The never-ending repetition of unhealthy behaviors on display in Port Angeles continues unabated. The latest example comes from, well, the latest example. Port Angeles is really, really good at harebrained projects run by a recycled circle jerk of incompetents and crooks.
So, yeah, I'm talking about the Composite Recycling Technology Center. Their board chairman has stepped down - or sideways, anyway - to become their new chief operations officer. And he will be replaced by another board member who is stepping up - or over - to take his place as chairman.
All of this shuffling, and spending, is being done in the service of bringing the Top Secret Product to market At A Time To Be Announced. No, really, they'd like to tell you, but then they'd have to kill you. Nothing personal.
Or, even more likely, just plain nothing. Check out the photo below and tell me if you think this looks like a place that is ready to ramp up to do anything.
The hot item for Christmas 2016: Composite placemats!
One guy, one machine, and a couple of desks. Oh, and a lot of empty floor space. A thriving, Secret Product-producing factory this does not look like. Now, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is all on the up-and-up and it will soon be raining money down at the ol' CRTC. Maybe. But maybe the real secret there is no secret at all. Maybe the secret is that, yes Virginia, it's just another Port Angeles scam. One that will, in the end produce no real jobs, and very real piles of composite crap that will ultimately need to be disposed of.
Meanwhile, another not-so-secret aspect of Port Angeles is playing out in the news again. (Keeping that "Crime" section filled, eh?) Yet again, some creepy guy has been arrested for sexual abuse of a kid. That's another scenario where someone is undoubtedly saying, "Don't tell, it's a secret!" Yet here it is, out in the open again, and it really does seem to be happening with depressing regularity.
Drugs, scams, crimes, creeps and sexual predators. Port Angeles, are you really ready to realize your potential? Are you really ready for your close-up? Really?
Meanwhile, the comments keep coming on the Seattle Times article. The latest ends with this:
ReplyDelete"You are right about Sequim's forward thinking leadership, however. They are far ahead of PA's gullible, poorly educated, backward leadership. They have really done a lot for Sequim, which is a more interesting and attractive town than it was 15 years ago. PA, on the other hand, has stagnated."
Gullible, poorly educated leadership? You mean the kind that would fall for a scam like the CRTC?
This is what elections are about--the future. If you don't like the present situation then you have clear choices. If you do like what you've got elect doofus judge. If you like stagnated wages and low wage jobs you'll love the green crow guy. If on the other hand you prefer clear thinking and a view for the future you have excellent choices.
DeleteI'm surprised that PT's winter tourism plan got hardly any attention. They came up with a very reasonable plan that utilizes existing events combined with the holidays happening each month. Combine that with the Jefferson EDC's understanding that they have an aging population and need to create jobs for young people to come raise families. Then contrast it to the PA Chamber of Commerce's fantasy plan of creating 100 new businesses and 1,000 new jobs.
DeleteI hate to say it but no wonder NAMI had their conference here in PA. We're all batshit crazy!
Hey Anonymous 8:54 AM...I really did consider putting up a topic about Port Townsend's sensible, sane and doable winter tourism plan. You're right - it sounds good. You're also right that it shines even brighter when compared to the slop bucket full of pipe dreams trotted out by the PA Chamber. A plan and action beats crossed fingers and just hoping every time.
DeleteOMG, that was me. Yes, I know that the predicate nominative requires "I," but I didn't want to sound snobbish. Still, here's the thing. I love Port Angeles. I enjoy living here. I even hope for a future for the town. I don't approve of the negativity on this blog, which often devolves into a series of cheap shots. I support fluoridation!
DeleteHowever, there is no getting around it. Our leadership has ranged from brazenly corrupt (Karen Rogers, among so many others) to honest but incompetent. Our town, like so many others of a similar size, lacks human capital, especially in the political realm. Our political leaders are, and I am sorry to use this term, rubes. They are so unsophisticated that they will fall for any proposal, no matter how outlandish, as long as it has the word "jobs" attached to it. I part company with this blog and its regulars in that I know, having lived in many other rural areas, that PA is by no means the worst of its kind. Check out some of the economically suffering burgs in Ohio or Indiana or Pennsylvania, or even Oregon, and you will see much worse than PA.
@ Anon 5:50
DeleteYou say: "I part company with this blog and its regulars in that I know, having lived in many other rural areas, that PA is by no means the worst of its kind. Check out some of the economically suffering burgs in Ohio or Indiana or Pennsylvania, or even Oregon, and you will see much worse than PA."
I'm curious. What do you mean by "you will see much worse than PA"? More cronyism? More drug use? Less concern for the needy? More scams? Less democracy? More stupid leadership?
Of course there are places that are more economically disadvantaged than Port Angeles. Port Angeles has virtually built in sources of income, and, with the designation as a "distressed" county, it has a cadre of politicians who will sign onto any obvious scam, as long as it gives them a vehicle to pump more taxpayer money into Clallam County. As long as it gives them political "cover".
Yes, there are any number of small burgs around the US that only wish they could have a ferry dumping half a million tourists right into their down town, every year. Wish they had the gold mine that is Victoria, a destination valued around the world, that fills the restaurants and hotels in town. That has the National Park next door, also filling the beds and restaurants.
Conversely, can we imagine what Port Angeles would be like if it did not have the ferry, Victoria or the National Park? Remove those from any economic evaluations of the town, and you will get a more true view of how poorly our leadership performs.
At what point do we say "Enough is enough?", and demand their resignations?
Anon @ 9:32 Very good points indeed. There are many more disadvantaged locales than PA. PA has potential and opportunity and the leaders seem to be working to crush its soul and keep at bay any economic growth, never mind dealing with the existing problems. Is this a problem only at the city level? Or is it a combined effort of the City, EDC, PABA, PADA, Port and County? Where do we even begin to scratch the surface? No wonder the citizens are exhausted and feel the dread that there is no hope.
DeleteUnderwhelming.
ReplyDeleteUnderperforming.
Soon to be underwater.
I've noticed there seems to be an abundance of pedophiles in the area - different ones keep cropping up in the news all the time.
ReplyDeleteOn a positive note, the Port of PA just won an award from the Washington Coalition for Open Government for transparency in their hiring process in acquiring a new Executive Director. Specifically they said for:
• Publicly released the names of the finalists for the job.
• Interviewed the finalists in a public meeting.
• Solicited the public for questions to ask the finalists – and asked them.
• Held a public reception so that citizens could meet the finalists.
Is the Port perfect? Far from it. But we should be supportive of, and encourage this type of transparency. So if you see any of the Ports leadership, congratulate them - the City and County sure could learn a thing or two from this.
Transparency? Are you joking? Those parameters are just what every single public org should be doing, just for starters.
DeleteGimme a break! This Port is only as "transparent" as the dark shadowy preferential good-ole-boy behind-the-scenes back-slappy deals it engages in.
How many millions in "equipment" was recently spent? No. Really. Remember the recent announcement of the grant they had gotten to buy equipment needed? Does that table say , chair and a couple other things look like millions of dollars of equipment??
ReplyDeleteBut they could be really, really, REALLY nice tables and chairs...
DeleteWelcome to Pen Ply 2016.
ReplyDeleteLadies and gentlemen, set your Public Debt clocks to..?
DeleteInevitably, with general population pressures, more people will move here. Hopefully they'll bring some brains with them, just to spite the criminally insane sector of PA. Of both collar colors.
ReplyDeleteHow in the hell do regular citizens not see that all these issues here harm their own kids and grandkids?
"How in the hell do regular citizens not see that all these issues here harm their own kids and grandkids?"
DeleteExcellent question. One with relevance all over the place. If you look at the polls, by and large, younger voters LOVED and actively supported Bernie Sanders, and hate and reject Trump. And now here we are, with Trump in the final stretch, and a lot of older voters trying to convince their kids to vote for Hillary. But the kids, your kids, you know, THE FUTURE, already made their preference clear.
Sorry! Off topic, but...Yeah, how DO you justify screwing over your own offspring?
"Inevitably, with general population pressures, more people will move here." I don't know about that. There are plenty of places that went, and are going the other direction. A big one is Detroit.
DeleteJust because a place exists, does not mean it will grow, be successful, or be a place people want to be.
Detroit USED to be a busy, growing place, for example.
When your personal social/economical/political beliefs can be boiled down into "I got mine, screw you", it's not that hard to justify. These people just expect their kids to be perfect little copies of themselves, after all. Which explains the county's historic traditional of abnormally high rates of teen drug use, pregnancy, and suicide.
DeleteWith a staff of one, and one press...Oh yeah, this place will be turning out massive amounts of product in no time.
ReplyDeleteLet's remember that this is the first facility of this kind. How many of you really believe that our local good ol' boys have figured out a lucrative business model that eluded Boeing and the like?
And how many believe we can look forward to a sad announcement and a warehouse full of toxic waste one day?
And, how long have they been at it? With all the millions given to them, you would think that they would be working away at it every day. Does the above picture look like the results of months and months of well funded activity?
DeleteA sad announcement, yes, but not before making off with the (very public) loot.
DeleteOnly one vendor, one in cahoots, who will pretend to be receiving product and selling it...no products will be made but there will be this elaborate paper trail like all Ponzi schemes. Sit Boo Boo sit, good boy.
ReplyDeleteJust another Port Boondoggle gone bad, when the dust settles at least we have Mr. Rauch and ACTI to scoop up the building and create more jobs, just like they have for 20 years now.
ReplyDeleteIt's sure a good thing they have a CEO, and a COO to manage all the employees that you can count on one hand. Never happen in the private sector!
ReplyDelete