As a citizen of Mukilteo, I was very concerned to read the article, “Mukilteo mayor asks for 330 percent higher pay.” First, let me say that my comments have nothing to do with our current mayor, Joe Marine. I have the utmost respect for Mayor Marine and his abilities. I also have no problem with paying a competitive salary for someone to run our city and $92,959 is not out of line.
My issue is that if the city is going to pay this type of salary, we need to ensure that we have someone who has the education and qualifications to do the job. I am talking about a city manager who is trained to take on such a role. I don’t think an elected full-time mayor is the best choice for Mukilteo. First, an elected mayor is just that, “elected,” and might not be re-elected. This offers no stability to the city and no guarantee that the person elected will have the right qualifications. In addition, as an elected official, he or she will have a political agenda.
A city manager, on the other hand, is trained to do the job of running the city and would offer recommendations that are not politically motivated to the policy makers of the city. I believe strongly that policy and administration should be separate for the good of any public agency.
If you are a citizen of Mukilteo and agree with this opinion, please write to the city or, better yet, appear at the council meeting at 7 tonight to voice your concerns. At the very least, the citizens of Mukilteo should be able to vote on this issue before the City Council simply changes a structure that the city has had for many years.
Joyce Olson
Mukilteo
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