In his Letter to the Editor, Against SeaTac Prop. 1, dated 2011-09-12, Mr. Layden writes: "The Strong Mayor form of government is a good kind. But the city council form is better for democracy because the council members all get an equal vote with the mayor there. Proposition 1 is mainly for the rich people who want you to vote for their mayor over the city council members."

I'd like to thank Mr. Layden for writing to the HT presenting the opportunity to correct some misinformation regarding the City of SeaTac's Prop. 1.

First of all, the form of government comparison is inaccurate-- it isn't, as Mr. Layden references in his letter, strong mayor form of government or city council form of government. It is strong mayor/council or city manager/council form (aka weak mayor.).

Please note: There is a City Council with either form of government. The city council does NOT go away. (This is a common misconception, which was perpetrated by anti strong-mayor supporters during the 2009 campaign and, whether it was intentional or not, caused confusion for many voters in the process).

The council position, which is currently referred to as 'mayor' within the current city manager/council form of government will, under the strong mayor form of government, become the Council President and will continue to preside over council meetings--just as the weak mayor in our current form of government does now.

Of our surrounding cities, Auburn (Pete Lewis), Kent (Suzette Cook), Tukwila (Jim Haggerton), Renton (Denis Law), and Federal Way (Skip Priest) have the elected, strong mayor form of government. Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines and SeaTac are city manager/council form.

Just as voting for the President of the United States is an integral part of our Democracy, so is voting for your city form of government. How can practicing Democracy be a bad thing?

Mr. Layden is correct about one thing-SeaTac is a diverse community, which includes, but is not limited to: working class, retired, unemployed, old, young, immigrants, families, singles, refugees, homeless, tourists, visitors, varied businesses-all of whom enjoy Democracy in SeaTac.

Whether you vote for or against something, it is Democracy, which allows you that free choice.

'The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate': - Jefferson

If voters would like to learn more about the different forms of government, the following website may be helpful: http://www.mrsc.org/Subjects/management/forms/trends.aspx

Please vote in November.

Pam Fernald
SeaTac