This is the last in our five-part series written by each Snoqualmie Mayoral candidate, explaining their goals and vision if elected. This piece is from Ed Mortensen.
Five candidates have filed for the November general election, which means the August 1st primary will narrow the candidate field to the top two vote-getters. Primary ballots were mailed on July 12th. They must be dropped off at ballot drop boxes (no postage necessary) or mailed by August 1st.
Candidate Ed Mortensen: Help Reform your Government
For the past ten years I have been watching our City Government at work. The trend has been that the leadership of the Mayor 
and City Administrator has been self-absorbed in following the vision of growing the government at the Management/Professional level. The three items that I will point out are: 1) the Mayor has repeatedly stated they are being good stewards of the citizens money; 2) risk management; and 3) climate change.
The Mayor and City Manager have put forth large pay raises for management & professional employees, which the City Council has approved each year. They also approved doubling employee Health Reimbursement Accounts without the budget impact statement. The following show the dramatic wage increases approved by this administration: 2008 – 4% raise; 2009 – 4% raise; 2010 – 2% raise; 2011 – 2% raise; 2013 – 2% raise (budget impact $63,750); 2014 – 3 % raise (budget impact $67,000); 2016 – 3% raise (budget impact$ 22,435); and 2017 – 3% raise (budget impact not listed). The most shocking is the City Council unanimously passed a profit sharing plan.
This current government has also paid out millions in legal suits based solely on poor personnel management, while continuing to give themselves raises. As Mayor, I will put an end to these excessive wage increases, and invest in skilled department heads that will reduce the city’s exposure to unnecessary lawsuits costing the tax payers thousands of dollars.
Please help reform your government and vote for “Mr. Ed” Mortensen.
Comments
Ed, you oddly missed 2102 where staff received 0% increases. And I am unaware of any “profit sharing” program. Could you please be specific. A local government does not make profits.
Mayor Matt Larson
Ed,
I am an undecided voter, and convey the following information objectively. 1) the salary increases that you listed in your Mayor piece sound identical to the CPI-W cost of living increase %’s for the Seattle region. 2) I assume that the City of Snoqualmie is similar to most WA Cities, whose employees have Employment Labor contract that dictate salary increase as part of those contracts. 3) City Councils as a whole, (not the Mayor) are typically charged with the responsibility of approving annual salaries, through a Budget Ordinance. As a former Finance Director for a small city on the Eastside, the salary increases listed above, are typical for most Cities in WA. Note, that after the economic recession in 2008 & 2009, most cities pulled back on the % increase. This was typical as well. Cities are challenged to find new Revenue Sources given the CPI driven Labor expense increases every year. I would be interested to know what ideas you have to increase Revenue flows in Snoqualmie to offset the challenge of ever increasing Expenses.