Supporters of building Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA) on public parkland are strong-arming the community with their tactics. Since they have a paid staff, an office and city officials to do their bidding, it feels like a David versus Goliath battle.

Why are they afraid of letting the democratic process play out? Taxpayers should be able to vote on whether to allow the city to give publicly-owned parkland to a private group. Plain and simple.

Dissecting the initiative language is a smoke screen to try and kill it and prevent the public from having a voice.

Debra Gibbs

Mercer Island