Ralph Nichols was rather free with his criticisms of Burien Residents Against Annexation, and merits a response.

In the past week, we have been accused of being racists by Gerry Robison before the planning commission, it was inferred by Deputy Mayor Block that critical analysis of budgets is a slander against the fine record public servants in the city staff, and Fire and Police departments, and now Mr. Nichols accuses us of spreading disinformation.

First, let me acknowledge that some weeks back, I misread a statistic at a Lions Club luncheon. My response was to immediately correct my mistake, inform and apologize to the parties affected, including Mr. Nichols. This is hardly on the same plane as spreading disinformation. Yet, this error has been seized upon as though I were the devil incarnate determined to rend the public fabric.

With regard to the city staff, yes I stand firm in pointing out that the annexation budget was prepared so as to hide some $5.3 million in capital budget expenses, and to promote the illusion that full annexation would show a deficit of a mere $600,000.

At a recent council meeting, under pressure to come clean about the budget, the same staff now claims to have new numbers, and as if by magic, the deficit once again disappears. The "new' numbers are actually a selective reshuffling of much of the same 2004 data, with selected bits of new numbers, and omission of some original numbers.

You can't make a deficit of this size disappear. This assertion flies in the face of data from the King County Budget Office, the six-year North Highline Governance Study, and the Seattle Subcommittee on Annexation, and is the sole reason that North Highline is unable to incorporate as a city.

I have never used any budget numbers other than those supplied by the Burien City Staff. Perhaps that is what Mr. Nichols refers to as disinformation.

Ron Seale

Burien Residents Against Annexation