A Great Run

Mayor Buddy Thanks Vashon

As the outgoing unofficial mayor of our beautiful island, I have to say it was a year of getting to know and love Vashon all over again. Of course, islanders offering ear rubs and accolades at every turn didn’t hurt either.

We have a special place here, one oozing with natural beauty and blessed with caring, kind, and creative people.

Vashon is a welcoming place where folks strive to create the lives they want to live. And one of the gifts of living on this island is understanding how precious our community is. We really are a family. In fact, neighbors-helping-neighbors seems second nature here.

Whether new to the island or grandfathered in, Vashon folks have shown me through deeds, actions, kindness, and experience, that we can change things for the better in our own backyard, and embrace the best side of what is possible.

Some may offer a more jaded view of life on Vashon, but hey, I’m a dog. I’m wired with DNA to see the good, the generous, the loving, and the caring. And I don’t judge (unless you show up without treats). Perhaps that’s the wisdom I may leave you: be more like a dog. We love you humans no matter what. It’s our superpower and for a large number of Vashon islanders, theirs too.

In closing, I want to thank Vashon Island Pet Protectors for backing me, and Vashon friends and family for embracing me as mayor, and supporting my initiatives. My only regret was not being able to secure a third ferry for our island runs and not making free-ice-cream Fridays a reality. One last thing, consider spreading the love by visiting the Thank You Vashon page on Facebook to thank any individuals, businesses, or organizations who deserve a shout-out and our gratitude.

Celebrate the good.

Your Humble Servant, Buddy the Bulldog

(Editor’s note: This letter was submitted via Mayor Buddy’s assistant, Tom Conway. Find out about the candidates for this year’s unofficial mayor race at thisisvashon.com/unofficialmayor.)

Levy Lid Lift

Vote no

VIFR consistently overstates risks and understates costs. This lack of transparency is troubling.

Six years ago, VIFR stated it only would increase the levy by the maximum 6 percent per year “if needed”, and yet, it did it every year possible. Case in point, the 2023 budget increased salaries by over $600,000 and added $700,000 to the reserve accounts.

The recap of the 2023 budget on the VIFR website indicates firefighter salaries for the 2023 budget were only $187,000 greater than the 2022 budgeted amount. However, it was $619,000 greater than the actual 2022 salaries. When I advised VIFR that this budget number was misleading, it was not changed.

The levy lift section of the website states there are only three to four firefighters/EMTs on duty each day, when this number will be increased to five on duty a month before the levy vote. It states there were 1630 incident calls last year, but does not share that number was less the 1710 calls in 2018, and was identical to the adjusted, 8-year average.

A recent Beachcomber article didn’t include the full cost of the levy. It stated taxes will increase by 33 percent, when, according to Chief Vinci in a March fire district commissioner meeting, it is projected to increase by 68% over six years.

The article mentions the need to hire firefighters/EMTs for the Burton station to avoid steep homeowner insurance increases, when this could be avoided by adding volunteers or stationing two of the new July hires in Burton — which the Chief incorrectly stated could not occur if the levy lift failed. It could. This is a management decision VIFR could make.

The survey results in the Strategic Plan found 77% of islanders who had received/witnessed VIFR services during the past five years rated the service as excellent. The survey indicated 63% of Vashon firefighters/EMTs believe a response time of 5-10 minutes after a 911 call is appropriate, and 33% supported an even longer time. Since the average response time on the island is seven minutes, including when there are multiple calls, expectations have been met/exceeded. But wait, this survey was conducted before the firefighters’ staffing was increased by 56 percent.

VIFR already is good-to-go. Vote “no” on the VIFR levy lift.

Scott Harvey