From: Vince Arditi vince.arditi@gmail.com
Date: July 6, 2024 at 3:57:36 PM PDT
To: Jan Tysoe JTysoe@ci.king-city.or.us, Marc Manelis mmanelis@ci.king-city.or.us, Shawna Thompson SThompson@ci.king-city.or.us, Michael Antonelli Mike@tigardlife.com
Subject: King City city council appointees

Councilwoman Tysoe and councilman Manelis,
I read the article “New city council appointments are not without controversy” in the June/July edition of Tigard Life authored by Barbara Sherman.

I appreciate your comments regarding my application and interview.
I have been communicating with Mayor Thompson regarding her comments about the positions on city council.
I felt the comments in Tigard Life regarding my status were inappropriate and contacted editor Michael Antonelli as well to voice my concerns.

I watched the minutes of the June 15, 2024 council meeting which included a segment to choose the four city council people to replace the recalled members.
Mayor Thompson’s input during this city council meeting focused on my work regarding a bond levy in Tigard in 2015 (Levy 34-241) $34.5 to build a community center operated by the YMCA. Funded by an increase in property taxes.

I am disappointed with Mayor Thompson’s reasoning that since I helped defeat a bond measure in Tigard 9 years ago (which was totally inappropriate,) I could at some future time provide negative input for a community center in King City as a council member.
Her comments suggested that since I ran the campaign to defeat this bond measure, I may not be an advocate for a center in King City.

Mayor Thompson failed to mention the information that was submitted with my application identifying the flaws in this bond levy as stated in two articles published in the Tigard Times (October and November 2015).

Those articles provided comments regarding collusion among Tigard city council members to accelerate the vetting process, and advertising the choice of the YMCA as the operator of a building that did not yet exist.
The advertising that was developed and the blitz that YMCA supporters perpetrated on the public was a fraud.
Those articles outline the deceit and lies that were developed by the committee representing and financed by the YMCA which was gaslighting the public for months.

From the beginning of bond measure 34-241 both mayor John Cook and city manager Marty Wine had concerns. Neither one gave it their endorsement or support.

I am attaching a report (link here) that was developed for mayor Cook and city manager Wine in September 2015.
This is a comprehensive accounting of the facts obtained through 4 weeks of interviews in August of 2015 with the advertised proponents of the bond levy and stakeholders providing opposing viewpoints.

Mayor Thompson commented during the June 15 council meeting that “…many of us were disappointed when that community center did not happen”.
I would imagine that would be so, but the reality was that the bond Levy was defeated by a 3-1 margin, and the people that were happy with the outcome far exceeded the ones who were disappointed.

This bond levy for $34.5 million would have generated tax increases to property holders and as is the case with many public works projects, the final bill could have been much higher.
As you know from my application and resume I am a public recreation advocate.

The choices that you made on June 15 to replace the four recalled council positions were yours to make.
I respect your decisions. They were difficult. It is impossible to please everyone.
I am not asking for any sort of special consideration, just wanting to provide my perspective.

Best Regards,
Vince Arditi