Bothell Mayor Andy Rheaume took office on Jan. 1, six months ago. A quarter of the way through his two year term, it is fair to ask, how is he doing? Let us count the ways:

Cost of terminating city manager Bob Stowe: $240,000.

Cost of interim city manager: $16,000 a month and counting.

Cost of interim city attorney: $150,000 and counting. No candidate for the permanent position of city attorney has been willing to accept a job because of the turmoil in the city, so this bill will only go higher.

Cost of search for new city manager: $50,000 and up.

Cost of vacation pay protection in new city manager’s contract because of the cowardly and dishonest manner in which the former city manager was fired: impossible to determine at present but entirely avoidable.

Last but not least, loss of Trader Joe’s from downtown: priceless. That’s right, the specialty grocer will not be coming to downtown Bothell. Mayor Rheaume and Tris Samberg have finally gotten their wish of slowing down the growth in Bothell, but at what cost to the rest of us? At present its $500,000 and counting. Keep that in mind when the mayor and Councilmember Samberg come asking for a massive tax increase in November.

Troy Anderson, Bothell