It is understandable that the candidates who lost last year’s landslide election in Black Diamond would be disappointed, but it is wrong for them to try to derail and disrupt the will of the voters.
Keeping their campaign promises, the new reform majority consisting of council members Brian Weber, Pat Pepper and Erika Morgan began reforming City Hall as soon as they were sworn in:
• They did their homework and identified budget issues that previous councils just glossed over.
• They created new, powerful council committees with real authority, and real accountability.
• They took control of their own work plan. No longer would the executive branch control the council’s actions. No longer would the mayor usurp the council’s responsibility. The council and mayor are equal branches of government.
The response from the defenders of the status quo was as quick as it was unreasonable:
• The minority and defeated council incumbents used filibuster, bullying, and their spouses to disrupt council meetings.
• The mayor refused to allow staff to attend council committee meetings, and drove the union to file a grievance against citizen volunteers for taking their work!
After years of City Council group think, Save Black Diamond believes that it is time to have new ideas and the best minds from wherever we can find them to reform and improve our government. Over 60 Save Black Diamond volunteers have participated in volunteer work on local land development and government issues, put on seminars, testified at hearings, canvassed neighborhoods, and more. Over 700 local residents have signed our petition supporting Save Black Diamond’s program of sensible growth, environmental protection, and sustainable fiscal policies.
Save Black Diamond’s regional network utilizes the skills of highly qualified scientists, lawyers and local government experts who work in partnership with teams of local residents on many issues. Protecting the public interest is always the goal, and in Black Diamond, that means protecting the unique rural quality of life that residents enjoy.
It is time to get past the strident negativity that seeks to undo the voter’s mandate for reform. It is time to move on to the next wave of City Hall reform:
• The council should end the abuse of our legal system by decisively setting the legal record straight and making sure that the law is never again hijacked for political or personal purposes.
• The mayor should fulfill her role as “supervisor of the administration” and comply with adopted council policies and legislation.
• The council should continue to question every expenditure, review every policy, insist on accountability and create a culture of genuine public participation.
• The council should use the comprehensive plan update process and every other legal authority to protect the quality of life of Black Diamond by better controlling and managing large land development projects.
Council members Morgan, Weber, and Pepper are to be commended for their bold, quick action to reform the City Council as their first step in reforming City Hall. The public interest is on the march now. The roadblocks of the deadenders are being breached by the partnership of proactive residents, committed public officials, shared values, and open government.
You are an essential part of that partnership. Please contact Save Black Diamond. We’re all in this together.
Kristen Bryant
Bellevue, WA
Thomas Ekberg
Black Diamond
