Today's Herald devoted much of the first section of the paper to promoting the levy tax for EMS services, under the guise of reporting the issues. They printed two big graphs showing increases of responses and budget for EMS over the years.

Two graphs were missing that could have told the rest of the story. A graph for the same years showing total local taxes collected and a graph showing the percent of taxes that goes to EMS over the years. By omission, the Herald made it look like EMS costs have risen while tax revenues have remained flat. A very false impression.

Mayor Mark will strike a blow against affordable housing at Monday's City Council meeting. He will propose that loopholes be closed that allow accessory dwellings. These are the most wonderful way of providing low-cost rentals, supervised student rentals, infilling of neighborhoods and low-impact housing for people. Why any thinking liberal can support Mark is beyond me.

Can anyone get Mark or the four council members up for re-election to comment on my Oct 14 story that Mark has gagged the City Council from talking to anyone on the Clean Water Alliance? The Herald has nothing on this - and that is probably because Mark asked them to not run it. Cozy relationship there. Or maybe the Herald will print it two weeks late - like they finally did today on the Bonner and the Unions story that NwCitizen posted on Oct 9.

Oh - the mayor is allowing the city attorneys to talk to the opposing lawyers - but not to the CWA folks the city is supposedly working with. Why? Because Mark is trying to torpedo the lawsuit.

Bottom-line question - why the big silence on the gag order? It is real - and you have only read it on NwCitizen. Why? How can this town run day to day without acknowledging reality - like the Mayor gagging the City Council? Where is everyone? Is this town so neurotic that it cannot handle the facts and truth about itself? Gag orders are a serious business. Ask a city council person. Go to the City Council on Monday and ask them. Ask the Mayor. Is there a gag order on a lawsuit about our drinking water? Why?

I challenge any real environmental liberals on these issues. You say you support Mark for clean water and housing for low-income folks. Mark is a sham when it comes to those issues. He works against both.