Can You Hear It?

That sigh of relief? It's echoing across town. The current crisis is over. I don't think the renegades will suddenly turn reasonable, but the threat that our Fire Department could be flushed down the toilet at any moment has passed (could make some fun analogies with that picture).

And I think the current council majority (Everding, Stebner, Alberston and maybe Huson ~ the RC crowd) are loosing more and more credibility. Their antics last year that Dan Vopel captured in his column, In Ruston, three council members refuse to play fair, along with this current embarrassment has soured more voters. Remember, no one won their seat last November by a wide margin. Albertson is only on the council because of his friends. If the election were held today, I'd bet we'd see an even smaller number of RC faithful.

Plus these guys have lost ground with Tacoma. I think it will be harder for them to garner even the base respect their elected office affords to advance their destructive agenda, at least for the time being.

One benefit from this crisis (besides the goofy guys showing their true character again, wish I had a picture of the Disney dog) ~ we got mobilized! We got details out to the public on the fire committee report and a factual comparison between Ruson and Tacoma's capabilities in Ruston. There is the potential for a new fire department web site to keep the community up to date on firefighters credentials, current issues, upcoming needs and more. We are better prepared for the next battle!

So many people stepped up to the plate, working on the front lines and behind the scenes. Especially Dr. Ferrer. He risked his considerable reputation to speak honestly and forcefully about these issues that he knows so well. And it came out of a sense of duty and love of community ~ not some personal agenda. Sounds like the motivation behind the daily sacrifice of our firefighters. We owe a tremendous debt to all of them. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed.

But we have to stay vigilant! We need to demand the council move ahead with the fire residency program in the Johnson house immediately. The fire committee recommended it, the council approved the budget for it in December. No more excuses!

And watch for more trickery. There are safeguards built into the system, but they all depend on the watchful eyes of the electorate. We are the key to a safe and healthy future for Ruston. Keep it up, you heroes you!

Karen