Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Thursday, October 15, 2009 ENDORSEMENT / MUKILTEO MAYOR Keep Marine at the helm Mukilteo’s recent top-10 ranking on Money Magazine’s list of best small towns for families was a tribute to the city’s overall quality of life. How best to retain that sums up the debate in this year’s race for mayor. It won’t be easy. As in other cities, the recession has caused revenues to fall behind service needs, adding near-term urgency to the city’s long-term planning. We think the incumbent, Joe Marine, has led the city in a responsible fiscal direction. His challenger, business software consultant Pat Smith, is a bright candidate who has paid close attention to city issues and has some good ideas, but in our view Marine is best-suited to continue addressing the challenges ahead. Smith says the lack of a written, long-term financial plan has the city on shaky ground. Marine cites the city’s credit rating — boosted last month to the highest obtainable — as evidence to the contrary. The AAA rating from Standard and Poor’s, he notes, allowed the city to finance construction of a new community center at an enviable average rate of 3.54 percent over 20 years. A proposal to annex land to the south, which would add 11,000 residents and revenue-generating commercial space to the city of about 20,000, is a point of contention — Marine favors it, Smith opposes it because a portion of Highway 99 was added that includes a casino and strip club. It’s a quandary faced by many area cities: annexing commercial areas can erode small-town character, but it also provides the revenue potential to keep providing services citizens want. Marine makes a compelling argument that the city can have greater influence over the long-term development of the proposed annexation area if it’s within the city limits. At any rate, the mayor’s race will be far from the final word on annexation — a legal challenge from Fire District 1 is pending, and one or more public votes will take place before a final decision. Marine can point to accomplishments in his first term, including resolution of the community center fight that had raged for years, the opening of a new city hall, and the expansion of the ferry holding area that has helped reduce traffic congestion — a little, at least. He also represents Mukilteo on a number of regional boards — including Community Transit and Sound Transit — building relationships that over time help channel positive investments into the city. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out (No heading) The Berk report said that annexation is basically a wash in terms of municipal finance. Hmmm...maybe annexation would prove to be such a distraction and resource drain that Mukilteo will have to drop its opposition to commercial flights out of Paine Field! This is all making sense - The Herald appears to favor commercial flights out of Paine Field: Published: Thursday, May 14, 2009 COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS AT PAINE FIELD Futile exercise is best avoided "...Commercial service is coming to Paine Field. The county council has done what it can to limit it by approving a terminal that's only big enough for a handful of daily flights. Local taxpayer dollars might be able to delay it, but they won't prevent it..." So by endorsing Mukilteo's pro-annexation candidates, the Herald is helping to pave the way for commercial flights out of Paine Field! Thank you Herald! Terry Preshaw | Oct 16, 2009 11:16 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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