Recall petition nothing more than petty politics

Last week I was shocked to learn that two former city councilors who abruptly quit mid-term filed a recall petition against me – and the councilors who replaced them.

As your mayor, I’ve prided myself on communicating with transparency and candor. In that tradition, I would like to offer a glimpse of what this is really about.

This recall is about personality, not policy.

With this recall former disgruntled elected officials, who quit when decisions got tough, are misusing your tax dollars to wage a private war of retaliation for disagreements that led to their resignations.

Their vague claims are manipulative and an insult to the intelligence of our citizens. They want you to believe that the regular business of economic development – that is a core function of every city government – is some kind of bad deal.

The issue being used as an excuse for these personal attacks relates to the development of the vacant land across from Bumpers Bar & Grill.

As you may know, Fairview has had little or no substantial economic development in recent years. The economic health of any city depends on careful growth so it can continue to provide parks, sidewalks and public safety.

Since we are competing against neighboring cities for new development, we offer incentives to those willing to bring large projects that benefit the long-term health of our community. The planned 189 unit multifamily and commercial project waives system development charges in exchange for adding hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax revenue.

Make no mistake – the revenue the city receives in system development charges for land that remains vacant is also zero. But by putting the vacant land into productive use, we add hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue and provide valuable employment opportunities and housing for our residents.

The petition claims that I didn’t solicit enough opinion about a red-light camera that an overwhelming number of our neighbors asked to remove. I’m not sure what I could do more than visiting hundreds of homes to bring the conversation to the citizens.

I heard you loud and clear, and we replaced the red-light camera with a smarter solution of providing flashing yellow lights around our schools. We made our streets safer without frustrating our citizens and lining the pockets of a camera vendor who collected a hefty commission on each ticket.

The petitioners only need 419 signatures to trigger an expensive recall that does nothing but advance their personal grudge. I hope you’ll see this for what it is, and refuse to facilitate this waste of time and money by refusing to sign the recall petitions.

My passion for public service is what drives me to knock on doors and ask your opinion about policy. I look forward to working together to continue making Fairview a great place to live and work. Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve.

(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Northwest Connection.)