart of your question? Mr. Federal Way is ashamed of the person who murdered those trees and bushes only to make it harder for the homeless. We can’t all have jobs, cars and houses so why would this guy want to make it harder for living humans (this could be your son or daughter, mister) by taking away their home in the woods. Mr. Federal Way can’t help but think that maybe this issue could have been prevented if the city of Federal Way had fixed that day shelter problem a while ago. After all, the city might have saved some perfectly innocent trees and that would have made for a nice photo op for those city officials with big egos.

Q: Mr. Federal Way, the Mirror’s opinion section last week was a bit much. You’ve got Matthew Jarvis and Bob Roegner spouting off about the city and a bunch of angry letters to complement it all. What’s the deal?

A: Good old Roegner and Jarvis have seemed to ruffle some feathers, haven’t they? It’s especially amusing for Mr. Federal Way because not only does it reaffirm that people read the Mirror but it shows that this newspaper has power to upset city officials (see Chris Carrel’s letter).

Why is this a good thing, you might ask? Well, without getting into the details of what the two were opining about, Mr. Federal Way feels the urge to explain a few things: Mirror staff are regular people. Yes, a few might have some advanced degrees in writing or investigating but when it really comes down to it, a reporter is a curious person. Reporters don’t learn the ins and outs of government or any other complicated story they report on in college. They learn how to ask the right questions.

Columnists give opinions on those answers reporters dig up. Yes, Jarvis has expertise in finances and real estate, yes, Roegner was a former Auburn mayor — and those attributes might very well help them cement their educated opinion. But when it comes down to it, these columnists are exercising their First Amendment rights and they are regular, concerned community members.

In their columns, they call out a government that handles millions of dollars in taxpayer money. Some of it is Mayor Jim Ferrell, Chief of Staff Brian Wilson and city spokesman Chris Carrel’s money — hey, they deserve salaries for their jobs, right?

But there are other funds, city funds, that do not belong to these three or anyone else who runs the city. These funds do not belong to any city staff members — it belongs to we the people. So, with that power, comes a magnifying glass. The Mirror, Mr. Federal Way and all of the other columnists work for one group of people and that’s not the city. It’s the taxpayers and citizens of this city. If the city has a problem with Mr. Roegner or Mr. Jarvis’s columns, please feel free to write letters. After all, they are entitled to their free speech rights, too. Welcome to America.

Q: Mr. Federal Way, do you see a blue and black dress or a white and gold dress in the photo that almost “broke” the Internet last week?

A: None of your business.

Got a question for Mr. Federal Way? Email mrfederalway@federalwaymirror.com.