So North Bend played its trump card with the threat to pull the police contract and negotiations are under way with Snoqualmie and King County to determine who will provide police services in the future.

But the question really is, are negotiations really going on or is it all for the cameras, so to speak? So far, the discussion with Snoqualmie was short on details and long on ideas. To negotiate, one would think it would be prudent to determine a level of acceptable service and have the two bidding parties bid based on a set of requirements. At this time it doesn’t appear as if a set of requirements has been developed by North Bend. Is there a bid proposal floating around, or even some specific requirements?

A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19, but what is the public going to hear? I would think the logical presentation would be the city’s requirements for service and the proposals from each bidding organization. In other words, if we are really looking at an alternative, let’s get the details and facts out and let the public tell the city what they think.

If the city wasn’t serious about police service alternatives, quit wasting the public’s time and, more importantly, the bidders’ time. After all, there is potentially some officer’s livelihood at stake here and to have a haphazard look at alternatives seems like a slap in the face to those currently providing services.

I urge the public to start asking the mayor and the North Bend City Council some tough questions. Tell them exactly what an acceptable level of service might be. I don’t think there is any right or wrong decision based on the quality of the two organizations – Snoqualmie and King County – but it would be good to know where things stand with regard to cost.

On another note comes the recent announcement by King County Executive Ron Sims that he will seek the democratic nomination for the governor’s seat. Well, there’s a thought that should make every Snoqualmie Valley resident sleep better at night. (I’m being sarcastic of course.)

Sims has consistently made Snoqualmie Valley a haven for the rest of King County. His most recent debacle was the addition of a sex-offender site to an already established list of possible locations. He asks us to take over Si View with our own funding, then turns around and asks for money to keep the rest of the county parks operational. He wants the city to further fund the court system, possibly even creating a new district court locally. But, he does say he can do things better in Olympia and I have to agree that anything is an improvement.

The question we each have to ask is this: Is King County a better place to live and work since Ron Sims became county executive? It is that simple. If the answer is that yes, my life in King County is better, than you should grant him his wish to be governor. If the answer is no, there will be plenty of other candidates out there.

One last thought for the week: Please, please, please be careful with any combustibles. This is the driest I have seen things in a long time and I would echo what most firefighters are likely thinking. A fire in the woods around the Valley could have devastating effects.

The Snoqualmie National Forest had a major fire in the 1950s towards Snoqualmie Pass that residents will long remember. Burned out hulks of trees can still be seen along I-90. So, please do us all a favor and be careful.