Mayor Markeeta Little Wolf
City of WaitsburgThe 2008 Presidential Election is history in the making and we are all part of it. The politics of change are charging the air.
On a smaller scale the 2007-08 Waitsburg City Election made history, at least in one aspect. Waitsburg elected its first woman Mayor. My name is
Markeeta Little Wolf. I am that Mayor. This column is one way for me to let folks know about Waitsburg today and the changes here at hand.
To do that requires first some understanding of the City's formation. A Charter approved by the Territorial Legislature
of the Washington Territory on February 4, 1886 (officially) created Waitsburg. That Charter still governs. It is the
last city under Territorial Charter in the nation. From that Charter comes another aspect that make Waitsburg unique
politically. Our elections are held every year on the first Monday in April. (The founders of this City apparently really
believed in term limits and perhaps because they were not just sure enough of one another to have anyone of them in
office longer than a year at a time.) Discussion regarding our Charter continues to be sure. It was written in 1886 but
the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution with the Bill of Rights are obviously older. True, women
and other classes of citizens could not vote then. Yet the liberty the law ensures has since encompassed all of us. Our Charter is best construed and applied in that context.
By using common sense, the plain words of our founders can still serve us well. For example in Chapter II, section
21, the Charter provides, "The said city of Waitsburg shall have power to protect that city and the inhabitants thereof,
from the floods of the Touchet river and other streams and to that end may prescribe the width between banks, prevent
obstructions therein and cause the same to be removed therefrom; prescribe the place where embankments shall be
made and the nature thereof…" These words are law and need to be taken up with the Corps of Engineers and the
State Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife. I believe those of us living here and our properties are first when it comes to flood control.
The City has accomplished much this past year.
Finally, after the flood of '96, we are developing the planning and engineering to deal with the inevitable rampages of the Touchet and Coppei.
We updated and revised Building Code and Design standards to protect Waitsburg better from the downsides of major developments.
In a smaller instance perhaps, but one important to many citizens tired of dealing with marauding strays, we allocated
funds in the budget for hiring an animal control officer (Waitsburg has had no animal control for three years).
We established an Economic Development Committee to promote business and tourism to Waitsburg.
Work will begin to improve existing small diameter water mains for increased water pressure and replace and upgrade fire hydrants;
An appointed—but volunteer—task force reviewed and will recommend to the Council revisions to the Waitsburg Municipal Code to reflect better the community and character of our City.
These are a few examples of the progress being made.
As the Mayor, I am not hard to find. I work full time at Hubbard Law Office, just next door to City Hall on Main
Street. I have a very understanding, community-minded employer (who also happens to be my husband and native
guide, Michael V. Hubbard). I want to hear from you. Stop by to see me with your questions, ideas or concerns for
the City and the area. And, I encourage everyone to come to the Waitsburg City Council meetings, regularly held on the first and the third Wednesday of each month, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Towne Hall.
Two years ago our Council passed an ordinance doing away with the polling booth for City elections in favor of voting
by mail. City ballots will be mailed to voters on March 24, 2008. Interest in the election and the number of votes cast
are at their highest. This is good. People are becoming more involved, more informed with facts and active in the changes that will be Waitsburg's future.
As democracy works its way through the national election in November, Waitsburg's voters will have already spoken
locally. But, whether national or local, the ship of state depends on us all being awake at the wheel. The sense of that responsibility is stronger than ever this year. Make your vote count.
Until next time,
Mayor Markeeta Little Wolf