Council member training, at what cost?

To The Eagle:

After reading Citizen Wainwright’s letter to the editor of 11/29/2018, I have concerns why our town council is contracting with an Oregon firm for training on how to make decisions, at a cost to us citizen taxpayers of $20,000 when such training is available to all Washington municipalities at no cost or little cost!

Free training programs on how to govern and serve as good leaders are offered by the Association of Washington Cities through seminars, classroom, and online eLearning courses. All courses earn credits that can be accrued to earn a Certificate of Municipal Leadership (CML). Upon receiving the professional certificate you are entitled to use the suffix CML after your name. There is no cost to the town for this training! Additionally, municipal leadership training is offered and available through the Washington State University via extension classes. The next WSU Municipal Leadership class will be held in Longview from January 2019 – April 2019. Registration cost is $200 per person, or $150 per person if registered before January 1. The cost to the town for training for the five council members would be $1,000 total or less depending upon registration.

For us citizens, either of these two above training options would be making the best use of our tax dollars. It would be a savings of $19,000-$20,000 of our tax dollars by our representatives, the town council! Possibly the council can undo their expensive training contract and do the right thing for us citizens! Council decisions should be made in the interest of all citizens and never made due to friendship or acquaintance. Good governing and leadership is common sense and that cannot be bought! Remember citizens, you are the boss and the council members work for you and not the other way around! Attend council meetings, let your representatives know what decisions are best for you, have a voice and be heard! As former Mayor George Wehrfritz stated in his letter to the editor of 12/06/2018, elections are the best way out!

Bob Rendler, CML

Cathlamet