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2-04-2025 4:50pm
Time for Shoreline Fire to get their expenses under control
If Shoreline FD does not get their expenses under control, it will place a huge permanent financial burden on LFP residents.
It’s a fact. In 2021, 80% of Kenmore and Lake Forest Park voters said no to a proposed fire merger. That time it was with Woodinville. But that didn’t stop the Northshore Board of Commissioners from pursuing another proposal – this one far more costly – with Shoreline FD. Not only did they disregard our concerns, but during this time between then and now, a commissioner covered up an illegally unreported $10,000 campaign contribution, the levy lid was increased, (disproving a prior claim that such an arrangement would save money,) and some even benefited personally by contracting with Shoreline. The Commission Chair even purchased an expensive customized jacket… with taxpayer funds, all while claiming this new alliance was a financial necessity.
As a result, our Northshore Fire District, which has served us well for decades, is on the brink of extinction. But how did we get here in the first place?
For years, fire commissioners throughout Puget Sound have had grave misgivings about the commissioners in Shoreline and how the department has operated. Shoreline FD has the highest labor costs in the entire state. That's right. Higher than Seattle, higher than Spokane, higher than Tacoma. And it’s no wonder. A majority of the current Shoreline Fire commissioners have past or current ties to the fire department. It’s their friends and family that have profited from what is an unsustainable model for a municipality or local governmental district.
Shoreline Commissioners knew that this was not sustainable and they would need to increase revenue to cover their expenses. When we rightly voted down the merger in Woodinville, the Shoreline Commissioners swooped right in. And despite the fact that we were told a fully-elected Northshore board [Northshore Board of Commissioners meeting minutes: Aug./Sept. 2021] would make a final decision, the Northshore Commissioners, consisting of elected and non-elected (i.e. appointed) members forged ahead anyway, disregarding the public’s concerns from the previous spring and relinquishing local control.
Who are these Northshore Commissioners? Well one, Eric Adman, is a full-time employee of the Shoreline Fire Department – the very department whose spending practices were unsustainable and likely faced huge spending reductions if the Northshore contract was not set in place. Two commissioners are EMT/firefighters for other Puget Sound departments, who are not inclined to go against their colleagues in Shoreline, even if it’s the right thing to do. In contract negotiations, fire agencies bargain by evaluating comparable salaries in nearby districts. The higher Shoreline’s state-leading compensation is (six figures at entry level, $250,000 for veteran employees) the higher neighboring districts must pay through wages, benefits and pensions to compete.
The case of the past Northshore Commission Chair, Lisa Wollum, is particularly concerning. In the fall of 2021, when she ran for election, Wollum received a whopping $10,000 contribution. (5x the amount that would ever be allowed for a city, county, or legislative race - due to a loophole for small special purpose districts.) This came not from the Local of our Northshore EMT/Firefighters, but from the pockets of Shoreline’s union leadership.
Now why would it be so important for the Shoreline union to try and influence a Northshore election? Simple. The Shoreline union leadership, just like the Shoreline Commissioners, knew that without Kenmore and LFP residents subsidizing Shoreline (where far more calls for service take place, up-and-down Aurora Ave, for instance) they would have to make expenditure decisions that would upset their friends and current or past colleagues.
What makes this particularly offensive is that Commissioner Wollum concealed this from the voters. Either at direction of others or on her own accord, she illegally unreported this massive contribution until mid-November… keeping it hidden until the ballots were in. [pdc.wa.gov – Lisa Wollum Case #101064] But it’s really no wonder. After all, in her financial filing, Commissioner Wollum listed her spouse’s occupation as that of Deputy Fire Chief. Of what department, you ask? You guessed it. Shoreline FD.
And her household’s done well. Public financial records show that Commissioner Wollum’s spouse received a big raise, (and subsequent big pension base increase,) in the years since her election. As if that wasn’t enough, Commissioner Wollum insisted, (despite past departmental policy against the practice,) on purchasing a fancy, customized jacket for herself, [Northshore FD expense vouchers] at the public's expense.
The cost savings that were promised to those of us Kenmore and LFP residents residing here in Northshore Fire District #16? Well, those never quite materialized. In fact, due to these increased expenses we were told just last August (summer 2024) that we needed to approve even more spending despite past promises that we would save money.
The kicker is that the co-authors of the ballot pro statement, including Kenmore City Councilmember Jon Culver, [King County Voters Guide, Prop 1, August 2024] grossly understated the cost of the proposal to the average household. This means the expense to our families in Kenmore and LFP, (which had already increased,) are going to increase on top of that amount – all as a result of either misleading or erroneous projections.
There is only one way to stop such reckless and irresponsible spending and that is with a thorough accounting audit from either an independent financial firm or our own statewide elected auditor.
Naturally we want to support our EMT/firefighters. But at a time when our lower-income neighbors, senior citizens, and even our federal employees are facing financial uncertainty, we have to recognize that there are only so many annual compensation packages of a quarter-million dollars we can provide. And our tax base isn’t unlimited either, each dollar that we unnecessarily spend is a dollar that could otherwise go to schools, police, or other critical services in our community. As neighbors working to Protect Northshore Fire, we aim to make sure we preserve our local authority to make decisions impacting us and our community. If you would like to learn more, feel free to email info@ProtectNFD.org.
In addition, for whistleblowers concerned about all that has taken place, if you are a rank-and-file EMT/firefighter working within the Shoreline Department and would like to voice concerns about the actions of the department or union leadership, know that your information will be kept completely confidential. Please feel free to email whistleblower@ProtectNFD.org and let us know how best to contact you.
What can the rest of us do? Simple: tell your friends and neighbors about your concerns, and then call or email our area elected officials and share those concerns as well.
King County Councilmember District 1, Rod Dembowski: rod.dembowski@kingcounty.gov
Kenmore City Council (clerks will forward): clerks@kenmorewa.gov
Lake Forest Park City Council: citycouncil@cityoflfp.com
Our community's Northshore Fire website has been dissolved by Shoreline Fire. Furthermore, some past meeting minutes have been scrubbed or are otherwise inaccessible. Commissioners can be reached through various links at https://shorelinefire.com/about/board-of-commissioners/
This KING 5 news story provides a background to the failed 2021 Northshore-Woodinville merger:
(C) Protect Northshore Fire. All rights reserved.
