My job at city of Kirkland was eliminated as of Dec. 31 due to budget constraints, and the senior van program was outsourced to another company because we could not bring in an additional $30,000 per year in revenue. I understand why they made the decision concerning my position. Although painful to me and to the seniors of Kirkland, it was probably a fiscally responsible decision to make, considering the huge budget deficit that Kirkland was facing.

My question is, why would the city trust someone to manage public finances, if that person can’t manage his own finances well enough to foot the bill for personal expenses himself rather than sticking it to the tax payers. The city just finished making many painful funding cuts to non-profit organizations, as well as cutting its own staff. It seems that since the city manager is watching his fellow employees at the city of Kirkland suffer losses, he should be willing to forgo certain perks to show that he is willing to share the pain. This decision just seems inconsistent to me given the sacrifices the city has demanded of long-time staff members.

Joyce Marrero, Kirkland