Letter to the Editor: How will Mary Jane Goss handle LFP finances?

To the editor:

Mary Jane Goss and her supporters emphasize the need for good financial planning for the future of Lake Forest Park under its new mayor.  But what is the evidence of Ms Goss’ qualifications to handle budgeting LFP’s finances?  Let’s look at how she handled her main project of the last few years:  opposition to the County’s plan to improve the Burke Gilman Trail in LFP.

At the August candidates forum I was surprised that Ms Goss was unable to answer the question, “what was the cost of the fight against the County’s plan to renovate the Burke Gilman Trail in LFP,” a fight that Ms Goss instigated and helped lead.  Didn’t she estimate this cost in advance of picking the fight?  Surely she must have known that the engineering and legal fees that this fight required would be expensive. If she has never budgeted the cost, not even now, how does she justify the expense versus the supposed benefits of this project of hers?  Budgeting and estimating project costs are the foundation of good management.  Ms Goss apparently did not estimate the cost of her main project of the last few years and even now she cannot provide a budget to voters for this large expenditure of LFP tax dollars.

How large was it?  Documents provided by LFP staff in response to my request detail the outside charges and other expenses incurred by the city defending the special restrictions placed on the County by the City (http://home.comcast.net/~stuartestrand/site/).  The engineering report contracted by LFP to counter the County engineering design cost $91,314.81, the examiner’s charge was $10,227.80, and the lawyer’s fees associated with representing LFP hearings were $177,706.75. The total invoices were about $280,000.  Figuring 25 percent overhead, the total cost to the city was probably about $360,000.  Since the County had similar legal costs, the entire unnecessary battle may have cost about $500,000.  The issues boiled down to whether the bike trail would have signs requiring the bicyclists to yield to cars on five private driveways crossing the trail.  So those 10 signs cost taxpayers around $50,000 each!  No wonder Mary Jane Goss won’t talk about the costs.

Perhaps LFP voters want to consider what this lack of planning and candor says about Ms Goss’ approach to finances and her qualifications to be mayor.  

Stuart Strand

Lake Forest Park