Two Yakima County Commissioners Ron Gamache and Rand Elliott voted to exclude Hop warehouses and processing facilities from the International Building Code and International Fire Code requirement of a sprinkler system. Mike Leita was absent (illness). As the story in Friday’s May 23, 2008 Yakima Herald article notes, this decision was made without any input from any of the County’s Fire Departments.
“I imagine it would have been nice to have told them, I guess,” Gamache said. “But in the long run, nothing is new in this.”
Can you imagine that! Nothing new in this! Voting to lower standards regarding something as important as public safety certainly deserves more input and thoroughness in explanation than simply saying it ‘s costly.
We don’t know how Mike Leita would have voted but it wouldn’t matter because it only takes two votes to make any decision in the County. And therein lies the rub.
Our County is divided into three districts requiring only three commissioners. If the County were divided into 5 districts with 5 commissioners there would be better representation and broader input. Obviously this is a major issue requiring a change in the style of County government and voter approval. A Herculean effort for sure.
This is an idea that begs for a committee or task force to look into. In the meantime, we do have an election coming up and Ron Gamache is running for another term. I’d bet that one candidate, Democrat Jesse Farias, would have at least sought the Fire Department’s input to make a more informed vote in the public interest.
I wonder how much money the Hop industry will be pouring in to Gamache’s re-election bid.