Morning Everett Council meetings ‘hit a nerve’

Published 9:49 pm Wednesday, January 13, 2010

EVERETT — City leaders may have voted to move to mostly morning meetings last week, but the matter isn’t settled.

The issue came up during council remarks, during comments from the public and when one councilman even halted the end of Wednesday’s meeting so he could talk about it some more.

It’s the most spirited public debate that’s occurred at an Everett City Council in months.

People in the community are angry — not simply because of the meeting time — but because they felt shut out by what happened, said Councilman Drew Nielsen Wednesday after the meeting.

“This has really hit a nerve,” he said.

Last week, Councilman Ron Gipson introduced a resolution to return council meetings to the morning — except for one monthly night meeting. The move was a surprise to at least three of the council members, who all opposed the change.

Without any public comment or notice, the resolution was passed 4-3.

Wednesday, Nielsen used his council remarks — usually a time for a brief update — to present a more than 10-minute prepared statement on why night meetings were a good idea.

He said in part that city leaders work for the people and the council ought to conduct its business with the doors wide open. Everett is a town that works for a living, and most people can’t attend day meetings or run for office, he said.

Gipson responded that the city charter calls for primarily day meetings and a citizen committee reviewed that charter and voters approved it in 2006.

“We’re just doing what the people asked us to do,” he said.

Day meetings don’t necessarily exclude working people from serving as an elected official, he said. Gipson described how he, as a shift worker at the jail, had to manage his schedule to balance his work and elected duties.

“I understood the hardships I faced when I signed up to be a councilperson,” he said.

About two dozen people attended the meeting. All four people who spoke favored night meetings.

Meanwhile, a group of north Everett residents started a campaign to let voters decide. The city charter allows people to pass a city law by initiative. Paul Donovan, who is helping orchestrate the campaign, says about 3,000 signatures are needed to get an initiative on the ballot that would reestablish all night meetings.

Councilwoman Brenda Stonecipher’s chair was empty Wednesday. She can’t make day meetings because of her day job and she said Wednesday she won’t make a decision to step down from her council position until this issue works itself out.

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.