Mayor: I’m keeping my campaign promises
Editor’s note: The Gateway reported August 6 that some current and former employees accuse Mayor Kit Kuhn of being rude, abusive and prone to outbursts of temper; and that this behavior has led to more than 20 employees, many of them supervisors or department heads, to depart since his election. Mayor Kuhn has asked for this space to reply.
Being mayor of Gig Harbor, an incredible city in a beautiful part of the world, is an honor and privilege.
I want to thank the citizens of Gig Harbor for electing me with over 70 percent of the vote to enact a platform including the key goals the community found important:
1. Hiring the right City Administrator 2. Responsible growth 3. Protecting our environment 4. Transparent government and respect for our citizens 5. Responsible government spending
As mayor, working with and for the community I will continue to fulfill the platform agenda while striving to solve unexpected issues that arise day to day. Our community has been very successful during my elected term and can be proud as the city moves forward to grow and prosper, even during some difficult times.
Being a mayor is not an easy job, and sometimes, it can even be thankless. Providing leadership can be challenging, more so when representing the general community’s interests for the long term, instead of special interests or personal agendas that might not serve the interests of the larger community. Integrity and steadfastness to principles are regularly challenged in positions of leadership. Please be assured — the principles that lead to my election will never be compromised.
Openness and transparency
Some have challenged the transparency here at the Mayor’s office. Openness and transparency have been well served through numerous actions including but not limited to events like Coffee with the Mayor, increasing the Mayors Blog publication to every three weeks, our weekly Live Facebook Q&A series. I also spend an extensive amount of time with constituents, and my office is always open for phone calls and one on one meetings with citizens or special interest groups. I meet with staff throughout the week.
Communication is a two-way street, and I listen as much as I try to provide information — it has been one of my key priorities. Leadership requires discipline, principles, and knowledge of and respect for the administrative and legal system we live under and through which we must govern and work.
The realities of the requirements of administration, our legal systems, and having respect for personal confidentiality often requires leaders to carefully navigate the rules and ethics of human resources practices, and weigh the risks and benefits to our community with potentials for civil litigation when considering opening administrative decisions without all parties agreeing to disclosure. This is particularly true in personnel decisions. As mayor, I have a responsibility to hold our staff accountable, to ensure that tax dollars are appropriately allocated, and follow wise administrative procedures.
New ideas welcome
I love Gig Harbor. I have dedicated my life to the role of mayor for the last three years, and there have been considerable sacrifices to represent our community in this leadership role. As mayor, I will continue to allocate extensive time, energy, emotion and passion with integrity and transparency as permitted in order to serve the best interests of the community.
I welcome inquiry, ideas, suggestions and appropriate input from the community, and accept constructive criticism and honest reviews of leadership that makes our community stronger. It is also wise to critically review and investigate special interests and agendas of those critical of government to ensure a proper and well-balanced perspective.
Again, thank you, citizens of Gig Harbor, for entrusting me with serving as your mayor. I am here to serve your needs and interests and will continue to work tirelessly for our community.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 12:00 AM.