My late father, Bert Ammons, served on the city council when the city of Kelso transitioned from a strongman city system to a mayor-council system.
My father voted against Kelso, saying he didn't have the tax base to support reform. We looked up the population of Kelso and found that as of 2022, the number of citizens is 12,691. So, to pay the city manager $185,000 a year, every resident in the Kelso city area might have to pay $14.58 a year.
Both Kelso and Longview have a council-mayor system of government, but they are just two of about 53 cities in Washington state that use this system. How do hundreds of other cities survive without a council-mayor system of government?
I am concerned about Longview. Their city government is clearly corrupted by local politics. Their city manager could be removed and replaced depending on the votes in the next election cycle. This did not happen 10 or 20 years ago. I have been involved behind the scenes in local politics for almost 60 years and have never seen it this bad.
Anyone else reading this…
Perhaps Longview will decide, as most cities and towns in the state think, that it doesn't really need a council-city manager form of government.
Letter to the Editor Policy:
Letters must be original and no longer than 250 words. Letters must include the author's name, address, or phone number for verification. The newspaper does not share that information with third parties. Only your name and residence will be published. You can print one post per month. All submissions may be edited for length, spelling, grammar, and clarity. Send submissions to letters@tdn.com or The Daily News, PO Box 1666, Longview, WA 98632.
