Big show of support for current government

Published 4:22 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

By Dennis Box, The Courier-Herald

Mayor Bob Young received a landslide show of support on Nov. 4, election day, when Bonney Lake Proposition 1 was soundly defeated by a 70 percent "no" vote. The proposition asked voters if they favored changing their city from its current mayor-city council form of government to a council-manager form. Under that alternate system, a hired manager, selected by the council, is in charge of a city administrator.

"I think this a vindication of where we stood," Young said. "This started out as a vendetta by Dan Decker, then it became a referendum of my job as mayor."

Bonney Lake resident Decker, who has had numerous clashes with the mayor, collected 700 signatures to place the proposition on the ballot, which gained the support of several City Council members and the Bonney Lake Police Guild. The guild stated dissatisfaction with the mayor over his lack of support in hiring additional officers and purchasing new vehicles.

Young, energized by the victory, stated he had been confident the proposition would not pass. "The people I talked to didn't want this," Young said.

As of Nov. 7, the Pierce County Auditor's Office recorded 712 voted yes and 1,727 voted against the proposition. Young faced a similar proposition in 2001, which was defeated by a 60 percent margin.

In other election news, political newcomer Mike Hamilton beat City Councilman Dan Swatman for an at-large council position. Swatman is currently holding the seat in Ward 4.

Hamilton felt he ran an aggressive campaign, which helped swing the election in his favor. "I went into his ward because I thought that was his Achilles heel," Hamilton said.

He stated he learned a great deal during the campaign about the citizens in Bonney Lake and their concerns about growth issues. "I'm not against growth," Hamilton said. "But the City Council has failed miserably in setting up mitigating fees for developers. Growth is a massive issue and the City Council should have stepped in and controlled it."

In other City Council races, Cheryle Noble defeated Patrick Miller for the Ward 3 seat. Noble will move from the at-large seat she was appointed to on April 2003. Mark Hamilton will take over the at-large council seat.

Incumbent councilmen James Rackley, Ward 2, and Phil DeLeo, Ward 5, retained their seats.