Chamber, council not working in our best interests

Did we elect the Kent Chamber of Commerce to the City Council?

It’s my understanding that the members of the City Council are beholden to all the citizens of Kent and not just to members of the Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is holding the council hostage to promises that the business and occupation (B&O) tax would only be used for chamber-dictated projects before they would approve the new tax. When did the chamber get the idea that they dictate city policy? It’s not the chamber’s business to tell city officials what taxes they will enact and what the terms of the tax usage will be – but in Kent, Washington it appears that government is run differently.

Why is the council making promises to the chamber? Does the business community have more votes than the citizens of Kent? Whose interests are uppermost in the mind of council members? Are the business owners on the Council unable to keep their duty to the people separate from their personal business interest?. Is there some collusion going on here?

The B&O tax was needed because the businesses that comprise the Chamber use 16- and 18-wheeler trucks to receive and distribute their goods. These heavy trucks are responsible for the horrible state of our streets and roads and the businesses are responsible to pay for this damage through appropriate taxes. The chamber fought the B&O tax and, as a result, the council passed a pitiful tax on businesses that was full of loopholes and exemptions.

The truth is that the B&O tax should be increased and expanded so that Kent’s streets and roads can be sufficiently renovated, and appropriate safety projects should be included in “the list.”

Kent’s streets and roads are a mess and it is because the council kowtows to the business community is such an outrageous manner that they seem subservient to the will of the power-wielding chamber. It doesn’t help any that the City Council is loaded with business owners who support legislation favorable to businesses and not the interests of the citizens of Kent.

It’s outrageous to hear the council members placating the business community and ignoring the safety concerns of citizens and whole communities.

The B&O tax needs to be expanded to fix the pathetic condition of our streets and roads. It is the business community that causes the damage and they are responsible to repair the roads and provide safety measures to protect the people who live in Kent.

It is not the job of the City Council to serve at the behest of the Chamber of Commerce. Council members who are also influential chamber members need to get their moral obligations straightened out. We did not vote for the chamber to run our city. Back-room deals between chamber members and council members is not appropriate. You are on the council to represent us – all of us – not just the businesses in Kent (including your own) whose vans and trucks destroy our streets and roads and who endanger our citizens when hazards are not remedied.

– Sandra Gill