Swift Political Action Saves Jobs in Lacey, Washington

July 2, 2010 – Lacey, Washington, fire fighters remain on the job after a tough political battle with the City of Lacey thanks to the political savvy of Lacey Local 2903 membership.

“This is a tremendous victory for us,” says Local 2903 Secretary Alex Christiansen. “It took a lot of hard work and the involvement of all of our members, but the end result was well worth it.”

For the past 54 years, the Lacey Fire District Local 2903 has provided emergency service in Lacey. But the relationship between the City and the Lacey Fire District went sour last year when the city manager and fire district chief began disagreeing over the cost of services.

Based on an inaccurate assessment completed by the International City Management Association (ICMA), the City believed it could form its own fire department with lower costs and fewer resources.

If the new department was formed, then the City would terminate its contract with the fire district. Since the contract with the City generated nearly 40 percent of the fire district budget, the fire district would have been forced to cut resources, probably including a significant number of fire fighter positions, due to the reduced revenue.

“We needed to act fast, so our main objectives were to explain to the public why the ICMA report was flawed and to get politically active.” says Christiansen

In the November 2009 election, Local 2903 actively sought out and endorsed three candidates for various positions in the City administration. The fire fighters became a grassroots political force, which enabled them to oust the incumbent mayor, deputy mayor and the senior-most city council member.

With friendlier faces positioned in the city government, fire fighters and other supporters of an annexation ballot measure began lobbying for votes for an April 2010 referendum. If enacted, the measure would allow the city’s fire and EMS to be “annexed” into the fire district. Therefore, the City would no longer be fiscally responsible.

Once again, Local 2903 put its political action team into play, getting the message out through any means possible including door-to-door campaigns and becoming involved with local business and neighborhood groups.

When the ballot measure went to the voters, citizens overwhelmingly cast their ballots in favor of the annexation. “Needless to say, this whole process really opened our eyes to the value of being politically active,” says Christiansen.

In the coming months, two new commissioners (representing the City) will be added to the fire district board.