How a small town with just 11,000 taxpayers found itself $53 million in debt.

Photo above - Welcome to Edmonds-landia! No wait, that's a screen shot from the TV show "Portlandia". Well, there are probably some similarities.

Welcome to Edmonds, Washington. A bucolic town 30 minutes outside Seattle, very much like the kind our parents or grandparents might have grown up in. Edmonds is dead broke. (see link below)

Things are so bad, the city is planning to sell not only its "Frances Anderson Cultural Center" (named in honor a deceased teacher), but also the Edmonds city hall itself. And then evidently pay rent to the new owners? You can’t make up stuff this bizarre. This is the reverse of a "rent to own" equity building program.

I usually blame politicians for this sort of financial disaster. And certainly the Edmonds village elders deserve a lot of blame. But since being Edmonds mayor or city councilperson there pays little to no salary, it’s hard to imagine they were passing out voter freebies just to ensure their re-election.

Possibly simple incompetence and the inability to say “no” to residents' requests is the problem. In a town like Edmonds everybody knows everybody. So if Bob picks up the phone and asks for a new stoplight at his streetcorner, it's hard to push back. Your kids go to school with Bob's kids. Or Bob is the guy you used to mow lawns for 35 years ago. These are nice folks and deserve a stoplight. And a 10,000 square foot Culture and Leisure Center. And a year-round 15 minute ferryboat to Kingston, which would take takes 2 and half hours to reach by car. And an oceanfront city hall (that view WILL help it sell quickly, IMHO). And 37 public schools, which are not for sale at this time. And 5 libraries. And 3 firehouses. And 65 full time police officers. About the only thing Edmonds DOESN’T have is its own municipal trash collection. You must get your garbage picked up one of the 3 licensed private contractors.

Edmonds spends $51 million a year to keep its residents happy. Think of this like running a restaurant with $51 million revenue and expenses. Which is losing money and customers (Edmond's population is declining, and its average age is increasing). Now you can understand why the town is on the hook for $40 million in deferred (and badly needed) basic maintenance for its dining room and kitchen - er, I mean public buildings. All this is falling into the lap of Mike Rosen – a retired wildlife filmmaker - who is the newly elected restaurant manager/mayor.

Can you see the problem here? Lack of credentials and financial acumen? This is the inevitable outcome of elections which are popularity contests, filled with promises on what will be bought or built next.

But before you cast shade on the voters and politicians in Edmonds, consider that this town is a microcosm of the entire USA. We have. 2 chambers of congress and a supreme court filled with people who have no credentials other than passing some state's bar exam. And a president who filed bankruptcy 3 times, and then was convicted of loan fraud.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

This Washington city mayor says his town may be forced to turn to local residents to offset their $13M deficit