Many of you have asked me how I would make the Coulee Dam Town Government more accessible, open and transparent. I’ll start first with a bit about how it’s been done under Mayor Snow… and then, in subsequent posts – my views and philosophy. (Part-1 … one man’s experience and the genesis of a decision) “The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.” Those words form the preamble to the Washington State Public Records Act (PRA) and the Washington Supreme Court has referred to this preamble as one of the strongest statements of legislative policy contained in any state statute. Based upon my personal experience, here is how the Town of Coulee Dam (Mayor Snow and Town Clerk Visker) interprets these words and the law itself (RCW 42.56). Days after I purchased a house in Coulee Dam, but even before I moved “home” (six years ago), I got an infraction notice from the Town for “high grass and weeds.” I called and asked to see the town code and was told I would have to fill out a form and make a request for consideration! So I complied and was charged $.25 per page which seemed high. I questioned the charge and was told by the clerk; “I don’t have time for this… it’s 25 cents a page!” I paid, got the pages I needed, and wrote the Town a letter asking for their rational and calculations they used to determine the charge, You see, the Washington Administrative Code requires them to provide that information on request too. That resulted in a phone call in which the Clerk stated; “you must have a miserable life if this is all you have time for!” Of course, miserable life or not, they still needed to comply… in the end, could not (they had just “made up the charge”)! So they refunded me about $60 a few months later. I asked if they intended to refund all of those others they had over charged, but got no reply. When I needed sewer and water rate information I got much the same treatment… partial records, claims of disclosure exceptions, and such. So I made an appointment to speak with Mayor Snow. During that “closed door” session I was accused of deliberately requesting records to; “harass ‘his’ Clerk.” He was vocally and physically belligerent and when I reminded him that his actions were likely “actionable” he quipped; “I don’t see any witnesses and besides, I know the judge!” It was at that moment I decided this (our) town needed a change or two or three! Yes, he has denied that altercation, but you only need to look at his history of behavior regarding public records, and you can conclude what you wish. See the Spokesman-Review Editorial Post and Washington Policy Center Facebook posts. Mayor Snow has with, the same energy and belief paradigm, crafted a governmental process that is exclusive, reclusive, and elusive. Meetings held on national legal holidays, restrictive council participatory rules, closed meetings, exclusionary committee meetings, and so much more. So be sure to read Part-2 in a day or so!
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 17:29:28 +0000
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