An Update from Ruston - Sept 15th

Last night called for a little change of pace, so we headed to the Ruston town council meeting for an update on how our neighboring government is faring. The report is not exactly a positive one.

The meeting began smoothly with a discussion about street light upgrades and the adoption of a revised municipal code. Tension rose, however, with the presentation of a job description for a new full-time Town Administrator.

The reason for this new position is that there’s a lot of work to do in Ruston, but it isn’t getting done on account of having no full-time public officials. The Mayor Pro-Tempore, Bradley Huson, said he could only devote one full day to his position and was only accomplishing about twenty percent of his work.

The problem with hiring a full-time Town Administrator is the proposed annual salary of $75,000 – $90,000. Council member Albertson responded to the draft negatively, arguing that this position would never receive the votes it needed to pass simply because the town doesn’t have the budget. He went on to say that Ruston would not last if it kept spending money at the rate it has been and it won’t be financially stable until Point Ruston comes through.

He then brought up the option of annexation to Tacoma, which, from the shakes of heads in the audience, appears to be a touchy subject.

Council member Hunt argued in favor of a full-time administrator, saying that the job of mayor cannot be volunteer and nobody wants it. She added that she won’t be running for council next term with an exasperated, “This is not fun, guys.”

What followed was a number of personal attacks from both the council and the public during a general comment time, including a passive-aggressive call for a conflict of interest ordinance. After a reminder that the council needed to beg once more for a new mayor (the fourth this year) in their next newsletter, the meeting was adjourned.

While Ruston’s government is facing tremendous challenges due to personal disagreements and a lack of funds, all hope is being placed in the completion of the Point Ruston project – a completion that is years away.

This is how one resident described the situation: “Ruston is a small boat and we’re in it together. We’re led by caring, dedicated…amateurs. A boat led by caring, dedicated amateurs is going to drown.”

And we thought we had problems …

More details of the meeting at Ruston Home