Submitted by Neely May.
Small town elections are exciting, often personal but always dynamic. An amazing lesson in civics to those old enough to appreciate it. I think there is potential for a NETFLIX series and will be standing by my phone for network giants to call me.
I have made it a point, and a lesson to my children, they are entitled and encouraged to change a decision if grounded with information enough to justify the change. The demographics in this adorable town are changing. I am that change. With that, I am committed to electing a council member who best represents where I see the direction and future of this town; not one who mirrors my political, personal, or religious beliefs. It’s not a political party issue, it is our issue, we the people of this small, beautiful town.
The most important prerequisite for a candidate should be a history of kindness, honesty, with a legacy of service to the community. Liz Grasher exemplifies this in every aspect of her being. She has served Steilacoom in many capacities over the last decade – from the Board of Friends of the Steilacoom library, the town planning commission, the boosters club, the museum, playing frosty the snowman (public safety), coordinating beach clean-ups, and more.
Liz is a licensed mental health counselor helping our servicemen and women and families. Her profession begins and ends with kindness, compassion, and integrity. The priority of taking care of our veterans, my son’s age, who returned traumatized by war is especially significant. It opens a window to her soul. Care should be our nation’s highest priority, with gratitude to those who help our Veterans recover, for they are America’s angels.
Liz is a humble role model for women and men alike and I am proud to call her my choice for city council, one of my newest friends and an angel among us.
Neely May, I respect your view of Liz Grasher, however many other people know the other side of her that is not being reflected in your statement.
Have a great day anyway.
I served with Liz Grasher on the Friends of the Steilacoom Library Board for several years. Liz was and is always involved in volunteering for some positive benefit for the Town of Steilacoom. She has been doing this work for years – whether on the FOSL Board, the Planning Commission, setting up a tiny library, involvement with SHMA, or being Frosty the Snowman in winter celebrations. She is reliable, trustworthy and a great listener – valuable qualities for Town Council.
Thank you Neely for your perspective on Town Council Candidate, Liz Grasher. In the short time I’ve known her, she has certainly been professional and very dedicated to being involved in our town. We are lucky to have 2 great candidates.
I’d like to provide a perspective that supports my vote for council, my neighbor and friend John Perry. I’m sure he’s knocked on your door, because John would rather knock on 2700 doors vs. posting on social media. He wants to get to know you, face to face. As a mom of 3 daughters, I appreciate that he has the perspective of a father, and we’ve had many conversations around our daughters growing up here, and how the town can support them, their activities, and their wild dreams. Anyone that has lived in Steilacoom for any amount of time surely realizes that families are the heartbeat of our town.
But let’s talk town council – the basic roles of a town council are to make policy, create and address town goals and major projects, manage infrastructure, manage finance/budget, and manage community growth through strategic planning. Respectfully, in contrast to what you wrote Neely, I personally feel like the most important prerequisite for town council is real hands-on experience with all of the above. John’s Master’s in Geological Engineering, coupled with his project management and military experience would not only make John a well-qualified candidate, he would be an absolute asset to the town and council. We would in fact, be incredibly lucky to have him. It just makes sense, and I suppose in simple terms, his qualifications meet and exceed the job requirements. Oh and by the way, he is really kind, honest, and involved with the town too! If you need help with bees – he is your go-to, trust me!
If you took a sampling of citizen concerns, they would range anywhere from traffic control, growth, to green spaces and environment, and everything in between. Take a peek at John’s resume – you won’t need to ask “will he listen to me?” and “will he know how to handle this?” It’s important that we vote in a council-member that takes his duty to citizens seriously, but also considers ALL facets. Neely, I am glad that we agree on one thing, that this is not about political, personal, and religious beliefs – this is about our town’s future as a whole. It’s always disheartening to see citizens (and candidates!) spew out who voted for who in political races to try to sway someone – like it matters for the actual work that needs to be done in our town. Our town will need change, because everything is changing, constantly. I would feel most comfortable that we have a candidate that is dedicated for the long-run, and can effectively help manage that change without bringing extra noise to the table. And there is so much extra noise!
Thank you so much for your letter, it is always great to hear other citizens’ perspectives!
Thank you Melanie for your meaningful and well articulated response. I read Neely May’s letter earlier today and knew that I needed to respond. I too support John Perry for Steilacoom Town Council position #2 for all of the same reasons that you have already expressed. I am definitely invested in the success and wellbeing of this town having grown up here and planning to be here, in this incredibly beautiful and unique town, until the day I draw my last breath. Like you, I feel that Steilacoom would indeed be very fortunate to have John on the Steilacoom town council because of all of the pertinent knowledge that he has in his education, service and work experience. I have known John and his family for four years and can attest that he is truly a “can-do” person who is full of optimism, foresight and a genuine interest in serving all people in this community.
This article caught my attention with the Netflix giants comment and compelled me to read further. It’s a great story and the comments also describe two wonderful candidates, complete with a villain who thanks the author, but supplies no substance.
This article spurred me to look further at the candidates for Steilacoom Town Council.
As I drove through the charming town of Steilacoom, I noticed the Campaign signs representing this race, and one stood out among the others.
It said Elizabeth Grasher is “Endorsed by Firefighters”. Endorsements represent a vote of confidence in a particular candidate, by the members of that organization. It’s a huge honor, and one that is earned through mutual understanding, trust, and leadership over time. I felt that was very impressive, and wanted to share my thoughts as well.
Respectfully,
Aaron C
Hello Aaron,
Respectfully, the West Pierce Firefighters “Endorsement by Firefighters” is misleading. Don’t be fooled, there was no “vote” of the entire body of 165 West Pierce career firefighters to endorse Miss Grasher. This endorsement comes from the governing body / executive board of their union, IAFF Local 1488. See their website here: http://iafflocal1488.org/
A voting resident would easily assume that she earned the trust and confidence of at least a majority of the career firefighters at West Pierce. That’s simply not true. There are firefighters in town that have never heard from her at all. This particular endorsement has never been representative of all West Pierce firefighters, and it’s all smoke and mirrors.
To your point, endorsements SHOULD be a huge honor and earned through trust. That’s just not the case anymore. Endorsements are given away like candy, as long as you make the right promises and follow the right agendas. I echo the comments above that party lines need to stay out of these local council races. Though it’s easy to see who’s giving what endorsements out, and why. Thanks Aaron for sharing your thoughts.
Because the commenters have done a great job of describing why they are voting for one of two candidates for Town Council, I’ll just note that it is the UNION’s leaders who decide to endorse a candidate. Long ago, Skilled Tradesmen joined guilds representing themselves. They might stand together to protest new laws or to question concerns but they EACH had made the decision to do so. If they built or bought a building to be their Guild Hall, they might collect money among themselves to keep the building in good repair.
Unions came along in the 1870s onward as the Industrial Revolution arrived at the end of our Civil War. With industrialization, businesses grew huge, and owners became very wealthy while their workers did not. Unions were used by business owners and workers to get the best solution to each complaint from either side. Union bargainers had to be paid. Thus much of union dues go to Union Leaders to do that bargaining.
There were many unions when the United States manufactured almost everything we in the U.S. wanted. With outsourcing, went jobs, and Unions began representing more GOVERNMENT workers that in the past did not make sense because governmnet jobs were well paid, and workers were protected from being terminated by a series of processes that made it difficult to fire workers. Jobs were very secure. The phrase “It’s a good job if you can get it” was true for government jobs in the Great Depression.
Today, election signs that state that fire fighters themselves endorsed a candidate would be true if the union’s MEMBERS each made that decision. Almost always, the Union leaders decide for the Union members. And the voters may or may not know it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ywA4dsdTeGeHZvlZanIjVxpx8z-AJZcE/view