To The Eagle:

Our community deserves to know the context behind the Town Council's effort to draft a new ordinance governing the Cathlamet Fire Department (CFD). Unfortunately, The Eagle's recent coverage has failed to put this important legislation into perspective. Allow me to remedy that with a few important points:

1) The CFD has been operating virtually without Town oversight since 1932. Yes, our volunteers do fine work and have saved many lives over the years. But the culture within the department is openly hostile to the Town. Council member and CFD Captain Wally Wright's belligerence and use of profanity in official meetings illustrates this disrespect, which is obvious to anyone who attends Town Council meetings but has gone unreported in your newspaper.

2) The draft ordinance is a response to recent financial mismanagement within the CFD, including non-repayment of a loan from the Town's general fund, fuel theft, loss and destruction of public records, unauthorized use of Town property, maintenance of undeclared bank accounts opened in the Town's name and unauthorized use of the Town's Federal Tax Identification Number.

3) The CFD's problems were so protracted and acute that last year the State Auditor's Office issued two findings, the SAO's severest form of censure. Communities very rarely "fail" state audits so completely. The audit raised serious questions about the use and management of public funds - the source of which, of course, is the taxpayers of this community.

4) Reformers in our government, myself included, are working hard to improve transparency, establish financial order and implement effective CFD oversight. This is not the project of a mayor with an "iron fist" but of a Town Council committed to reform. The community won't fully understand that unless The Eagle focuses more on issues and less on personalities.

5) Voters want change. How do we know? Because an anti-reform candidate supported by key fire department personnel challenged me in the last Town Council election and was soundly rejected by voters.

I understand that the family which owns The Eagle has a long history of service in the CFD. I commend that and hope it continues down the generations. But as the community's primary source of local news, The Eagle should not shrink from covering CFD related matters fairly and impartially. In my opinion, there is room for improvement.

Steve McNicholas

Town Councilman