Photo courtesy: City of Yelm
- Editor’s note: There are so many issues in Yelm that require leadership that Mayor Foster has not provided, while he is seemingly already in a campaign-mode for his own future! Since prior to the November 2018 election The drumbeats are getting louder and louder I have heard from several sources since prior to the November 2018 election that Yelm’s Mayor JW Foster has had the 2020 County Commission post of Gary Edwards in his sights. You may recall Edwards said when running in 2016 he would serve only one term and was further quoted saying, “I’m not looking to make a long-term investment in a new career.”
- A selection of stories highlighting Foster from the public relations ramp-up by the City of Yelm’s new Communications Assistant hired April 1st and others only serve to support this theory:
- June 4th: The NVN reports: “Yelm Mayor JW Foster, who served four and a half years in the Marine Corps, awarded an American pin on behalf of the city to [YHS graduating student] enlistees.
- June 3rd: Thurston Talk features Foster in story titled, “Creating a Culture of Collaboration and Support at Yelm City Hall.”
- May 22nd: City of Yelm News Release highlighted Foster in City of Yelm’s State of the City address.
- May 21st: Thurston Talk highlighted, “City of Yelm Communications Specialist Andrew Kollar [crediting] Foster for creating an environment that encourages innovation,” about boss Foster who oversaw creation of a position just for Kollar without notifying the city council nor the public.
- May 15th: The NVN highlighted Foster for helping with the Yelm High School turf project.
- May 15th: NVN: “Yelm Mayor: State of the City Is Good”
- May 1st: The Nisqually Land Trust newsletter highlighted their most recent Past President, Foster, for being emcee at the Land Trust’s 30th Anniversary Conservation Dinner & Auction.
- March 27th: Thurston Talk highlighted Yelm Mayor JW Foster as emcee at the Thurston Chamber’s annual Gala, “A Night on the Town,” March 1st.
- Oct. 27th: Thurston Talk featured Mayor Foster on “Yelm’s Magnetic Appeal: Rural Community is State’s 9th Fastest Growing.”
- Oct. 17th: Thurston Talk featured, “People in Politics: Yelm’s Mayor JW Foster.”
- Bottom line: Yelm Community Blog readers will have been aware to note when Foster is appointed and/or runs for higher office, since his sights are clearly set beyond Yelm, that with so many issues requiring leadership here, he has not provided that and a partial reason as to why – he’s already operating in the future for HIM, while the citizens of Yelm, whom he took an oath to serve, have been secondary to his own career path!
- As an example, last month USA Today rated Yelm the worst city in Washington. Where is Foster’s public response?
- Yelm’s heralded Finance Director is gone, another in a long chain of Yelm Finance Directors to get the boot, yet where is Foster’s public response?
- Yelm’s Cochrane Park is failing to filter water before going back down to our aquifers, as reported by Councilor Carmody from last night’s council session, yet where is Foster’s public response?
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