Friday, September 11, 2015

Too Hot to Handle (For Bateham and Barkhuis) AKA Premature Evacuation (Again!)

Aw, man...I still haven't even had time to write up the stand-in McEntire scandal in its entirety, and even more craziness is erupting in Port Angeles.

First and foremost (and as you saw here first), Cherie Kidd's halfhearted opponent in the City Council race, Dan Bateham, has withdrawn. His late withdrawal means his candidate information will remain in the voter's guide. All of which is a curious, curious repeat of what happened the last time Cherie ran, and Cody Blevins withdrew at the last minute, too late to be removed from the voter's guide.

Now, mind you, neither Cody "you might have heard of my grandfather" Blevins or Dan "shaky cam" Bateham were the strongest of candidates to begin with. But they both were pushed to run, and they both decided to drop out. Which could mean that whomever was pushing them to run doesn't push too hard after the initial paperwork is in, or, it could mean that Cherie, pathetic, clueless and desperate to be liked Cherie, simply made them both a better offer.

Meanwhile, speaking of crazy caving...Across the street at the County Courthouse, Selinda Barkhuis is finally surrendering...While also crying (wolf?) about an undisclosed (and life-threatening?) "medical condition" that will (supposedly) keep her sidelined until mid-October. I know that dealing with crooks and cretins like Jim Jones and Dim King Jim can make you sick, but not that sick. So this becomes just one more weird twist in the ongoing bizarre saga that is life in Clallam County.

Stay tuned for further developments, I'm sure...

47 comments:

  1. Selinda was always something of a loose canon and prone to go off at completely random moments. This is no surprise, really.

    Now Cherie Kidd can be Mayor again! Hooray!

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  2. And, we see again how and why Port Angeles and Clallam county remain as examples of the backwater dives where crony-ism rules.

    We have the community we create, and the government we allow.

    There is no one that will convince me that Dan was the best, most qualified candidate the area had to offer. No offense to Dan intended.

    But, everyone has a reason for not stepping forward. Everyone has a reason why they don't have the time to contribute to the community they live in.

    And so, we have the admittedly crappy community we live in.

    Yep! Representative democracy. This does represent the involvement and commitment of the local population.

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    Replies
    1. Apathy is well represented on the local level in Clallam County, whether by accident or design.

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  3. Wanna bet Selinda will have an opponent in the next election?

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  4. Great, just great...Now we can't even hope to get rid of Cherie this election...And, as the earlier poster pointed out, she'll probably get to be mayor again...Just perfect Port Angeles news for 9/11.

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    1. No hope for any change in any of the elections.

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    2. You can still vote for Dan and against Cherie. He just isn't running, doesn't mean he won't take office if elected.
      Perplexing Port Angeles....where things are always confusing.

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  5. I thought Selinda's position in this matter was based on WA State law, not whether her health was suffering. At the very least, she needed to maintain her position based on principle, not something personal. I don't get it. This does not make her look good.

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    Replies
    1. I think she stands by the legal argument but is saying she isn't willing to fight this issue herself anymore because of her health problems.

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    2. Due to her medical issue she won't be around to meet with Jones regarding budget requests from department heads.

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  6. The fix is in.

    Again.

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  7. On a side note, I couldn't help but notice Barb Frederick taking merchandise into a store in downtown Port Angeles. The windows of the store were covered in paper - apparently, this is the store that she intends to open and run? The location is on Laurel between Front and 1st street. Finally, she is doing something to fill up all the empty storefronts. But something tells me this storefront will be empty soon if she's running it. Does anyone know what she's planning to sell?

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    Replies
    1. Please see previous post that talked about the junk...er, junque...I mean, antique store Barb's family is setting her up in. Coming - and going - soon!

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  8. We just can't catch a break here, can we? The deadwood sticks around and around forever, ever on the search for opportunities to appoint or promote their brainless, spineless, morally bankrupt cohorts. Meanwhile, those with talent, skills, honesty or who at least offer the potential for something, someone different, move away, drop out or otherwise get taken off the menu.

    Which, really, is kind of what port Angeles is. It's a dingy little restaurant with nothing but leftovers on the menu.

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    Replies
    1. HEY! I'm still running for office. Sure it will be difficult -- as a lone 'new face' against the incumbents.

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    2. Considering that you won only two precincts, and then by a mere handful of votes, I suspect most people are not holding much hope for you.

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    3. Hey Marolee,

      The choice is between you and Meridith. Meridith may be a nice guy, but he is certainly not the intellect you are. That is easy to see. Meridith , if I remember right, is born and bred Port Angeles. You have traveled and lived in different countries, as well as other places in the US.

      Getting past who smiles nicer than the other, I think the choice is very clear.

      Good luck!

      (I know, voting our representatives into office shouldn't have ANYTHING to do with luck!)

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    4. Anon 7:06 said "Considering that you won only two precincts, and then by a mere handful of votes, I suspect most people are not holding much hope for you." What a ridiculous comment!

      If this made any sense, why are there general elections? The perceived winner in the primary got what ever votes they got, and that is that? Nothing changes from the primary to the general election?

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    5. Sept 12 7:58pm
      Thank you for the kind words.

      I don't consider myself an "intellect" -- I was one of those special-ed kids (learning disabilities) and don't have a college degree (8 units shy of my AA). So, that description caught me off-guard. ("MOI?")

      I really wonder if all elections shouldn't more aptly be called the "whim of the people". I think it's an interesting match (Meridith and myself).

      No matter which one of us is elected, you have a good person in the position, which is what really matters.

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    6. 7:06AM
      Don't know how up you are on history, but remember this?

      DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN

      The precincts carried in a primary have very little bearing on the general election. We'll have to see what happens.

      Just like last year's Super Bowl: It's not over, until it's over.

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  9. Someone on this blog asked why we "idiots" keep electing Cherie Kidd...

    ... because her opponent keeps dropping out and leaving her unopposed. A lot of our city council runs unopposed.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, but you can still vote in Dan and he'll accept.
      That would sure be a vote of no-confidence in the old guard.

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    2. Let me get this straight: Bateham dropped out of the race yet he'll accept the seat if he's voted in.

      This makes no sense at all, and the last person I'd want to have on the city council is someone who played this kind of weirdo game.

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    3. I completely agree with Anonymous 10:09 AM. This notion of "I won't run, but will consider serving" is loco. In my opinion it would be better to simply write someone in - or something. Say, "No choice, no voice, no confidence." Something like that.

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    4. And so, we have Cherie for another 4 years as a better option than somebody who doesn't like politics, but is willing to serve?

      And we wonder why.....

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    5. If he's so willing to serve - why did he drop out of the race?

      Dropping out of a race is not what leaders do and this speaks volumes about his character.

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    6. Maybe he had personal issues, or maybe he just couldn't deal with the nonsense.

      I don't think he's a bad guy. I wouldn't want to face that pinched face shrew with the scratchy-voice and holier-than-thou attitude, either. Maybe he has a sensitive stomach?

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  10. Off topic, but was just checking for the first time in awhile if another P.A. blog was still active or not and this was in the comments today (Sept. 11):

    "Blogger Tom Harper said...
    BBC: Nah. But thanks for asking.

    This blog served a purpose when I first started it -- October 2006. There weren't any other local political blogs or forums at the time. None of the local newspapers had websites, and you had to do 2 weeks of jumping through hoops if you wanted the PDN to print your letter (and often they still didn't).

    I was a member of the Downtown Association at the time (my wife was on the Board), and they used to complain about how closed off everything was, no way for anyone to express themselves public, etc. I thought they'd like the idea of a local blog where everybody could rant about whatever local topic they wanted. It turned out they hated the forum and wanted nothing to do with it (or me), and that's when I knew I was on to something.

    But with local papers all having websites with comment sections, Facebook pages, other blogs, etc. -- this site has pretty much fallen off the radar. This has been obvious for the last few years, but the number of page views (as shown on the Blogger Dashboard) keeps going steadily downward.

    For 2 or 3 weeks I kept trying to think of something to do a post about, and I just wasn't into it; so I finally figured it was time to let it go. I probably won't take the blog down, but I can't see myself doing any more posts.

    I'll still see you over at Demeur's site, and the blogs of a few other diehards who haven't thrown in the towel yet.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    2:14 PM, September 11, 2015"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fortunately, Peter Ripley's blog remains aktiff ... er, active.

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    2. Too bad. We need more conversation about what is going on, not less of it.

      Sept. 11. The day everyone threw in the towel.

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    3. CK, please, PLEASE don't let the trolls and lunatics that were Tom's only readers and posters migrate over here. We appreciate having a sensible and moderated blog.

      Thank you!

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    4. Harper giving up on his blog is no loss, other than to the few sad souls who occasionally posted their rants there. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

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    5. FYI...Unearthed continues to roll along very well, averaging hundreds of unique hits pretty much every day. (It does slow down a bit on Saturdays and holidays, which only makes sense.) And yes, I will continue to weed out the occasional trollish or bigoted comments submitted, as I see fit. Unearthed will never be heavily censored, but it will continually be nudged towards sensible...

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    6. Both Ripleys and that Scott Collins sites are a mass of jumbled text - completely unreadable and mostly cut and paste from other sites. Barely an original thought. Collins declares how he is number one but theres nowhere to comment or challenge any post.

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    7. Harper's blog did fill a need when it first started. Since the PDN website didn't allow comments at the time, it was essentially an unofficial comment page. It was one of the few places people could discuss this town. Over time though it really got off track, thanks in no small part to the trolls. There was no point in even trying to have a conversation there. I don't know if they went away or he finally started moderating better, but by the time the trolls stopped it was too late.

      There's been a few times when I thought this blog would turn into that. Obviously some of Harper's die-hards started posting here. I recognize the style. And we've had a few cases of "I disagree with you, therefore you must be (insert local politician here)". But generally this blog seems to be better moderated, or avoiding the trolls somehow. So, thank you CK for that.

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    8. Thank you for the kind words, Pat. I mean, I do KNOW that you're really Pat Downie, no matter how "anonymous" you may try to be.

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    9. If you ever read any of Tom Harper's stuff these last several years, you'd know he didn't just allow trolls, he was one. Admittedly, he wasn't quite as fractured as Peter Ripley or Scott T. Collins, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement of his often strange and paranoid views.

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  11. Now is a good time for someone to step up and run as a write in candidate against Cherie Kidd. Now it the time. No better time. It's ripe. Do or die, call Shoona Riggs' office and sign up. You could be mayor...

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    Replies
    1. Or, write in Ripely. Peter won't care; he views spelling like horseshoes - close counts.

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  12. Allyson Ruppenthal, state deputy director of elections, said that if Bateham were to receive more votes than Kidd, he could take office even though he renounced his candidacy.

    Bateham said that's exactly what he would do.

    “If people voted me in because they wanted change for whatever reason, I would take office and do the best of my ability for the people of the city,” Bateham said.

    “I'm not a politician, I hate politics, but I care about the people in the city.”

    Source PDN

    VOTE FOR BATEHAM!!!

    come on folks...lets have some fun with this.

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    Replies
    1. Actually, I think this is a great idea! We should make up signs to be placed around town, surreptitiously if required/desired, "Dump Cherie, vote Bateham", or "We've had enough of Cherie, vote Bateham". Or stuff along those lines.

      Why not?

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  13. Elect Dan, he's our man...

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  14. I smell a "Hostile Work Place" suit coming

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  15. But the County Commissioners are telling us the economy is on the "rebound". "I think it has turned the corner".

    Yes, building more soup kitchens for the Salvation Army certainly points to turning a corner.



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    1. More empty rhetoric from our local neo-cons. If I had a nickle every time a Bush-era Republican said the economy had "turned the corner" I'd... Well I could afford to move out of this dump!

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