Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The More You Struggle, the Worse (and More Expensive) It Will Be For You ***UPDATED!***

Were I personally facing criminal charges - you know, the kind that could land you in prison - I'd certainly hire a lawyer to represent me, and help me navigate a court case. I think most people would do the same, or at least understand the impulse to do so.

What's less - much less - understandable is for Doughy Dan Gase to have hired a lawyer to deal with an in-house ethics complaint. Said complaint potentially being embarrassing or awkward for him, yes, but something that cannot result in him doing time or anything approaching a "real world" consequence. It's a bureaucratic matter, really.

Doughy Dan Gase in full Pat Downie drag.
Dan may represent you, the people, but he has a lawyer
representing him, the representative.

But I guess that Doughy Dan's ego is so fragile he felt it needed some propping up, or...Something? And, having shown the way to his fellow traveler, Cherie Kidd, she, not being much of a thinker or leader, said "Me too!" Or...Something? (I'm guessing that City Attorney Bill Bloor, himself the subject of an ethics complaint, jumped and lawyered up first, thereby giving the idea to his Council minions.)

If anything, this plays right into the hands of those filing what may be an endless series of ethics complaints. Obviously, the shameless members of the Fluoride Four cannot be shamed into being more responsive and courteous. This may be because most of them (no names, please) are too dim and insecure to realize and/or admit that they are in the wrong. So they've been content to play chicken with the public trust and their own time, letting this whole thing drag on and on, like children having a tantrum.

Ah, but if they're going to actually pay for lawyers to deal with these things...Well, then, that's a different context entirely. For one thing, their lawyer(s) will, hopefully, be a little more used to behaving like a rational human being, and a little less like a spoiled kid threatening to hold their breath "until they die." Whaaa!

Also, their lawyer(s) will, as you astute readers will already know, cost real world money. As in, no free and terrible Bill Bloor advice is this. No, this decision affects the pocketbooks of the Council members themselves, and, I can't help but believe, they will be much more concerned about their own budgets than they have been about the City's. And if they intend to use lawyers (as a "general precaution" says Dan Gase, generally) for each and every ethics complaint, and if they don't settle said complaints in a reasonable fashion, then I'd say this only gives the citizens of Port Angeles even more of a reason to be eagle-eyed and file complaint after complaint. Ca-ching!

Elected representatives need lawyers for flotation devices.

Which is to say...It hasn't proved possible to drive the Fluoride Four out of office from the shame of (among many, many other things) burying the City under a mountain of debt. But, if the members of the Fluoride Four want to create a situation in which they can bury themselves under a mountain of legal bills...Well, that might make them see the exit signs a little more clearly. (Certainly this latest move helps us all see a little more clearly just how insecure these fools are, and how bad they are at strategy.)

And so, let the games begin! The public can play for free! But now, it seems, City Council members have to pay to play. So make 'em pay, folks.

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UPDATE!

Sadly, the "You" referred to in the headline up above turns out to literally be YOU. As in, you the taxpayer. As in, the City says it will pay for lawyers to "defend" the Fluoride Four. They just pile outrage on top of outrage, don't they?

If Dan McKeen had an ounce of spine, conscience and/or sense of ethical behavior, he'd resign in protest.

ALSO PLEASE NOTE: The PDN's story on this, by Paul Gottlieb, which I just reread to make sure, doesn't mention that the City will be paying for the lawyers. In fact, it very much tries to give the impression that a lawyer was retained "by" Gase and Kidd - not by the City. Once again, as has been discussed here recently, Paul Gottlieb knowingly distorts the facts and obscures the truth in an effort to protect those in City Hall.

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Meanwhile, I just have to say, on a different topic entirely...Bob Martin is an out-of-date idiot, and any County Commissioner who takes his advice...Is taking advice from an idiot.

50 comments:

  1. Bob Martin, the county's director of public works is on his way out the door. Before retiring he wants to imitate Glen Cutler, outgoing director of Port Angeles Public Works in that Martin wants to end his career on one big expensive project before he leaves county employ--Carlsborg Sewer. Not unlike Cutler and his $50 million sewer project, the Carlsborg Sewer project is ill advised, unnecessary, dangerous to the Dungeness River and cost prohibitive. Who is going to pay $8,000 to hook up to a sewer line when they already have a septic system. Who is going to buy or sell property when the new owners must hook up to the sewer system AND surrender their water rights in doing so. This is crazy and any of the county commissioners who go along with this are padding somebody's pocket. Chapman wants to use your tax money to purchase him a new job at the end of his term. Tharinger thinks this project will put him in the Senate and he is using his new pawn, newly elected Commissioner Mark Ozias to shove this sewer project down our throats. Pay no attention to Chapman's histrionics, this is all play-acting to suggest he is looking out for the taxpayers.
    Chapman is looking out for Chapman full stop.

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    1. Yes indeed.

      Chapman holds a public hissy fit. "Why'd you do this to me - I mean the taxpayers - Bob?"

      Bob Martin goes away for a few minutes, and comes back with some miraculously reduced figures.

      Mike Chapman, in full-on bipolar mode, gets to say he's "sorry" and that he's "done his job."

      And somewhere down the road, probably when Chapman is out of office (if that ever really happens), Bob Martin will come back before the Commissioners with some "unfortunate cost overruns." Ones that, we here today, are officially predicting.

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    2. I think and hope that Steve Tharinger will have a difficult time climbing further up the ladder. He's barely scraped by in previous elections because of the wide margin of support in Port Townsend. That's been enough to offset his losing his own home county, but if he tries to take on a bigger chunk, well, that only dilutes the Port Townsend vote more. Plus he hasn't built up much goodwill that I can see. Plus he's getting pretty long in the tooth. A solid primary opponent would knock him out for good.

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  2. These morons in city hall have had their hands in our wallets for years, through fees, utility rates, taxes, etc. Now it looks like we the people might have a direct line into THEIR wallets.

    This could be fun...

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  3. So ethically charged council Gase and Kidd hired a lawyer from near Seattle. Aren't these they same two that always bang the drum of "Shop local" and "Support your local businesses". I guess thats a perfect example of do as I say not as I do.

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    1. Like they hired him. No, I'm 100% certain it was Bloor who hired him.

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  4. Are you sure that Gase & Kidd will personally pay their lawyers? The safer bet is that the City will pay their bills.

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  5. I guess Gase feels his ego is worth defending. Probably has to do with him being a realtor. You know, his reputation and all that. Who'd buy a house from a pompous sleazeball like Dan Gase?

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    1. Pasty Gase can't be a very good real estate agent. He, clearly, has an sub-human I.Q. At best, he can (with help) fill out the massive amounts of paperwork.

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  6. Has anybody run through the scenarios of what happens, eventually, after an Ethic Violation complaint has been filed?

    As you say, no one is going to do time.

    The only thing I can see that is at stake is the reputations of the people accused of violating the city's ethics charter. And, those people are easily now seen for who they really are, on the now publicly available videos.

    People will know Cherie to be a total loon, regardless of what she, her lawyers, or the findings of the ethics review process are. We all will be able to put up that video on our TV screens, around the world, and sit in shock watching her meltdown and hammer away with her gavel. Maybe that video can be sent around to universities, colleges and other schools where civics and political science classes are taught. So people learning how to play nice with other people can see what NOT to do.

    And, as they lawyer up, they only look worse.

    What have they done that is so serious as to warrant raising it all up to that level of scrutiny? What doors may be opened, if it all "goes to court"? Can the outcomes be subtle, once the lawyers get involved?

    So, they look even worse. Kinds like Nixon did when he was accused, and stood before the nation saying "I'm not a crook". Not very presidential, to say the least. It didn't matter at that point if he actually was guilty of anything, presidents of the United States don't talk like that. He was on his way out of office, at that point.

    And so it will be here.



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    1. The worst that the city ethics code can "do" is relieve Cherie of her "deputy dog mayor" status. And, it could help with a recall effort (to streamline it) if they are found guilty.
      The issue is that all spineless Gase did was walk out of a meeting like Cherie's lapdog (guilt by slobbering and scratching).
      Downie can always use the "I'm a sick old man" excuse and be severely scolded for violating First Amendment Rights of Free Speech. However, last night he was quite smart,and voted against the F-4's block vote. So, maybe he isn't clueless.
      Cherie is the unhinged old woman who couldn't reason her way out of a paper bag. For loving this town so much (as she professes at every opportunity in her forced "bubbly", nails-on-chalkboard voice) she clearly does NOT love this country. She no more understands the US Constitution than she understand quantum physics. (Her addled brain can't even grasp the basics of Roberts Rules of Order, but she has been trained to "second" anything that Gase, Downie or Collins say. NO big deal, my dog will speak if I offer a treat, too.)
      The real issue is Bloor. He's the bad actor. He has been pulling strings, and writing crappy contracts for years, now. That ethics complaint should STAY. He should be charged with every wrongdoing that he has done -- dating back to Rogers and crew.

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  7. CK, take a look at Code Chapter 2.64, esp. 030 & 040.

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    1. 2.64.020 - Legal representation.

          



      A.

      As a condition of service or employment with the City of Port Angeles, the City shall provide to an official or employee, subject to the conditions and requirements of this chapter, and notwithstanding the fact that such official or employee may have concluded service or employment with the City, such legal representations as may be reasonably necessary to defend a claim or law suit filed against such official or employee resulting from any conduct, act, or omission of such official or employee performed or omitted on behalf of the City in their capacity as a City official or employee, which act or omission is within the scope of their service or employment with the City.

      B.

      Except as may be provided in any applicable policy of municipal insurance, such legal representation shall be provided by the City Attorney or by an attorney designated by the City Attorney.

      (Ord. 2196 § 2, 2/15/1982)

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    2. "defend a claim or lawsuit"
      Neither Gase nor Kidd have been named in any "claim or lawsuit" so they do not get city funded representation for being unethical slobs.
      Got it now?

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    3. If ethics complaints can arguably be construed as "claims", the next question would be whether legal representation may be "reasonably necessary to defend a claim".
      If I ruled the world (or at least city hall), I would deem it unreasonable for the city to provide legal representation for Gase & Kidd in these circumstances. Then they decide whether to spend their own money on lawyers to help them appeal the denial of representation.
      Poetic justice?

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  8. I wonder if Bill Bloor will farm his defense work out to the same Seattle law firm he farms most of the city's work out to - while collecting a six-figure salary to do so. That in and of itself is an ethical offense. This guy isn't a lawyer; he's a loser. A very expensive one at that.

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  9. This just in, city taxpayers will be paying the attorney fees for the council members' defense of ethics charges.

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    1. Recall, recall, recall.

      Charging citizens to pay for lawyers to "defend" them from complaints - complaints, not criminal charges - brought by citizens. This in and of itself is unethical. This is a form of threat, of blackmail: "If you complain about us it will cost YOU!"

      Recall, recall, recall. These people are disgusting.

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    2. You aren't surprised, are you? This is just more of the same kinds of things these people have been doing for years now.

      Get them outta there!

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    3. You're right. These people are disgusting.

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    4. If Gase and Kidd lawyered up on their own, we would pay for it anyway. The expense arises strictly from their jobs as council members. State law (RCW 35A.12.070) requires the city to reimburse them for their reasonable and necessary expenses on the job. Being as how the complainants saw fit to turn this from a knife fight to a gun fight -- by tossing a lawyer into it -- it's equitable and therefore reasonable for Gase and Kidd to lawyer up too. If they do not have the legal expertise to deal with a lawyer (Q.E.D.) it becomes necessary. You can expect Bill Bloor gets to hire a lawyer at city expense too.

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    5. @10:22, thank you for lifting up the last rock...now put in the final puzzle piece, by asking why ANY official here would need the highest-priced legal defense at taxpayer cost.

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  10. And why am I not surprised we the taxpayers will be footing the legal bills for the morons that have Ethics Violation complaints foiled against them?

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  11. Kidd & Gase's personal lawyer Kenyon -
    http://goldbarreporter.org/category/massive-racketeering-cancer-that-washington-state-bar-board-of-governor-and-number-snohomish-county-criminal-g-geoffrey-gibbs-and-michael-kenyon-have-perpetrated-upon-our-community-all-in-an-effort-t/

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    1. I just took a quick look at this, and the complaint it references...I'm no lawyer, but...I saw little wheat, and lots of chaff...Other, wiser people, feel free to chime in.

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    2. You folks need to do some research to comprehend just who your councilmembers have chosen to associate with.

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    3. @ Anon 8:11

      You feel like helping us all out, and telling us what you're referencing?

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    4. What he's trying to say is our two sleaze ball council members hired a sleaze ball attorney who is experienced at defending sleaze ball council members in a town called Gold Bar. There they are stealing money from the water fund and this attorney is receiving gobs of money for defending them so they can continue to steal from the city's water fund. Got it now?

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    5. A Blog, much like Unearthed regarding Goldbar:

      (background: Michael Kenyon is the Gase/Kidd new hired gun. Gold Bar WA: Gold Bar is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,075 at the 2010 census. In 2012 the town faced disincorporation to avoid bankruptcy.)

      "The Washington State Auditor’s Office cited the City of Gold Bar for misappropriation of public funds for the 4th year in a row. Since 2009, the City of Gold Bar’s public officials, including Crystal Hill Pennington ( a.k.a Berg, convicted of bank fraud in 2005), Joe Beavers, and now Linda ” High as a Kite” Loen have been stealing from the City’s water funds to pay attorney Michael Kenyon ( Kenyon Disend) to continue covering up computer crimes committed by disgraced former Snohomish County Department of Emergency political appointee John E. Pennington."

      "One onlooker described new Gold Bar Councilmember Kendall Wallace’s face as ” as white as a ghost” as residents crowded city hall on Tuesday demanding answers as to why the City of Gold Bar is now facing a water rate increase of 271%."

      ..."a Recall Petition is being drafted against Linda Loen, and Florence Davi Martin ( who also voted to misappropriate public funds to continue funding the criminal racketeering crimes committed by attorney Michael Kenyon and John E. Pennington). We are awaiting the Washington State Auditor records for much needed evidence to make sure the Recall against Linda Loen sticks."

      "G. Geoffrey Gibbs, attorney Michael Kenyon, Sandra Sullivan ( aka Meadowcraft), Joe Beavers, Crystal Hill Pennington and John E. Pennington are amongst several criminal racketeers’ being sued in United States Federal District Court."

      Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=goldbar+wa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

      p.s. note the Sky Valley Reporter (newspaper) is about as lax as the PDN when it comes to covering the news (they cite it costs too much money to do public records requests). The city DID have their mayor resign, and a new one was appointed last night. Yay Gold Bar. Yay a lawsuit against the attorney that Cherie and Danny hired. Kenyon is a hired gun who always sides with towns and their elected ilk, who do bad things. Or so it seems. So it seems.

      I'd say that by hiring him -- Cherie and Danny might as well admit guilt with a big ugly billboard at the gateway to town.

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    6. "I'd say that by hiring him -- Cherie and Danny might as well admit guilt with a big ugly billboard at the gateway to town."

      Well, you don't go about hiring a thug to protect you, unless you need one.

      As they say "You're judged by the company you keep".

      That says it all.

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    7. Another clue to Kenyon's Pennington connection:
      http://snocoreporter.com/questions-mark-mcdermotts-death/

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  12. Harvard clinical psychologist and author of The Sociopath Next Door, Dr. Martha Stout was asked if politicians are more likely to be sociopaths, she answered:

    “Yes, politicians are more likely than people in the general population to be sociopaths. I think you would find no expert in the field of sociopathy/psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder who would dispute this… That a small minority of human beings literally have no conscience was, and is, a bitter pill for our society to swallow – but it does explain a great many things, shamelessly deceitful political behavior being one.”

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  13. Note to Bloor: You will face yet another ethics charge if you try to lay off Gase & Kidd's legal bills on the city taxpayers. I too have a lawyer and he says you are waaaaaaay off base on that one. Mr. McKeen, please save the city another black eye and call Bloor to heel. I can't believe you are paying him so much for such bad advice.

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    1. Bloor deserves his moniker: Bullfrog of Bullshit. Notice how quiet he was last night with the other attorney in attendance schooling the council kids on how city councils are supposed to work.
      He said that all the cities and towns in WA state use Roberts Rules of Order, some more stringently than others, however, they (or some other parliamentary system like them) are required for meetings to run smoothly.
      BOB was oddly silent, and meeker than his usually Milquetoast persona.

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  14. Tonight at city council a gentleman who sponsors the local fishing tournament for kids out at Lincoln Park requested the city continue its long standing support for the fishing derby and fork over $400 so they could buy fishing rods for those that don't own them. dan gase, cherie kidd and brad collins spent 20 minutes arguing against the city granting $400 for a kids fishing tournament. kept arguing it was not in the budget. this is the same day kidd and gase asked the city to spring for their attorney fees for representation at their ethics hearings. such representation would be in excess of $400 PER HOUR which includes driving time. they hired lawyers from the seattle area. So they requested tens of thousansds in attorney fees but couldn't find $400 in their hearts for a kids fishing tourney. please help us rid this fine city of these misguided (?) you fill in the blank

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    1. Thanks for the report on this amazing contrast. Why don't those LAZY kids get off their asses and take care of their own business like those hard-working City Council members? Do as we say, not as we do, kids!

      Sorry, but...FUCKING AMAZING. Forget ethics complaints - I wanna file charges with the morals department.

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    2. They must be happy, now that they have cleared the deck of all those people that stood in line to speak, and that brought sighs to *their* meetings.

      Let's see what new laws they pass, in order to wipe out any signs of dissent and opposition to what they are doing.

      Hey! This has a familiar ring to it!

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    3. According to Port O Call, Pat Downie broke away on this vote and voted for $400 for the fishing derby which resulted in a 4-3 approval

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  15. The argument they used (as did hecklers in the audience) was that the EDC got $1500. which was against the budget set, too. Meredith pointed out that they broke the budget by funding the Humane Society. The arguments were clear, concise, the audience in attendance (not as large as in previous meetings, but much larger than "typical" for council meetings for the last several decades) was right with them, applauding after good arguments by Sissi, Mike and Lee, and grumbling after Dan, Brad and Cherie made their feeble argument "but we set a budget". Even the city manager threw over some "hints"...(i.e. I'm sure we could find it in a budget, and we will do what the council directs us to do).
    It went to vote, and the Mayor's vote was inaudible, so the clerk asked for a show of hands. I thought that Mike and Lee's jaws would fall all the way to the floor when Downie, only a little reluctantly, put his hand high in the air for the FOR votes.
    This is historic. The F-Four did NOT vote as a block. Something that was brought up by a concerned council member had debate, good debate. The audience listened. There was a vote, and the council DIRECTED THE STAFF to find $400 in their budget for the kids and fishing.
    This is historic. Too soon to tell if this is actually the turning of the tides, but, one can hope.

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  16. Collins, Gase and Kidd thought we should all dig in our pockets.
    One speaker hit it on the head to express the basic thought: there is a huge difference between a town honoring the kids, and people feeling sorry for them and passing around a hat.

    Meredith didn't go so far as to say it, but the message he gave was clear. We gave money to the Humane Society -- the city would be sending the message, if the city doesn't sponsor this, is that dogs are more important than the future generations of the town.
    A few in the audience suggested "take the money from the EDC".
    Because, Cherie was the one who pushed for that (so she could get more help for her hubby's company, and Collins could stay on the board, right?)
    Gase -- there is no accounting for why he does anything. He's just not that bright. Not a leader, that's for sure. Pencil pusher extraordinaire.

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  17. It just gets worse and worse.

    "Telling the truth about one of the worst places on Earth.."

    And they wonder why Sequim sets sales records, while Port Angeles streets and businesses are empty, day after day.

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    1. Port Angeles will soon be totally extraneous to the business of Clallam County...There'll be more on that topic here soon.

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    2. Since Haggens announced last week that it would close the store in PA there's been a revival of that old saw "Wouldn't it be great if Trader Joe's came to PA? Gosh, they could take the vacant Haggens site!"

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    3. Port Angeles is SO far outside the demographic range of what Trader Joe's looks for in a community, it's not even funny...And it sure as hell isn't a possibility.

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    4. Again, this points to how clueless the leadership here is. They keep proposing things the demographics will never support. Any person with half a brain knows this.

      And, the local leadership should know this well, as that was actively discussed about 10 years ago when the first Big Box stores were proposed for Sequim. The demographic studies were done to show the Sequim Big Box stores were situated to suck up the "consumers dollars" for a radius including Port Angeles.

      With the Sequim Consuming Center now firmly established, NOTHING of consequence will locate in Port Angeles.

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    5. If Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or PCC has any interest in being on the Peninsula, they'll build a store in prosperous, growing, money-flush Sequim, not run down, desolate, depressing Port Angeles.

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  18. Never forget:

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

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    1. And speaking of videos and movies...Heads up, everyone. The documentary about Esprit is starting to make the rounds of film festivals. It's called "The Pearl." There's no info online right now, but it's coming soon...Well, to towns with movie theaters.

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  19. The following article topic isn't relevant to the thread, but I wanted to share as an example of the PDN being behind on the news AS ALWAYS. I thought I had seen something about a high speed chase and police cars getting damaged on kiro tv this morning but when I went to the PDN there was nothing about it. At least KONP picked it up.

    http://www.konp.com/local/11459

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    1. Ah! The article is now in Friday's paper - as always a day later than any other news source.

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