Shameless! Clueless! Available for Parties! Your Very Own "Fringe" Candidate!

Just one more thing...

Kidd didn’t advance beyond the preliminary talent portion of the pageant Oct. 18, but that hasn’t kept her dance costume out of commission.

Videos of the 2017 Ms. Senior America talents have yet to be released. However, Port Angeles Business Association members can experience something of the sort at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when Kidd re-creates her three-minute contemporary dance number to “Can’t Stop the Feeling” at Joshua’s Restaurant and Lounge, 113 S. DelGuzzi Drive.

“I’m all jewels and fringe. I move, and it moves,” Kidd said of her costume. “I make people smile, and it’s all goodwill.”



She’s also performed the routine for the Soroptimist International of Port Angeles Noon Club, Port Angeles Noon Kiwanis Club and Crestwood Health and Rehabilitation Center, she said. Kidd said she’s been in communication with senior centers in Port Angeles, Gig Harbor, Edmonds, Port Orchard and Bellevue about scheduling performances and talks. Upcoming holiday events will likely offer Kidd some entertainment opportunities, she said.

When Cherie says "it's all goodwill," I'm assuming she's talking about where she buys her clothes...Because surely, surely, she's not so stupid as to think she's really some sort of ambassador or role model, right?

I mean, really, surely Cherie Kidd is not that stupid?

Hmmm...

I mean, Cherie Kidd, stupid?

Hmmm...

Cherie Kidd - stupid.

There! That's about right.

Don't worry, Cherie: In the race to the bottom, you - and Port Angeles - definitely come in first!

Day of the Dead...Every Day

Halloween is now winding to a close. Tomorrow will be Day of the Dead. Close behind that will be Day of the Dead Part II, also known as Election Day in Clallam County. Which one of those days is the scariest to you?

On Halloween, we all dress up and enjoy a (friendly) scare, and kids get candy.

Day of the Dead is, traditionally, a time to remember and honor those who are gone but not forgotten.

Election day in Clallam County...What is it? A farce? A sick joke? Another note in a long-playing funeral dirge?

I get the point of observing Halloween, and Day of the Dead. But what, really, is the point of election day in Clallam County? Pretending that a sick, sick system is healthy enough to function? Making believe that the voices of the people will be heard? That voters have a real choice?

What is the point?

Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Former port employee details allegations; PDN looks into trail of comments posted on website

They can't even bring themselves to use a stronger word like, say, "investigates." No, the PDN is going to "look into" the whole slimy, squirmy can of worms that is the Port of Port Angeles.

Don't get your hopes up. There's a long, long list of blatant scams and cons - Harbor-Works, the EDC, Karen Rogers, the Turd Tank, etc., etc. - that the PDN should have "looked into" and didn't. This will be no different.

In the meantime, if you want a place to share and discuss information related to this topic - or any other - in a venue where you won't be censored or deleted, well, feel free to Unearth whatever you want.

PA: Stands for Panic and Apathy

The headline states: Clallam commissioners aim to improve code enforcement.

The article states...Well, no, no they don't really aim to do any such thing.

The comments on the article...Well, there are no comments on the article.

So let's look at this weird cycle of screwed-upness that is Port Angeles as seen through the eyes of the PDN and its readers.

Start with a screaming headline that promotes and idea that might have some currency, especially given the backlog of complaints and the sorry state of code enforcement in Clallam County. In this case, that means start with a headline that is a lie.

Because, as the article explains, the "improvement" they're talking about is the notion of hiring a person for a whopping 10 hours a week to help with...paperwork. Not another actual, boots on the ground enforcement person. Not an increased level of law enforcement support for those properties that are well and truly beyond the pale. And not, it should be noted, enough of anything to cost much of anything, or to do much of anything.

So, the readers of the PDN - what few remain - doubtlessly know two things: Code enforcement in Clallam County is a joke, and so is the PDN. After years of distortions and outright lies, they know it's not a reputable source of information, and thus, not a legitimate venue for discussing or debating anything. In short, the PDN withholds the truth, and their readers withhold their participation.

In this day and age, people "tune in" to a newspaper for two things: News, and the comments and thoughts their friends and neighbors share on various topics. Given that the PDN clearly seems to be suffering from a "crisis of credibility," I think it's safe to say their financials are probably increasingly shaky. (Let's also note that their demographic core of readers are also, to be discrete, continuing to age, and continuing to expire...)

This image represents the actual news content of the PDN.

It's also a good representation of their financial prospects going forward.



This is also a good time to note again that the PDN's "paywall" isn't even a low speed bump, and is easily avoided. That's another revenue stream that is likely drying up. Ironically, yes, the PDN turns out to be a member of the free press after all.

And so, as we approach what promises to be yet another dismal and disappointing election in Clallam County, it's easy to imagine a sense of panic blossoming at the PDN, while local citizens are ever-more cynical and apathetic. Needless to say, people who are panicked don't make good decisions, and people who are apathetic don't care what decisions anyone makes. These are two distinct forms of societal breakdown...But they feed off of and reinforce each other.

Another great day in Port Angeles. Meet the new boss...Same as the old boss.

New Jersey Exit - AKA - Cherie Kidd: LOSER ***2nd UPDATE!!! VIDEO FOOTAGE!!!***

It's a pity she had to go all the way to the other coast to learn something anyone here could have told her. Cherie, you can't compete. You're a loser.

Yes, the Ms. Senior America pageant has come and gone, and Cherie Kidd did not win, place or show. The lucky Pageant Princess taking home the crown was Ms. New Jersey. Did we mention that the pageant was held in New Jersey?

Anyway, if you look at the far, distant right of the photo below, you can see Cherie with her robotic fake smile plastered across her face. So far to travel for so little, eh, Cherie? Just like when people come from out of the area to visit Port Angeles.

 

Now we just get to wait to see if and how the PDN covers this totally expected loss. In the meantime, if anyone has any better luck than me in finding any video of Cherie's dance, please do share.

 

***UPDATED!!!***

 

If looks could kill...Cherie's jealousy would be lethal!



 

***2nd UPDATE!!!***

 

Put on your 3D glasses, folks, and it's almost like Cherie is dancing...Well, watch it and see. Cherie helpfully puts herself front and center of the group dance...

 

https://www.facebook.com/SeniorAmericaInc/videos/1405335472897899/





It Just Gets Worse and Worse

Meanwhile, in other news...Your County Commissioners are working hard to make Clallam County Great a Penal Colony Again...

In an effort to "save money," two Clallam County commissioners are working to restructure public defense for low-income defendants in district court, despite a recommendation from their own ad-hoc committee of experts to keep things as they are.

Commissioners Bill Peach and Randy Johnson instructed Clallam County Administrator Jim Jones on Tuesday to draft a contract that would appoint Larry Freedman, currently a pro-tem judge in Clallam County District Court 1, as an indigent defense coordinator who would manage contracts with attorneys who volunteer to provide counsel for defendants.

“I’m trying to figure out what we did for months in the committee you appointed,” Christopher Shea, a former public defender and prosecutor told Peach and Johnson.

“We worked; we did our job; and now you are saying ‘well, we don’t like that.’

“We just wasted our time and that causes concern.”

Right-wingers trying to appoint a fellow right-winger to short-circuit the ability of poor people to defend themselves in court...Not compassionate, not constructive, not even proactive, but it sure is predictable. Maybe they can convince the CRTC to make some swell leg shackles out of recycled composites?

What a fucking county...

Shell Game, and She'll Lie - Further Adventures at the Port Angeles Port

The following all came in as comments on an earlier topic, but I thought they needed a more prominent location, so I'm cutting and pasting them here...Thanks to Mr. Binswanger for sharing all of this with us.

Hi Crypt Kicker - I just posted this in response to the most recent PDN CRTC piece. In case they delete it, I'm posting here so you can have a record of it. Here it is...

To whom it may concern:

I believe it is vitally important for Clallam County citizens to know some truths about the Port of Port Angeles and its support of the CRTC from a person who has first hand knowledge.

Fact: The Port was awarded a $2M reimbursable grant from the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to offset funds the Port spent building out the Port owned CRTC building. (EDA Project Number: 07 01 07214). One of the conditions of that reimbursable grant was that the Port charge “fair commercial rental value.” While working at the Port, among other things, I was tasked with oversight of the Port’s business with the CRTC including working toward a long-term lease with the CRTC that would meet EDA approval. During this work, I discovered Port Executive Director Karen Goschen had executed a Memorandum of Understanding that committed the Port to a ten year lease with the CRTC at a rental rate below fair market value.

Fact: At a Port commission meeting on January 09, 2017, I brought to the attention of the commission the fair market rental deficiency in the agreements with the CRTC Ms. Goshen executed on behalf of the Port and the negative ramifications it may have in regard to the $2M reimbursable EDA grant. In response to my report to the commission, Commissioner Burke commented that the Port could play a “shell game” with the money.

Fact: On January 23, 2017, I met with Port Human Resources manager Holly Hairell and informed her that I wanted to take action regarding Ms. Goschen’s insistence I be complicit in this unethical action about the CRTC and EDA.

Fact: After I informed Ms. Hairell about Ms. Goschen’s insistence I be complicit in the unethical action about the CRTC and EDA on January 23, 2017, Ms. Hairell called Mr. Nutter and informed him of our meeting who then reported this to Ms. Goschen, who in turn placed me on paid administrative leave effective immediately.

Fact: Several days after placing me on paid administrative leave, Mr. Nutter served me papers on behalf of the Port alleging I was Insubordinate and of unsatisfactory conduct. Ultimately, Ms. Goschen dismissed me for this purported insubordination and unsatisfactory conduct.

Fact: The Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings conducted a hearing in April and May of this year and despite an overwhelming preponderance of evidence proving the Port retaliated against me for reporting improper governmental action, Administrative Law Judge Lisa Dublin inexplicably ruled that the Port did not retaliate against me. (OAH Docket number: 02-2017-GOV-0004)

On page 8 of ALJ Dublin’s July 17, 2017, Final Order, in subsections 4.15. and 4.16., she states in part: 4.15. “At the Port commission meeting on January 9, 2017, Mr. Binswanger brought to the attention of the commission what he determined to be a financial discrepancy of approximately $79,000.00…” “Ms. Goschen and Finance & Administration Director John Nutter recalled Commissioner Burke commenting that the Port could play a “shell game” with the money.” “Commissioners Burke, Beauvais, and McAleer did not recall any such statement.”; 4.16. “Based on the totality of the circumstances, I resolve conflicting testimony in favor of Ms. Goschen and Mr. Nutter, finding that Commissioner Burke suggested playing a shell game to account for the financial discrepancy.”

On page 15 of ALJ Dublin’s July 17, 2017, Final Order, in subsection 5.9, she states in part: “In the present case, over the course of his communication with Ms. Hairell on January 23, 2017 in person…Mr. Binswanger reported alleged improper governmental activity, i.e. filed a whistleblower claim, relative to the CRTC lease and the EDA…”

...And Nutter wouldn't melt.

Continued...

Fact: On August 16, 2017, I filed a Petition for Judicial Review with Thurston County Superior Court. (Case number 17-2-04663-34)

In closing, it is my hope that this post will not be removed and Clallam County citizens will become aware of this vitally important information. As of late last week, I was informed by the EDA that the Port has neglected to request at least 40% of the grant awarded to it. A question as to why the Port has not requested these funds should be asked.

I recognize that there will be Port supporters that believe I am writing this because I am disgruntled. I also recognize that the Port will go to almost any lengths to make me out to be the “bad guy”; they’ve done a good job at manipulating facts to harm my credibility and to interfere with my business endeavors thus far. The truth is, I am understandably unhappy about the way the Port has treated me and behaved, and I am also deeply disturbed none of the commissioners or senior staff (except for me) objected to commissioner Burke’s suggestion that the Port do a “shell game” with public funds. In my humble opinion, there is never ever an appropriate circumstance to suggest let alone to do a “shell game” with funds one is a fiduciary for. *Merriam-Webster’s definition of a “shell game” is in part: “Fraud; especially: a swindle involving the substitution of something of little or no value for a valuable item.” Dictionary.com’s definition of a “shell game” is in part: “any deceit, swindle, fraud, or the like.” Google’s definition of a “shell game” is in part: “a deceptive and evasive action or ploy…” TheFreeDictionary.com’s definition of a shell game is in part: “any swindle or fraud”.

Quite simply, the behavior of the Port is not surprising to me based on what I know about its history but nonetheless, it is wrong. At this time, it appears Clallam County citizens have been deprived of another $800,000.00! It also appears Clallam County citizens may not be aware of what Ms. Goschen testified was $8.2M in public funds spent on the CRTC endeavor thus far….an endeavor that has purportedly earned a whopping $28,000.00 and employs 17 people! Just imagine how far $8,200,000.00+ could go to create actual living wage jobs for Clallam County citizens if these funds were entrusted to honest and competent business persons?

On the many signs placed around our county for incumbent commissioner McAleer, the slogan reads in part: “Integrity”, “Vision” and, “Experience”. I ask the voters and citizens of Clallam County to consider the facts I have laid out, and to ask yourselves if this commissioner, or the other commissioners and Port staff that seemed to be complicit in one of the commissioners suggesting the Port do a “shell game” with the public’s money, have shown “integrity”? Or, “vision”? Other than a vision for squandering millions of dollars of the public's money for headlines? Or, “Experience”? Other than experience in patting themselves on the back for their great “vision”.

Sincerely at the citizens of Clallam County’s service,

Daniel Binswanger

PS - I have shared all pertinent and factual information related to this matter with PDN reporters, who thus far have neglected to follow up with me in any way. As of this writing, I remain available to share my experience and the truth that surrounds it with the PDN or other concerned citizens.

The Winnowing Process

This is normal, Port Angeles-style...

An upcoming election draws a field of candidates.

Once everyone is signed up, and the election season is officially underway, several candidates drop out. Cynicism is reinforced, and the public's ability to actually choose who represents them is sabotaged.

Forums are held, but, due to the wide and deep political apathy in the community, they are poorly attended. (Fewer than 40 came out to the most recent "debate" which featured four candidates for the Port Angeles City Council.)

At said debate, a range of questions are asked, with many being about less than crucial, time-waster issues (a plastic bag ban, gun control) that hardly speak to the core problems facing the City.

As someone who denies established science, I'm sure that

Travis Berglund could do wonders with the City's

fantasy-based finances...



In their coverage of said forum, the PDN wastes as much space as possible "covering" these tangential questions, because distractions are always welcome. (See also their extended coverage of the "medical episode" that the debate's timekeeper went through, which, while somewhat interesting, is nowhere near vital to the public's interest in who will run the City.)

Once this slanted, skewed and intentionally incomplete article is posted online, a few diehard readers may - or may not - post a few inconsequential comments on it. But most people have learned by now that such "efforts" are, in fact, pointless.

Thus, to sum up: The process is very much manipulated behind the scenes. Deals are cut, and the public is, as much as possible, cut out. Interest is kept low by keeping cynicism high. Official press coverage is minimal and essentially meaningless. And the long-running scam that is Port Angeles is allowed to keep pathetically chugging along, bringing benefits and wealth to a favored few, while keeping 99% of the community poor, struggling, and, yes, cynical.

This is the cynical cycle that defines and powers Port Angeles. Any questions? *

*Questions not allowed. Go back to sleep.

I Saw It On The TV

Well alright then...I've been away for a few days, attending to family business out of town. After some stressful moments, everything worked out well in the end. So, my last day there, just before coming home, I got a sandwich to go, and went back to my hotel room to relax, unwind, and pack.

I'd been away from home, and my computer, for days, and hadn't really even thought about Port Angeles at all in that time. But then, I got my sandwich, and simply turned on the TV, and there you were Port Angeles. The show that just happened to be on was an episode of Hoarders, featuring a family from Port Angeles.

"Ah, yes," I thought. "Of course. That seems about right."

I had no idea that Port Angeles had made it onto that particular "national platform." But it makes perfect sense.

Now we just await the exciting dance debut of Cherie Kidd, and the further unveiling of the latest too-good-to-be-true deal with the Port.

It's Not Valentine's Day, But Here's a Sleazy Sweetheart For You Anyway

There's no conflict of interest here, right?

New pastures are becoming old hat for John Nutter, the Port of Port Angeles’ director of finance and administration.

The former Port Angeles police officer and one-time Olympic Medical Center finance director travels to new employment climes Dec. 1 when he starts as the new chief financial officer for Airborne Environmental Control Systems, he said this week.

The West Hurley, N.Y.-based company which develops cooling systems for high-heat military lasers and sensors, signed a lease effective May 1 for its new headquarters at the port-owned Suite E at 2007 South O St.

A shifty shit not worth shit...

 

Currently, know-nothing Nutter makes $125,000 a year at the Port - which is about a million dollars in Port Angeles money. Even though he says his new salary is still "being negotiated," I'm pretty sure that Nutter is pretty sure he'll be making scads (or at least oodles) more in his new position.

Port Angeles is like an over-full toilet bowl, only when you flush it, all the shit just swirls around and around, without ever going down the drain and away. I mean, Nutter, Karen Rogers and the recently mentioned Teresa Pierce were all in City Hall at one point. They've all swirled over to various spots at Olympic Medical Center, and Nutter has continued his shit smear to the Port (an even bigger, fuller toilet bowl) and is now - in the most conflict-of-interest-laden, smacks-of-a-backroom-sweetheart-deal way - moving over to a company that has, gosh, signed a lease with the Port.

The way the same old players keep getting swapped around and snatched up by various "entities," you'd think that Port Angeles was just teeming with highly educated, high caliber, highly qualified and experienced experts and professionals.

But gee, if that were the case, wouldn't the town be something other than the dreary, run-down, debt-ridden, drug den that it actually is? I mean, if all these people were really so good, wouldn't the town show the effects of their expertise?

Of course, all these crooks and cons are good at is at lying, sleazing, stealing and sweetheart deals that benefit just themselves. Given all the evidence to support that hypothesis, you'd have to be a Nutter to believe otherwise.

...And a piece of shit that at least makes people laugh.



THIS is What the Fix Looks Like

It's election time! Time to exercise our rights as citizens to select our representatives!

Whoops! Except in Port Angeles, that is...



Jake Oppelt is pulling out of the race for Port Angeles city council.

Oppelt announced Monday that he was suspending his campaign. He says he is in the process of selling his house and his new residence would be ½ mile outside of the city limits. That would make him ineligible to serve on the council.

That leaves local restaurant owner Mike French as the only active candidate for the race.

However, Oppelt's name will remain on the ballot.
Current city council member Lee Whethem was ousted from the race to retain his seat during the August primary.

This is the second candidate to pull out of race for city council following the primary.

Todd Negus dropped out of his race against Jim Moran last month after the two advanced from the primary, eliminating Marolee Smith.  

Because he had no idea at all he'd be moving soon...Right?

 

This is exactly what the fix looks like. Split the vote and drive out the "troublesome" and occasionally "question asking" incumbent in the primary, then, once that's done, have one of the other candidates drop out. How many times have we seen this total subversion of democracy in Clallam County? It's been done again and again, and it's only done with the willing, knowing participation of all parties involved.

That means Ohole is rotten, Mike French is rotten, and leaves good ol' boy Lee Whetham - who was part of a similar scam himself when he first ran - looking like the least rotten of them all.

Now, much as I may have my issues with Lee Whetham, I think it's time to organize a serious write-in campaign for him, and for Marolee Smith, too. They were robbed, yes, but more importantly, you were robbed.

Fuck the fix, and fuck Mike French. Write in Whetham and Smith and at least send a message that you know what is going on, and won't stand for it.

Hmmm...

I have a few, I guess, philosophical questions to ask you, dear readers. Things don't quite add up, and I'm wondering what your thoughts are.

The aim of this blog, though it may have a snotty tone at times, is to share information. To give people access to some facts, and to allow them a venue in which to share facts themselves. The general focus of such fact-finding explorations - and occasional mockery - is the deep, abiding, corrosive corruption that has taken hold in Clallam County. You know, the type of corruption that kills entire communities, and shatters individual lives within those communities.

In other words, we're focused on the poison in the well.

Now, you'd think there'd be very few people willing to advocate, even anonymously, in favor of the poison. Right? I mean, in theory, political corruption is something that everyone - except for the morally bankrupt few actually participating in it - is against.

And yet...You've all seen the crazy pushback I've been receiving of late. (Which is to say, you've seen a fraction of the threats, insults and assorted ravings that I've allowed through for demonstration purposes.) Which leaves me with some questions.

 

But first, let me explain that, out of all the various threats, insults and assorted lunatic ravings I've received here, only a tiny, tiny percentage of them ever even come close to objecting to a subject because they say I have the facts wrong. You've seen that with the recent threats I've let through. They aren't saying, "Hey, asshole, you've got the facts all wrong and need to correct them!" No. They're saying, "Shut up or else!"

This failure to challenge the facts presented here leads me to believe that said facts are - in fact! - closer to the truth than not. Would that not be a fairly logical conclusion to come to?

Having concluded that, I have to wonder, as I stated above, who in their right mind is it that is advocating in favor of the poison in the system?

Related to all that...So many of the threats, insults and full moon lunatic ravings that come in berate this blog. Run it down. I'm a "loser." No one reads it. My readers are all figments of my imagination. It's "irrelevant." And did I mention that no one reads it?

Now, if all of that is true...Why be so upset? If this blog is irrelevant, has no readers, etc., then why would anyone care what is said here? Let me put it this way: Peter Ripley can say anything he likes about me, or anything else, because it doesn't matter. No one reads his blog. He's a one watt radio station, broadcasting to nowhere. If Peter Ripley said the vilest, meanest, most untrue things possible about me, I wouldn't care. I'd consider the source, and be well aware that no one is seeing what he's writing. So again, if this blog is as marginal as its critics maintain...Why are they so upset?

Which leads to...What kind of creep and cretin makes un-American threats to someone just because they disagree with their perspective? Really? That's your land of the free? We're all free to see things exactly like you do, and no other way? Wow, comrade, that sounds pretty much like an old-fashioned Soviet Block to me.

More pointedly...What kind of creep and cretin makes un-American threats that they have no intention or ability to carry out? What kind of faux fascist foolishness is that? "I know who you are." No you don't. "I know where you live." No, you don't. And even if you did, you'd have us all believe you're going to leave the comfort of your lonely basement, leave the protective cocoon of Clallam County, travel hundreds of miles and..? What? Try to commit a felony? After leaving so many pieces of online intelligence here that already it's laughable?

 

And all for...What, exactly? Let me point out the exact same thing I told Scott T. Collins when he tried to bully and threaten me into shutting this blog down: I'm the only one who has the passwords to this blog. If your goal is to get this blog to go away, and something were to "happen to me," it would just stay here, floating along on the internet...Forever. Accessible and alive. So, even if your most macho fever dream were to come true, it would still be an epic fail on your part.

So, what's the point? More to the point, what the fuck is it that is so wrong in Port Angeles and Clallam County that there's so much corruption? What causes a sick few to take from so many? How many communities inspire a blog like this one? Why the hell would anyone defend the corrupt status quo? And how do these losers think they're making a difference, or making anything better, by behaving like thugs, bullies, cretins and fascists?

Port Angeles isn't a town - it's a psychological disorder given physical form. And the more you fight that fact, the more you just make it worse.

City Hall: The Buck Stopped Here, But THE BUCKS Never Stop Here

Wow! Sounds like the Port Angeles City Council had a sort of late-season disaster epic play out for them at their last meeting, courtesy of former Rep. Jim Buck. He came and laid out a truly frightening what if doomsday earthquake scenario for them. Or, to sum it up: BOO!!!

Here's the headline the PDN pulled from this "You're all gonna die!" Council meeting:

Port Angeles Council told of casualties, destruction of a massive quake

The headline does not seem to have captured the urgency and excitement of a presentation that centered on thousands and thousands of Clallam County residents dying in a massive earthquake.

Which is, of course, par for the course with the PDN. They have never really been known for accuracy, though it is an interesting case of them missing an opportunity to spread The Fear, which they so often prefer to do. But, this was a what if kind of thing. A hypothetical.

The PDN's "news coverage" continues to be as fuzzy

as this photo they printed of Jim Buck. Quality is Job None!



 Or perhaps they were considering the messenger. Jim Buck's record as an elected representative leans way, way right. NARAL and the ACLU both rated him at 0% supportive. The Washington Sierra Club was able to generate a 20% supportive rating. But the Washington Conservative Union (the only union conservatives like, doncha know) gave good ol' Jim a 90% rating, while the NRA gave him a solid gold A+. Of course, the PDN also skews way, way conservative, so it's no surprise they gave Buck so much coverage, despite the lack of a screaming headline to match.

But an earthquake is a what if, something that could happen tomorrow, or could happen 100 years from now. Who knows for sure? However, one thing we do know for sure is that the same Port Angeles City Council is on a totally unsustainable financial path, one that has already become a slow-motion disaster.

So wouldn't you love to see a headline like this:

Port Angeles Council told of destruction, lives ruined by crushing debt and incompetent fiscal policies

And hey, aren't conservatives supposed to be the fiscally conservative politicians? So couldn't good ol' right-wing Jim Buck come back for an encore and tear into spendthrifts like (Republican) Cherie Kidd, (Republican) Pat Downie and (Republican) Dan Gase? Couldn't he? Shouldn't he?

And...No. Of course that won't happen, any more than the PDN will turn into an honest and accurate newspaper. The City will continue to spend beyond their means. Infrastructure will continue to crumble. Drugs and poverty and a pervasive sense of hopelessness will continue to ravage the community. And the PDN will continue to ignore it all. That special kind of Clallam County Quality will be maintained.

Halloween is Just Around the Corner...

Well, the PDN has finally jumped on the biggest local story in years - the Cherie Kidd Pathetic Pageant Parade. Maybe they wanted to wait to get a little closer to Halloween before dropping this sad and scary story on their elderly readers.

Part of being a leader is being fearless. Cherie can't

quite muster that, so she splits the difference by

being clueless and shameless instead.

 

As if this tiara terror photo isn't enough, the PDN also gives us a glimpse of the horrors to come:

 

Port Angeles' former mayor and current deputy mayor will don a bold scarlet costume bedecked with sequins, jewels and fringes, as she vies for the title of Ms. Senior Moment America from October 15th - 20th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Kidd will perform a three-minute contemporary dance number to Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling" at least once. But she hopes to repeat her performance two more times...

 

"Contemporary" Cherie dancing to Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling" is sure to trigger a wave of audience and online "Can't Stop the Laughing." And if she really wants to repeat her sequins and fringe twitch-a-thon, might I suggest the first City Council meeting in November? That might give those witnessing the spastic spectacle time to get over their nausea before Thanksgiving.

 

For more information and a good laugh, be sure to visit: http://senioramerica.org/Washington.asp

Pinching Pennies and Squeezing Your Eyes and Ears Shut

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil...Because, yes indeed, from the perspective of the Port Angeles City Council, it's better to be deaf, dumb and blind as you go about the business of "leading" the town.



 

Case in point: The City Council are congratulating themselves (in a 6-0 fashion, with Doughy Dan Gase M.I.A.) and praising staff for "pinching pennies" to get through the honest to goodness budget crisis caused by the (former) Nippon mill being ("temporarily") shut down.

In response to the sale and retooling of the former Nippon paper mill, City officials are pinching pennies to balance the books in 2018. The Port Angeles City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to approve a budget amendment that reflects $373,500 in one-time savings that staff identified to offset the loss of utility tax revenue from the City's largest power customer.

"If it were not for the wonderful work of our staff," said doddering Mayor Downie, "we'd be in a big hole."

Where to begin?

First, this is, as usual, the City lurching from one crisis to another, with no thought to the underlying issues. It's a band-aid approach to budgeting. Even when Nippon was operational, the utility taxes were never a sure thing, because they would lower or halt production at times, severely crimping the City's tax income. I remember Max Mania advocating for crafting a budget that simply didn't include or depend on Nippon's tax revenue, as a way to truly go lean, and to be able to ride out the fluctuations in tax revenue better. That way, any Nippon utility income would have been a happy bonus.

But, of course, the City will never, ever admit that the mill might not be fully functional, or, god forbid, might even close for good. So they keep on leaning on it financially, even though it's about as dependable as a rubber crutch. I'm sure City staff would say that a rubber crutch is better than no crutch at all. In any case, they keep tripping themselves up.

And do notice how staff is always - and I do mean always - able to identify hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings when these predictable crises occur. Now, you'd think and hope that they would always be alert to keeping costs down, and thus lessening the financial burden on their tax and rate payers. But no, they always - and I do mean always - have plenty of fat built into the system.



In other words, City staff game the system, then manipulate and lead their so-called leaders on the City Council to the - gosh! - very conclusion they want. Then said City Council, having convinced themselves of their intelligent management, close the circle of jerks by praising staff for their "wonderful work."

It's pathetic.

But do you think they really think about the potential consequences of this:

City Manager Dan McKeen, who was also absent from Tuesday's meeting, said retooling of the mill will cost the City about $315,5000 in revenue this year, and another $440,000 in 2018. When operational, the mill consumes nearly half of the electricity used in the entire city, providing tax revenue for services such as public safety, parks and streets.

The City's whole position is "things will be fine once the mill comes back." But what if? What if it simply never opens again? What if it opens at a significantly reduced level? What if they decide to use their cogen facilities to power themselves? What if any or all of that causes both the budget for essential services to be drastically cut, while simultaneously raising rates for the City's other utility customers?

There are so many ways this could go wrong. The signs (literally!) are already there that McKinley isn't exactly deeply committed to Port Angeles. Budgeting based on hopes and past glories is a surefire recipe for disaster. But the idiotic members of the Port Angeles City Council refuse to even consider anything other than a staff-induced fantasy. So they'll just keep pretending to "pinch pennies" while at the same time squeezing their eyes and ears shut tight, lest any reality try to force its way into their cold, closed minds.

Having a Senior Moment

Thanks so much to the commenter who sent in the notice about Cherie Kidd's Special Pretty Princess moment...

http://senioramerica.org/Washington.asp

Yes, Cherie Kidd has been named Ms. Washington Senior America 2017 by "Senior America, Inc.," which is located in Allenhurst, New Jersey, and, so far as I can tell, looks like nothing more than a sub-Chamber of Commerce-type "enticement" to get the fifty lucky ladies they select to come to New Jersey for their "pageant."

I will now pause briefly while you all rush to get your plane tickets to the pageant purchased. New Jersey beckons!

"I'd just like to thank all of the me who were kind enough

to nominate me for this great honor of which I have the honor

of being nominated for. The honor, that is. For which I am, me, myself,

have been nominated."



I'm going to take a wild guess that Cherie may have nominated herself, or, at the very least, was "involved" with the "process." In any case, she is still peddling all the same sad old lies, including that "She successfully ran Success Seminars and became a speaker at public and corporate seminars throughout the U.S."

Cherie, we've all heard you speak. You have a truly unfortunate, screechy voice, and, even with prepared notes, you stumble through your statements like a drunken sailor on shore leave. This lie needs to be, dare I say it, retired.

It's also clear that Cherie wrote her own (glowing!) write-up for the Senior America website. How do I know? Because many statements don't make sense, such as: "Interested in historic preservation, she was the author of her city's only historic district." See also: "She is third generation Kidd family with her grandparents homesteading in the early 1900's."

Despite that incessant need to claim local roots, other statements lay bare her deeply (deeply!) buried ambivalent feelings about her undeniably distressed hometown. After all the times she's screeched out "It's another great day in Port Angeles!" the best she can muster here is a Jack Webb-like recitation of the minimal facts: "Port Angeles is a waterfront city on the Strait of Juan de Fuca."

Yes, and Washington is a state on the West Coast. Of course, there's a little more to it than that, but it seems that even Cherie, when it comes right down to it, can't think of anything nicer to say about Port Angeles than...Well, there it is.

If you've ever wondered what Cherie sees in her mirror...



They're Back!

The Composite Recycling Technology Center strikes again! Please - make sure you're sitting down before reading any further. The excitement will be overwhelming.

The brain trust (or is that brain rust?) running the CRTC seem to have confused being the first to do something with that something being something that will be financially viable to do.

Remember how they were the first to make a recycled distressed compressed carbon fiber pickleball paddle and flyswatter? Sure you do. They were the first! Remember how many of said pickleball paddles the CRTC sold? Out of the scores of different pickleball paddles being made out in the world, they were essentially the last in terms of sales.

Ah, but if at first you don't succeed in recycling and reselling your leftover toxic table scraps, fail, fail again! Which brings us to the CRTC's current blitz of ballyhoo and BS:

New product puts Composite Recycling Technology Center 'on the map'

The Composite Recycling Technology Center and Carwash recently developed the first car seat back made out of recycled carbon fiber...The Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) in Port Angeles handled product development, while UK-based ELG Carbon Fibre provided the carbon fiber and unveiled the product at the Automobile Lightweight Materials Summit in Detroit on August 22nd - 24th.

CRTC employees did not attend the summit. However, Chief Executive Officer Dave Walter said the demonstration at the summit - which he did not attend - attracted major automobile manufacturers, and drew interest to the center from afar.

"It really put us on the map," Walter said. "This is going to open  some doors."

Wow! So many grandiose claims! Though, to be honest, I looked at "the map" this morning, and I did not see any new marker for the CRTC. Perhaps they could consider making a special combination back-peddling/soft-peddling bike pedal?



So far, the CRTC has received one request for a quote on seat backs since the demonstration, and expects one more, Walter said sheepishly, making it clear they aren't likely to start selling them anytime soon.
 
"We aren't there yet," whispered Walter. "It's not like now that we've made one - the first! - we'll be rolling out a hundred."

As for potential seat back sales in the future, Walter shrugged his shoulders and laughed and said, "That would certainly be one of the biggest (products) if it came to pass."

 

Ah yes...The good old (Cursed) Port Angeles Qualifier (CPAQ). A BIG, BOMBASTIC statement...Quickly, and more quietly followed by the "if," the "maybe" and the "could be if maybe." I love how this guy says these hypothetical seat back sales would be "one of their biggest products" if they actually sold any. Because, uh, that wouldn't be hard. They sold, what, around 100 of their (the first!) pickleball rackets? And they've got an "order" for two - just two! - park benches from the City of Port Angeles. Once you get past those "products"...Man, it's really just listening to the composite crickets chirping, isn't it?

And yet! They end with another big, blustery puff of hot air - which is not the first:

To scale up its production, the CRTC plans to double its staff from 17 to 34 by the end of 2018. Most of those open positions would fill engineering and production needs, Walter said, making air quotes with his hands.

Currently, the center has five engineers and one - the first! - production employee, he said.

From tiny acorns grow mighty etc., etc. But from one tiny scam operation, in one tiny town, with one production employee...It's hard to envision a mighty Composite Product Empire growing.



The Devils Withhold the Details

Let me keep this simple: Might I suggest you search for any of the multiple news stories out there about various members of the press suing to gain access to legitimate information about or from various Clallam County lawmakers (Steve Tharinger, Kevin Van De Wege, Mike Chapman)? Do let me suggest that.

Further, once you have done that, take a minute to ponder how the way these "representatives of the people" have responded clearly demonstrates they are not good or forthcoming public servants. If these people have nothing to hide, why are they hiding? Schedules (meetings with constituents...or other, less savory interests) can tell you a lot about a legislator's focus. Could that be why some of these elected officials want to keep said schedule out of focus? What's up?



When you're an elected official, you are, in a very real sense, public property. People have a right to know things about you, especially if it pertains to how you go about doing your job. This is not a difficult concept to understand.

Unless, apparently, you've been elected from the corrupt, backwards and incestuous Olympic Peninsula.



Port Angeles: Unsafe At Any Speed (Or Any Age)

How sad is it that headlines like those below are so common in (Cursed) Port Angeles?

One sent to hospital after vehicle strikes pedestrian in Port Angeles

And...

Port Angeles man charged with raping, molesting 8-year-old girl

Yes indeed. Pedestrian pinball and child abuse. Just two more things that make every day another great day in Port Angeles.

And remember: The sick, "I don't care about you" attitude that permeates the town comes from the top down. When the people in charge are con artists and thieves, liars and backstabbers, it sets a tone. I mean, really, how healthy or caring could (Cursed) Port Angeles ever hope to be, with so much larceny and lying in City Hall and the County Courthouse?

Or, to put it another way...Since the civic leaders of Port Angeles do all the financial raping and looting...

What Could Ever Go Wrong?

It's the water...Sort of. In the course of asking that they have less environmental oversight "for the duration." the new owners of the old Nippon mill have also talked about how things are looking for the big reopening...

McKinley spokeswoman Cathy Price said Friday that the company is on track to retool the factory to process recycled corrugated cardboard into manufactured containerboard by December 2018.

She said McKinley has yet to select vendors to supply new equipment. "We have a general idea of what equipment is going in," said Price. "Nothing is cast in stone yet."

McKinley knows what's needed, but market forces are holding things up, she said. "The cost of OCC (old corrugated cardboard) is very high. I believe we are waiting for that to come down some to begin startup plans."



Meanwhile, City Manager Dan McKeen said Friday that the mill's extended shutdown will cost the City of Port Angeles at least $315,000 in utility taxes in 2017, and $440,000 in 2018...

In other words, other than purchasing the mill itself, nothing has happened with the old Nippon place. And so much nothing is continuing to happen that McKinley is asking that they not have to monitor their wastewater discharges so often. (They want to go from three times a week to just one.)

Notice all the qualifiers in the official statements coming out: They haven't even selected vendors to supply equipment yet..."Nothing is cast in stone yet"...Market forces, which are beyond McKinley's control, are holding things up...And most significantly, all these elements mean they haven't even begun to make startup plans. So clearly, a lot can happen to delay or derail this Cardboard Castle dream.



In fact, the only concrete fact to emerge from all this (would-be) change and (could-be-maybe) future retooling is that the City of Port Angeles is taking another hit to their always shaky budget. Now, you could argue that, because the City has such a track record of spending money foolishly, that this constricting of funds is a good thing, wasting money-wise. But, in reality, it just means that a distressed city will only get more distressed. The debt's still crushing, and the infrastructure's still crumbling.

And still, for too many people, all their hopes and dreams are wrapped up in a Cardboard Castle that hasn't even come close to being built yet.

Another (proposed) scenic addition to the Port Angeles waterfront!



Port Angeles: Unsafe At Any Speed (Or Any Time, Any Place)

Jesus Christ! Is everyone in Port Angeles drunk, high and/or recklessly irresponsible? I mean it's not even safe to try and cross a street in downtown, in the middle of the night. Even if Paul Gottlieb isn't out driving, you still might get hit by a fleeing, speeding car full of fools...

Well known people get killed there...

Anyway, here's the latest, straight from the Port Angeles Police Department's own Facebook page. For some reason, the PDN was reluctant to include many of the details that the PAPD put right out there.

Power poles are often targets...

On September 8, 2017 at approximately 1:27 AM Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Cortani advised PenCom (dispatch) that he was attempting to stop a westbound vehicle on Hwy 101 east of Port Angeles. The vehicle was described as driving “erratically” and pulling away from the deputy while traveling at a high rate of speed. He was able to determine that it was a silver SUV. The vehicle continued onto East Front Street and toward the Downtown area at a high rate of speed. While pursuing the SUV officers maintained a safe distance of several blocks behind the vehicle. 

Kids are at risk...

  
In the area of 300 West Front Street officers found a heavily damaged guard rail and a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee four door SUV upside down and in shallow water. They also found three persons still inside the vehicle. Officers requested additional law enforcement and emergency services resources, and then approached the vehicle. It was determined that the individuals were unable to self-extricate. Corporal Sky Sexton located a male on the driver’s side of the vehicle who was yelling for help and whose torso was partially outside of the vehicle and in the water. Officers later reported that the driver was in a life threatening situation and was in danger of drowning. Corporal Sexton entered the vehicle via a broken passenger window and crawled to the driver. With the assistance of Officer Jared Tait he then cut off the driver’s seatbelt. 

It's dangerous from one end of town...



The two officers extricated the driver, moved him through the water and onto the shoreline. Officer Tait remained with that patient while Officer Sexton returned to the car and stood by with the two patients still in the vehicle. Officer Harry Balderson located a fourth subject on an embankment who reported having been ejected from the vehicle. Port Angeles Fire Department personnel arrived on scene, took over patient care of the driver and ejected passenger, and subsequently extricated and treated the remaining two passengers in the vehicle. Fire Department personnel reported three of the patients to be in critical or serious condition and Clallam 2 Fire/Rescue and Olympic Ambulance personnel were called to assist. 

...to the other.



All four patients were transported to the Olympic Medical Center. The driver of the vehicle was later air lifted to Harbor View Medical Center. Another passenger (identified as 18 year old Elijah F. Jackson) was treated and released from the hospital. He was booked into the Clallam County Jail on outstanding probable cause on an unrelated criminal case. Christina L. Green (28 years old) was later released from the Olympic Medical Center and Mitchel S. Ward (18 years old) was reportedly air lifted to Harbor View Medical Center. The driver was subsequently identified as a Grant Eastman (21 years old).



Volume, volume, volume! This was the second

multi-car crash within hours...


Nice. Really nice. I tell you, that guard rail just seems to have a target painted on it, it gets smashed into so often. The Wild West - or at least the Drunken Dangerous West - is alive and well in Port Angeles. (Until it's airlifted to Harbor View, anyway...)

Even the Sheriff's Department likes the demolition derby...



That name Ward jumped right out at me. Seems like we all know a local "activist" named Ward...Hmmm...Anyone know if there's any relation?

Meanwhile, the numbers don't lie...2nd and Vine...

 

5th and Cherry...

 

10th and Peabody...Yes, Port Angeles is unsafe

at any speed, any time, any place.