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Editor:
I am always amazed by the contempt of the City of Edmonds government for its citizens. Several people had contacted the members of the council to let them know the importance of citizens to be seen by our “representatives” in the chambers. Council members Buckshnis, Olson and Kristiana Johnson have been very strong in getting people back to the bedrooms. Buckshnis said ball games are being held, restaurant gatherings are taking place, businesses are opening in Edmonds and we should be allowed to have a hybrid meeting. Kristiana and Olson agreed.
Laura Johnson is once again siding with Distelhorst and in reality these are the same people who constantly vote and vote mainly against the will of the people. Laura Johnson’s logic that staff would be compromised by being in the same room is completely illogical when staff are behind plastic shields and well over 6 feet from citizens. Can Luke, Laura, Paine and Monillas tell citizens that they never go to the grocery store, drugstore, restaurants where people are within 6 feet of each other and in restaurants without masks? Can they tell the citizens that they never attend social gatherings with friends where people are unmasked holding beverage containers? They would be dishonest if they tried to do it!
I will express the idea that the decision that Luke, Laura, Monillas and Paine made not to allow voters to return to the chambers is not in the best interests of anyone’s health, but rather for their own convenience of being at home and it’s easier not to confront the citizens. The citizens are beyond anger at the contempt of people who use their lame excuses as if they were “real”. Is it government representation? We are mortified by their “decision making”, it is reprehensible.
Another pivotal moment in Tuesday night’s meeting was the fact that an executive session was held in private due to a citizen complaint on the hate portal for Ms Monillas’ prior actions of drinking while on the go. ‘a council meeting and display a derogatory sign to voters. The board held a separate private meeting with the seven board members present on Zoom and at the end of the meeting it returned at least one huge “no action” regarding Monillas’ unsavory actions. This blatant contempt for our fellow citizens and the political scene is reprehensible.
Do Edmonds voters realize that while there is a “Code of Conduct” and a “Code of Ethics,” there is no formal way to report violations of the code? I recently provided council with the Snohomish County Council ethics violation complaint process. Tuesday night was the second time I raised the issue that a “Code of Conduct” is useless if there is no way to enforce it. My request falls on deaf ears and blind eyes. No one said they would bring this issue up as an agenda item. It really matters! Why should citizens consider legal action against a city or government officials when a tool to voice grievances should have been implemented long ago. It is possible to sue government officials “personally” (to avoid taking taxpayer money) but situations should never get that far if the government does the right thing!
Having a formal complaints process would probably be sufficient. Many of us find it very disturbing that some members of the board did not want to sanction Monillas for his disturbing behavior. Council members must realize that allowing negative action on this city is in itself a violation of the code of conduct. They must always give priority to the welfare and interest of the public. The code of conduct states that government officials should treat the public as their most valuable customer. It would be laughable if the actions of the four weren’t so reprehensible!
If you could imagine going to your favorite restaurant for dinner and being served by someone who wasn’t interested in what you wanted to order. Not only that, but the waiter has a glass of wine in the back room. You can see the server is distracted and you don’t know why. You want to order chicken for dinner and the waiter says I recommend the steak instead. You say you don’t want steak. The waiter insists it’s in your best interest as it’s always perfectly cooked. Again, you say, I want chicken. The waiter then declares that she is going to the kitchen and finds out if the chef wants to cook this. They decide among themselves that you are going to eat steak and if you don’t like it, well, you can take your things somewhere else!
This is how the government treats him as “most valued customers”! In the above scenario, the restaurant would go bankrupt. Unfortunately, our government cannot close its doors if it does not listen to its customers. We cannot even file a complaint since there is no process to do so. They repeatedly push back their audience, they delay dealing with unresolved laws, they don’t hold public hearings when they’re supposed to, they often don’t respond to citizens’ requests, etc. constant disregard for public demands. In conclusion, the government’s “most valued customer” is nothing more than words on a page! We have a few who fight for us, but the others often push them aside! Are we going to be apathetic and let others do the work of fighting for them or are you going to stand up and hold them accountable? We also need your voices to be heard.
Remember this quote. ‘….Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the “consent” of the governed. Government…”
Cynthia Gutierrez Sjoblom
Edmonds
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