If you have documents related to the above, feel free to email them to me, and I'll do my best to insert them into the conversation. Needless to say, links to articles or information are welcome.
This should be a great segue into tomorrow's City Council meeting, with the issues of thieving employees and ethically challenged deputy mayors bubbling right along. It doubtlessly will be an interesting meeting, eh?
But if you can't wait for this week's episode, then feel free to revisit the last one. The link below will take you to Cherie Kidd's finest hour. The video is now just shy of 750 views.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKOKjLqhBsM
There have been 750 views of the last City Council meeting? Shouldn't there be at least 750 signatures on the petition, if not many more . . . if we follow your premise that ethics laws have been violated? I suspect the numbers are far apart. But of course that won't be addressed on this blog. Just 24/7 doom and gloom. All in . . . one dimensional.
ReplyDeleteOne-dimensional?
DeleteAnon 1:50PM, why begin by trolling? The issue of ethics violations is a rather narrow subset of the public call to step down. One does not equate to the other. It is common knowledge that precious few people actually know the ethics code (and it seems those precious few are not running the Council at present). But that code nevertheless applies to the situation, and ought to be enforced.
DeleteAs does public opinion generally apply (as it always does), but one's opinions may or may not result in any specific person's signature.
Your assertion that the number of signors on the petition to step down ought to equal the YT views is not only completely devoid of any logic, but a rather meaningless claim.
What is clearly going on is that more citizens do appear to be joining in and attempting to call out, and possibly stop to some degree, the reprehensible corruption.
You don't have to do anything about it if you don't wish to, and you can even vote again for the perpetrators if you wish. What is important is the overall effort, on both political and legal fronts, to clean up some of it. That, 1:50pm, is nothing short of honorable. Doing good is not even close to "one dimensional."
The real question is, what will YOU do about the extensive corruption? I've been doing some records research for others, to help their efforts. I ask you again: what would YOU like to do to help?
At Anon 1:50: Ummm, which petition are you referencing? Do you know how many signatures HAVE been collected? In fact, do you know how easy it has been to collect the signatures to throw all 7 out, and change the form of government?
DeleteIf you've been awake and aware for the last number of years, you will know that what the so-called leadership in this town has been doing, has been beyond pathetic.
I don't care whether you see yourself as a "Liberal", a "Conservative" or are completely non-political, the performance of these people is reprehensible. And detrimental to our common good.
Not the council, but the same ilk, we see the recent air service debacle. What kind of responsible managers "hired" Seaport, a company that went belly up before they could even show up for work? This is how our tax dollars are managed?
How about the now famous survey of last Fall? The excuse by council supporters is that it was "flawed". We DO remember that the survey now claimed as "flawed", was created, approved, funded and promoted by the council? How stupid are these people, to promote something they so easily now dismiss as "flawed"?
Read the ethics guidelines, watch the last meeting video, and know that Cherie Kidd and other council members have violated them. We, as the public, may be excused for not knowing the Ethics guidelines, but the council members are obligated to know them.
More the point, it is clear these four council members are ignoring the public they sought votes from to gain their positions. They have lost credibility, have dishonored the city, and have to step down.
Correction: I meant the petition to legally reclassify the city to a Ch. 35 city.
Delete"Step Down" for the good of the town is a separate cause. Nice signs BTW.
Yes. The there are two efforts underway.
DeleteOne is the petition to call an election to have a vote on reclassifying the city. From what I've been told, all 7 council members get dismissed, and then we get to have another election where we vote back the three, along with 4 new people to replace Kidd, Gase, Collins and Downie.(If I've misrepresented this, some one who knows better, please correct me)
The "Step Down Now" effort holds the Four accountable, now. It is not centered around the fluoride issues, but on the four council member's Anti-American actions and insults to the public. Those petitions haven't been circulated yet, as the council continues to demonstrate it's lack of respect for their constituents, and are adding to the ranks of those who have had enough, daily. There are plenty of people who are mad at the city for a wide variety of reasons, who are asking what they can do to help.
The people and council members are facing a choice on how to proceed in the next couple of months. The "Change Government" effort is already out and collecting signatures with great success. The Port Angeles council members now have a choice to stand their ground, ignore the turmoil to the community they have created, and force the people into the "Change the Government" scenario. This will require thousands of dollars in elections, campaigns, etc, and disrupt the city for many months, and most likely a year or more, depending on election dates.
Or, "For the good of Port Angeles", the four can acknowledge the upset in the community, demonstrate they actually do care about the town, and step down. This would negate the need to proceed with the "Change the Government" effort. The four council members could do the one thing that will allow the town to move past all the current turmoil, right now.
No one else in the community has the power to help the community to move forward, or to make sure all the efforts to remove them, escalate, than these four council members.
We're watching and waiting. At this next council meeting, we will see whether we escalate, or not.
Do we really need to see how bad things can get?
Aren't things bad enough, already?
Just to clarify, the reclassification of the legal class of the city, and concurrent reorganization of the Ch.35A plan of government to a Ch.35 plan (even if it is called the same thing, "Council-Mayor"), become effective by law upon the election of the new city officers.
DeleteLet's also look into the creation of a Charter Code city where we design our own charter to run the city much like the charter used to run the county. Keeps referendum and initiative and gives the citizens much more influence on the running of the city.
ReplyDeleteGetting Kidd and crew to step down now doesn't mean the people can't vote to reclassify the city, afterwards. Unless I'm wrong, it may be faster and easier with a council that knows it has to listen to/implement the wishes of the public.
DeleteExcellent point. Regardless of whether the F4 step down, voters would be wise to continue with the petition to reclassify the city.
DeleteThe very first thing a new council should do is "stop the bleeding" & actually take a close look at where OUR money goes, rather than talk about money as some etherial thing to simply be blown about by the wind from their mouths?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Pat Downie will be able to make it in tonight?
ReplyDeleteCity Council tonight was interesting. None of the drama of the previous meeting. But, in the end, the four made it very clear, they are not interested in changing anything they've done or said. They were as defiant as could be, even when it was stated that "doubling down" meant a "civil war" in Port Angeles.
ReplyDeleteBut, if people thought nothing had changed, they would be wrong. There were no signs posted saying signs were not allowed.
There were no interruptions during public comment time.
There were no admonishments about being civil.
There were no admonishments about the audience clapping in support of speakers.
The council saw their efforts to silence people was a wrong approach.
BUT. The four made no apologies, either. And, are carrying forward with their agendas.
Nixon said "I'm not a crook", too. And stepped down from the presidency of the US a few weeks later.
Thanks for the report. It sure sounds like someone was at least tugging on the leashes for the Fluoride Four, keeping them from barking too much. Which, as you say, is good, but certainly not enough to make this whole situation go away.
DeleteI wonder if someone had a private word with Cherie to let her know how inappropriate and what an embarrassment she has been?
DeleteOf course there is nothing in the PDN this morning.
I looked at the PDN site, and am amazed!
DeleteHistoric things are happening in Port Angeles, and the PDN seems to be doing every thing it can to make sure the general public are not informed.
If some one was to read the paper, they would not have a clue of the myriad of problems surfacing almost daily, in Port Angeles.
In various places and circumstances, I've run into a number of people who moved to Port Angeles in the last year or so. They ALL are getting actively involved, and cannot believe what the current council majority is doing. All have a negative impression of the council majority, and are not happy with what is going on in Port Angeles.
Maybe we'll see them here.
At least Bruch publicly pled with the F4 to think outside their little box, but in reply Gase was the most prominent in expressing abject contempt for any such thoughts.
DeleteMaybe he really meant contempt for any & all mental exercise?
Thinking is for lesser beings, for simpletons. Pudgy Dan Gase is a man of ACTION!
DeleteAt yesterday's PABA meeting, Bill Bloor stated that the much repeated comment that a change in government type will remove all 7 council members is completely false. No elected person's term will be shortened, and it can't even start until 2018, AFTER 3 of the four's terms have ended. I don't know what to believe, except that they should do the right thing and step down for the good of the city.
ReplyDeleteBloor is a trained seal. If they told him to appear at city council with a beach ball on his nose he would do it. Where else will a guy like him land a $165,000 per year job?
ReplyDeleteThere was a GREAT letter in the PDN today supporting "Step Down". Really called it right. If I had a scanner, I'd post a copy.
ReplyDeleteI saw it at a friends house, as I won't give the PDN any money. No subscription, no buying it off the racks. They are an embarrassment, too.
Yesterday County Commissioner Mike Chapman asked for a hearing to fluoridate entire county water supply.
ReplyDeleteSeems those who know "what lurks beneath" at both city hall and county are still not talking?
ReplyDelete