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12-02-09 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHOUGAL- City Council Member Michael Delavar Requests cutting Council’s Salary.
Council member Michael Delavar has requested that the upcoming budget include a five percent decrease in the council’s salary. In an email Tuesday, Delavar stated his reasons to take the symbolic cut.
Madam Mayor Pro-Tem,
I request that the City Council salaries be decreased by 5% in the proposed budget. My reasoning is as follows:
As we do our best to trim the budget, we make decisions about the work conditions as well as the salaries of full time city employees. These employees’ lives are directly affected by our choices. It would be unfair for us to watch their budgets being cut without looking at our own. I appreciate the fact that no other departments have pointed their fingers at the council’s budget, and I attribute this to the high quality of employees that we have. It is my belief that as we are the legislative leaders, we must set a good example.
Some people have noted that in the middle of a recession, the only ones hiring (or not cutting salaries) are governments or government-related services. Just because other jurisdictions are doing it, we cannot give ourselves a free pass.
Our salary commission looks at other cities to determine what salary to recommend for us. Presumably, other cities can refer to the City of Washougal to determine their own salaries. Therefore, we potentially are affecting other jurisdictions. I believe this reduction is appropriate, though, and reflects the trends in the private sector.
I also see that this decrease sounds more impressive than it is. A 5% decrease in the salary of the Council nets a savings of $2,100 total for the year. This is not nearly enough to plug any holes in the budget; however, I believe that it is an appropriate measure to take indicating our willingness to cut our own budget.
Sincerely, Michael Delavar
Michael Delavar was appointed to position #4 in June of 2009, and was elected with 80% of the vote in November. His website is www.michaeldelavar.com.
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[Editor's Note: after this release was published, Mr. Delavar was appointed to Position #4, and campaigned to retain that seat.] PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHOUGAL- Michael Delavar, Washougal resident, has announced his plans to run for Washougal City Council Position #6. Michael is running on four issues facing Washougal:
“My wife and I have made a life in Washougal and I would be honored to represent my neighbors and my community. I am looking forward to this campaign.“ In 2008 Michael ran for U.S. Congress. Although unsuccessful, he garnered over 2200 votes in the city of Washougal alone. “I learned a lot during last year’s campaign. The biggest thing was that there are good people on both sides of the political spectrum. I am glad to leave behind partisan politics. What we need are the common sense solutions to the issues facing Washougal. I look forward to working with the rest of the council and the mayor to help Washougal remain a wonderful place to live.” A native Washingtonian, Michael Delavar was born and raised in Bremerton. His father worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for the Department of Defense. After spending nearly a decade moving around the country and flying for different small charter outfits, Michael moved back to Washington in 2000 when he was hired by Horizon Airlines. That year he also met and married his wife, Katja. In 2002, they were drawn to Washougal because of its natural beauty and small town feel. Now blessed with two boys, Katja and Michael attend Gateway Community Church. They are glad they have adopted Washougal as their home and look forward to preserving its unique character. Michael can be reached at (360) 771-4859 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . His campaign website is www.MichaelDelavar.com. ### |