Thank you, Aaron Reardon, for standing up to the County Council. It appears that our county executive is again the sole voice of fiscal responsibility in county government. I am one veteran of the Persian Gulf conflict who would like to go on record as appreciating Mr. Reardon’s budgetary leadership and taxpayer accountability. Mr. Sievers’ and Mr. Gossett’s attempt to camouflage deficit spending with patriotism is a transparent move to further bloat the county budget.
Our veterans need jobs, not handouts, and jobs are best created in the private sector.
The council’s decision to whittle away at our reserve of approximately $22 million seems dangerously short-sighted when weighed against the estimated $20 million in damages sustained by taxpayers in just two weeks of flooding. Adding $81,000-a-year county positions with fewer requirements than most of our teachers and law enforcement professionals possess is not the best use of taxpayer money. Snohomish County residents are continually developing ways to do more with less. It is my belief that the collective intelligence within our County Council can do better than this budget. I am thankful that Aaron Reardon has again exhibited both the fiscal leadership that this county needs and the backbone to oppose the spending spree tendencies of the County Council. As Mr. Gossett said, “Budgeting is more than a slogan.”
Dave Oster
Lake Stevens
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