Word on the street is there are back door meetings going on to not hire a new administrator and make Washougal's Mayor a full time position. Considering what is going on right now and the upcoming election being undecided I feel this would not be a prudent move. To even consider changing the form of government Washougal uses should be off the table until after the Nov. elections. That's just common sense. The council knows there may be new blood in both Mayor & Council and decisions affecting the future of the city can easily wait a few months.

Actually, to move away from having a qualified, professional city administrator would be a big step backward.  The City of Washougal is certainly large enough, with a $30+ million budget, to be professional managed by someone who truly understands and is trained in municipal government operations.  Washougal, and most other cities, would never be able to be fortunate enough to have such a person run for mayor.

 

To go to a full-time mayor position, without an administrator of some sort, would be to hope and assume that every four years you have someone running for mayor who is fully qualified to run a city themselves.  In reality this isn’t going to happen.  To be a resident and be versed in all of the experience to oversee, daily and professionally a public works department, streets, water, sewer, planning, finance, police, fire, parks and likely many others just isn’t being realistic for an elected position. 

 

I think we are far better off electing the best candidate who can effectively lead and manage the city and allow them to have a professional administrator who can deal with the complex day-to-day issues.  Of course, this assumes that the mayor and administrator can work hand-in-hand.  It really doesn’t create another “level” of management if they are always on the same page and in sync with each other.  In fact, it would be the best of both worlds.

Please let your council representatives know how you feel. They should consider the repercussions of what will be viewed a volatile move before they decide to vote on this. We need to remind them that they work for the citizens not the Mayor. The Mayor can guide the City as she sees fit,  but they have been elected to represent the best needs of the citizens of this fine community. Deciding to step backwards at this time is not a wise decision. Please make your voices heard on this.
Pat Guard