As a citizen that values our local paper and likes to stay informed about the upcoming elections, I have enjoyed reading the Courier Herald debate for the Enumclaw Mayoreal election. It has been refreshing to see two candidates with different ideas and visions act in such a civil manner.

There does, however, seem to be one area in which the stories conflict. Did the $40,000 for the Expo Center pass council unanimously or not? Councilwoman Lauk says she voted “No” during the budget cycle and Councilman Molinaro tells us to look at the minutes from the meeting of January 23 2017, to see otherwise.

Well, I did look up the minutes and found that resolution 1582 did pass 6-0 but it was only an agreement for the administration to execute the funding agreement that council had already passed in the budget cycle. It appears that the money was not allocated at that time. With this in mind, I looked through the budget process and found that during the regular council meeting on November 14, 2016 the minutes show on page 8, “Molinaro moved to fund the Expo Center at $40,000. Carstens seconded. Motion carried 4-3. Lauk, Overland, Sando opposed.”

I hope this provides clarity for anyone else that was questioning this contradiction. Please vote by November 7th. Local elections impact our daily lives and our voices at the community level often lay the groundwork for what to expect in state and national politics.

Steffanie Gustafson

Enumclaw