This is a win for everyone, no matter what you thought of the political debate. Ruston residents can breath a collective sigh of relief, knowing the town will remain well protected by the Ruston Fire Department. Tacoma residents won't be asked to subsidise emergency services to an area that already has a strong fire department. Tacoma has an excellent fire department, but cannot respond as quickly – and seconds are vital in an emergency.
The question posed to the council after the meeting this Monday remains ~ why the secrecy? Council Members Stebner and Albertson knew they had no contract with Tacoma, yet deliberately misled the public at Monday night's meeting.
Stay tuned. We are going to review the tapes of the meeting and let you know the exact words they used in this charade. That way you can judge for yourself the ethics of these councilmen (or lack thereof).
Rumor Update (12:02 pm): Apparently Council Member Stebner has arranged for a representative from LESA, Ruton's emergency dispatch service, to attend the study session next Monday, Jan. 14th. We hate to repeat rumors, but since these particular councilmen seem to operate best in the dark, we don't have much choice.
I'm not sure why LESA would want to jump into the middle of this battle. Chief Torbet has worked many hours with their dispatch center to correct any problems Ruston has experienced. Showing up at a meeting without notifying the fire chief or the public appears to yet another attempt muddy the waters. It is unfortunate that our 'renegade' council members continue to involve professional agencies in their games.
I apologize for the poor image quality. We are working on it. Please let me know if you would like a copy of the letter emailed to you (kpickett22@yahoo.com). Karen
1 comment:
Eric A. Anderson, city manager for Tacoma, sent a letter to Ruston Mayor Michael Transue. He announced that the Tacoma Fire Department is not in a position to offer contract services at this time because they are busy preparing for accreditation.
This announcement is very interesting. There’s some material here that will require time to digest. The announcement also raises more questions. But regardless of what was going on behind closed doors, Mr. Anderson’s announcement is welcome news for the residents of Ruston. He has certainly been a better friend than renegade Ruston council members Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson.
In light of this, I think the first order of business is to extend a big thank you to Ruston Fire Chief Don Torbet and the members of the Ruston Fire Department. They have spent countless hours in training and service to Ruston out of nothing more than a love for the Town. It was easy for Ruston residents to take on this fight in light of the firefighters’ professionalism and dedication to duty. Hopefully, we can now look forward to many more years of community-oriented firefighting and life-saving. The firefighters have truly been friends.
Ruston Firefighters train at the fire station every Thursday at 6 p.m. Please consider stopping by this evening and expressing your appreciation to them. They’ve earned it.
***
Main Entry: RENEGADE 1ren•e•gade
Pronunciation: \ˈre-ni-ˌgād\
Function: noun
1 : a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another
2 : an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior
***
Ruston Town Council members Wayne Stebner, Robert Everding, and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson are properly labeled as renegades. They have sworn an allegiance to the Town of Ruston but, as the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words. Their actions clearly demonstrate an allegiance to something other than the best interests of the Town of Ruston.
Some might argue that they have demonstrated their allegiance to the City of Tacoma. I believe they have an allegiance to themselves and their personal agenda. They went way outside the box in pursuit of that agenda but they don’t have enough integrity to announce their purpose openly and plainly.
You may notice that I have not lumped Council Member Bradley Huson in with that group. I think the jury is still out on him. While he has been an ally of the Ruston Connection (campaign sponsors for renegade council members Wayne Stebner, Robert Everding, and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson), I still have hope that he will come to his senses, straighten up, and fly right. Mr. Huson doesn’t seem to display the animosity toward the Town and its residents that is characteristic of Mr. Stebner, Mr. Everding, and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson. Ruston is in dire need of council members who will be good stewards of its resources.
Back to Mr. Anderson’s letter. He notes that Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson met with Tacoma Fire Department representatives on January 3rd. The renegades were informed at that time that the Tacoma Fire Department was not prepared to enter negotiations with Ruston for contract fire service. The destructive duo of Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson knowingly, and with malice, withheld that information from the public at the Council’s January 7th meeting. The reasons are unknown but it’s evident that they wanted to keep the tension level up.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. On December 18th, I sent an e-mail to Tacoma Fire Chief Ronald Stephens. I explained to him that based on public comment at a Town Council meeting earlier in the year, the bulk of Ruston residents stood firmly opposed to the contract. I told him that having such a contract rammed down our throats would likely result in hard feelings and bad publicity. Ruston residents would view the Tacoma Fire Department as an agent of divisiveness. It would be an unpleasant experience for all involved. I respectfully requested that he withdraw his agency from consideration of that contract.
Chief Stephens finally replied to me at 6:41 p.m. on January 3rd. At that hour, it’s a reasonable guess that it was after his meeting with renegade council members Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson.
Chief Stephens' response to me was brief: “Thanks for your email. I forwarded your comments to Mayor Transue.”
Now that by itself was a rather odd response. I made a specific request for Chief Stephens to take a specific course of action on behalf of the Tacoma Fire Department. Why would he merely forward this request to the mayor at the Town of Ruston?
But now, in light of the letter from Mr. Anderson, I find my curiosity running rampant. At the time Chief Stephens replied to my request, it’s very likely that he already knew the contract was off the table. But why wouldn’t he merely state his case at that time? I believe that Chief Stephens, along with renegade council members Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson, were cooperating to withhold the information for some political goal. Another possibility, contrary to Mr. Anderson’s statement, is that decision had not yet been made.
It was alleged in an earlier posting on the blog that renegade council member Wayne Stebner may have had a friend on the Tacoma Fire Department. I think we now know the identity of that friend, which could explain why Chief Stephens didn’t state outright to me that the contract was dead. Now all we have to do is go through their backgrounds to figure out why such an alliance exists. The Internet is a wonderful tool for these things!
It seems obvious to me that Mr. Anderson took charge of his city and jerked Chief Stephens’ chain. Mr. Anderson made a decision that was in the best interests of the City of Tacoma and the Town of Ruston. It wasn’t a tough decision for someone who is a seasoned leader. His biggest challenge was how to put a face on it that would be palatable to his fire chief. The end result is that Ruston and Tacoma are both big winners.
I think there’s one other probable side effect here. Renegade Ruston council members Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson likely have lost all credibility in the eyes of the Tacoma city government, which should reduce their chances of bringing future harm to the Town of Ruston. Still, we must remain vigilant while they are here.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Tacoma City Manager Eric A. Anderson for the wisdom and leadership he has displayed in this crisis. He is perhaps the only truly gifted leader in this whole mess. He took charge and made a decision. He couched it in the best way possible in an effort to help his fire chief save face. Good job, Mr. Anderson!
Mayor Transue seems to have been silent on this issue. He too is a lawyer. Well, nobody is perfect. On the surface, Mayor Transue seems to operate out of such an abundance of caution that he won’t make a decision or take a stand on anything. Still, I need to acknowledge the possibility that he too was working behind closed doors to make this happen. If so, then he needs to know that he is appreciated.
One final note, if I may. Jim Hedrick won his seat on the Ruston Council during the last election. He has been the lone voice in the wilderness trying to warn others of the harm that renegade council members Wayne Stebner and Tacoma lawyer Dan Albertson were bringing upon the Town. He deserves credit for his efforts. Thank you Mr. Hedrick.
Post a Comment