In 2017, we have the spectacle of a president who uses his office to promote his businesses and line the pockets of himself and his family.
Now we have two candidates for mayor in Kent who may have the same issues, only on a smaller scale.
If Jim Berrios, owner of the Golden Steer, is elected as mayor, a full-time position, will he step away from managing the restaurant to attend to the matters concerning the residents of Kent or will he be shepherding anyone interested in doing business with the city to make use of his restaurant? Will his restaurant become Kent’s Trump Tower?
Dana Ralph owns a medical billing business that employs nearly a dozen people and assures the processing of medical payments impacting thousands of patients and hundreds of medical providers. One has to wonder if, while she is charged with carrying out the extensive duties of mayor, she won’t have one eye on her business while collecting from the public purse.
A position that pays about $145,000 a year (more than $1 a minute) deserves the full attention of the mayor, not time taken away to attend to the needs of their other livelihood. Just a 10-minute call to handle a business matter is $10 of tax money spent on personal business.
Elizabeth Albertson would bring her full attention to the position of mayor. Her history of giving her time and effort to the community is well documented by her being founder and president of Communities in Schools, a former PTSA president and a former vice president of the Kent Area Council for At-Risk Children and Youth.
When you vote for Kent mayor, remember it is a full-time job with full-time responsibilities, not a side job for a local business owner. We deserve a mayor who is fully committed to Kent and the job of being mayor.
– Carol Barber
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