I sat in the last SeaTac City Council meeting and watched in disbelief as Mayor Ralph Shape told Deputy Mayor Gene Fisher that city advisory committees, including the state mandated planning commission get to speak only during the Public Comment period at the beginning of the council meeting and that this has worked well in the past.

Deputy Mayor Fisher put forth an agenda bill that the planning commission be given equal time to present their views at the council meetings as the city staff on an issue where the two differ in their recommendations to the council.

Rather than having uproarious support from the council and the mayor, as expected, considering the tree retention fiasco and other issues, Mayor Shape came out against it saying everything was fine, and the other council member disappointingly quiet or offering lame questions. This was tabled until next session.

Our elected leaders in SeaTac seem to forget than in our city code the planning commission is a "citizen's" advisory committee made up of residents and not city staff who don't live in SeaTac (only 9 out of 172 live in SeaTac).

To silence the commission, allowing them to only to speak for three minutes at the beginning of a council meeting, or not allowing them equal time as the city staff when presenting an opposing view goes against the purpose of the committee.

This resolution/agenda bill was needed and I thank Deputy Mayor Fisher for putting it forth. This lack of support for a citizen's advisory committee was not lost on the audience at the council meeting.

If the council members and/or mayor cannot see the obvious need and/or pattern that has been festering, we, the citizens of SeaTac, need to look elsewhere for leadership come election time.

Earl Gipson

SeaTac