Council needs to follow Reardon

Once again, the County Council is at odds with the Aaron Reardon because of his audacity to reign in the county budget. With the possible exception of John Koster, I am ready for some new faces on the council. The poor economy and high taxes are pushing out many of the very people who provided the foundation of the community we enjoy today. This is a fact that is punctuated every day with reports of record foreclosures, bankruptcies and layoffs, and yet the County Council has resisted almost all efforts to bring the county’s budget in line with the reality that our citizens face every day.

Our business leaders, teachers and parents are having to exercise their backbones by looking employees, students and children in the eye and explaining difficult decisions. Aaron Reardon is doing the same thing and the County Council is not. It’s called leadership and it’s easier when times are good, vital when times are bad. Avoiding the crisis to begin with is the hallmark of a leader with vision. The council’s vision appears to be through a straw. Lead, follow or get out of the way. Our people make our community, not fancy new architecture. The “Old Boys Club” on the council and their personality conflict with the executive has got to go.

Dave Oster

Lake Stevens