My last blog assumed the Fire Department EMS levy proposal was going to be taken up at the Council’s August 5, 2008 regular meeting. Wrong! The council voted to sweep it under the rug with a 5-2 vote. Mayor Dave Edler and Neil McClure were the 2 sensible votes to advance this issue to the general election where it belongs. After 5 councilmembers had previously indicated strong support, they apparently had second thoughts after some influential and heavy Republican Party contributors claimed that there wasn’t enough time to evaluate the issue. Chris Bristol accurately reports on this in today’s Yakima herald.
This is clearly a move to keep Republicans and their candidates from being connected to a tax increase. I can understand the 3 Amigos, (Bill Lover, Micah Cawley, and Rick Ensey) being opposed, as they are opposed to most everything. Cathy Coffey must have been swayed by businessman Bob Hall’s testimony at the hearing and Norm Johnson displayed a lack of leadership by ‘going along’. He is running for the 14th Legislative seat in November and displayed his weak backbone by helping bury a levy he was actually for. Now he can trick the voters into thinking he is an anti taxer.
The council’s action is a vote of NO CONFIDENCE in their Fire Chief and the City Manager. They have caved in to the special interest groups and no doubt will receive a glowing report from the worst of all special interests, Bruce Smith. Yakima deserves better than this about face leadership culminating in a 5-2 vote.