In a mailer and on websites the Dahle campaign says City Councilman Bosetti has "raised dozens of taxes and fees on the City Council. Even pushed for a new mattress tax."
That's preposterous.
Rick Bosetti has been on the council for six years, and the city has not raised taxes. Not little taxes, not big taxes. Not once. There's no such thing as a mattress tax.
I've asked Dahle's people about it, and they said, "It's there." Well, it's true that last year city did raise its junkyard mattress recyling fee by all of a quarter -- from $7 to $7.25, "to reflect the increase charged to the City by the mattress recycle vendor," according to the minutes. (And, in all fairness, there was some dispute over that quarter --- Pat Jones voted "No" on the fee increase, along with a number of others in that meeting.)
But, you know, dumping your old junk costs money. That ain't a tax.
The only time I remember a potential tax increase seriously discussed since Bosetti joined the council was in 2008, when the city was discussing how to build a new police station -- something it's still discussing -- and a citizens committee suggested the idea as a possibility. Mary Stegall was for it and Ken Murray at least suggested putting it to the voters, but Bosetti (along with Jones) said no way, no how would he support a tax increase.
So yes, Bosetti's suggesting some flexibility now -- saying he'd have supported a lumber tax that was part of a larger legislative package that helped the timber industry -- but the notion that he has a record of raising taxes is nonsense.