Anderson puts public safety first

Finally — good news for voters. Rich Anderson — running for Everett City Council offers voters a great choice: a man with a good head, a good heart, and a nice guy to boot. We need these qualities in our leaders as they make tough decisions on our behalf in the years ahead.

Rich has many years and wide-ranging experience helping big and small businesses make smart decisions, and countless normal people sort out their individual finances. With this background it was obvious that solving a $20 million revenue deficit could not be “fixed” with a few personnel cuts — as Tuohy supporters imply. (But count on seeing more such blather in the “letters” section.)

For countless years, Rich Anderson has served our community on boards and commissions ranging from United Way to the Everett Library Board to Compass Health, Big Brothers &Big Sisters, and others. This is not glamour work — but an important part of building the kind of community that we want to live in.

Back to the question of raising taxes — I understand that Judy Tuohy is promoting a legislative effort to allow a county-wide tax to support cultural programs. Rich Anderson voted with the majority of the City Council to raise utility taxes for public safety. So this frames the question: In a perfect world we would support both. In these times, public safety must take priority. I will be voting for Rich Anderson.

Mark A. Nesse

Everett