I urge my fellow Mercer Island residents to vote “no” on the ballot measure that will appear in the November election for lifting the levy lid on Mercer Island.

Why?

Because our city government that profligately wastes our tax money on useless projects such as our “bikeshare program” has the gall to tell citizens it cannot prioritize spending or more efficiently spend current revenues. The same people work with special interests to come up with whopper ideas like paving over a swathe of Mercerdale Park to accommodate Mercer Island Center for the Arts. I suggest the problem is not that city revenues are too small but that the wrong people are sitting on our City Council and in the mayor’s office.

For that matter, why do we allow the City Council to appoint our mayor from among the council members? Such a system guarantees perpetuation of a clique running this community, which has delivered higher urban density, short platting and mini-mansions across the island that degrade neighborhoods, “road diets,” a condo canyon in our business district, and requests for higher taxes to pay for the consequences of the higher urban density and growth our city leaders have boosted on us for years.

Until our city government demonstrates fiscal responsibility and accountability, please vote “no” on the request to raise the levy lid.

John Nelson

Mercer Island