Randy Johnson, former president of the wood products company Green Crow of Port Angeles, and current chairman of the board, registered to run for Mike Chapman's soon to be vacated County Commissioner seat Friday. Johnson, who is also the board president of the Clallam County Economic Development "Corporation," joins fellow Republicans Maggie Roth and Gabe Rygaard and Democratic rerun Ron Richards in the primary election for the four-year position.
Johnson, who has never held elective public office, was also one of the unsuccessful applicants for the recent Port of Port Angeles Commissioner vacancy.
When asked why he had chosen to run, Johnson said he would be a "business-oriented" candidate. Elaborating further, in reference to his current role as board president for the EDC, Johnson stated that he'd "like to cut out the middleman" in terms of the ongoing transfer of public funds to the private sector. "With me as Commissioner, I think we'll be able to achieve new levels of efficiency and, at least for me, economic growth."
Thank you to the Peninsula Daily News for providing the framework for this story. Their version has been augmented to reflect actual reality.
Rygaard is an attention whore who needs a job now that his TV show has been cancelled. He hasn't attended meetings, and admits that he knows nothing about important things like, you know, the county budget "and stuff."
ReplyDeleteMaggie Roth is the classic perennial candidate, running every time, like a female Peter Ripley. This predilection seems to have only gotten worse since her husband died.
Ron Richards? A leftover from the 1970s that the Democrats are trying to reheat. Experience counts for something, but Ron's experience was a long, long, long time ago, and he is very much a doddering old man now.
And now Randy Johnson, a Clallam County good ol' boy and scamming scumbag who is pretending not to be a Republican, even though he absolutely is, and who, as CK points out, is doubtlessly just interested in raiding the county's piggy bank.
Yes indeed, another election here with no good choices. Meaning no good will come of this, no matter what the outcome.
God help us all.
ReplyDeleteGod has clearly turned his back on Clallam County.
DeleteHang on here folks. This upcoming county commission race is the most important race in quite a while. Right now we have a timber man on the county commission. Bill Peach will do whatever the timber interests ask of him. He spent his entire career as a Rayonier executive. If you put another timber man/woman on that board you will set back whatever progressive measures we have gained in the past five years. In the old Tarzan movies there was the myth that elephants sensing their coming demise would go behind a waterfall and die so as to hide their bones from ivory merchants. Now, in Clallam County old republicans go behind the county commission and the Economic Development Council to die. Only problem is they suck the county treasury dry before they die.
ReplyDeleteBefore we dismiss Ron Richards let's remember he was the one who filed a lawsuit last year to stop then Commissioner McEntire from looting the Opportunity Fund and also changing the manner it which it is looted to make it easier and beyond the protection of the county treasurer. Ron Richards may be a throwback to another time but if you research that time you see there was not nearly as much plunder of the taxpayer as it is now. This commission has given the EDC millions of dollars in the past few years--all in support of the dying timber industry. By the EDC's own report released last year, timber exports are up 300% while timber related jobs are down 75%. Only a half dozen people are making any real money in timber. Randy Johnson is one of them. Grant Munro is another. Add Merril & Ring and you just about have it. We cannot let another timber whore get anywhere near the county commission or else it will lead directly to the county treasury and the dying timber industry will be on life support--tax supported life support for years to come. If we are ever to break from the timber town reputation we must elect someone not in bed with the timber industry. This eliminates Randy Johnson, Maggie Roth and the Axman. Yes, that leaves only Ron Richards and we must get behind him and save ourselves from a Bill Peach, Randy Johnson timber majority on the county commission.
If Ron Richards is our salvation, then we are in trouble. One, because he's not personally able to salvage much of anything. Two, because I would very much give the edge to Randy Johnson in this contest.
DeleteWe get the leaders we deserve, or so the saying goes. We must have all done something very, very bad here if that's true. These "choices" are the least inspiring in years.
Timber interests have their way because most of us who want a different future fail to get out and work for a better way forward.
Deleteanon 0908 you are correct. When you support no one you get no one to run. Where is that Dave Wilson of the Port for Call blog? Marolee Smythe and the others that rant and rave and bring lawsuits that end up being proven without merit?
DeleteWhy do they not put their names on the line?
Mark Ozias - so YOUNG! so IDEALISTIC! - has really fallen in line, and fallen in his standing. He's doing just what his smiling good old boy handlers would have him do. Does anyone really think they'd let Ron Richards upset their apple cart?
DeleteNot going to happen.
I completely agree with you, Anon 8:05
DeleteYes, I see Ron is not perfect, but who is? He has put far more time into fighting off the regressive Right in this area, than most. He has actual experience on the job, and the benefit of having been removed from it long enough as not to have negative carry over baggage.
Or, are folks here really just going to roll over, and let another Dim wit Jim get elected?
Hey, 10;34, it's Smith, not Smythe. Got it, Roy? (Gotta assume it's Roy O'Near, because of the "Dave Wilson" comment). I realize that you just like to fling shit like a monkey in a cage, but I'll answer you anyway.
DeleteAnd, why didn't I run? Really? Is that your question? The answer: because I didn't.
Meanwhile, I didn't bring any lawsuit, I brought ethics complaints, and the first one has been found to have merit (Ms. Kidd DID end the meeting incorrectly). The second one, has not had any action on it.
So, hey, Roy, 10:34, why didn't YOU run?
"Ask NOT what your country can do for you..."
It would have been a blast to watch that unfold. We could have had our own home-grown Trump.
I think Ron is a thoughtful guy. I'll vote for him.
DeleteHe speaks well -- and regularly at city council meetings. He knows all the players. He knows where the bones are buried.
He seems to be the ONLY CHOICE in the upcoming election.
What a bunch of losers!
DeleteThe people of Clallam County, I mean. Because no matter what, we will end up saddled with one of these less than stellar candidates.
Screwed a little, or screwed a lot, we're getting screwed no matter what.
The local economy was most successful when Timber was King the mills were pushing out lumber and there were jobs and political clout for the community.
ReplyDeleteAm I wrong?
Yes, you are, in that those so-called "glory days" are never, ever coming back. Things have changed in any number of ways since then, in case you haven't noticed. For one thing, you'd have to contend with those pesky state and federal laws that regulate timber. The local yahoos have essentially 0% influence over that, despite what they'll tell the voters. It's a paper tiger for them to rage at instead of working, learning, and navigating the world as it IS, not how it WAS.
DeleteYer right, this was before "globalization" which now causes us to race to the bottom in wages. Why pay a man ten dollars an hour to run a sawmill when someone in Sri Lanka will run one for ten dollars a day. Thanks Bill Clinton for that trade bill. Someone explain this to me: drive by the waterfront on Marine Drive and look at all the logs headed for China--going for pennies on the dollar. Drive a little further and watch the tractor trailer trucks getting off the ferry carrying dimensional lumber, 2by4's, 2 by 6's real lumber going to build American homes. So the timber barons sell off our natural resources for a pittance while we buy Canadian lumber for $3 a 2 by 4. For this we can thank the politicians of every stripe.
DeleteTimber is still king of the revenue generating machine or do you believe it is hospitality?
DeleteFollow that "revenue" stream and you will find most of our problems
DeleteHow fast we get distracted. The real source of jobs and money around here is government. The Grant Funded projects, and various government agencies.
DeleteAs stated above, timber only benefits a few.
Anonymous 9:23 AM is absolutely correct. Remove government jobs from the equation, and the Clallam County economy doesn't exist.
DeleteAgreed, Ozias has been a disappointment to most everyone. He who ran a health food store now wants to fluoridate the entire county water supplies. What a drag he is on the progressive movement. If he ever gets out from under Tharinger and Van de Wege's skirt tails he may do some good but he cannot break away from his masters until they become to heavy for him to support. You may have noticed the county commissioners have put off all the heavy lifting on Ozias since he has the longest time until facing another election. Ozias is the spokes man for the commission and they are happy with that. Chapman is headed for higher office and Peach is headed to get higher than he did last night. Maybe a recall effort on Ozias will bring him around to the people's business but too early to tell with him.
ReplyDeleteRight now I cannot see any daylight between Ozias and the republicans.
Didn't take y'all long to turn on mark. Thought jim was the problem according to the conspiracy crowd. Maybe it is the process (democratic government where everyone gets a say not just you) that you don't like.
Deleteyer right, shut up
DeleteBackwaters are running deep this year.
ReplyDeleteI just spent 30 seconds waiting for the Port O Call homepage to load. At the end of 30 seconds, nothing had loaded.
ReplyDeleteI used to hold out some hope for them, but I'm through. In this day and age, if you can't get a simple website together...You're hopeless.
I'm through. Thanks, CK.
I dug a little deeper on this.
DeleteThere are 2 scripts being loaded from www.joecrollard.com, but the domain name isn't resolving, adding a delay.
There's a javascript called iefix.js being loaded from portocallpublishing.com that returns 404 not found.
It's still transferring about 12 MB for the homepage and overall it seems like too many fancy javascript things getting in the way of simply delivering the content.
I think you need to find a simpler WordPress template and not add so much junk to it.
Sigh...
DeleteAs Yoda might say, rocket science this is not.
Sigh...
Thanks for the input, we're working on it.
DeleteIn defense of the PortoCall, I would like to point out they operate on a shoestring. It is more of a community service, that a profit oriented business. Lots of people volunteer a lot of time to put out each issue.
DeleteMy suggestion would be, if you know how to make it better, call up Dale, and let him know. Maybe donate an hour with his IT guy, and show them how to improve the site? That would be pretty cool.
We've gotten it down to about 12 seconds load time, still working on making it faster, thanks for the feedback.
DeleteThe port of call is a for profit business that doesn't make a profit. Wilson is not very bright nor does he work particularly hard.
Delete@ Anon 9:37
DeleteObviously, you don't have a clue about what you are talking about, or are just a stupid troll doing what stupid trolls do. Or, you're one of the old guard in this town who just want things to stay the same.
I know Mr. Wilson fairly well, and know the long hours he puts in every day, for the good of the community. His focus is trying to expose the wrongs, and help those that have been wronged. And, to give voice to those the established business community here try so hard to silence. I know, such terrible things.
Mr. Wilson has his flaws, like every one of us. You obviously don't agree with his politics, or his efforts. I thought this was "The Land of the Free"? I thought our soldiers fought for the rights of free speech. For everyone.
Unlike you, Mr. Wilson's hard work is evident throughout the county. Things are changing, because of Mr. Wilson and his efforts.
Who else can you point to, that has accomplished what Mr. Wilson has, in such a short time?
You?
Well, the good news is the POC homepage did load a lot faster for me today.
DeleteThe bad news is that I then couldn't get the story I clicked on (Maggie Roth's campaign) to open at all. The wheel just spun and spun, but I never went anywhere.
County Commission Candidate, Randy Johnson claims to be an independent yet he and his company have given over $100,000 in political contributions to Republican candidates and causes.
ReplyDeleteThis does not sound too "independent." Looks like an attempted Timber Takeover of County Government.
Who ya gonna call? Money talks, ideals walks.
DeleteToo late now for a straight-up person to step up.
the timber industry has been on taxpayer supported life support for decades, get a clue, retool
DeleteAgain, government money. Government money props up the Timber Industry. Without government money propping it up, there would be no Timber Industry here.
DeleteYou wonder why Johnson gave "over $100,000 in political contributions to Republican candidates and causes."? This is how "kick-backs" work, in politics. You as a politician arrange for big wads of public money to be delivered to the preferred few, you arrange for special legislation that puts money in the pockets of the preferred few, and they make sure you get your cut, in the form of "donations".
As said before, if it were not for government money propping up Port Angeles and the County, there would be no economy here at all.
And yet, you'll hear how "Business know how to do it better than government". Rip off taxpayers?
Just as a brief comment on an article in today's Peninsula Daily News...I'd say all of Port Angeles is built on bad soil, contaminated soil...If you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteLooks like VIMO got a sweet deal selling to the hospital because then the taxpayers would be stuck with cleaning up their fuel spill. See how nicely this works when you have all these corrupt government entities working together to screw the taxpayer. Wake up people, they are still at it.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, that dirt has "blue" fuel in it. Which points to gov't ops at some point in the past?
Delete