I have been watching the Black Diamond mayoral race and have noticed some puzzling statements that seem to be coming from people in the know.

The city of Black Diamond is on the verge of financial collapse. That is a fairly bold statement. Actually the city is in turmoil not financial collapse.

However, it may come to that if changes are not made. For example, the existing mayor has been in office for four years and the previous four years as a City Council member.

Can you truthfully say that the Mayor has been able to grow the city business base and (the city) is better off financially today than (it was) when she started in her leadership position eight years ago? Not even close.

She had eight years to lead and has not come up with a plan to move forward.

Another statement that was made states that Black Diamond’s (budget) is complicated because three quarters of the city staff is funded by YarrowBay through an agreement for the purpose of continuity during the process. That is an absolute joke. This was done without your vote. This was a loan from YarrowBay to pay for the city services with interest. Who is going to repay this huge loan? Every property owner within the city limits of Black Diamond. Do the math and see for yourself. This is a really bad deal.

But, a previous statement says “This is an agreement the mayor helped draft as both a City Council member and mayor. This is where her experience shines. We need to maintain this continuity for the proper execution of the agreement and for a solid economic future.”

Is there any better example where the problem is at the top of Black Diamond’s leadership. If this is what you want for leadership so be it.

You need a change. You need Dave Gordon.

James Bell

Maple Valley