LYNNWOOD — Mayor Don Gough appealed to voters this week to reject Proposition 1, ending months of public silence on the ballot measure which would strip him of his mayoral powers.
Gough argued against the proposal to replace the mayor with a city manager in a four-page mailer received by Lynnwood voters Monday.
In it, he repeatedly contends the proposed transformation sought by a majority of the City Council “costs way too much and you instantly lose your right to vote for mayor.”
It is not known how many voters received it as the mayor could not be reached for comment.
Gough says in the piece that he’s the author and the only one who paid to print and mail it. He may have run afoul of state election laws because as of Thursday he had failed to report his spending to the state Public Disclosure Commission as required.
The mailer didn’t surprise those pushing for passage of Proposition 1.
“People know the mayor. They knew that in the 11th hour he would come out with some negative media,” said T.J. Brooks, a leader of People for a Better Lynnwood which is campaigning for the measure. “He’s trying to preserve his job and he’s running out of time.”
Proposition 1 would toss out Lynnwood’s current form of government in which mayors are directly elected and serve as the city’s chief executive officer. In its place, the City Council would hire a city manager to oversee Lynnwood’s day-to-day operations.
If the measure passes, Gough would be demoted and becomes an eighth city council member for the final two years of his term. He’d lose his $95,617-a-year mayoral salary and begin earning $1,650 a month as a council member.
Those behind Proposition 1 organized last year out of frustration with Gough’s handling of the city’s staggering budget deficit and the investigation into his stormy relations with female employees.
Some members of People for a Better Lynnwood wanted to recall Gough then changed strategies. They contend the measure will ensure the city is managed professionally and not politically.
But in the mailer, Gough alleges politics drove five members of the City Council to vote in January to put it on the ballot.
“The City Council new (sic) there was little support, if any, except a small group of their trusted friends, political campaign allies, some special interest groups, developers, disgruntled former employees, and some leadership in two city departments that want more money in their budget. All of whom seek to have control at City Hall,” reads the mailer.
The one argument Gough presses throughout the mailer is that if the proposition passes residents “will not be voting for Mayor ever again.”
Brooks dismissed that claim and said if residents are unhappy with the change they can vote to go back to a strong mayor as soon as two years from now.
“I think people are smart enough to know they don’t lose their right (forever) to vote for mayor,” he said.
Whether Gough’s tactics will affect the outcome is unclear. He’s well known because of winning elections in 2005 and 2009. But he’s also been at the center of several controversies in the past year which almost certainly eroded his base of support.
Councilman Ted Hikel, a Gough ally and opponent of the measure, said it won’t hurt.
“From what I read, there are certainly huge amounts of information before the public now not there before,” Hikel said. “He has raised some real questions that need to be answered.”
Councilman Mark Smith is often at odds with Gough but is opposing the measure because it ends the existing balance of power between the mayor and council. He doesn’t know how the mailer will influence the outcome but figures it will give residents the views of someone they know.
“The man is fighting for his job, his livelihood and I would think for a system he believes in,” Smith said. “I think it is a valuable voice in the debate.”
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
The proposition
Proposition 1 would change Lynnwood’s form of government from the strong mayor model, where voters directly elect a mayor as the city’s chief administrator, to the city manager form, where the City Council hires a professional manager to oversee the city’s day-to-day operations.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
