There’s nothing wrong with some down-sizing | Letters | Aug. 26

Published 4:03 pm Thursday, August 25, 2011

Regretfully, our esteemed former mayor of Winslow and former State Transportation commissioner Alice Tawresey seems to side with big government liberals regarding home rule and all-island government.

Contrary to what our former mayor says in her letter to the editor “[Don’t give up on island’s home rule,” Aug. 19), it is a perfect time to look at “ceding over vital functions (water, sewer, police, parks)” and downsize or eliminate some of our city bureaucracies.

I wholeheartedly supported home rule (partial secession from Kitsap County) and door-belled our neighborhood for votes. I still believe in home rule.

However our home rule founding fathers back in 1994 were all tax-and-spend liberals and led us down the rosy path of creating all kinds of expensive city departments, which required all kinds of new and often unexpected government spending and costs… rather than looking at farming out some of those services to the county or non government service enterprises at fixed negotiated rates.

For example we should have made every effort to negotiate a deal with the county to continue to take care of our roads instead of doing it ourselves.

If council is truly looking to “cede over vital functions” more power to them. It is about time. Who are these candidates? They have my vote.

Tom Greene

Bainbridge Island