The Snohomish County Council chambers were packed on Wednesday with interested parties eager to present testimony supporting the adoption of a hastily announced creation of a new job title – inclusion manager – paying $60,000 per year to reach out to those citizens who feel they are being left out. The council decided to delay action after stating it only had about two weeks to consider this proposal, made by Executive Aaron Reardon. Ethnic and minority groups claim they are being passed over or ignored or have unfair opportunity to compete for county jobs and contracts. If this is the case, council members are unaware of it and requested anyone to show where these inequities are occurring.

As the only one speaking at that meeting on behalf of senior citizens, and for others who live on a fixed income, with mounting tax pressure and limited budgets, I believe Snohomish County should place emphasis on this effort where it should be. This responsibility rests within the existing framework of the highly motivated professionals within Snohomish County’s Human Resource Department.

If anyone is being left out of the opportunities afforded every citizen in Snohomish County we must bring those parties to the table, but not create a new unnecessary bureaucracy which will no doubt mount in cost and evolve into a higher level of tax burden to Snohomish County citizens.

Lynn Claughton

Marysville