Too often in this country good ideas and projects are dismissed because some aspect of their implementation is not perfect. Irrespective of your political bent, I am sure you can think of examples: campaign financing, health care, social security reform… the list goes on. But nothing that results from a political system built upon compromise is likely to be perfect. The “perfection argument” is used both intentionally and inadvertently; but the results are the same – endlessly stalling progress on an issue or project.
Once again we are faced with a choice: build a sorely needed indoor pool and multi-purpose facility in Kirkland, or dismiss the notion because the financing vehicle is not perfect. The reasons to build the ARC [Aquatics, Recreation and Community center] are many: swimming is a necessary skill for children to learn and there is not enough public pool time to meet that need, physical exercise is important to all of us and there are insufficient public facilities available for the vast majority of our citizens (including our seniors), many among us cannot afford access to a health club and need low cost facilities of this kind, and there is a dearth of public swimming facilities for local schools and swim teams, to name a few.
And once again the best argument against what is widely acknowledged as a desperately needed facility is that the financing mechanism (the Metropolitan Park District) for the ARC is not the preferred option. Ironically, the city selected the MPD as the most conservative vehicle for funding the project. Using a more conventional bond measure would have required the city council to spend untold dollars to design the ARC and procure the land to build it, all without a vote of its citizens in favor of it. The MPD, though not perfect, at least put the measure before its citizens before the city spent substantial money on it. And the argument that once the measure is voted in – its forever – is patently false unless we lose our right to vote against members of the city council along with a vote for the MPD. Lets face it: if we do not vote for the ARC this time, it will not be built and once again we will have fallen victim to a false pursuit of perfection.
This country and this state were built on the notion that ideas built upon compromise can result in a better way of life for the citizenry. Somewhere along the line, the pursuit of perfection has sidetracked our ability to get things done. Don’t let this be one of those times. Let’s vote yes for the ARC and establish a legacy for future generations of Kirklanders to enjoy.
Curt Blake, Kirkland
