Is diversity a good thing that government should support? A deliberative problem-solving organization is best served when its members aren’t all of the same yes-man philosophy but bring diversity of backgrounds and approaches. Two heads are better than one, the saying goes.
The current Kirkland City Council, and most of the first-time candidates, are of the public sector or government school of thought. While experience in government sounds relevant, a council with a supermajority of government-think has only one head; it will not innovate “out of the box” to adapt positively to changing times with the agility of a small business – like the one candidate Bill Henkens owns – or the innovation of a tech company like Google.
Two specific and relevant differences of a business compared to government are that businesses create rather than receive wealth, and businesses live or die on results, not intentions.
Bill Henkens has grown a business and employed more people, and has done so at well above typical service-economy wages. He and Amy Walen are the only serious job creators on or running for the Council.
In contrast, Doreen Marchione has been either a politician or a political party official who fund raises or taxes but hasn’t created wealth.
Jay Arnold touts himself as a small business founder, but his main claim to fame is with Fuse Washington (he’s the second person listed at fusewashington.org), a close ally of the Occupy Wall Street movement (fusemagazine.org critiques the Occupy movement only in that the Occupy name appears colonialist and oppressive rather than supportive of oppressed peoples; the article describes its own intention as “the intention here is to radicalize the rhetoric around the movement and orient it clearly towards social justice and anti-imperialism – not to “shut it down” or create division.”).
Whatever you think of Occupy, we can agree it is not the socioeconomic model for Kirkland’s livability.
The council has plenty enough government experience already. It needs diverse and contrasting views to be well-rounded. It needs Bill Henkens and Martin Morgan.
K-Y Su, Kirkland
