Mercer Island Reporter, July 03, 2013

Page 1

REPORTER

Mercer Island

Wednesday, Wednesday, March JULY20, 3, 2013 | 75¢

Serving the Mercer Island community since 1947

New city manager to be paid $171,000

Something sparkly

Fourth of July closures tomorrow In honor of the Independence Day holiday on Thursday, July 4, various city and local offices will be closed. The offices for the City of Mercer Island, along with the Mercer Island School District, the post office and the library, will be closed. The Reporter office will also be closed on Thursday.

Noel Treat will take over for retiring Rich Conrad at the end of the year

Fireworks legal only on July 4 Fireworks are legal on Mercer Island only on Thursday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. To learn more about what fireworks are legal and what is not, visit the city’s website at www.mercergov.org.

MIVAL gallery reception is July 11 The Mercer Island Visual Arts League will host a gallery reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 11. Celebrate the new summer show at the gallery from July 5 through July 28. Learn more online at www. mival.org.

Annual Summer Celebration! next weekend, July 13-14 Mercer Island’s annual Summer Celebration! will be held next weekend, July 13-14, in downtown Mercer Island. For a full schedule of events, visit the city’s website at www. mercergov.org.

[more-online www.MI-Reporter.com

By Mary L. Grady

editor@mi-reporter.com

Megan Managan/Staff Photo

Mercer Island VFW Post member Brian MacKinnon answers a question for Charlie Young and his daughter, Caroline, at the Island Fireworks stand on Friday, June 28. The stand will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. through the Fourth of July.

U.S. congressman Adam Smith visits Island VFW By Megan Managan

mmanagan@mi-reporter.com

U.S. congressman Adam Smith, the representative for Mercer Island, visited the Mercer Island VFW Hall on Monday, June 24, for a question-and-answer session. Smith gave the audience of around 30 a run-down of the current situation in Washington, D.C., including what Congress has been working on. Frank Sorba, the commander of VFW Post 5760, said members expressed their gratitude for Smith taking the time to visit and talk. “We are grateful that he took the time to speak with us, and it may have been a good start to getting a better understanding from our Congressional repre-

sentative,” said Sorba. Smith explained that the sequestration cut 10 percent across the board, and that the military has been a big part of those cuts because it accounts for so much of the country’s spending. Those cuts are now translating to furloughs and layoffs for military personnel and less training. On immigration, Smith said Congress is working on a broad bill that would increase security, help create a pathway for undocumented workers to become legal citizens, and to create a better system for legal immigration. Since Smith’s visit, the bill was passed by the U.S. Senate, and was heading for discussion in the House of Representatives. “We need a better immigration

system,” he said, explaining that the system is far too complicated and takes too long for companies wishing to bring employees in from other places. On the issue of tolling, Smith said it’s not going to happen this year, but that in the future the conversation will continue because the revenue for roads and transportation is simply not there. “The gas tax is a set amount and the revenue from it has gone down as people use less gas,” he said. “Because there is less revenue, it’s likely tolling will have to be part of the conversation.” Smith said the one problematic part of the I-90 tolling situation is that the money from tolling would go to pay for a different road, instead of the one where the money is being collected. Mercer Island City Council member Mike Cero attended the meeting and thanked Smith for

Deputy city manager, Noel Treat, will be paid $171,000 per year when he takes over as the new city manager in January 2014. He will be replacing Rich Conrad, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Treat was selected after the City Council decided to limit the search to internal candidates. Treat became the deputy city manager just over a year ago after being selected from a recruitment process that involved over 100 candidates. Treat was unanimously selected as the next deputy city manager by the nine-member

Manager | Page 2

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VFW | Page 2

PASSPORT PHOTOS

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• Visa • Immigration • All Countries • Infants

Jeffrey Costello www.costello-costello.com Chase Costello 206.595.5709 jeffreycostello@cbbain.com

206.999.4420 chasecostello@cbbain.com


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