In response to the Kent Reporter’s story “City Council terminates Pine Tree Park sale” (April 8):
The Kent City Council just cost the taxpayers a little under a $1 million trying to pull a fast one on Kent residents by selling the park to a developer with no disclosure to the public, knowing full well that the underlying deed dictated it had to be kept as a park “in perpetuity” and could only be swapped for additional open space.
Bill Boyce, elected 2011, Kent City Council president, states (paraphrase) that the only mistake was not to engage with the public.
Dana Ralph, elected 2011, blames the staff, and Jim Berrios thinks King County misled them all.
In an April 7 Seattle Times article, “Kent pays for trying to sell park”, staff columnist Danny Westneat throws back the curtain on this entire outrageous stunt that has cost us a million dollars.
Emails obtained by the Seattle Times show that as far back as 2013 “King County correctly advised Kent” about the deed. In another email, a King county attorney, fielding a question from Kent about selling the park, “wrote clearly that the park could only be traded for replacement park land.”
In another email, Kent wanted to “get the county to remove the deed covenants restricting use of the property.”
To say that Boyce and Ralph didn’t know about the status of that park land is a long, long stretch.
Councilmember Boyce, you’re fired. Kent residents cannot afford your leadership.
– Dale Brantner
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