An ombudsman is a Scandinavian democratic idea where an “insider-outsider” has the ability to fix internal governmental problems. This person is charged with the responsibility, for no fee to the citizen, to respond to the interest of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or breaches of people’s rights. In other words, an ombudsman is a government paid citizen advocate.
Executive John Lovick, in his pledge to have an open government, put the ombudsman position in his budget. John Koster was offered the job by Lovick. This summer the county council took over and put the position under its jurisdiction. The executive nominates a person, but the council has the authority to confirm or deny the executive’s candidate. Koster, as our county’s first ombudsman, took the position knowing full well, “like any judge,” he would have to give up his right to free speech.
When Koster signed a blatant political attack piece and later admitted he did wrong in breaching of his ombudsman responsibility; he hoped the county council would reappointed him to the “citizen advocate” position. That reappointment did not happen.
Now several letter writers to The Herald are blaming Lovick for the firing of Koster. Apparently they want a taxpayer-paid citizen advocate who admitted he breached his contract to remain neutral when it comes to ethnicity, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation and political views.
Even though in all other accounts Koster seems to be an honest man, I ask: Now, how would keeping him on as ombudsman help “we the people” continue even to have the appearance of an open government?
On another note, the references to the current county administration as beginning to look like the Reardon administration only apply to one councilmember, Terry Ryan, who strongly supported Reardon, his apparent mentor, publicly with his letter to The Everett Herald about three years ago. I wonder where the dissension with the council and executive’s office comes from?
Karen Brandon
Mill Creek
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