Local breaches of public trust hurt just as much or more than those at the national level, I’m finding. I have been a resident of the small town of Mukilteo, WA for 27 years. We have a population of just 21,000. Therefore, I am bewildered that Mayor Joe Marine and his favorite five City Council members who vote in concert with him (Emery, Harris, Jordan, Moon, and Vago), have managed to run up a 2025-2026 budget deficit of $4.6 million. How is this possible in a small bedroom community?
Personnel costs are high. We have a full-time Mayor and a full-time City Administrator. I don’t know what they are each doing 40 hours a week. Our city staff is bloated to 137 employees with curiously high salaries, the largest of which goes to our City Administrator, Richard Powers. In 2020, Powers was hired at an annual salary of $147,000, and in 2026, he will be making $241,322. The average salary for a City of Mukilteo employee is $97,333, which is 24% higher than the WA state average. To pay for this, our mayor intends to literally pave over “paradise” on the Mukilteo waterfront and put up an expensive multistory parking garage. He just set up speed trap traffic cameras along the Mukilteo Speedway to generate money. As with our national deficit, my local Mukilteo government wants to extract more money from me to pay down its debt, rather than spending sensibly with the majority of citizens’ interests at heart.
However, we do have two fiscally responsible Council members with budget management experience: Steve Schmalz and Mike Dixon. Schmalz and Dixon have continually questioned the runaway spending in Mukilteo and come up with cost-saving ideas.
If folks are ready to get Mukilteo’s budget back in balance, to see a thriving community preserved for generations to come, and a local government responsive to its people rather than to its own inflated spending, vote for Steve Schmalz for Mukilteo Mayor. It’s time for Mukilteo to be solvent and stable again as it was before Joe Marine took office.
Kate Forrester, Mukilteo, WA
COMMENTARY DISCLAIMER: The views and comments expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lynnwood Times nor any of its affiliates.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
One Response
This letter is riddled with factual errors.
Contrary to the premise of the entire letter, the city has not “managed to run up a 2025-2026 budget deficit of $4.6 million.” For starters, we haven’t even ended 2025, never mind 2026.
Ms. Forrester appears to be referring to the budget that was presented a year ago, which showed we might end up in a deficit in two years, IF NO ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE.
But our very capable mayor is financially savvy and knew that increased revenue was on the horizon, such as from the annexation of the businesses on the east side of the Speedway, from the Mukilteo Speedway Café south to Beverly Park. He had been working on that annexation for years, and it was completed this summer.
Because the annexation was not official at the time the budget was developed a year ago, they could not include any expected revenue from it, but it was known and expected.
Other adjustments were also made.
We are not currently in a deficit, and in fact, it was announced at the Oct 13 work session that it looks like the city will have $11 million more in revenue than was conservatively estimated in the 2025-26 biennial period.
Next error: The letter states that we have a full-time mayor. The mayor position in Mukilteo is not considered full time, even though Joe Marine works very hard and attends many after-hours events, such as ribbon-cuttings and charity events, which he is often asked to host or emcee.
Next error: The name of our city administrator is Steve (not Richard) Powers, and he is extremely competent and professional. He was hired by the previous mayor and retained by Joe Marine when Joe took office, because Joe is also very professional and works well with people. Also, the name of our council president is Tom Jordal, not Jordan.
Next error: The letter states, “our mayor intends to literally pave over ‘paradise’ on the Mukilteo waterfront and put up an expensive multistory parking garage.” This is exactly backward. Joe hopes to replace the asphalt that currently fills the center of Lighthouse Park with grass, and instead tuck a parking structure behind Diamond Knot precisely so the parking is close but much less obtrusive. Joe would also like to replace the unsightly concrete remaining from the tank farm with something more attractive.
Next error: The new speed cameras on the Speedway are not a speed trap. A speed trap is when the speed limit in the middle of nowhere unexpectedly goes from 55 down to 25. By contrast, the speed limit by 92nd Street Park goes down 5 mph at a place where the road goes from two lanes each way to one lane each way, near a park where kids play. The speed limits have been the same for decades.
Further, the police chief announced that after the first month or so of operation, 85% of the tickets were issued to people who do not live in Mukilteo. In other words, the tickets went to people speeding to or from the ferry.
So the people complaining about the speed cameras are taking the position that they want out-of-towners to speed through our park and school zones.
Although the main purpose of the speed cameras is to reduce speeding—and they have caught people going more than 50 mph over the limit—they have brought in additional revenue, a bonus.
Then the letter praises Councilmembers Schmalz and Dixon, and that sheds light on why the author is so wrong about the city having a deficit. CM Dixon has been spreading alarmism about the budget for more than a year, and he has been wrong about many things and misled those who listen to him.
The main cost-saving idea Dixon put forward was when he repeatedly and irresponsibly said the city should immediately lay off city employees. He wanted to cut 10-20%. That’s irresponsible because it might prompt the most talented employees to leave, causing unnecessary turnover, which is disruptive and inefficient.
Schmalz, for his part, is always talking about wanting more radar speed indicators, which are expensive ($10,000-12,000 each) and more speed bumps, which punish everyone and slow down even fire trucks and ambulances on their way to an emergency. It’s far better to just issue tickets to the actual speeders.
It should also be noted that both Schmalz and Dixon voted to add unnecessary spending to the budget before they then voted against approving the overall budget, knowing that the other councilmembers would approve it.
Another example of Joe’s financial savvy is that he brought back the city’s long-range financial planning committee, and they have analyzed the city’s finances. Very few cities do this, and it is not required by the state, but it makes smart financial sense.
One thing this letter does get right is pointing out that Schmalz and Dixon often vote differently than the other five council members. They clearly have formed an alliance of two. They almost always second each other’s motions. But the fact that they are often outvoted 5 to 2 should tell you something.
There is a reason at least four of the existing council members have endorsed Joe Marine for mayor again, and only Dixon has endorsed Schmalz.
Joe Marine is much better for the city, financially and in many other ways. I encourage all Mukilteans to re-elect Joe Marine as mayor.
Sharon Damoff
Mukilteo