MABTON, Wash., – Mayor of Mabton Rachel Ruelas, spoke to NonStop Local about her experiences with city council following a December 10th city council session.
In that meeting, Mabton residents expressed their frustrations with city leadership, questioning the direction of the city amid new issues.
During a public comment section, some took to the stand to call the Mayor out, asking her to leave the position and insulting her.
Mayor Rachel Ruelas tells NonStop Local how she’s felt for over a year.
“People see a different side of me, and I just want to let people know that everything that’s been said is not true,” Ruelas said.
Ruelas believes that the city’s issues are not specifically from her doings, rather, problems within the city council.
“…I came to the conclusion it wasn’t a mayor problem. It has been a council issue, you know?” she said.
Vera Zavala, a longtime Mabton resident and councilmember, says she has her ups and downs with the Mayor, but at the end of the day, continues to try and improve their town.
“We argue about things, but we get back together,” says Zavala. “We need to concentrate more on our community and our business”.
Mayor Ruelas says it’s not about the mayor or the city council, rather, working towards bettering the community.
“…So we need to come together for them. Like I said, it’s, the taxpayer money that we’re talking about here. So we need to work for them. You know, we don’t work for ourselves,” said Ruelas.
