I came across Leigh Henderson’s letter to the editor encouraging folks to let the public how they felt about the firing of Bob Stowe.

On that encouragement, I am weighing in as highly in favor of this personnel move. Henderson claims we have lost the “most esteemed city manager in the state,” and tried to make the same to-do as others over the fact Stowe was on vacation when his termination was announced.

Not one of the Stowe supporters has addressed the gross overspending on the City Hall project that was force-fed to the citizens of Bothell by Stowe. We now have a brand new $3 million-plus line item in our city budget that will crowd out other needs for decades to come. This was an indefensible amount of money and tops the lists of bad or self-interested decisions that Stowe made during his tenure.

To tout this performance as “best in class” leadership is absurd.

No less absurd are the claims that those voting in favor of his termination were less than transparent or humane in their actions. Given Stowe’s display of gross incompetence on the City Hall project, the case could have easily been made to fire him for cause. So the Council was quite charitable in preserving Stowe’s severance package by not taking that path.

And then there is the spin that has been put on Stowe not being present for a public termination. Somehow that act of grace by the council has been presented as a heartless move on their part.

Last, how can anyone make a claim that the council lacked transparency on this? The performance of the city manager was at the center of every campaign this last fall, and every candidate that won, won soundly on platforms that called into doubt Stowe’s leadership. So no, Ms. Henderson, there is nothing to be appalled about here. The council simply exercised the will of the public on this one.

Tom Cobb, Bothell