To the Editor:

Several editorials have commented that a yes vote to change our form of government will eliminate professional management in the city and replace it with a mayor who might not be able to read or balance a checkbook. Looking beyond the obvious that someone like this could never get elected, I want to challenge this fallacy that a mayor would replace professional management in the city. I see this as a scare tactic from the vote no crowd.

Federal Way has several hundred employees with at least 25 who could be considered managers. The mayor would not replace all 25 managers, only the one person at the top. This person at the top really isn't what you would consider a traditional manager. In a city of our size, this person really functions as a coordinator of city activities.

Let's be realistic. No one person at the top could single handedly manage a city of this size like the opponents of this ballot question are implying. Running Federal Way is a team effort, and the ballot proposal asks the people of Federal Way to make a directly elected mayor the leader and coordinator of this management team.

I will be voting Yes, in order to retain professional management in this city AND to have a directly elected mayor lead this team and be directly responsible to the people.

Roy Parke

Federal Way