Two Words of Truth: She Lied!

Given how truth-averse the Peninsula Daily News is, it's very gratifying to see some actual truth-telling in print in Clallam County. With that in mind, here's a quick word to say "Well done!" to the Port O Call for their May cover. It shows a picture of Cherie Kidd, hand raised to be sworn in, to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help her...Only then she lied. The headline for the piece makes that clear. It says: SHE LIED!

Extra points are given for the use of the exclamation point. And I am sure I'm not the only one who loves the idea of that picture and that headline going in to homes all over Port Angeles. (Lee Whetham, for one, is probably going to be smiling for a week over this.)



Lying under oath isn't just illegal; it isn't just shameful. It's also petty, foolish and totally counterproductive. Kind of like Cherie Kidd's entire "body of work" as a City Council member. She's a hypocrite and a moron, and while she lies, the town dies. It's that simple. She aids and abets the goons and crooks who are sucking the very life out of Port Angeles, but she's more concerned with protecting her "good name."

Cherie, your reputation is a joke. You have no good name. But the Port O Call has done some good work. So good for them, and (continued) shame on you.

Free - Yes, FREE - Legal Advice

Unsurprisingly, the City of Port Angeles is now seeking a new trial to try and claw back the $1.5 million in damages that was awarded to Yvonne Ziomkowski.

Here's Bill Bloor's explanation for it:

City Attorney Bill Bloor said the decision to seek a new trial was made by the Washington Cities Insurance Authority, a municipal risk pool, without objection by the City. "It's a fairly routine matter," he said.

 

Oh yes, yes it is, Bill. It is a routine matter for the City to receive the bulk of their legal advice from outside sources, since you farm out pretty much everything except sitting in the chair in your office to other firms, other sources, all of which costs the City big money. Yet you still draw your wildly inflated salary for being "an attorney."

But you don't even play one on TV - not yet, anyway. (Hello, PAPA!)



So here's some FREE legal advice to the City: If you really want to recover $1.5 million dollars, why not take back Bloor's salary for the last seven or eight years of his worthless service?

"Great Things Will Come From This" - But HOW???

Another day, another Upbeat Announcement! from the pixie-like Bob Larsen, CEO of the Composite Recycling Technology Center. Brought to us, naturally, courtesy of the detail-deficient PDN.

What are you rolling out for us today, Bob?

The nonprofit center is garnering international attention, and the ribbon-cutting is expected to attract 40 or 50 high-profile guests, Bob Larsen, CEO of the composites center, told the Port of Port Angeles Commissioners during a work session Monday morning.

What international attention? Who are these guests going to be? What fields do they come from?

No answers are provided.

"Great things will come from this," said Larsen.

Like what, Bob? Could you be more specific? No, no he can't, apparently.

Would you buy pixie dust from this man?



A ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening is tentatively scheduled for August 5th, and the beginning of production, with 12 employees, is expected by October 1st, he said. Larsen also said the CRTC is on target to produce positive earnings by April 2017, and is projecting a need for more space by the end of 2018. "That's pretty remarkable," said Larsen.

What would be even more remarkable, Bob, is if you provided even the faintest hint of how all that is going to come to be. Since your previous Upbeat Announcement! was simply an MOU with Toray Composites out of Tacoma, to take their trash and to "work with" them to develop products and markets for those products, it has previously sounded like the CRTC was in the crawling stage. Now you're telling us it's going to be sprinting - and winning gold medals.

Hmmm...Given the Upbeat! nature of this latest news, Bob, and given the sordid history of Port Angeles scams going way, way back, can you offer us any more details that would tend to bolster your happy story talk?

"Great things will come from this," said Larsen.

No, really, we'd like a few more details to flesh out your -

"Great things will come from this," said Larsen.

Yeah, right. But for who, Bob?

This Is What It Sounds Like When Droves Lie (AKA TV Eye II)

Once again the PDN has essentially asked the old question: Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?

Here's the headline for the article I'm referring to:

Droves brave blustery weather for first Waterfront Day in Port Angeles

Here's the first photo accompanying the article:

 

I don't see any droves there, do you? I see five adults, and one kid.

 

Here's the first line from the story itself:

 

Crowds of visitors showed up Sunday at the inaugural Waterfront Day, and left asking for more after a behind-the-scenes look at the city's Port facilities.

 

Here's the second photo accompanying the article:

 

 

Do you see any crowds? I see the same five adults and one child.

 

"We had no idea what to expect," said Holly Hairell, Port of Port Angeles public relations manager and organizer for the event.

 

Hairell said attendance figures for the day were not yet available Sunday.

 

Here's the third photo accompanying the article, to give you a further idea of the attendance figures:

 

 

I see one woman, one dog, and the guy who owns the boat. Even the kid has disappeared. No wonder Holly Hairell didn't have those figures available yet, eh?

 

I'm trying to make two points here. One is that the PDN lies, lies, lies. There are no "droves" or "crowds" on display here - other than in the twisted text. Actual crowds are, you know, big things, easy to spot and easy to get photos of. Where's the proof, PDN?

 

The second point is timing. Lookie here, this event happened yesterday and the PDN has already got an article about it in the paper! Wow! That's pretty quick turnaround, especially for such a nonessential flop of an event. So why does it take them days and days and sometimes even weeks to get articles concerning local government affairs of real importance into their slimy little rag?

 

Oh yeah, that's why. Because they're a slimy little rag. And this is why it will be very, very interesting to see how the PDN responds to having PAPA TV around to (potentially) push out more facts, more quickly.

 

Good luck, PAPA, and - once again - shame on you, PDN. 







TV Eye

Though Tuesday was quite a few days ago now, the PDN has finally made the big (upbeat!) announcement: PAPA TV is here. (That stands for Peninsula Area Public Access TV.) Hopefully this will be a watchful, stern PAPA. Lord knows the childish dolts ruining, er, running things in Clallam County bear some watching.

PAPA is watching you, Port Angeles...



PAPA Board members are: Edna Willadsen, Michael Gentry, Dale Wilson, Jody Potter, Wendy Wilson, Patrick McInnis, Craig Fulton, Camrin Meyer, Tyler Ahlgren and Richard Wade. (The PDN lists a Wendy Buck, and doesn't list Tyler, but I'm going by the list from PAPA's website, http://www.papaonline.tv/.)

Programming will be broadcast from the old firehouse at 215 S. Lincoln St. Here's hoping that PAPA gets some good stuff out there before the building slides down the hill. The building is so decrepit it has a market value of...nothing. Sort of like many of the people PAPA will be covering, eh?

Whether Arriving Early, Or Delayed Until Later...The News is Bad News

It might come early...

Port Angeles Haggen to close its doors today; store to shut weeks earlier than first expected

Or it might be delayed until later...

Port Angeles City Council delays decision on admonishment of Deputy Mayor Cherie Kidd

But either way, the news is bad for Port Angeles. Which leads to my prediction: A double-jeopardy defense is used to force the issue to a vote, resulting in a 3-3 split, which means any motion to admonish will fail. (Of course, if a motion to absolve also splits and fails...Cherie must reside in limbo for the rest of her unnatural life.)

But let's remember that this complaint was and is all about Cherie acting in an unprofessional and out of line manner. Yes, let us remember, because clearly she doesn't...

After Councilmembers took up the agenda item on her potential admonishment, Kidd immediately began arguing that there weren't enough Ethics Board members to handle the three complaints that have been filed. Councilman Lee Whetham interrupted her, declaring a point of order. He suggested City Attorney Bill Bloor (himself the subject of an ethics complaint) address whether Kidd should recuse herself - which Bloor said she should.

Kidd then left the Council chambers and did not take part in Tuesday's discussion.

Whether it's that Cherie cannot learn, or simply refuses to learn, the fact remains that Cherie Kidd is an idiot who has not learned a thing.

AGENDA 21 ***UPDATED!***

Conspiracy theories come and go, and it seems like most places have gotten over the whole AGENDA 21 paranoia. Most places. I did notice, though, that several speakers at a recent County Commissioners' meeting invoked this old far-right fantasy, so obviously the AGENDA 21 fever hasn't quite burned itself out in Clallam County yet.

So sad. No, check that: It's pathetic.

In a roundabout way, I was reminded of the AGENDA 21 people when I saw the photo below in the PDN today. It shows what is the real agenda for too many people who move to remote, rural places that have lax rules, regulations and oversight. This agenda can be summed up thusly: Let's move out to the country and pile up as much crap as we can on our previously unspoiled property. In this case, AGENDA 21 was literally buried by AGENDA 20 TONS OF GARBAGE.

Do you suppose there was a provision for the Chain Gang in the will?

And how can the U.N. put in their "Secret Invasion Paths" with so many

abandoned RVs in the way?



And speaking of fantasies and tons of garbage...Bob Larsen, former Board President and current CEO of the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC), said Tuesday he will make a series of "upbeat announcements" on the CRTC beginning Friday.

Does this pattern of announcing upcoming announcements seem familiar to anyone else? Has it ever worked out? Are you planning on flying anywhere from Port Angeles any time soon?

Here's a tip, Clallam Count residents: Forget about AGENDA 21. Instead, why not worry about the clearly visible agenda that enriches a small handful of people there, while leaving everyone else struggling.

***UPDATE!***

The first "upbeat announcement" has been announced! The CRTC has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Toray Composites of Tacoma. In other words, they've agreed to talk to each other about "enabling...market developments for recycled products."

And why wouldn't Toray sign such an agreement? After all, talk is cheap. It's also an easy way for them to get rid of their scrap, thereby avoiding a cost for storage and/or disposal. But until there is an actual, verifiable, funded market available, all of Tacoma's scrap will just be so much more crap sitting in a truck in Port Angeles. Idling 24/7. And waiting, waiting...

Critical of Crooks

File under "DUH":



Interviews for Port of Port Angeles' director search point to "fragile" connections to community

Right, because the Port is a big bed of crooks.

The Port of Port Angeles serves an important role in Clallam County, but its connection with the community is "fragile," according to an assessment based on 34 interviews with government leaders, staff, residents and tenants. "We heard from the public that there was a lot of frustration, we heard from tenants a lot of frustration, we also heard from staff that they feel we are trying to do too much, that there is too much expected of them," Port Commission President Colleen McAleer said...

Right, because the Port is a big bed of crooks.

Tenants and Port stakeholders also displayed a "critical and rancorous tone towards the Port, a general feeling that the Port is missing out on new business opportunities, and a perception of special treatment and favoritism for certain tenants, people and groups," according to the assessment.

Right, because the Port is a big bed of crooks.

Remember the discussion of honest assessments we had here just a little ways back? Well, here's another example of that. And in typical Clallam County fashion, the Port had to pay $40,000 to consultants to tell them what pretty much anyone picked at random from Clallam County could have told them for free: The Port is a big bed of crooks. That is, incompetent crooks.



Speaking of crooked governing bodies...The Ethics Board meeting that was supposed to happen today has been (at the last minute) moved to Thursday at 2PM. No explanation is given for why this (last minute) move was necessary. You can draw your own conclusions.

Before You Get Too Excited...

So the Lincoln Theater has - supposedly, needlessly mysteriously - been sold to a young local and his Secret Businessman Partner. All of which still sounds a little sketchy to me, but hey, that hasn't stopped the people from getting all ahead of themselves and excited over whatever they think is gonna happen there. (But, no matter what, it's gotta hurt Scott Nagel that the announced sale price is so much lower than what he was trying to raise...Ouch!) We'll have to see what happens next. Maybe there'll be some sort of shows at the Lincoln again, and maybe there won't.

But clearly there won't be any more "Ax Men" TV shows, since it wasn't renewed for another season. Which means that the pudgy young local featured in it is casting around for what to do next to earn more money than he's worth - and what better place to aim for than the County Courthouse? Where else can an uneducated, know-nothing with no real world experience (like Mike Chapman before him) hope to earn nearly a hundred grand a year and have no real boss?

Is this how you picture a 21st Century County Commissioner?



I mean, let's be real here. This guy hasn't given a good goddamn about local politics before. But now that he needs a job...Hey, he's suddenly civic minded doncha know! Sure, he's fuzzy on the details, but...So are the voters a lot of the time. And he was on TV! He's sort of like Clallam County's own Donald Trump, only he looks like Jim McIntire, Jr.

Don't fool yourselves, people. This guy would be a disaster as a County Commissioner. But if he runs, I'd give him a very good chance of winning. He'd certainly demolish Maggie Roth in a primary, and I don't see old man Ron Richards being too hard to best in a general election. In any case, it's a risk I'm sure most of you would rather not take, but there it is nonetheless.

So before you get too excited about new shows at the Lincoln Theater, you'd best do some hard thinking about the outfall from a certain cancelled TV show. Do you really want another fat, logging local boy in charge of things?

Unready, Unsteady, Go!

BEWARE the Friday press release and/or meeting announcement...It is intended to be missed in the run-up to the weekend. The following was sent out from the City this morning...

SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE

PORT ANGELES CITY COUNCIL

 

Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Port Angeles will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 321 East Fifth Street.

The purpose of the meeting is:

1. To hold a closed Executive Session to discuss potential litigation with legal counsel.

2. At 5:45 PM to receive a presentation on Socrata Open Payroll. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the presentation.

 

The regular City Council meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Doing the math is pretty simple...The payroll discussion is being given 15 minutes. The discussion of "potential litigation" is going to take 45 minutes - or longer. So, is this discussion about appealing Yvonne Ziomkowski's righteous win against the City? Bill Bloor's ethics complaint? Or..?

Ethics Board to Cherie's Shyster: Thanks, But No (Ethic)ing Thanks for Your Suggestion...And We Sincerely Hope You Enjoyed Wasting Our Tax Dollars

A minor victory, yes, but still kind of satisfying...Especially seeing Cherie's taxpayer-funded attorney being unable to change the outcome, and especially knowing how even this minor indignity will annoy and embarrass Cherie no end.



Now that she's wasted the public's money on her non-essential lawyer for this "case," she can get back to her usual tasks of wasting much larger sums of public dollars on equally questionable projects.

And heck, now that this is over, who knows? Maybe the PDN can mention Cherie's name in an article and not feel like they have to disable their own commenting function...

The Peninsula Daily News: 100 Years Old, and Having a Senior Moment (Or Two)

File under better late than never, I suppose...The PDN has FINALLY reported on the letter Cherie's taxpayer-funded attorney sent in to the Ethics Board on her behalf. Well, sort of. They quote the letter in such a way as to perhaps imply the quotes come from an interview with him, which is, of course, deceptive. But still, they've FINALLY acknowledged something we've been discussing here for well over a week.



Way to go, PDN!

Going back even further...You may recall that on April Fool's Day, the PDN reported on the Lincoln Theater (again), offering up a few vague notions about some heretofore unknown Mystery Buyer for that falling down flea trap. The article said that in a week there'd be a press release to reveal the mystery group, their glorious plans, and so forth and so on.



That was nearly two weeks ago. What's happened, PDN? Were you outright lying again? Trying to break Scott Nagel's sclerotic little heart? What?

Finally, here's something you run across on occasion on the PDN's website, posted there in a seemingly random fashion. But is it unseemly for a 100 year old newspaper to beg like that? And can we please be done with the whole "clever" Keep Calm and thing?



Port Angeles, I'm Failing for You!

There are all sorts of different benchmarks or measurements for assessing success, in all aspects of life. How was dinner? A) No comment B) Okay C) Nice D) Great! The operation was considered a success! Or...The patient died.

When it comes to Port Angeles, almost every time there is an honest assessment of the town, it comes up short, to say the least. Mind you, all those in charge give endless lip service to their hunger for, desire for, striving for success in any and all forms for the community. But...They keep coming up short.



Jobs, shiny new jobs, is one of the most frequently used markers for success. However, in the awkward, backward world of Port Angeles progress, adding or creating new jobs hasn't exactly worked out. Many at the City were all excited by the "$70 million upgrade" of the Nippon facilities. They - and especially Gavel Gertie herself, Cherie Kidd - touted it as a real "investment" in the town, a sign that Nippon cared, blah blah blah. But they missed the fact that half of that money was U.S. tax dollars going to subsidize a Japan-based multinational. And they kind of glossed over the fact that, long-term, those upgrades meant fewer jobs for Port Angeles, not more. (As a consolation prize, though, Port Angeles gets to keep the downgraded air quality and visual blight associated with the Nippon plant.)

Then there's the whole NOAA thing. If NOAA has decided to come to town, that would have meant some jobs, and a little prestige to boot. Ah, but, NOAA didn't come to town. Citing a lack of "quality of life," NOAA instead picked Newport, Oregon. Their honest assessment of the town, though, still is relevant.

More recently, the first Ethics Board assessed the actions of the Deputy Mayor, Cherie Kidd, and found her lacking. Then, a jury of locals assessed the City's actions in the treatment of Yvonne Ziomkowski, and found them lacking as well - a million and a half dollars worth of lacking, to be precise. Even the PDN's slanted, skewed and incomplete "coverage" of local events is an assessment of the ability of local leaders to deliver. If said local leaders actually could or were delivering, then the coverage of them wouldn't have to be slanted, skewed and incomplete, would it?

And, on a related note, if the PDN weren't afraid of being outed (again and again) as a deficient news source, then they wouldn't disable the commenting function on so many articles. It's not as though they're worried about racist, sexist and/or crazy comments making it through, because they allow those kinds of comments to stay up all the time. But they clearly are worried about countervailing facts getting through, or simply facts of any sort. This fear serves as a sort of self-assessment, one that they fail.

(You could even say that the Port Angeles Fire Department has assessed the dangers of house fires on the bluff...And found that, bizarrely, it's too dangerous to put out a fire in parts of Port Angeles, including, of course, at the hospital...)

All of which leaves the community suffering. All of which leads to the shrinking population you see in Port Angeles. All of which leads to the angst, anger and frustration with business as usual in Port Angeles that is so common, and so visceral.



Yet the business as usual crowd, the Fluoride Four and their fellow travelers, keep on steering the ship like they were in the business of hitting icebergs. It defies logic, it confounds rationality.

For generations, McDonald's made billions of dollars pushing crappy hamburgers, greasy fries and soda. However, as the world has changed in the last ten or twenty years, they've seen their sales dropping, their market share being (no pun intended) eaten into. So they are changing. They aren't doubling down on burgers, fries and damn the torpedoes full speed ahead! No, they are listening, learning, and evolving. In other words, they assessed their position in the marketplace, found it lacking, and are making adjustments to succeed in the 21st century.

If only the so-called leaders of Port Angeles were able to do that. If only they could see that failures are, in fact, failures. Shortcomings are not points of pride. Apologies are sometimes required. Meaningless online contests to be "the best fill-in-the-blank" are a waste of time because they are meaningless. Port Angeles has gotten all the feedback it needs, from multiple sources. What it needs now are people who will listen, learn and evolve. It needs leaders who are smart enough to realize that reality is what it is, and that trying to deny reality will only lead to stagnation, ruin and oblivion.

Vindication for Yvonne!

Well, I take a day off and go out to a movie and dinner, and wind up being late posting...

A Clallam County Superior Court jury awarded former Port Angeles Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski $1.5 million in damages and $113,471 in back wages in finding the city guilty of sex discrimination over her March 15, 2012 termination by then-City Manager Kent Myers.

The jury, which heard testimony beginning last week, took two hours before announcing a decision at 11:15 this morning that Ziomkowski was subject to a hostile work environment and disparate treatment because of her gender, with most occurring from 2009-12.

The panel decided Ziomkowski was discriminated against for being fired for cashing out, and putting into her retirement account, more than $28,000 in general leave without Myers’ authorization.

Many congratulations to Yvonne, who has had her name and reputation restored. Apparently the jury didn't buy Glenn Cutler's assertions that Yvonne was unpleasant to work with - among other City-sponsored lies.

 

Now, needless to say, the City can and probably will appeal this verdict. But, with the City itself being so unappealing, I don't know how far that will get them. (Bill Bloor may wind up ferrying bags of cash to the City's real lawyers in Seattle...) I can't help but think that a local jury - one that didn't know any of the people or particulars involved in this case before being unpaneled - would be made up of people who perhaps already had a somewhat dim view of the City, and the way business is done in City Hall. I mean, does anyone think things are well-run and highly professional inside that stale tomb?

In any case, this is a just verdict, and I am very happy for Yvonne. Now we'll sit back and see what the City's response to this latest smackdown is...

When Even a Slap on the Wrist is Too Much *** 2nd UPDATE!!!***

News Flash! Cherie Kidd is a delicate flower! One that must be protected from any and all censure, criticism and/or mere hints of boneheadedness. So delicate is she (or rather HER EGO) that it's even worth thousands of dollars of taxpayers money to protect her highly questionable honor.

This just in at City Hall today (the 4th)...Addressed to the Ethics Board from Sensitive Cherie and Doughy Dan's Big City Attorney...Highlights from his letter reproduced below.

*********

"Re: Motion for Reconsideration - Decision Regarding Deputy Mayor Cherie Kidd

Dear Board Members:

Thank you for your service on behalf of the Port Angeles community. We applaud your commitment to your city, and recognize the difficulty of your assignment.

As you may be aware, we represent Deputy Mayor Cherie Kidd and Councilmember Dan Gase in a matter now before a separate Board of Ethics. This matter involves...complaints regarding Deputy Mayor Kidd.

We write because we understand that this Board issued its verbal decision last Friday, dismissing the complaint against Deputy Mayor Kidd in all respects except one.

On behalf of Deputy Mayor Kidd, we respectfully request that this Board reconsider its verbal decision, and enter written findings of fact and conclusions of law rejecting all claims against the Deputy Mayor. The Deputy Mayor's action in presiding over a tumultuous City Council meeting are fully consistent with applicable constitutional and other legal authority, with the City Council's own adopted Rules of Procedure, and with Robert's Rules of Order.

Under the Open Public Meetings Act, the Deputy Mayor had the clear and express statutory authority to remove from the Council chambers any speaker whom she had ruled out of order, to clear the Council chambers, or to reconvene the meeting to another place away from the disruption. RCW 42.30.050.

The Deputy Mayor declined to take...drastic actions, and instead chose absolutely the least intrusive means to restore order - declare a short recess, and try again. Certain audience members ignored this olive branch, and continued to disrupt the meeting.

The Board's decision has potentially far-reaching consequences. If the Board's verbal decision from last week carries the day, a real risk exists that the Mayor or another presiding officer at a future City Council meeting would simply decline to apply the correct legal standard and to enforce its own rules for fear of facing further political reprisal disguised as an "ethics" violation.

We urge this Board to reconsider its verbal decision, and to enter written findings of fact and conclusions of law rejecting this complaint in its entirety. Please let us know if you would like further information or analysis. Thank you.

Very truly your,

Michael R. Kenyon
Kenyon Disend, PLLC"

*********

There's more to it - much more, with footnotes and citations - but I think you get the drift. "Hey, Rubes! Smarten up and do what the big city lawyers are telling you! Please let us know if you would like further information or analysis. In the meantime, obey!"

So you tell me...Does this latest salvo seems like "the least intrusive means to restore order"? Or is it just one more one fingered salute to the irate citizens of Port Angeles?

***UPDATE!***

Just so you all know...Cherie Kidd has sent a letter to the members of the Ethics Board asking/instructing them to, essentially, do what the letter above tells them to do. She just can't let it go, can she? She is so stupid, so utterly clueless, that she can't see that the one sure way to start making this better would be to be a little humble, a little contrite, and stop being arrogant and condescending.

Instead, she just keeps chewing and chewing and chewing on this like a crazed weasel.

Or is that a shrew?

***2nd UPDATE!***

Fresh from City Hall...Cherie's pea-brained plea has been heard...

Notice is hereby given that the Board (1) of Ethics will hold a meeting on Friday, April 8, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., in the Jack Pittis Room at City Hall, 321 East Fifth Street. The purpose of the meeting is to continue deliberations and evaluation of the ethics complaint filed against Deputy Mayor Cherie Kidd. As allowed by RCW 42.30.110(1)(f), the meeting will not be open to the public.  No action will be taken at this meeting.

 

A Change in the Climate Towards Climate Change?

The following is the text of a (proposed) climate change resolution that will be discussed and - who knows? - endorsed by the County Commissioners next Tuesday, the 5th. The draft resolution reads thusly:

Proposed resolution for the Clallam County Commissioners relating to addressing the impacts of climate changes on the North Olympic Peninsula

_____________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION No. _______, 2016

ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE POTENTIAL IMPACTS

THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS           finds as follows:

WHEREAS, the North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development organization conducted a multi-stakeholder process in 2014-2015 to collect the best available science to assess the vulnerabilities and priorities for climate change preparedness, titled "Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the North Olympic Peninsula" and,

WHEREAS, local vulnerabilities were identified by representatives from Clallam County, cities within the County, civic and non-governmental organizations, economic interests, individual citizens, and recognized experts and,

WHEREAS, the report identified a number of vulnerabilities that, if not addressed, would likely result in serious hardships, costs, and adverse health effects to the County’s citizens and,

WHEREAS, proactive planning is much more effective and less costly than reacting to impacts as they happen, and 

WHEREAS, recognizing and addressing such vulnerabilities would help the County protect citizens from making costly development mistakes and reduce the County’s exposure to potential litigation, and

WHEREAS, by being proactive, the County would be in a better position to qualify for federal and state assistance for adaptation funds, and

WHEREAS, credible documentation exists to minimize the effort required to address the climate change vulnerabilities projected for Clallam County, and

WHEREAS, Washington state government has published a “Washington State Integrated Climate Change Response Strategy” that lays out a framework that decision-makers can use to help protect Washington’s communities, natural resources and economy from the impacts of climate change, and

WHEREAS, Washington State’s departments (e.g. Commerce, Transportation, Ecology) and cities (e.g. Sequim and Port Angeles) have begun discussing climate change adaptation strategies.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, in consideration of the above findings:

That the departments of Cooperative Extension, Health and Human Services, Public Works, and Parks, Fair and Facilities shall consider the projected climate change impacts and adaptation strategies contained in the report "Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the North Olympic Peninsula" and address applicable findings when proposing their 2017 work plans and budgets, and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the Board of County Commissioners strongly urges the Director of Community Development and the Sheriff’s Emergency Management Division to consider the projected climate change impacts and adaptation strategies contained in the report "Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the North Olympic Peninsula" and to reflect such consideration in their 2017 budgets and work plans, including incorporation of pertinent findings into the County’s Comprehensive Plan and Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

Passed and adopted this ____________ day of ______________

BOARD OF CLALLAM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

So, any thoughts on the content of the resolution? Is it something that you think is "actionable"? As in, will it really cause changes in the County's policies, purchasing, permitting and other behaviors? Does it have teeth, or is it a little gummy? And if it does happen to pass - if - will it be unanimous, or will there be a Commissioner saying nay?

Finally, please do note those wiggle words near the end: "County Commissioners strongly urges..."

It's Another GREAT Day To Be GUILTY In Port Angeles!

Well now! I guess sometimes irrefutable facts are hard to refute - even in Port Angeles. Especially when the video clarifying the facts of a case are out there on YouTube for all the world to see.

In other words, yes, it's true: Cherie Kidd has been found GUILTY of violating the City's ethics code. Well, one count of the ethics code, anyway. But guilty is guilty, and this is good and refreshing news, though, as stated above, it would have been difficult (even with a Lumens full of fudging) to arrive at any other outcome, given the facts of the case as captured on video.



The subsequent fact that Cherie lied to the Ethics Board to their faces probably didn't help her case much either. So, good job Marolee Smith, well done Ethics Board (it was a unanimous decision), and this is an excellent foundation for the ethics complaints still in the pipeline to land on. And none of this is even an April Fools Day joke, though the timing of the announcement is appreciated.



Now, looking ahead, I have some questions for you all to ponder:

Will this lead to any self-reflection or personal growth for Cherie Kidd on issues pertaining to her relationship with the voters and taxpayers of Port Angeles? (Hint: See photo above.)

What effect, if any, do you think this will have on the upcoming Bill Bloor ethics complaint?

What effect, if any, do you think this will have on how the City Council - and especially the Fluoride Four - conducts business?

So, with an eye to public comment periods to come...What do you think an appropriate punishment for the GUILTY Kidd would be? The City Council may - or may not - take that up as a topic of discussion at a future date. And do you think they will - or won't?

From the Better Late Than Never Department:

Cherie Kidd (and her zombie minion Pat Downie)

finally gets with the whole Twilight/Goth thing.



Nagel's Dream Debased

Say it ain't so, Scott! They's a-reportin' that they might have done sold your theater, the Lincoln Theater, to someone else. Oh, Scott...Will your trials and tribulations never end?

Ah, but the dysfunctional details - courtesy of our pal Gaul Potleaf - keep a-comin'. Here are a couple of my favorites...

The non-profit Port Angeles Theatre has raised between $79,000 and $80,000 in its Light Up the Lincoln campaign...according to board of directors President Matthew Rainwater.

Between? And after all this time, after all the stories, after all the fuss and bother...That total amount raised hasn't really moved - other than to somewhere "between" $79,000 and $80,000.

Rainwater said another group in Port Angeles, one he would not identify, has been interested in purchasing the theater. "We reached out to them (Wednesday)," Rainwater said.

You finally reached out to them the day it's announced the theater's been taken off the market? No need to rush, right? Typical Port Angeles...

"We let them know if the sale does not go through that it's time for us to come together, instead of having competing interests, which shut each other down, to hopefully work together for the good of the community."

He said it was "a shame" that the groups had not gotten together before now, and said he didn't know why that hadn't occurred.

Memo to Matthew: It didn't occur because you didn't do anything. If you knew this other group was out there, you could have made the call. But you didn't. Scott didn't. No one did. Typical Port Angeles...

And so, we come to the end of another chapter of The Lincoln Theater is STILL for Sale. Be sure to tune in next time to find out if this has all been a dream...Or if it's turned into a nightmare for Scott Nagel. Will Scott have to keep his day job? Who are these mysterious new buyers? Will they offer Scott a day job? Will the Lincoln Theater be converted to digital, or become another "antique mall"? And what of beautiful Barb Frederick?

Most importantly, will Scott Nagel be returning somewhere between $79,000 and $80,000 to his supporters? Or might there be a zero or two missing for "overhead costs"? To find out, stay tuned! Or not!