First, article 1 section 11 Religious Freedom states that “Absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment, belief and worship, shall be guaranteed to every individual, and no one shall be molested or disturbed in person or property on account of religion; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness or justify practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of the state. No public money or property shall be appropriated for or applied to any religious worship, exercise or instruction, or the support of any religious establishment: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That this article shall not be so construed as to forbid the employment by the state of a chaplain for such of the state custodial, correctional, and mental institutions, or by a county’s or public hospital district’s hospital, health care facility, or hospice, as in the discretion of the legislature may seem justified. No religious qualification shall be required for any public office or employment, nor shall any person be incompetent as a witness or juror, in consequence of his opinion on matters of religion, nor be questioned in any court of justice touching his religious belief to affect the weight of his testimony. 

Should there be a separation between church and state? Personally, I believe that there should be the appropriate separation. The problem comes when we start to interpret the provisions in the article that states that an organization run by someone who professes to be a member of a particular religious group prevents that organization from being granted money. Vine Maple Place is just such a group. The leaders of this outreach organization are a wonderful married couple who are known to be Christians. Is this perhaps the people this change is attempting to target or is there more to it?

The second article is the suggested change in Article VIII section 7 CREDIT NOT TO BE LOANED.  “No county, city, or town or her municipal corporation shall hereafter give any money, or property, or loan its money, or credit to or in aid of any individual, association, company or corporation, except for the necessary support of the poor and infirm, or become directly or indirectly the owner of any stock in or bonds of any association, company or corporation.”

The Maple Valley City Council many times makes hard decisions as to policy and the interpretation of rules and regulations. This is one of those times that the city had to look hard at what was being asked of them. After an extended healthy discussion they decided to keep the current policy. The decision also requires a review of the policy in 2010.  If we had instituted the suggested changes, there are a number of groups that received grant funding in the 2009 budget including: Maple Valley historical society, Maple Valley Community Center, Vine Maple Place, Maple Valley Days Committee and even the Greater Maple Valley Chamber of Commerce.

We must be careful in following our legal experts leading us in the “interpretations” of the rules and regulations. The council must strike a healthy balance between community needs vs. rules or regulations, both now and in the future. As your elected council, we must support these Maple Valley organizations.

I want to commend the council for its wisdom in accepting the current 12 year old policy as well as recommending a review with the new council members in 2010.

Sincerely,

Glenn Smith

 My name is Glenn Smith. For the last four years I have had the particular honor of serving the citizens of Maple Valley by being a member of the Maple Valley City Council. It is less than one week since the primary election where the people of Maple Valley decided to allow Bill Allison or Jim Flynn the potential honor of taking the next term on the council. Whether one has lived in Maple Valley all their lives or being a new comer, serving on the council is an earned experience not a right of birth. Having lost the election, I will admit to some disappointment, but I do not feel as though my “right” was taken from me. I look forward to the new experiences, adventures and opportunities that will be afforded to me. Some will take place in the very near future. It was a joy and an experience to have served on the council.

 I love Maple Valley. Maple Valley is my home and must be protected but also because I am what some might call an experientialist. I believe the more experiences we have the more wisdom we are able to exercise when tough decisions have to be made. We can learn from both our mistakes as well as our victories. We can learn from having lived in Maple Valley but we can learn from the experiences of other cities, counties, states and even nations. I personally have traveled around the U.S. and to many countries, including India, Haiti, most of Canada, Denmark and Israel. I had the opportunity to spend some time researching Judeo Christianity and even writing a book on Systematic Theology. Having served on the city council, I am proud to have this experience to add to my repertoire. Shortly after deciding to run for a second term I was approached by a local University and asked if I would be willing to teach. I was exuberant when offered this opportunity. After going through Faculty certification, I was asked if I could teach on Monday nights. Since the council meets on Monday evenings, had I won a second term, this would not have been feasible. There is an old saying that when one door closes, another one opens. My experience as a councilman and Deputy Mayor will be of value in teaching at the University and even writing this blog, where I was asked to share my life’s experiences.

 I will write what I believe to be the truth, not the “politically advantageous” thing to say. There are two sides to every story and in a positive manner, I will state why and where I stand on the issues that we will face. When arguments regarding a person’s conflict of issue arise then this blog will ask the important question, why does that matter? Is there truly a conflict? To those who feel a conflict of interest does not matter, this blog will state why it does. This blog is dedicated to discussing the positives of the various organizations and members and there are many who have dedicated their hours, days, time and even very lives toward making Maple Valley as many like to say, a place to live, work and play together.

 Having served with the, “old school” and the “new visionaries, on the City Council I will share both sides on issues. This is one issue in particular where the current city council is divided. I have one particular experience that I believe gives me unique understanding into the factions between the “parties” that exist in our city. I have had the opportunity to visit and study Kennesit, which is the Israeli parliament. The Kennesit is made up of many factions, each with very different and opposing ideas, yet they choose to work together for the future. In Maple Valley, we can be open to discussions that completely disagree with our “point of view.” Finding solutions to our differences can help us to prosper and grow in all areas of local and statewide government. I invite and encourage the readers of this blog to comment and to share your ideas of what issues should be addressed and I hope you enjoy.

Glenn Smith