On Monday, May 21, 2018, at 7:00p I attended the Lakewood City Council meeting with the sole purpose of being witness to our Lakewood City Council’s voting process regarding approving or banning cannabis shops in our city.
Back row (L-R): John Simpson, Mary Moss, Marie Barth, Mike Brandstetter, Paul Bocchi. Seated: Deputy Mayor Jason Whalen, Mayor Don Anderson.The seven members of Lakewood City Council voted 4 to 3 to ban cannabis shops.
The following is my best effort to outline each council member’s vote and paraphrased remarks:
Mayor Don Anderson Vote – Ban cannabis shops.
Remarks: 1. As a member of council, I am charged with making the best decision I can for my constituency. 2. I see no advantage to our city for authorizing cannabis shops. 3. On three separate occasions (Law School, Navy, and Council Membership) I pledged to uphold all laws and the US Constitution. Based on that premise, I cannot vote to allow cannabis shops in violation of Federal law. Change needs to start with Federal law.
Deputy Mayor Jason Whalen Vote – Ban cannabis shops.
Remarks: 1. Something like 54 out of 103 cities have voted NO to allowing cannabis shops. 2. Mr. Whalen referred to State Representative David Sawyer’s effort to force Lakewood into either approving or banning cannabis shops instead of using local zoning law prohibiting businesses that are in violation of Federal law. To deal with outside political pressure Mr. Whalen moved to put the cannabis question on the city agenda. 3. Originally Washington State authorized 300+ cannabis shops with two cannabis shops authorized in the City of Lakewood. Washington State has now moved the number of authorized cannabis shops up to 500+. While currently only two cannabis shops are authorized in Lakewood, there is no guarantee that Washington State might change the number upward to 10 or more. 4. When the cannabis conversation first started, the law was murky as to whether a city could authorize, regulate or ban cannabis shops. With the passage of time, it has become very clear that a city may authorize, regulate or ban cannabis shops. 5. Mr. Whalen quoted several statistical sales figures for various nearby jurisdictions related to the sale of cannabis. He told the audience that the dollar figures indicate to him “access to cannabis” is not a problem. 6. The cannabis decision was not and never has been about chasing tax dollars. 7. The image of our city played into his decision. 8. The plea from Clover Park School District, the local business community, and the Lakewood Planning Commission to not allow cannabis shops were of significant influence in his decision making process. 8. It has taken Lakewood many years and much effort to improve our city image. Adding cannabis shops to our community will not help in the process to improve our city image. 9. Community image trumps extra tax dollar collection.
Michael D. Brandstetter – Ban cannabis shops.
Remarks: 1. I-502 focussed on decriminalization of marijuana. It did not mandate that Lakewood authorize cannabis shops. 2. Short term money is not a good trade for long term problems. 3. Lakewood has worked hard to overcome bad reputation as a city. 4. If Lakewood were to authorize cannabis shops inside the city, our city would provide cannabis buyers with the easiest on — off access off the I-5 corridor thereby increasing associated problems. 5. Cannabis shops in Lakewood would increase cannabis use in Lakewood. 6. The proponents for authorizing cannabis shops use the logic that Lakewood already has nefarious business operations such as alcohol stores, cigarette stores, and dance clubs, so why not authorize one more nefarious business (cannabis shops)? Mr. Brandstetter pointed out that the term nefarious is the proponent’s term, not his. Mr. Brandstetter was not swayed by that logic. 7. Marijuana is a violation of Federal law. If Lakewood authorizes a business in violation of Federal law then Lakewood would be placing their own police department in a problematic position of enforcing some laws and ignoring other laws. 8. Cannabis shops do not fit appropriately within the City of Lakewood’s written vision for our city. 9. Federal law regarding marijuana needs to change before Lakewood can consider authorizing cannabis shops.
Councilmember Mary Moss – Authorize cannabis shops.
Remarks: None
Councilmember Marie Barth – Ban cannabis shops.
Remarks: 1. Ms. Barth entered the issue research process with an open mind. 2. Ms. Barth was back and forth in her thinking as she processed the flow of information provided to her. 3. Ms. Barth is voting to ban cannabis shops because cannabis shops do not provide a positive support for the city’s desired image. 4. Upon becoming a member of the Lakewood City Council, Ms. Barth took an oath to uphold all local, state and Federal laws. Marijuana is a violation of Federal law.
Councilmember Paul Bocchi – Authorize cannabis shops.
Remarks: None.
Councilmember John Simpson – Authorize cannabis shops.
Remarks: 1. There are two reasons for voting to authorize cannabis shops. Number one is we live in a democracy where majority rules. The majority vote was Lakewood 54%, Pierce County 57%, and Washington State 57% in favor of I-502. Thus we should give the voters what they want which means we should authorize cannabis shops. 2. While we should not chase tax dollars as a motivation for decision making, we should not ignore the opportunity for extra tax dollars. Cannabis tax dollars could be used as seed money for new programs like an anti-bullying program for Clover Park School District.
DISCLOSURE NOTE: It is my expectation that the open meeting law means citizens are allowed to visually observe and hear what is going on during an open public meeting. My expectation has not been met during the last two Lakewood City Council meetings because of two reasons.
Reason #1: The council chamber sound system is defective or perhaps poorly designed and often does not produce enough volume for audience members to hear. Alternatively the system produces loud feedback screeching.
Reason #2: Some council members and staff display an inability to consistently properly project their voices with sufficient volume to allow audience members to hear and understand what they are saying. Their verbal contribution is often unintelligible meaning they suffer from low projected volume or they mumble.
Because of reasons outlined in my disclosure above and because I may have inadvertently misquoted a council member, I encourage any council member to point out any needed corrections either by using the comment / reply function of the newspaper or by contacting me directly.
I sincerely want accuracy, especially when I am quoting / paraphrasing any council member comment(s).
Well I hope you have a plan for meth and heroin, because your looking way to far past the real problems. Lakewood politics are a joke..
I hope you did not allow your own confirmation bias to influence your “reporting”.
Lsmith,
Nope. I just reported the facts. If you read my article as a stand alone article you will not be able to tell what my opinion is regarding cannabis shops. I just reported the facts.
While I have an opinion and I have expressed my opinion in the past regarding marijuana distribution centers, I can’t find my opinion anywhere in my article until we get to Lakewood City Council’s poor mic system.
By the way, the term bias means an individual is in favor or agains something in a way that is considered unfair.
While I have an opinion, as I am sure you do, I do not consider my opinion to be unfair.
As to my “own confirmation” I must admit I do see a connection between my opinion and being opposed to cannabis shops. When I was “confirmed” in my church, I was asked to sign a pledge that I would not ever get high, drunk and stupid.
Do I have a bias or do I have an opinion? I am trying to stay on the high moral ground and that does not seem unfair.
In closing I wish to emphasize regardless of opinion or bias, my article is real Dragnet or Badge 714 like… As Joe Friday would say, “Just the facts ma’am. Just the facts.”
Joseph Boyle
There is a means by which to check the accuracy of any reporting of goings-on in City Hall.
One is to file a Public Records Request at prr@cityoflakewood.us.
Another is to use the “Next Request” online form the City of Lakewood provides: https://cityoflakewoodwa.nextrequest.com/requests/new
In either case, as to who said what with regards the marijuana position, ask for the audio recording of the May 21, 2018 City Council meeting.
You should be able to obtain the audio-link in your email inbox, download and listen at your leisure; or pick up a disk at the City Hall front desk for $1.00.
We should also expect, given the importance of this decision, to see published on the City of Lakewood website, the exact statements – at least by those who made them (two of the seven councilmembers evidently did not explain their vote) – along the lines of a similar controversial subject that affected all Lakewood residents, the Rental Housing Safety Program.
We should also expect, given the Editorial Board of the Tacoma News Tribune (TNT) weighed in on Lakewood’s so-called ‘fence-sitting’ with regards marijuana with an opinion back on January 31, 2017 headlined: “Lakewood City Hall needs to get off the fence when it comes to retail marijuana”, to hear from the TNT at some point in the near future.
Over a year ago the TNT editorialists opined: “Here we are, more than four years after every precinct in the city voted in favor of Initiative 502, the statewide measure that supported legal and licensed retail marijuana, and there’s still not one pot store to be found in the city of 60,000 people.”
Well, FYI TNT: There still isn’t and won’t be.
Lakewood leaders have led.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article129913579.html
I attended the Council meeting of 21 May 2018 and can vouch for the accuracy of Mr. Boyle’s account of each council member’s rationale for their vote.
A couple of other points.
The sound system remains horrible and hasn’t been adequately addressed from the time I was on the council (2003-2008). As any musician knows, you have to nearly touch the microphone with your lips to get adequate sound out of them. Many mics are very directional as well and a council member speaking away from or off to the side of a mic will not be heard. Either fix the system or give a class to council members on how to speak into a mic!
In addition, with the passage of Ordinance 683 prohibiting pot shops in Lakewood the council voted to remove from consideration Ordinance 684 addressing city zoning for pot shops and Ordinance 685 addressing business licenses and regulations for pot shops since they were both overcome by events in the passage of Ordinance 683. There is however a greater lesson to be learned here.
During the public hearing 7 May 2018 on these ordinances the vast majority of the staff’s briefing to council (vice public) was on the tactical “nuts and bolts” of zoning, business licenses and regulations related to legal pot shops. I did not hear any mention of the strategic issue of whether there should be pot shops in Lakewood in the first place. Since that was not a settled issue at council level it was moot whether the staff’s details mattered at all. Indeed they didn’t, yet staff spent a lot of time, money and effort on something irrelevant that should have waited until after the real issue at hand had been decided. In the military commanders don’t defer to the privates to write their operations orders. Neither should council members, our elected representatives, allow staff to get out in front of issues tactically when the strategic decision has yet to have been made. It’s called “leadership”.
I’d also suggest that during public hearings that the council be the ones who brief the public in plain English and address these strategic issues. Staff’s presence is only required to assist the council when clarity is required or there are questions they can’t answer. The council works for us, the people who elected them. The staff works for the City Manager who is the only employee hired by Council. If Council can’t adequately brief the public during hearings on proposed legislation then there’s a good chance they don’t fully understand the proposed legislation.
Re your comments concerning city staff. I’d say you are spot on! That happens a lot here in U.P. Unfortunately, too often our council takes staff “suggestions” as being gospel. I attribute the once large and very active volunteer base here dwindling down to something rather insignificant to be a direct result of staff “suggestions”….that’s bureaucracy for ya!
A win for the black market
Congratulations to the city council for making a very wise decision. Although some might think this is a politically incorrect decision, it is actually the correct decision.
Anderson, Whalen, Brandstetter & Barf – vote them out
Ya… that’ll show ’em!
(eyeroll)
Steve,
I appreciate your sentiment, but as the saying goes, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. I can tell you (as we discussed during this meeting and during many other public meetings this past year) that this topic was given a full and fair review–by members of the public, by the Planning Commission, and then by the Council. I even met with both licensees, personally, to listen to their pitch and gain their perspective. They were always courteous and well prepared. Given the wide-ranging input we received from many residents and business owners, I came to my own informed opinion–as did the other Council Members. We exercise our judgment to make the best decisions we can for this community. Even then, the 7 of us do not always agree, which is a good thing, as healthy discussions and debate result in better public policy. Thanks for your input.
Thank you City Coucil’s 4 members for standing up and actually showing why you did not support pot shops.
I noticed 2 members who wanted these shops in Lakewood did not put down why they voted yes. Interesting.
Council member John Simpson put out a good rebuttal BUT there is many pot shops all over Tacoma, not even a 5 minute drive out of our city.
Also the extra tax dollars can be found in other places and events. Lakewood could make up a city t-shirt with the lakewood logo and picture a joint with a red circle and slash mark across it. Charge $20.
By the way, I will definity will vote for the council members back in who voted against the shops.The one’s who voted for…..OUT!!
They got it right, in my humble opinion. Now about those fireworks around July Fourth….open for discussion??
And regarding the comments by Joe Boyle and John Arbeeny about the public address system in the council chambers. I’ve attended only two council meetings in that room and left early at both of them because I couldn’t hear or understand those using the PA system! As a musician/entertainer a good deal of my life , I know a poor unit when I hear one. From mics to speakers this system is entirely deficient for this room. Likewise, the comments about knowing how to speak into a “directional” mike is different than just talking in a “conversational” voice.
I also mentioned to a council member prior to one of those meetings why it was so dark up on he stage where the council sits? You can’t see faces or tell who is speaking at any one time. I received a shrug but no comment in reply
I don’t think it’s asking too much for some sound and lighting specialist to look into this.
To Mary Moss, Paul Bocchi and John Simpson – All three of you had the courage to represent the majority voice of the city of Lakewood, no justification necessary. You will always have my vote.