Negative consequences of emotion over facts

To The Eagle:

The letter to The Eagle by attorney George Hanigan has raised some serious questions about the direction of the conflict between the fire department and the Town of Cathlamet.

The first concern is the actual disagreement between the requirements of the state auditors and the fire districts, in which the auditors apparently were not able to get access to all the required records of the fire districts. Conflict between the state auditors and any government or private entity is not a good scenario. Transparency and open accounting practices should help in alleviating these conflicts.

However, the quote from attorney Hanigan that "the fire department and emergency medical services are far more important to our town than having a town government" makes me very uncomfortable. If I am right and the Town of Cathlamet is the only incorporated town in the county and if it were to not exist, I suspect the county itself would be at risk of not existing. I believe that the existence of a county, under the laws of Washington State, requires a county seat to legitimately serve the needs of the county. Here it is again, that pesky state law getting in the way of a few attorneys in the community. How would the employees of Wahkiakum County, the PUD and other junior taxing districts like to be absorbed by an adjacent county?

The unintended consequences of Mr. Hanigan's recommendation might put all of the citizens of Wahkiakum County at risk and it is time to stop the infighting, resolve the conflict with the state auditors and run the finances of the fire department in a prudent way and with approved accounting methodology.

Pat Reese

Cathlamet