What will it take to shelve campus?

Published 3:24 pm Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Regarding the Monday article, “Merits of civic center weighed in Mountlake Terrace”: Yes, it smells funny when the designated opposition hasn’t yet decided what it’s against or why. It sounds like another attempt to confuse people into accepting that a $25 million campus is the only intelligent choice. “Stop Thinking — Vote Yes.”

How about, “Keep Thinking — Vote No!” Ignore the half-truths. “Outskirts” makes I-5 and 220th sound like it borders the national forest. City services have been “spread out” for years in our 4-square-mile community; the maintenance shop is just downhill from the current city hall, easily reachable from the library in five minutes.

How is this latest version 30 percent less expensive? Current rent is nowhere near $500,000 and, if negotiated today, would be far less in the still depressed local office market. However, even if it were $500,000, that is still 67 percent less than just the annual principal payment of a 30-year bond for $25 million. The very same taxpayers would be paying at least 67 percent more!

While the rest of us are clipping coupons to afford necessities, the downtown choir sings the praises of “community amenities.” Their mouths are wide open, but their eyes appear to be sewn shut to the context surrounding them. They keep repeating, “what’s best for the city,” ignoring that the taxpayers who constitute the city (and pay for it) have better uses for their hard-earned dollars.

Just a year ago, their post-election survey said only 42 percent supported even a scaled back plan. Never mind. The “city” still needs the money worse than we do.

Someone also needs to let the supposed con committee know we are not voting our consciences. No one need be ashamed to vote their still-depleted pocketbook. The city needs to wake up and do what the rest of us are doing: make do.

Leonard French

Mountlake Terrace