Letter: Prop 2 will create better accountability

Published 1:30 am Friday, October 21, 2016

Voters in Snohomish have an important decision to make this election — go back to the historic traditional elected mayor-council system or to keep the council-manager form of government. Folks involved in this movement feel that a mayor should be accountable to the voters. They don’t feel that the current system is very responsive to citizen input.

I served on the city council from 1990 through 1997 and was elected “mayor” three times. During those years, hundreds of citizens came to me with their concerns about how the city was being run and asked that I investigate, explain or help in some way.

I learned during those years that the city manager was not accountable to the citizens, but only to a four-vote council majority. That is not much accountability. It puts a lot of authority in the hands of one person who seldom suffers consequences if he screws up.

An elected mayor would be required by law to be a resident of the city, to stand for election and make a case for him or herself to be the CEO of the city. And, if he falls out of favor, a new one is elected. Do you know how hard it is to change city managers? I do, and it’s not pretty.

Folks who tell you that our city will suffer if we change to an elected mayor must have no faith in the voters of Snohomish. It’s time for the voters to choose their leader.

Vote yes on Proposition 2.

Steve Dana

Snohomish