Why would anyone making $174,000 a year need to be bailed out? Now, City Manager Kurt Triplett wants to make the council and taxpayers the scapegoat for something he’s failing to do.

He is required to live in Kirkland. If he does not, he is in violation of his contract and subject to dismissal. Instead of dismissing him, he wants the council to bail him out.

In addition to his salary, he wants an extra $1,995 per month for a year because he can’t sell his present home. He has not found a buyer. Maybe it’s because it’s overpriced. And, maybe he is looking for a mansion to match his credentials and wants the council and taxpayers to help him pay for it. Given his outstanding credentials, you would think he would have taken selling his home into consideration before signing his contract. But, he signed. At $174,000 per year, the manager is already overpaid. He agreed to his salary, now he should honor his contract.

As for the rest of Tuesday’s agenda, it’s full of rules and regulations that do exactly the opposite of what government should do – that of protecting property rights and personal freedoms. We already have plenty of pompous governmental policies, rules, and regulations, so much so that government has become a problem, not a solution, and it’s costing us a lot of money. Even as the council promotes affordable housing, they are making housing more unaffordable especially for seniors and young families. But then again, hypocrisy is normal to all but a few on the council.

Bob Style, Kirkland