Turnover at City Hall means the mayor just is doing his job

I have been a resident of Gig Harbor for 16 years. I am also the founder and former CEO of Metagenics Inc. one of the largest employers in Gig Harbor. I know Kit Kuhn personally and I voted for him. I can say without reservation that the allegation that Mayor Kuhn has “Rampant Disrespect for City Workers” is false. On the contrary, Kit has great respect and care for the citizens of Gig Harbor and the city employees. I have personally witnessed Mayor Kuhn defend the city staff to critics calling for their dismissal. He is diligent at being even-handed.

Mayor Kuhn was elected by a landslide, capturing 72% of the votes. He ran on a platform of responsible growth and responsible government, to preserve the City’s historical small-town maritime character. Responsible growth included balancing real estate development with growth of infrastructure such as roads (and traffic problems), sewer, water and city services. Responsible government included accountability and fiscal responsibility.

Real estate developers, capitalizing on Gig Harbor’s popularity, had developed close working relationships with the city and often circumvented building codes private citizens were forced to comply with. One example; a developer was allowed to deviate from height restrictions. This resulted in the development of buildings that were taller than the ladders the Gig Harbor fire department possessed. The residents living on the upper floors of that development were at risk in case of fire. Since the city did not have the $1.1 million ladder fire truck needed to reach those heights, the only solution offered by the city was; “in case of fire bring in a ladder truck from Tacoma”. Good for the developer, not so good for the people living in those buildings.

Changing the culture

I had personal experience with city staff’s disrespect for its citizens. I sought an appointment with city staff regarding an apartment complex development, in violation of city zoning, planned 2 feet from my lot line. The city had meet repeatedly with the developer to facilitate this project but when I requested a meeting with city staff to discuss my concerns, they refused to meet with me.

These examples are just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Many of the 72% of voters that elected Kit Kuhn were fed up with the past administrations attitude toward its citizens. Public records are available of the many standing room only city council meetings which document the multitude of citizens expressing their dismay at the way they were being treated by city leadership and staff. Mayor Kuhn was elected on a platform of responsible government and the voters expected him to deliver on that promise by changing the culture of the city staff to one of service to the citizens.

I believe all the readers would agree that the primary responsibility of the city’s elected officials and city staff is to serve best interests of the citizens. Mayor Kuhn has worked diligently to change the culture of the city staff to achieve that goal. As an executive who was responsible for over 2000 employees, I can attest to the fact that changing the culture of an organization often results in people leaving. People leaving during a culture change is not a symptom of “Rampant Disrespect” but rather a healthy improvement of the city’s culture which will lead to improved service to the citizens.

While the culture of the city staff may have suffered because of a few people, the Mayor will tell you the majority of city workers do an excellent job of serving their city. Like their mayor, they work hard to do their best for their city.

One of the most difficult challenges of being the focus of a political attack regarding employment practices is that the confidentiality laws prevent the mayor from responding to the allegations as to what actually happened. For those launching a political attack, or a union wishing to gain leverage over the mayor, this is a dream situation. The attackers can make exaggerated claims like “Rampant Disrespect” and they know the mayor cannot rebut their attack due to the confidentiality laws.

I believe that most of us citizens are sick and tired of attack politics. We want our elected officials and city staff to work together responsibly to solve our city’s problems. I applaud Mayor Kuhn for fulfilling his campaign promise of “Responsible Government” by making long needed changes in the city staff.

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 12:26 AM.