I read the Dec. 3 article written by Katherine Schiffner titled, “Fire District 4 commissioners hope Snohomish resident will fill vacancy.” The article noted the passing of long time commissioner Dr. John McClintock and the search for a replacement to fill out Dr. McClintock’s remaining term.
The article said, “The district has a history of contentious elections due to the division between the district’s full-time firefighters and its nearly 90 volunteer firefighters.” It also said, “All sides say they want a commissioner who knows the community well and can help mend the rift.”
Steve Towers, a career firefighter and a commissioner, along with Roger Portmann, a career firefighter and commissioner, say they are looking for a neutral candidate from the City of Snohomish. Commissioners Towers and Portmann say they recognize the situation between the volunteers and the career firefighters and they profess a desire to mend any rift.
May I suggest the first step would be to acknowledge that they (Towers and Portmann) are not neutral and they already have the controlling votes on the Fire District 4 Board of Commissioners. If these two commissioners really want to work to resolve problems, I challenge them to stop circling the wagons and put their money where their mouth is by setting their own political agenda aside.
Doing the right thing would be to seek a volunteer firefighter or a volunteer firefighter representative as the third board member. Our volunteer firefighters deserve to be recognized and have a voice on this board. Taking this positive action would go a long way toward sending a real and honest message of solidarity to the community, the volunteers and the career firefighters.
How about stepping up to the plate, gentlemen?
Snohomish
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