Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, January 24, 2014
www.issaquahreporter.com
President of Eastside Catholic resigns
An Eastside Fire and Rescue fire fighter sits in the front of the Sammamish City Hall chambers Tuesday night, waiting to hear the council’s final decision regarding EFR. The Sammamish City Council passed the interlocal agreement in a vote of 5-2. The Issaquah City Council passed the agreement on Tuesday night as well, in an unanimous vote.
Sister Mary Tracy leaves amid controversy over vice principal’s firing BY LINDA BALL LBALL@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
KELLY MONTGOMERY, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
EFR REMAINS WHOLE Partners approve interlocal agreement
BY KELLY MONTGOMERY KMONTGOMERY@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
After two years of negotiations, the cities of Issaquah and Sammamish have reached an agreement on their fire service partnership, approving an interlocal agreement proposed by representatives from each of the five partners in EFR. District 10, District 38 and the city of North Bend had previously passed the agreement, but Sammamish and Issaquah waited until the approval deadline to come to a final decision. Sammamish passed the agreement in a 5-2 vote with deputy mayor Kathy Huckabay and councilmember Tom Odell opposed, saying they had some serious reservations.
“When I withdraw look at the from the contract, I partnership, think it could it would have been not have to improved give notice dramatically,” to the other said Huckabay. partners – a “I was disapconcern for pointed that it multiple wasn’t.” council memHuckabay bers. said she would Huckabay have been said these happy to sign concerns the agreement were too if it included great for her –City Manager Ben Yacizi such things as to ignore. a termination Odell agreement, agreed, addequipment clarifications and a ing that while he believes the fire chief on city staff. new agreement is better than Under the agreement, if a what the city had previously partner had to or wanted to had, he thinks it could have
“Finally, after two and a half years...after many negotiations...we are almost there.”
done even better in creating its own fire department. Huckabay and Odell also said that they didn’t appreciate the politics that came out during the negotiations and the social media campaign EFR had constructed, with “Save our fire department” posters strewn throughout the city. “My position is that while I would like to vote for this agreement, I cannot,” Odell said. With Sammamish approving the agreement and Issaquah approving it unanimously, the process is, for now, completed. If changes need to be made to the agreement, all five partners must agree unanimously. The new agreement is a seven-year contract and will begin on Jan. 1, 2015.
Sister Mary Tracy, the president of Eastside Catholic School, submitted her letter of resignation to the Eastside Catholic School board of directors Monday, Jan. 20. The board released the news Tuesday with a statement that it had accepted her resignation, which was effective immediately. Principal Polly Skin- Sister Mary Tracy ner and interim vice-principal Tom Lord will lead the school until a new president can be found. Communications manager for Eastside Catholic, Karen Hatch, said the board is forming a search committee. She said its focus will be to find a candidate who meets the school’s three touchstones: academic excellence, relationships and servant leadership. Tracy’s resignation is just one of many developments since former vice principal Mark Zmuda was terminated Dec. 19 after it was revealed that he had married his gay partner last SEE TRACY, 2