The
Announcement
Almost two years have passed since Snohomish County’s Director
of Parks (Tom Teigen) stood in front of a stunned audience and announced his
plans for a sports complex at Wellington Hills Park. Perhaps it would have been less shocking if he hadn’t also said,
“It’s a done deal” and “You are going to love it.”
Many of us had the same thought – This is the Seattle
area – nothing is ever a “done deal” especially when it's initially proposed. Puget Sound
residents always question big-ticket projects and then we offer our opinions
and alternative perspectives.
It was during the “It’s a done deal” speech that
Neighbors to Save Wellington Park (NSWP) was born. Within days of the Teigen
Declaration, people began meeting and discussing what the proposed – and radical – makeover of Wellington Hills Park could mean to the area – the residential
neighborhoods near Woodinville.
Citizens
Organize
At first, our energy was focused on understanding the
so-called “Master Plan” ... a simplified drawing of the proposed sports fields,
complete with commercial developments, stadium lights, large parking lots and sizeable
buildings. The master plan appeared to be designed by special interest groups.
The design was not for the community at large … in essence, the master plan was
the opposition’s manifesto.
Next came community organizational meetings, finding
supporters to join NSWP, developing an email newsletter list and a door-to-door
petition signing campaign. Then, strategies were developed so that our
community voices might be heard in Everett – home of the Snohomish County
Council and County Executive.
Reaching out to the Council and Executive was complicated
and revealed very little.
Council member Dave Somers, who represents this area,
came to my house and spoke to 25 people. Council members Stephanie Wright and
Brian Sullivan also came to our neighborhood and talked with us. Council
members Dave Gossett and John Koster declined to meet with us in our neighborhood.
About this same time I met Aaron Reardon, who was then
the County Executive. (The Department of Parks was one of the departments under
his authority.) I walked away from
that meeting with two tidbits: He said he was unaware of the sports complex
plan and that Wellington Hills Golf Course had “ruined his golf game”. Nothing
came from that meeting.
What
It Takes
In June-July 2012, I began a photo diary of the park and
I created this blog. We began writing letters to the Woodinville Weekly, The
Woodinville Patch and the Everett Herald.
King 5 TV did a small piece on what we were attempting to accomplish.
The progression of our activities included going to
various County organizational meetings, as well as attending County Council
Operations and General Legislative sessions.
It was at this point we started to grasp both the hard-boiled political disposition and the Byzantine nature of county government.
It’s not easy to have discussions with elected officials,
no matter how many times they publically say, “My door is always open”.
Unfortunately, appointments usually are for 15 minutes, 30 minutes max.
If you want to say something at a County Council meeting
you get three minutes at the beginning of the session – and the Council just
listens, they never say anything, unless it’s to tell you, “you can’t say
that”. If a department head or project manager speaks to the Council, you, the
private citizen, cannot refute or question that person. The added insult is
they can speak as long as they want and they can make both objective and
subjective comments about whatever a citizen said during the three-minute
public comment period.
Commitment
At this point in the process of a citizen becoming an
activist, one needs to assess what’s at stake (saving a park) and then make a
personal decision because a fork in the road is reached. Does a person take
the common, well-worn path of indifference, apathy and cynicism? Or, is the
other path chosen – the one requiring resolve, dedication and hours of hard
work?
Discovery
Citizen Activists, by definition, aren’t professional
politicians or bureaucrats - but they are smart, passionate and determined.
Valuable tools are the County’s Organizational Flowchart
and the Freedom of Information Act. And, there are accommodating people working
within County government willing to explain how bureaucratic processes and
methods are meant to be used. Another valuable asset, which may seem obvious,
but isn’t - there are elected officials willing to listen to reasonable
solutions to complex issues.
But It
Ain’t Over
Bureaucratic plans, such as the proposed makeover of
Wellington Hills Park, become reference points, even if they haven’t been
approved. While Citizen Activists
are coming-up to speed with understanding, for example, the details of a
proposed master plan … the dudes who proposed the plan aren’t resting … they’re
busy crossing ‘t’s, dotting ‘i’s, and convincing their bosses (and everyone
else) their plan is the best plan, etc. etc.
The
Moment of Truth
A recent viral news article has been noticed by scores
of citizen groups and everyone else interested in good government - the article,
“Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and
Average Citizens” or, as it is commonly known, “America is No Longer
a Democracy”.
The gist of the article is this (in their words, not
mine):
“Despite the seemingly strong
empirical support in previous studies for theories of majoritarian democracy,
our analyses suggest that majorities of the American public actually have
little influence over the policies our government adopts. Americans do enjoy
many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections,
freedom of speech and association, and a widespread (if still contested)
franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful
business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America’s
claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.“
Conclusion
Personally, I’m not ready to accept, “America
is no longer a democracy”.
It’s now two years since the “It’s a done deal”
speech and NSWP has gained insight, won a few skirmishes and continues to
prepare for a fight in the legal system.
In my opinion and, in my firm belief in
representational government, it is time for the County and people living in the
Wellington Hills area to co-create a park that’s in
harmony with the rural nature of the surrounding neighborhoods and communities.
Regards,
Bill Stankus
May 1, 2014
