Mental health: Rejecting tax was abdication of duty

Re: “Rejecting mental health tax was democratic,” (TNT letter, 12/20).

I fail to see how the County Council’s refusal to pass the mental health tax was democratic, when three votes against the tax were able to prevail over four votes in support.

And make no mistake, the three council members who voted “no” did not do so “for the right of ‘we the people’ to have a vote on this issue.” These members have no interest in putting this issue to a popular vote, because they know it would be approved by a wide margin.

Councilwoman Joyce McDonald supported the county spending about $300,000 in taxpayer money on a non-binding referendum about marijuana sales this year. Ironically, this was because she thought marijuana was contributing to the homeless problem. Now she votes against this tax because she wants voters to “weigh in.”

How much more “weighing-in” is needed? Council members should remember they were elected to participate in a representative form of government. They were elected to make informed decisions on behalf of constituents, not abdicate responsibility when an issue is politically unpopular with a vocal minority.

Especially a minority led by a gadfly from Gig Harbor who knows nothing about the seriousness of the Puyallup and Tacoma homeless problems.

This story was originally published January 6, 2017 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Mental health: Rejecting tax was abdication of duty."