Wednesday, May 20, 2015

One Dan Down...

You'll be getting rid of Dan DiGuilio this year. That will be an undeniable plus. But that will still leave Dan Morrison running "amuck" in the community, Dan Williams talking trams, and Dan Maguire making bad, bad, bad musical associations for the JFFA.
 
Oh, and it will also leave Dan McKeen in place as City Manager.
 
But should he be the next Dan to go? We know that City staff are a problem, and that the City Council can't hire or fire staff members themselves - except for the City Manager. So does it make sense to make that one (very important) position that is directly under the Council's control a campaign issue this year? As in, "I will only support candidates who pledge to hire a new City Manager, one who will be proactive in dealing with painfully obvious staff issues?"
 

Is it true that Nice Guys help their cities
finish last?

Let's be blunt: This will put City Council candidates, including unopposed incumbents like Sissi, in an uncomfortable position. No one wants to be "mean" to Dan McKeen, right? Like the previously described dopey dawdling droner Pat Downie, everyone seems to agree that McKeen is "a nice guy."
 
But is that enough to shield him from any and all criticism? Do candidates get spared an "uncomfortable" question, even though the many uncomfortable residents of Port Angeles get no such relief? Should Dan McKeen get a free pass, even though city residents are expected to pay full price?

44 comments:

  1. After all the hurt that the city council has inflicted on this town, if the current crop of candidates (and incumbents - especially incumbents) can't take some tough questions/hurt feelings, well...Then they don't need my vote.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan McKeen rode in on the gravy train and is now doing all he can to keep it running.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pretty thin gravy. Didn't he have a real job before this one?

      Delete
  3. No questions are off the table. Any candidate who says that something is off-limits even to discuss, is not worthy of your vote. They are there to serve US, not staff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, lets start asking the really hard questions.

      But, lets also give some credit where it's due. Our city CFO (Byron Olson) in his document of January 28, 2014, "Long Range Financial Plans". (Remember, he's the guy who told the council and other staff that they needed to stop with the utility rate increases) wrote that we need to move from: "A staff driven budget process to a Council-driven budget process" one where the "council adopts policy direction and the staff implements the policies".

      Which is exactly the biggest problem: Why are we letting the tail wag the dog? And, why is that dog playing dead?

      The staff is always going to go for the easiest, least work, solution. Always. It's their job. People don't like to make more work for themselves. So, that's always going to be a given. But to have a lazy city council, too? That's the problem.

      There is entirely too much "this is what I think" and not enough "this is what I researched". It's like a man-on-the-street interview. What do I care what some schmuck thinks? I want to know WHY.

      We need to start talking (arguing, discussing, yelling, laughing, agreeing, the whole spectrum). Nothing is off-limits.

      What do we want? When do we want it?

      Delete
    2. Well said, Marolee.

      Delete
    3. Nicely said. Now, could you teach the publisher of portocall to write more like you?

      Delete
    4. Port O Call is always seeking new voices, new writers, send us what you have and one day the publisher may not have to write anything and just let the community write their own story...try it.

      Delete
  4. If the broom I'm buying isn't going to sweep clean, then why would I buy it in the first place?

    I'm so sick of the platitudes and promises, followed by, at best, benign neglect. Someone like Cherie Kidd is great with the right outfits and pretty words, but she hasn't a clue what she's doing. She does harm and doesn't even know it.

    On the other hand, a hack like Lee Whetham is clearly just in it for himself, and will do harm and not care, so long as HE isn't harmed.

    Meanwhile, we pay more taxes, have fewer jobs, our schools are failing, and we pay ever higher utility bills and carry a municipal debt burden that outpaces many much larger cities. All resulting from the actions of a few fools.

    Well, many fools, if you count the voters who put the council members in there in the first place. I don't know if that means we get what we deserve, but it sure shouldn't be any surprise what we get. As has been stated here before, garbage in, garbage out.

    So let's try and move the garbage out. OUT.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's a tough one, honestly, because like you said McKeen seems to be a nice guy, and competent, (and cheaper than the usual idiots)... IF PA was a different place I think he'd be a good city manager. My main beef with him is he isn't standing up for some of the idiocy that's going on, but he may not feel he has the power to do so, as the lone voice and all.

    My first inclination is to leave him be, focus on some of the people around him. (Like Bloor or the consultants, we shouldn't be paying for both.) If we change the culture I don't think he'd appear so bad. If we start making these people fear us the rest might fall in line.

    The bigger question is... Is the weak mayoral system really benefiting us, or would it be better to downgrade the city manager and beef up the city council.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh please, not beef up the city council we have. The enemy we know is better than the enemy we don't know.
      Lets fix what we can. You can't fix stupid, but you can vote them out.

      Delete
    2. That's why I'm suggesting that, at least to put it up for discussion. We the voters can't "fire" the city manager, or the staff, or anyone else who makes the decisions. We can fire the city council and the mayor, but at this point they're more figureheads. If we "fire" them we just "hire" someone who will be equally ineffective. Believe me, I'm as nervous as you of giving them more power, and probably more money... But I'm also trying to think of ways of weakening staff and getting more power in the hands of the voters. This may not be a way.

      Delete
    3. I know it is an outlandish concept, but if a lot of residents showed up and demanded specific changes, and kept showing up, kept demanding, things would change in a hurry. If a decent sized group of residents kept showing up, and disrupted the regularly scheduled clown show with chants for change, and didn't leave until desired results were achieved, this would change.

      We can't just keep doing the same things, and expect things to magically change one day in the way we want. Hasn't yet, and it really isn't likely to, in the future. Unless we change.

      Delete
    4. The only way to get through to the staff is wholesale change at city council. We're going to get two new faces on council this year. If Lee gets a jump to Port Commissioner then the council gets to appoint his replacement. Perhaps Pat Downey's family will kindly let him know he's making a damn fool of himself and he will step down--there's another new council member. If the current crop of candidates run on full scale firings of dead-wood staff, malicious staff, duplicitous staff, deceitful staff and two faced staff that should clean things up for a while. Naturally such a plan may go too far but going too far and shedding some good staff is so much better than keeping the current staff. Many of them are liars and sneaks and cheats. The candidate who positions him/herself in that vein gets my vote. I cannot bear another minute of this feeling of being shafted on a daily basis and PAYING FOR THE SHAFT.

      Delete
    5. "I cannot bear another minute of this feeling of being shafted on a daily basis and PAYING FOR THE SHAFT."

      Thank you for summing the situation up so simply, and so clearly. Port Angeles really does add insult to the injury.

      Delete
    6. Hell, I was thinking...maybe all we really need to get people out and talking is to have the police shoot a few unarmed people in the back. Seems to be working elsewhere.

      Delete
    7. Washington law does allow citizens to recall members of the local government. It begins with petition with 35% of the township's signatures. http://ballotpedia.org/Recall_campaigns_in_Washington.

      Delete
    8. It's pretty easy to express an opinion here but not so easy to step up and run for office in order to be the agent for change. Why haven't you all filed?

      Delete
    9. McKeen's salary and benefits comes to over $160,000. More than 41 state governors make. We can afford the best why not have the best?

      Delete
  6. McKeen might be a prince who knows. But, he's trying to deal with a couple of Kings and one very specially-abled Queen.

    Last nights city council meeting was a doozy. We had Ms.Scratchy-Voice (nails on a chalkboard) ramble on about her trip to Japan. "They take off their shoes!!" "They eat with chopsticks.." "They don't use napkins..." "They fed us French Toast for DINNER..."

    (Has this bumkin ever read a fu*king book? Gone to a sushi bar?)

    It was stunning. Made me remember how low the bar is around here for elected officials. Thankfully, she didn't bring slides to show us.

    Then there were rude outbursts.

    First Gase lashed out in anger at the PortOCall guy, then the dimwit deputy mayor did. I was instantly transported back to the playground. Not only was this uncalled for and childish, they talked amongst themselves (as if the audience of stunned civilians didn't matter, which I suspect we don't) and said things like "we're the ones elected" "we don't have to put up with that".

    All that was missing was "na-na-NA-na-na". It was disgusting.

    These two men (Downey and Gase?) should be humiliated for acting like rude children. They needed a good spanking. (I hardly believe they will apologize.)

    The city council could be more aptly named: mad old white men rambling with odd old white woman babbling, or, out of touch and without a map.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We need video of the meetings. LOTS and LOTS of video of the meetings. Posted online. And open for comments.

      Delete
    2. It WAS video taped! The woman who has been taping meetings all over lately was there. It should be up on youtube pretty soon, I'm guessing.

      Delete

    3. Here is "Part 1"

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPS3xq5BoYI

      Delete
    4. Coming soon (sometime today) video of the recent PA city council meeting on the Port O Call website
      www.portocallpublishing.com

      Delete
    5. thanks for the link. i so tried to listen to the mr.wilson part but i cannot stomach him. is he even sober?

      Delete
    6. @ Anon 6:00 After sitting through 5 hours of listening to the city blather on, it is amazing anybody is still awake! Sober?

      Of course, you weren't there. Easy for you to be critical of THE ONLY PERSON who stood up and challenged what craziness the city is doing.

      You can't "stomach" him? Yeah. What a jerk for sitting through hours of stupid crap, on behalf of bettering the community. What a despicable person for putting in so many hours every week, going to meetings to keep tabs on all the crazy things the so-called leaders in this town try to get away with.

      With people like you, it is no wonder this town has the troubles it has.

      Delete
  7. Anybody that has been to city council in the last year or so sees it is Craig Fulton who really runs the city, not McKeen. Like his predecessor, Glenn Cutler.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does anyone really run the city? Looks like a series of little fifedoms in the city, and a majority of ego-maniacal, self service dimwits voting yes to everything on the council.
      Clearly we're just the serfs and slaves.

      Delete
    2. Fulton is a class act. Too bad he is constrained by the likes of McKeen and a clown council.

      Delete
    3. He may be a "class act", but he is willing to tow the party line when needed. Which makes him little better than the rest of them.

      Delete
  8. Open Letter to Cheri Kidd:
    (not that she reads. Not that she reads PortAngeles Unearthed)
    The dish (stale bread soaked in egg and fried) dates back to the Romans.
    What we call "french toast" the rest of the world calls by a myriad of names -- eggy bread, gypsy toast, German toast, Spanish toast, the French call it pain perdu (lost bread). In fact every place in the world (that eats eggs and has stale bread) makes an eggy bread. And, most of the recipes are savory. Meaning, most of the world has it for dinner, with catsup, or with soy sauce, or with any number of interesting spicy and savory additions.
    In India and Korea it's "fast food" sold from street stalls.
    Hong Kong toast rates high on the lists of the world's food favorites.
    It's not strange, at all, unless you're an unworldly doofus.
    For you to find it so unusual, is just sad.
    Honestly, I'd stop prattling on about it, if I were you.
    I realize Ma and Pa Kettle are from 'round these parts, but I don't think that's something to draw attention to.
    You don't want people to think you just fell off the bumpkin truck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To a dim bulb like Cherie, it's a world full of wonders.

      But reversing that gaze, the entire world looks at Cherie and wonders...Wonders what's wrong with her, wonders why she talks like that, wonders how she got elected to anything, etc.

      Delete
    2. Yes, she really does act like she is newly hatched. "what's that?" "ooh lookie" "oh my"

      Delete
  9. It's embarrassing that our delegates go to another country and act like ugly Americans.I wonder how they came across to those hosting them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. clearly, they fulfilled the expectations of the "ugly American". But, don't worry the Japanese don't expect much of us, anyway.

      Delete
  10. So the city council that was recently asking us what vital services we would prefer to cut has just decided to go spend an additional 100k of our money on lighting at civic field for a total of $226k of our money towards a 50% matching grant that doesn't even have funding yet. And we're supposed to believe our state legislators are going to fund that grant when they can't even figure out how to fund education despite being held in contempt by the State Supreme Court.

    The last few weeks have given me a lot of purpose and direction. Downsize my belongings, clean up and fix up my house to sell it and get the f*ck out of here.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Like it's all that different anywhere else.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yall ain't gonna believe this shit. Phil Lusk, while presenting to the city council on the prospect of public access television on wave cable, warned the council against it for fear of someone seeking to preach neckid on tv. Check it out on port o call, the video of the discussion is on, go to 24:00 and listen to it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This just in, Dale Wilson calls bullshit on mic to Dan Gase when gase is bullshitting, it's on the video at 36:30, gase responds to it...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here is your periodic water situation update. The Elwha River is at 725 cubic feet per second, down from 735 two days ago. Dropping fast, in May. Normal flow for this date? 2,000 cfs.

    Dungeness is at 250 cfs. "Ankle deep" about half a mile up from the Strait. At 150 cfs, parts of the river dry up.

    Fire danger, according to DNR fire guys: High. And expected to be so through 'til fall.

    No one is asking the prime question: What is the plan for when the rivers go dry? Water trucks?

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'll have a detailed and thoughtful Q&A with City Council candidate Marolee Smith finished and up soon. Clearly she's given this all some thought - fueled by frustration. Stay tuned.

    And all you other candidates, drop me a line if you want to be heard here as well...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Notes on city council: Five cheap-jack members who leave slug-slime where ever they go, and when ever they stop, dogs piss on their leg. When they dare stroll on the beach cats try to cover them up while seagulls drop squishy shit-bombs at them. They know.
    How long, oh Lord, how long?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Attended the Community Drought meeting in Sequim last night. Lots of people showed up for that.

    Interesting point made by Brian Suslick, of the Wa Dept of Natural Resources. Clallam County is ranked the number one county vulnerable to catastrophic wild fires, and ranks number 11 of the 415 counties in the western United States.

    They said the situation was pretty bad, with predicted warm dry weather, and questionable water supplies.

    Oh boy! I can see why Port Angeles thinks it is " The Best Town Ever!".

    ReplyDelete