To the Editor:

Yesterday, while walking around barefooted here at home, I stubbed my right, little toe and tore my toenail completely off. It couldn't have been removed better surgically. Now, I'd rather do that again than publicly discuss my private life but, being on the ACT board, my absence from the Feb. 16th debate concerning the initiative to allow voters to elect a strong, independent mayor has been questioned by the opponents, who have nothing better to offer, and deserves an answer.

There was a, quite sudden, death in my immediate family requiring my absence.

There have been other comments that need mentioning, i.e., how outrageous that Gayla and Frosty Hardison would publicly state they had nothing to do with ACT (Accountability Comes to Town).

Here's one thing the fear-of-change group does exceptionally well, rhetoric and semantics.

The Hardisons are not on the ACT board but they do support and work with us.

Correct me if I'm wrong but, they were there weren't they? They were debating on our side? However, two of our board members were there but, oddly, weren't' introduced. We were also castigated for not producing the third debater.

Would someone kindly identify the third person for the fear-of-change group? Former council person/mayor Ron Gintz was supposed to be one of their debaters. They're also quite good at functioning under a double standard, wouldn't your say?

Outside funding?

The fear-of-change group, in their best cavalier and shrug-shoulder attitude constantly references us like a little dustup and as "a mess," among the kinder things they've said about us, and insist is was all brought about by a single disgruntled person.

But, my goodness, what incredibly big guns they're aiming at the poor guy. Did you know the International City/County Management Assoc. has contributed $8,000 to the fear-of-change group?

Could someone tell me why an international group would be trying to influence voters in Federal Way, WA.?

Was this by any chance a solicited donation and, if so, by whom? Depending upon the person(s), is it legal to do so?

Can the council majority, (4 people) and their fear-of-change group of supporters do anything just straight up?

They've already told us their council majority of 4 trumps the vocal minority, that's us, the citizen voters.

This and many similar stunts is exactly what we're trying to put a stop to. We're trying to take back the right to make our voices heard and to regain some degree of input as to how and when our money is spent.

Curiouser and curiouser isn't it, being infiltrated by an international organization. Well, like Barbara Reid's been telling us, they don't think we can handle a vote, and it looks like they're going to try and, somehow, make sure we don't.

Council has a hidden agenda

Considering the coming Feb. 19th election for the right to elect a strong mayor, past actions of the entrenched majority on the city council are being reviewed. Their prolific use of the hidden agenda, a stone which they have cultivated to a polished gem in it's persistent use, has robbed the voters of this city of any meaningful part of what occurs to our city and our money. Take the library. Without a word to the citizens, a letter was sent to the Library system allowing them to relocate our beloved 320th library to, of all places, the transit center!

Train and bus stations notoriously attract transients, winos, junkies, and as of 1/18/08, murderers, and this is where they wanted our school children to go?

Even some of the supporters of the fear-of-change group battled them along with the rest of us on that one.

Then there was the 40 million dollar Taj Mahal they wanted in the core area for our city hall which, when discovered, we were able to stop and the Transit Center debacle we're stuck with.

Does anyone recall the beautiful, colored artists concept of what it was going to look like? Lots of TOB. Oh, you don't know what that is? Of course not, we didn't get it! It was to be transit-oriented businesses all around the center.

The transit group broke the contract and dropped that and many other amenities and our council, instead of suing them, timidly signed a new contract to replace the one "transit" broke and we wound up becoming financially responsible for that and all the missing amenities.

We got way less and payed way more (tax payer money) and all because they so desperately wanted the center and lite-rail there, even though the people of Federal Way didn't!

There's the Symphony project and it's questionable developer, having filed numerous times for protection and will complete each building on demand only; boy, what does the future hold for us there? Then there's the performing arts center everyone would love, but, have you heard before that it will include a hotel and conference center? My bet is it will be a convention center. Has anyone on the council been reading the news lately? The entire world is reeling from our housing market crash but, here in Federal Way, we are, apparently, independently wealthy.

Let's put our agenda right out front. Let's tell everyone we know to vote for a strong, independent, elected mayor and take back control of our city. Vote yes Feb. 19th.

Clara McArthur

Federal Way