Local group aims to save Normandy Park Police positions

By Michele Smith On November 3rd, 2015, residents of Normandy Park voted ‘no’ on a levy that would have continued funding for two Police Officer positions and a Records Specialist position. The levy failed by 283 votes and the layoffs will happen Jan. 1, 2016 in order for the city to balance the 2015-16 budget.

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MAYOR: State voters, Legislature have taken away much of Des Moines’ income

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a letter released Nov. 24, 2015 by Des Moines Mayor Dave Kaplan: State voters, Legislature have taken away much of Des Moines’ income by Mayor Dave Kaplan For the past several months, the City Council has been working to address our long-term financial issues through the 2016 budget process. In conjunction

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Small town turns to crowd-funding to save police officer jobs

NORMANDY PARK, Wash. – Why not? That’s what some residents of Normandy Park are saying after learning a group of fellow citizens has set up a GoFundMe page to prevent police department layoffs.The campaign was launched by grassroots group of citizens, business leaders and some elected officials as a way to make up for the

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Letter to the Waterland Blog by Mayor Dave Kaplan on 2016 Budget

State voters, Legislature have taken away much of Des Moines’ income by Mayor Dave Kaplan For the past several months, the City Council has been working to address our long-term financial issues through the 2016 budget process. In conjunction with our economic development efforts, which is the key to making the City financially sustainable in the

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City hired attorney will represent the city, not individual citizens, protestors told

by Jack Mayne People expecting an attorney hired by the Des Moines City Council to advise them of ways they can appeal in the Woodmont area drug and substance rehabilitation facility will be disappointed. “Any lawyer hired by the city will make decisions for the city and not the citizens of Des Moines,” Councilmember Bob Sheckler told

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Angry Woodmont residents again demand no drug clinic in their neighborhood

Angry Woodmont residents again demand no drug clinic in their neighborhood 16 Comments  Print This Post Listen to full, raw audio of the special Sept. 16 Des Moines City Council public hearing here: Audio Player 00:06:16 02:59:23 Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. by Jack Mayne There were no pitchforks, but lots of

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City hired attorney will represent the city, not individual citizens, protestors told

10 Comments  Print This Post by Jack Mayne People expecting an attorney hired by the Des Moines City Council to advise them of ways they can appeal in the Woodmont area drug and substance rehabilitation facility will be disappointed. “Any lawyer hired by the city will make decisions for the city and not the citizens of

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Citizens object as Council considers cutting Parks Director, Harbormaster

by Jack Mayne Twenty-five people took more than an hour last Thursday night (Sept. 17) to tell the Des Moines City Council not to cut the jobs of the city’s Parks Director and Harbormaster, and to find money to keep these important, well respected department heads in their jobs. The changes were only proposed and none of

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Vandals cause over $15,000 of damage to Des Moines Beach Park Auditorium

Seven large colored glass windows and one of the entrance doors at the Des Moines Beach Park Auditorium were smashed with rocks by unknown vandals this past weekend, sometime between early Sunday morning and early Monday morning. The damage to the building is estimated at over $15,000, according to Patrice Thorell, Parks, Recreation and Senior

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REBUTTAL: Des Moines Mayor responds to TM Sell’s Sound Transit Editorial

by Dave Kaplan Mayor and Councilmember City of Des Moines If you build it they will come – if you build it in the right place. As my good friend Dr. Sell recently noted, Sound Transit will soon decide on a preferred alignment and station locations for the Federal Way Light rail Extension. Barring unforeseen circumstances,

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