The people have spoken. We want city council with five members elected by districts and two at-large. The city’s survey showed 31 percent want five district city council members and two at-large. Second place, 29 percent of the people want all seven council members to be from districts. The people have said what we want, but that is not what city council member Paul Roberts has proposed.
This Wednesday, June 20, Everett City Council will introduce an ordinance to put 5-2 and 4-3 plans on the November ballot. What? The 4-3 plan received 13 percent on the survey. Half of the other two plans.
Everett Districts Now research and the League of Women Voters found anything less than five districts won’t give people fair and equitable representation. We need city council members who empower our voices, not their own interests with a disempowering 4-3 plan, so clearly against the people’s wishes.
Ignoring thousands of people who signed the EDN petition and now ignoring its own survey proves something is wrong. This kind of ongoing opposition by our Everett city council members is exactly why many People say they “don’t feel represented at all.”
That said, two city council members support the 5-2 plan: Brenda Stonecipher and Judy Tuohy.
If our current system worked, our city council would make decisions based on the people’s will. The majority of the people who elected them into office want the 5-2 plan. If they insist on two options, put our second choice of seven districts on the ballot.
Our Founding Fathers said the people run the government, not the government runs the people. The city council took an oath of office with a commitment to uphold and obey our U.S. Constitution and the principles of representative democracy. Everett can do better. The people deserve better.
Some of our city council members will vote the people’s choice. Let’s hope the majority do. Do they represent us, or not?
If you feel as passionately about this as I do, please email the City Council members at council@everettwa.gov.
Brenda Bolanos-Ivory
Everett
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