Citizen left council meeting in disgust

To The Eagle:

It’s Monday night. The Cathlamet Town Council meeting is currently in session. In direct contradiction of a democracy, the town citizens are not allowed to participate. According to town Mayor Dale Jacobson, citizens are not allowed to comment on items on the agenda. This is in direct violation of Robert’s Rules . . .

According to Jacobson, if citizens want to ask questions about town business, we need to go to Town Hall and speak to the temporary Town Clerk. Of course, according to what the Town Clerk stated in the meeting, she won’t be available to answer questions.

I am literally shaking in anger as I write this letter to the editor. Much to my chagrin, during the aforementioned meeting, I raised my voice in objection to the way the Town Council does business and left in disgust. Members of the public ask questions and are told “Thank you for your comments” and then ignored. There is no feedback, no getting back to the public on questions. The only council member that has been responsive is Council Member Laurel Waller, and her voice is almost unanimously quashed by the three members currently fighting recall and ignored by the mayor.

Recently a member of the town council resigned, fed up with the way the town council was conducting business. The process the town council follows is to ask for volunteers to serve. An ad was placed in The Eagle, but because only two applications were received, both by people the majority of the council did not want, it was decided to spend more of the town’s money and place another ad in the paper and hope for the best. What happens when there are no applications from citizens the majority of the council wants? Spend yet more money?

I implore the citizens of the Town of Cathlamet to do as Jacobson suggested. Go to Town Hall. Ask questions. Water bill high? Sewer bill high? Why? Get involved. Find out how much Jacobson, Cameron, Burnham and Smith are spending of our hard-earned money. Ask how much more money are they going to spend on over-priced property. I would call for Jacobson, Cameron, Burnham and Smith to resign, effective immediately, but all I would get is “Thank you for your comment…”

Robert Stowe

Cathlamet