Courthouse option a poke in the eye

Ed Pearce’s letter to the editor on Tuesday was right on! (“Tax news should halt raises, building”). What was the Snohomish County executive and County Council “not” thinking when they approved the new plans for the county courthouse — the council vote was 4-1?

I challenge your paper to dig into why the decision was made to build a new courthouse when the estimates have doubled and revenue shortfalls are imminent? This is worse than a poke in the eye with a frozen carrot! And I/we didn’t elect the council to make such reckless decisions. In light of all the cost increases to the citizens of Snohomish County, how are we supposed to pay for this?

Remember, Initiative 1185!? The state measure that required a two-thirds majority of legislators or voter approval for a tax increase.

Easily two-thirds of Washington voters supported I-1185 in 2012. It passed in every county and of the 49 legislative districts, only five in Seattle rejected it. In spite of the fact, that a majority of your readers, as well as the majority of the voting citizens in the state, supported this common sense initiative, representatives at every level of government continue to push spending and tax increases. Now I’m getting poked in the other eye … What am I missing here?

Let’s elect representatives with common sense who will actually work for the people of this great county. Who will work hard for solutions and not take the easy way out, of raising taxes, against the demands of the voters.

Mark Young

Lynnwood

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