Saturday was gorgeous, I watched as families rushed inside the chain link fence, while the children surveyed the glistening eggs in the morning sun.  You could see the excitement in their eyes.  I marveled at how this event brought so many people from the community together.

Before the hunt, I handed out flyers, encouraging citizens of Bonney Lake to reject Proposition 1 which, if passed, would establish a Metropolitan Park District.  Before I would hand out a flyer I asked, “Do you live in Bonney Lake?” If they responded yes, I would give them a flyer; if they said no, I would encourage them to enjoy the adventure the day offered.  As I surveyed the participants, I was amazed at how many grandparents, friends and relatives were attending the Easter egg hunt but were not residents of Bonney Lake.

While it took months of planning and hours of preparation, the egg hunt was over in less than 5 minutes. It was amazing how fast an army of tiny crumb-crunchers can clean-up a field full of eggs.  So for throwing such an amazing community event, I would like to congratulate the Sky Island HOA for, what appeared to be, a flawless execution of their egg hunt.

After the Sky Island egg hunt, I headed over to the Bonney Lake egg hunt at Allan York Park in hopes of convincing a few more citizens that Prop. 1 is a bad idea.  I arrived at Allan York Park at 10:30 with plenty of time to greet prospective hunters and give them a flyer.  There were so many attendees that I could not ask each one if they were residents of Bonney Lake. I could only provide them with a flyer and a smile.  Now, I would like to also congratulate the city for great execution of their egg hunt.

After the two events, I realized that the two egg hunts illustrated why Prop. 1 should be defeated. First, the Sky Island hunt was privately funded and organized by volunteers.  It was very nice.  It was also scheduled so that participants had plenty of time to get to the city’s egg hunt, so the kids were warmed up for their second hunt of the day. Second, the city’s hunt was well-done and appeared to be a success, despite the fact that Bonney Lake does not have a dedicated Parks & Recreation department.  Third, most of the people I saw were happy and very nice.  I expected some grumpy people who didn’t want a political flyer given to them or to briefly discuss politics at an egg hunt, but I did not get one rude or hostile remark. I found that incredibly refreshing.

I really enjoyed seeing the community; we live in a wonderful place, with great people.  Would an MPD have made the March 30 events any better?  Nope, an MPD would only make the city’s event more expensive.  The city’s egg hunt is just another piece of evidence that proves my decision to vote against the creation of the MPD (Prop.1) is the right thing to do.  Bonney Lake has great parks, great people, and a wonderful community.

We can build parks without bigger, more-expensive government.  As a matter of fact, we can build more parks with less government, because we will be spending the money on parks and not bureaucracy. I hope that you will join me in voting “against” Prop. 1.

James McClimans Sr.

Bonney Lake