At the July 26th SeaTac Council meeting, two divisive topics were discussed-- the possibility of switching to an elected mayor form of government in SeaTac and the continuation of the King County Veterans and Social Human Services Levy.
The council was asked to approve three agenda bills that would put the elected mayor form of government up for a vote.
They passed two of those bills -- one to allow committees to argue for and against, and another to allow the making and distribution of voters' pamphlets about the proposition. However, the lawmakers deferred a decision about placing the proposition up for vote until the next meeting.
The proposition has come up for the second time in the city's recent history because of a petition that calls for the issue to come up for a vote.
Councilman Ralph Shape asked that a decision to place the proposition on the November ballot be delayed so that he could investigate election irregularities left over from the previous vote in 2009.
However, SeaTac Citizen's Committee Treasurer Earl Gipson declared in a Times/News interview, "The allegations that I made about King County Elections not counting votes in 2009 and that Councilmember Shape wants to investigate were brought up before, after the 2009 elections. ...Mr. Shape's delay of [the agenda bill] is a waste of everyone's time as statue requires the proposition be placed on the ballot,"
Many residents spoke out in favor of putting it on the ballot.
"We are ripe to have this issue before the public again," Ron Bensley Jr. said.
The committees for and against the issue were approved and will move forward. For the issue are Gipson, Michael Kovacs and Larry Tannenbaum. Against are Wendy Morgan, Oren Hadaller and Tom Layden.
For the Veterans and Human Services Levy, the council was merely asked to vote whether or not to give their support. The actual vote on the countywide issue is on the Aug. 16 primary ballot.
A number of organizations, including the South King County Council of Human Services, Kent Youth and Family Services, and the YWCA, had representatives speak in favor of the levy.
"The levy is very carefully planned to support the veterans. This is not a new tax, but only a renewal of it," Nathan Phillips from the Council of Human Services explained. Phillips also cited Kent and Seattle as cities that have given their support.
"The levy was going to supplement the [federal] funding, but as we all know, the funding has dried up, and it has become more of a stabilizing factor," said Joel Estey, Regional Veterans Services Manager.
Many council members, however, resented the fact that the veterans were being combined with other human services, and that this was being proposed as a tax.
"The veterans deserve all we can give them," Mayor Terry Anderson said, "but I am adamantly opposed to this because this is blackmail."
"I take offense to the fact that veterans are being used as a ploy to raise taxes," Deputy Mayor Gene Fisher declared. "It doesn't matter what we think. It's up to the voters of King County."
Councilwoman Pam Fernald subsequently asked why the veterans and human services funds were being lumped together.
"The reason human services and veteran funding is combined is to streamline the system. Many times, their needs are the same," Estey explained.
He said that over 24 percent of veterans are homeless.
However, councilmen Tony Anderson and Shape took a different stance.
"I will be really disappointed if everyone in the county approves of this measure but this council," Shape declared.
"Investing in prevention is far easier than investing in the cure," Tony Anderson said. "If we can pay now to keep someone out of the hospital or out of jail, where we would be paying thousands of dollars a day for them, I support it. ...It's the role of government to protect the vulnerable and the needy. It's good for all of us."
It passed with votes from Tony Anderson, Ralph Shape, Terry Anderson and Mia Gregerson. Rick Forschler, Gene Fisher, and Pam Fernald voted to neither support nor oppose it.
