By Mina Williams
Special to The Herald
LYNNWOOD — A group is mounting a campaign that calls for the shift in the form of the city’s government.
People for a Better Lynnwood, chaired by Ron Siddell, a former employee of the city’s community development department, is backing a measure for the November ballot that would change city government from the strong mayor-council form to a council-city manager form.
“Lynnwood needs an intervention,” Siddell said. “That would be a change of government.”
His group is looking to raise $16,000 for the campaign and recruit volunteers to get the word out to residents. They plan to attend Monday night’s council meeting to talk about the group. They also plan to hold an informational meeting at 7 p.m. June 28 at the Lynnwood Bowl & Skate, 6210 200th St. SW.
Siddell said members of People for a Better Lynnwood think the city would be best run by a professional city manager.
“Under the current system, if the mayor and council have a chronic communication problem — which in this city has been true for many, many years — voters have no choice but to hold their breath until the next election,” Siddell said. “In the meantime, the dysfunction continues, resulting in damage to staff morale, inefficiency and lack of responsiveness to resident and business needs.”
Rather than point fingers at individual mayors, People for a Better Lynnwood believes replacing a voter-elected mayor with a council-hired city manager would bring greater efficiency, accountability and responsiveness to city government.
A city manager would oversee day-to-day operations and report to the council, which has the power to hire and fire the manager. The council would elect one of its own as mayor, chiefly a symbolic figure.
Mayor Don Gough did not respond to requests for comment.
The formation of the group is a sign of the times, said Councilman Jim Smith, who spearheaded the council resolution placing the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.
“There are people interested in Lynnwood making positive changes,” said Smith, who is not a part of the group. “Lynnwood is an $85 million-a-year corporation. We need to run the city as a business.”
Council President Mark Smith, one of the two dissenting votes at the Jan. 24 meeting, is not so sure the change would serve the city in the long term.
“The residents and businesses of the city of Lynnwood are best served by a popularly elected mayor who acts as the city’s chief advocate, with a separate chief administrative officer to handle the day-to-day business of the city,” he said. “Unlike an elected mayor, a city manager appointed by the council cannot veto council actions, reports only to the council, and is not accountable to the people. A city manager-council form of government destroys one of the essential cornerstones of our democratic system and concentrates far too much power in the hands of the City Council.”
Should the measure get the nod of Lynnwood voters, Gough would serve what remains of his four-year term as the eighth council member, and the council would hire a city manager, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington.
Lynnwood has operated under an elected mayor since its incorporation in 1959.
Learn more
People for a Better Lynnwood is hosting an informational meeting 7 p.m., June 28 at the Lynnwood Bowl & Skate, 6210 200th St. SW. Online, go to www.peopleforabetterlynnwood.com.
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