Orting City Council voted unanimously to begin formal mediation with Fire District 18…Councilmembers were unanimous in their support of the front-line fire fighters and made clear they were critical of the fire commissioners and not the fire fighters. “The clock is ticking on this,” said city administrator Mark Bethune, who explained that the contract involves a schedule of the city selling its equipment and vehicles to the fire district as in-kind payment for services. “At the end of 2010, what we have left is the building and one fire engine.” …Describing the current contract as a “sick marriage” between the city and the fire district, councilmember Dick Ford said the city now must decide whether it is going to get marriage counseling or get a divorce. He viewed the vote to go into mediation as an attempt to save the marriage…
Excerts from http://www.ortingnews.com/article/news/885/
What are your thoughts?
9 responses so far ↓
TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION // August 13, 2009 at 2:16 pm
This is ridiculous that the representative from the city, George Wilson, has not been drawn into the decision making process and involvement with and by the PFD 18 Commissioners. That means we in Orting are not being represented and have no say in what happens with our fire services that we pay taxes to support. As our forefathers aptly stated “taxation without representation is tyranny.” Then, as now, the dispute is not about how much the taxes are, but on the political decison making process. Perhaps we can all send a strong, silent message to these commissioners by showing up at the meeting with tea bags in our hand, and heap the table up in front of the commissioners with them, reminding them of the Boston Tea Party and what happens when this kind of leadership tyranny occurs. I also find it ridiculous that questions must be submitted in advance of the meeting so ‘legal council can review them.’ More like so their answers can be scripted for what they are supposed to say by the puppeteers holding their strings.
Where's the Oversight? // August 13, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Isn’t there a fire commissioners oversight board that can get involved at this point and be at the meetings? A city council member should be in every commissioner meeting and executive session. It’s bad enough that those of us city residents have no vote in this, but now to learn our representative has been excluded from the proceedings is without excuse. Either get in bed or end the marriage!
Observing from the side lines // August 13, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I can’t stand the childish behavior of the Orting City Council members. You were the ones that signed the contract for PFD 18 to provide fire services. If you wanted to be involved in decisions you should have taken your time and set up the contract to say so. You have Mr. Wilson who never shows up for the meetings as your representative. Maybe you should be asking him why? If he felt the Commissioners were not letting him be involved, what did he do to cause them to not trust him. You have a Fire Chief that was fired for very good reasons and you still want him involved. You have a Mayor running for re-election and is causing all sorts of turmoil. Is this for publicity or is she trying to take the heat off herself. She continues to rant and rave. It is hard to respect someone that doesn’t calmly sit down with concerned parties and try to work things out. The City has made poor decisions but you don’t see the Fire Commissioners or Fire Department bringing them up. All I can say is that if PFD 18 decides to leave and let Orting survive on their own, a lot of people are going to suffer. The Chief was fired…….. let it go…… From what I see, the Commissioners went by the book and are now looking to the future. With cities struggling to provide fire services, you can’t put the Commissioners down for wanting to make sure the citizens of Orting and surrounding area are protected. If you have questions, go to their meeting and ask them.
late to the fray // August 13, 2009 at 8:33 pm
I have just started reading this but it strikes me that “observing from the sidelines” is very slanted in favor of the commisioners. You sir are not impartial. Why did the commisioners ignore any input Mr. Wilson gave them? Why did the commisioners refuse to attend a joint meeting that would be televised? It strikes me that they did not want the public to hear them be put on the spot. Why won’t they provide the public answers to questions about the firing of Mr. Shelton? You say he was justly fired, and I am not saying he wasn’t, but the public has never been shown anything that justifys the firing, all we’ve heard are the charges, yet we’ve seen little to no proof. You say its justified, therefore you must know more that the rest of us. What do you know and who told you? Can your source be believed? I just want to read both sides and see the proof. Not statements that “he said, she said”, proof. Documentation that we can review and see, or explanations telling us why documents and proof must be held confidential. But even if that is true, the commissioners, as things are currently structured don’t seem to be representing the citizens of Orting in any way shape or form. They seem to be representing their own interests, and they are not letting the public know what those interests are.
Observing from the side lines // August 13, 2009 at 9:55 pm
To late to the fray…. go to the next meeting, ask your questions and get the documentation that is available. I keep reading about people saying the Commissioners are keeping everything secret. If you don’t attend the meetings and you don’t ask the questions or be involved nothing changes. Myself, I am finished with The Orting News. I will be involved in the community in other ways. Orting is a great town, it just has to have leaders that will lead it into the future in a positive way.
Alexander Beaverhausen // August 14, 2009 at 12:50 am
I have been reading this from the beginning and it strikes me that “late to the fray” is very slanted in opposition of the commissioners. You sir are not impartial.
Why did the commissioners ignore input from Wilson? Well, it’s hard for him to have input when he doesn’t attend meetings. I’m sorry, but Wilson is not a fire commissioner. As an ex officio boardmember, he does not become a fourth fire commissioner nor does he get vote in district matters. There seems to be confusion as to what his role really is. He should be the mouth piece reporting back to the city counsel, unless the fire commissioners want to have the city’s input on a matter — then he serves as the city’s mouth piece to the commission. “In a no-holds-barred statement, Wilson especially criticized the commission for the manner in which it chose to bring charges against Shelton and fire him through a series of poorly advertised special meetings. Wilson said the process not only kept the public uninformed but also kept him in the dark.” The commissioners chose not to use the lynch mob approach. Wilson then says because the commissioners did this over a holiday weekend when he was out of town, he was not aware of the meetings when he returned. Had Wilson been attending meetings, he would have known about it. My favorite line from Wilson in the article: “I was put in the awkward position of not having a clue as to what was going on,” Yeah….
Here’s another great line:”Bethune said the contract gives the commission authority to merge with another district but implies that it will involve the city in its decision.” IMPLIES?! Please, Mr. City Manager, do not attempt to tell me that we have a legally binding contract between the fire district and the city filled with implications and innuendos? NO!
As far as the commissioners answering questions regarding Shelton’s firing, that is a personnel issue. I have yet to hear one person say exactly what the questions are that are not being answered. It is an internal investigation into personnel matters. It was conducted not by mob
“[A]ll we’ve heard are the charges…” No, you’ve heard the findings of the investigation regarding those charges.
“What do you know and who told you? Can your source be believed?” The Public Records Act, RCW 42.56., allows you to request a public agency employee’s personnel file that contains disciplinary files showing misconduct. Your “proof” is available for inspection or you can have copies made which will run you about $.10/page. The commissioners have had to walk a real tightrope with keeping the public informed as much as possible while balancing Shelton’s right to privacy.
“[T]he commissioners, as things are currently structured don’t seem to be representing the citizens of Orting in any way shape or form.” I agree, 100%!! The commissioners are NOT representing me as a citizen of Orting. However, I do feel that the commissioners are representing me as a citizen living in PFD18. “They seem to be representing their own interests, and they are not letting the public know what those interests are.” For someone who claims that they want proof, and not statements of “he said, she said” with regards to the allegations against Shelton, you sure don’t seem to have a problem making baseless accusations against the commissioners. And it may just be the second stupidest comment of all… after Mayor Temple’s statement that the founded allegations against Shelton did not warrant termination. You’re still #1, Mayor! What “personal interests” are you thinking the fire commissioners might possibly have? A huge pay increase for their serving as fire commissioners? I’m sure the commissioners were sitting around during a meeting and decided things were just too boring and that firing Shelton might liven things up a bit. Don’t believe me? Just ask Wilson, he was th… oh, never mind.
Observing from the side lines // August 14, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Kudos Mr. Beaverhausen! You expressed my feelings entirely!
harry potter // August 15, 2009 at 3:01 pm
When you call 911 do you get horrible service? bad firefighters? fighterfighters fighting over who gets to do patient care because they live in the city limits or district? Turmoil at every corner with the fire department? This is a toughy let me think here of the answer? Well for one I don’t see any of that. When you call 911 I see a fast response, caring firefighters who are highly trained, and take care of the public no matter where you might live. So i ask what is the problem? This treatment happened when Shelton was Chief…and wait…. still that way with out him. What a sigh of relief that was to know that the department was not ran by one person, but of all the firefighters career and volunteer who work every day to help our needs as citizens. I VOTE YES support them. Marriage problems? what is that reporter talking about? Sounds like her boyfriend got his feathers ruffled in the city council and shes trying to cause false problems. Glad to see that reporters try to do whats best for the citizens. Do you think all these topics would be said if Shelton was still there? i doubt it, they would probably all be postive spins on why to vote yes on the EMS levy. So why not now???????? who comes to the house when you call 911 its the firefighters not the chief. If there was all new city council members in there who didnt know Shelton would this still be an issue? probably not. They just want to know if 911 is called, are their citizens getting the best of the best, but thats just my two cents
patty villa // August 15, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I was informed of the “special meetings” via a phone call right before they occurred. I recieved the calls because I was a regular attendee of the regular meetings.
I will tell you – straight up – that no one attending a regular meeting would have known about those “special meetings” prior to the termination of the chief from attending a regular meeting, A. Beaverhausen- so you can stop that line of yours. I am not speaking from a lack of knowledge, but from a knowledge base. Time to knock it off.
George Wilson attended meetings very regularly. I was there to witness this fact. Again, let’s not make things up to skew the stories.
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