The Elwhaphant in the Living Room, OR, The City of Port Angeles Got Played...AGAIN

Hmmm...

You know, it really does make you wonder. Given all the factors involved - especially the depressed economy of Port Angeles and the shrinking number of tourists actually visiting Port Angeles, along with the reduced number of ferry trips from Port Angeles to Victoria - why, why would anyone think it was a good idea to build a new, four-story hotel downtown? As has been pointed out elsewhere, for the vast majority of the year, the existing (and admittedly shitty) hotels in town struggle to stay above 50% occupancy rates. So what would compel anyone to want to "invest" in such a seemingly senseless venture?

It makes you wonder.



Very much related to that, can downtown Port Angeles really support two new restaurants? Really? Owing to the expected influx of people...Who will be working at the two new restaurants? I mean, where will the customers come from for these proposed new rooms and restaurants? A new hotel isn't a tourist draw, so doesn't it seem likely that these new places will, at best, just cannibalize customers from existing places? That seems the most likely outcome to me.

Which might make you wonder...Why?

As for the "need" for more parking downtown...Oh, please! A three level parking garage? What, has Larry Williams suddenly discovered he's a member of the Elwha and returned to Port Angeles?

Now, mind you, if this was the Jamestown folks, I might - might - have a slightly different view of this. They have a track record of success, and a legitimately marketable "brand" to potentially lure in the punters. But the Elwha? Uh...Not quite. Every time I ever went out to their casino, I saw the same soggy mattresses in the same shabby yards lining the route in. And once you got there, the muddy parking lot was more potholes than not. It was cheap, tacky and awful, which, the wags among you might say, makes them ideal candidates for downtown Port Angeles. (And admittedly, if they can build a three-story mud parking structure, complete with potholes, that might be something to see.)

But, again...Wondering...Why?

Oh, and remember, tribal members will have preference for employment at the new places, so this can't even be pitched as a "jobs" idea, really. Other than the jobs that absolutely will be displaced (and possibly eliminated) due to the disruptive nature of this project. So why is the City seemingly so gung-ho for this?

And why is the tribe so gung-ho for the Niichel property? After all, it's got a million dollar balloon payment on it coming due, and...

Wait...a...minute. Oh, it all comes together now. Even the bits that don't make sense, kind of make sense if...

Now, when I was there, everyone in City Hall was positively paranoid about the Elwha getting more of a (tax-free!) toehold in Port Angeles. There were endless conniptions and lots of handwringing over their tribal cultural center when it went in. There was lots (and I do mean lots) of worried talk about ever more of the town being "taken over" (tax-free!) by the Elwha. Sure, it was racist and tacky, but...It is Port Angeles we're talking about.

And, as we all know, Port Angeles doesn't have a million dollars for that upcoming balloon payment. Again, when I was there, the fund created for that payment was actually being drained by the City, rather than added to, such was their excellent and forward-thinking financial planning.

So the City was in a pickle. And not the kind you could get out of with a million pickleball paddles, either. No, it would have to be a million dollars. Which, again, they don't have.



Thus, enter the Elwha. They do indeed get a further toehold (tax-free!) in the City, and the City gets off the hook (they hope) for a million dollars. The Elwha get to launder, er, I mean invest their money in a huge project, one that will likely disrupt and destroy existing jobs, while creating more jobs (tax-free!) for tribal members. Existing downtown businesses may well be harmed, the City will lose tax dollars (get familiar with the phrase "held in trust"), and yet, officially, the City has to smile and take it, and pretend to be excited for a project that exploits their existing financial hardship, while also creating future ones.

But in the meantime, smile, Mayor Downie! Smile, Cherie! You just got rolled (again), you just got played (again), and you have to eat shit and smile, smile, smile. All these hits to your tax revenue are "tomorrow problems," right? So, smiles everyone, smiles! Because it turns out, once again, that Port Angeles is Fantasy Island.

We just need to get Pat Downie a nice, white suit...

 



Adam Chamberlin LOVES Attention

Alright, whiny "Our Town" clowns, it's put up or shut up time. In other words, time to man up, Adam Chamberlin. Is that something you're capable of doing?

Now, let's see...Adam's position, as he himself has written (bad grammar and typos included) is this: "Dale Wilson...For whatever reason...has been on a eight month campaign of lies, libel, slander and harassment against me."

Adam Chamberlin, convicted criminal, goes on to explain: "In order to accomplish this twisted agenda, Wilson has encouraged vulnerable people to file false reports with law enforcement, and has incessantly harangued the Port Angeles Police Department and County Prosecutors office to charge me and others with crimes that we have not committed and have no knowledge of."

Okay, Adam Chamberlin, convicted criminal, before I can swallow your "explanation" of events, I have a few questions...

Like motive, for one. What the hell would Dale Wilson's motive be for all this? Why would he have a "fixation" on you? Why? Tell us all - WHY? Because, from where I sit, Adam Chamberlin, convicted criminal, this sounds a lot like your inflated ego talking. Obviously the whole "Our Town" clown thing has a whiff of cultishness about it. And cults are usually built around an egomaniac of one sort or another.

Related to the above, Adam Chamberlin, duly convicted criminal, is the question of why Dale Wilson would supposedly have this specific "fixation" on you. It's difficult enough to believe that he would just, out of the blue, "fixate" on you; it's even more difficult to believe that he would do so and also spin a whole web of (in your words) easily disprovable lies just to "snare" you, Adam Chamberlin. Now, is it possible that you're just so irresistible that Dale Wilson did all that to "have you" Adam? Well, yes - it's possible. But it seems highly unlikely.

Because that would make Dale Wilson a screaming, batshit crazy lunatic. The kind of lunatic that anyone would be able to see coming from 50 yards off. But, whatever faults he may have, Dale Wilson does not seem to be a lunatic. He created a newspaper on his own, and has kept it going. Said newspaper only keeps going because Dale get businesses to buy ads. Now, let's think about this: What business is going to buy an ad in a lunatic's newspaper? That would be none - no business would do that. So your foundational theory that Dale Wilson is just crazy is itself pretty shaky, sanity-wise. It just doesn't hold up, Adam Chamberlin, convicted felon. And without a solid foundation, your whole story starts to fall apart.

Like the idea that this screaming, totally unhinged lunatic could also convince strangers to file charges against you "just 'cause." Like the idea that the PAPD and the prosecutor's office could be pressured to file fake charges against you because, geez, we've gotta get that guy Wilson to stop calling us. That would mean that all of those people have committed crimes, just because Dale Wilson told them to. Does that seem plausible? Not very. But if it's true, Adam Chamberlin, convicted felon and known liar, please, by all means, do get on the phone and call the state AG or someone else higher up the law enforcement food chain. No, really. Do that, Adam Chamberlin, you credibility-free creep, and see how far you get.

Now, there are a whole lot more holes I could poke in your version of things, Adam Chamberlin (pretty much a proven liar), and I have a whole lot more of your "private" messages I could post here. But I'll wrap things up with this: You say you're just a gosh, gee whiz nice guy who has, aw shucks, been unfairly targeted by this here mean, mean man Dale Wilson. You say you're not a bully, have never done anyone any harm, etc., etc.

If that's the case, why do you wind up your recent whiny rant with a none-too-veiled threat? Speaking of Dale Wilson, you say, "It is clear he intends to continue this campaign as long as he is physically able." That sounds pretty creepy, Adam Chamberlin, head "Our Town" clown, and like a call to arms for your cronies to, you know, do something.

In other words, you stay true to form, Adam Chamberlin - bully. Thug. Criminal.

But hey, feel free to post here and prove to us how right (and self-righteous) you really are, Adam. You loser, lowlife, bullying creep. Put up, or shut up.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Scam...

Typos intact, here's the latest Twilight Zone missive from the Peninsula Daily News...It's a doozy. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Doughy Dan Gase, Master of NASA.

Well, not quite "master." Only in Port Angeles can you (if you are connected, that is) be hired as a "specialist" while having your job described as...Learning to do the job. Specialist? No. Suspicious? Very. Ethical? Not at all.

Dan Gase, a Position 4 Port Angeles City Council member since 2014, will not vote on Lincoln Park tree-cutting, Port Angeles Harbor cleanup and restoration, and other city issues related to the Port of Port Angeles through the end of his term Dec. 31, he said last week.

Gase, 63, said taking part in those votes on the seven-member council would create a conflict of interest with his new job: aerospace business development specialist for the Port of Port Angeles.

 

He said after Tuesday’s City Council meeting that he began his new job March 27.

Port Chief Financial Officer John Nutter said last week Gase will earn $6,250 per month for three months before the position is re-evaluated.

He was hired from among eight applicants as the port tries to bring tenants to the Fairchild International Airport and airport industrial park.

“He was hired to to knock on doors and learn more about the aerospace industry and learn about what we could potentially bring to our airport,” Nutter said.

Speaking of Making America Great...

In case you were wondering where the dregs of those "Our Town" clowns went...Wonder no longer. They have reconstituted themselves on Facebook as "Stop Enablement in Clallam County." Now, before you get all excited and think that means they are working to stop enabling the local idiot politicians...Uh, no. It's the same old bullying and totally counterproductive "anti-drug" BS as before, just with a new name.

Oh, and a new logo. A heart with the word "tough" in it. ("Tough love," get it? Oh, so clever!)

For those of you who have fake and/or disposable Facebook profiles, here's where you can find the Posse Incompetentus:

https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Enablement-In-Clallam-County-1253874711334679/



In the entire span of human history, we've shown time and time and time again that bullying people can quickly lead to burning people, and, Biblical injunctions aside, doing violence unto others only begets more violence. Too bad that angry, self-righteous, hypocritical "do-gooders" like the "Our Town" clowns don't spend more time keeping their own houses in order - and their own violent impulses in check. By a show of hands, how many people think that not a single member of "Stop Enablement in Clallam County" (SECC - pronounced "sick") has a substance abuse or alcohol problem? Any wife-beaters in SECC? No illegal gun hoarders? And, coming full circle, no bullies?

Yeah, right.

Make America Great Again! Keep America Beautiful! Deutschland Uber Alles! The same sad, sick melody, with slightly different lyrics. I wish humanity would finally get tired of singing that song...

You Grant My Back, I'll Stab Yours

Smooshing together two well-stated comments from the previous topic, owing to their high truth content...

It isn't one person. It is the result of grant culture, and the people who have to hunt for grants to pay for things now.

The City and County fund all kinds of things because a grant will pay for it. Think of those fake beaches. Does anybody know of a documented reason they were important enough to spend millions on? Were they on any kind of priority list developed by the citizens? No, but staff at the city found some grant that they could apply for, to design and build them. Of course, being a "distressed" county, building fake beaches are important, right?

We see the same thing with the various non-profits in town, and the First Nations in the area. They have staff dedicated to finding, applying for and managing grants.

And, grants often provide funding for staff to manage the project. Oh?! Bingo.

So, this creates a circumstance where grants are a source for funding staff. A circumstance where staff has to find grants, to keep being employed. Where creating un-needed multi-million dollar projects, like fake beaches and outdated mega CSO construction projects become very desirable, because they fund a lot of salaries.

The need of the project becomes incidental. The amount of money generated for salaries becomes the priority.

AND...

"Funny" how the powers-that-be are using the lady's desire and money to build an arts center for Port Angeles to try to accomplish other goals they have had for years, but have been otherwise unable to do by other means.

For how many years have we heard about building a convention center at the Oak street property? All the twists and turns of that effort.

But, with the support of "arts," what otherwise couldn't be supported, suddenly is resurrected. Once again, people ask "Where are the studies to show a convention center in Port Angeles is viable?"

If any one of us went to a bank for money to fund such a project, we would be required to provide detailed documentation from verified professionals in the appropriate fields, to assure the financial success of the proposed venture.

In Port Angeles, we build fake beaches, spending millions, that sit virtually empty every day of the year. We spent millions building the Gateway Transportation Center, that sits empty most of the year. (If it were not for the Farmers Market, it would be empty virtually all the time).

When the Leftovers Are OVER

Per a request, here's a stand alone topic to discuss the fast and spurious Port Angeles Leftovers baseball team. If you've got background information you'd like to share, this is the place for it. Also, please feel free to share what you think the headlines will be when the Leftovers, as they almost surely will, ultimately fail and dry up and blow away.

Here's what I think that is likely to look like:

Leftovers strike out; bill for Civic Field upgrades stands at $2.5 million

How's about you? Get your bat out and take a swing at it.

It ain't over until the fat laddie swings...

A Tie-Dyed-in-the-Wool Republican Good Ol' Boy

You should go here, and read this...

http://portocallpublishing.com/2017/04/the-vise-tightens/

Remember this guy? He's dead and buried now...

That haircut must have cost a bundle, man.

Like, the cost of your soul, man.

Whoa.

Wet, AGAIN? WTF (Water the F***) is Going On?

No, really. You're kidding me. COME ON. Again? Again?

City crews are working to repair two water mains in the city after they failed late Monday night. The 8 inch asbestos concrete mains are at Whidby and Peabody streets, and Whidby and Laurel streets...

Thank goodness the City won't even miss those tax dollars that won't be coming in from Nippon. I guess that means they've got everything - including the City's INFRASTRUCTURE - all taken care of and under control.

Right?

Right? Pat? Cherie?



"I don't get what went wrong. We just installed these

suckers eighty years ago."
 

I have never lived anywhere, or even heard of any place, that has water mains break so frequently as they do in Port Angeles.

If I were one of the people in charge, I would be deeply embarrassed by this sad, soggy situation. I would realize that it would reflect poorly on my ability to prioritize, to budget, and to plan. In short, I would be humiliated because it would show me to be a weak, irresponsible (so-called) leader.

Cherie just probably thinks "Oh, look! Someone put in a pretty fountain!"

Pathetic, with a side of asbestos.

The only break you'll get

living in Port Angeles...



The Properties of a Community, Chapter 2

The headline: Sequim, Port Townsend in Top 10 of online contest for best Northwestern small town

The response from the Port Angeles (Regional!) Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, etc: "But, but, but..."

The headline: Health study ranks counties: Jefferson No. 4 for health outcomes, Clallam No. 21

The response from Port Angeles and Clallam County? "But, but, but..." And then someone shoots up and drops their needle in a park.

In other words, once again, the World of Facts seems intent on showing that, by almost any measure, Jefferson County is a nicer, prettier, more prosperous place to live. (Or to visit.) Now, given that whole World of Facts sitting out there, just an hour away, how many times have you heard of efforts by local (Clallam County) officials to reach out to their counterparts in Jefferson County to learn what they're doing right? How often do you hear of any initiatives to emulate, replicate or copy the community-building formula for success that is located just an hour away?

Hell, let's make it simpler. How often do you think any of the "power brokers" in City Hall and/or the County Courthouse even go over to Port Townsend to shop, eat, or see a movie? I'd guess it's not often, if ever. I'd guess that having to do so would be the emotional equivalent of Cherie Kidd's classic comments about coming back from Victoria on the ferry and...Seeing Port Angeles waiting for you.

Ugh. Depressing.

And so, Port Angeles continues to turn away from beauty, turn away from success, and turn away from health. Acknowledge any problems or deficits? Nope. They're like the cliché cop, shooing off people looking at an accident with "Nothing to see here, nothing to see, move along..."

Which creates the hard reality of Port Angeles: Nothing to see here, nothing to see. And the world moves along...

What Goes Around Comes Around

Back in the day...Max Mania was the stand-up, speak out, pro-environment, pro-union, anti-Cutler and stand up to staff force for good on the Port Angeles City Council. Then, before Max had announced he was not going to run for reelection, Lee Whetham announced he was going to run - against Max. Whetham cited his liberal bona fides (watched MSNBC, pro-union, would stand up to staff, etc.) as reasons for why people should support him. Left (pardon the expression) unanswered to this day is why "Liberal Lee" signed up to run against the most progressive member of the City Council.

From the outside, it certainly seemed like the fix, in some form, was in.

Now, fast forward a few years, and the Port Angeles City Council continues to be a place where dopes and dysfunction thrive. In that swirling mix of hot mess, Lee Whetham has shown himself to, at the very least, not be anywhere near the biggest idiot in the room. In fact, he has often been a voice for something resembling reason. Kidd, Downie, Collins, Gase - these morons are all way ahead of Lee Whetham in line for needing to go, go, go and darken City Hall's door no more.

And yet...Now we have Josh Oppelt, the Port Angeles restaurant "tycoon" announcing that he "looks forward to helping lead our community in a positive and healthy direction," by running against Whetham for his City Council seat. With four seats (at minimum) that need turned over, and fast, you have to ask why Oppelt is trying to take down someone who isn't named Kidd, Downie, Collins, Gase, or running against Jim Moran, who is a throwback's throwback. It seems an odd choice.

From the outside, it certainly seems like the fix, in some form, is in. This time for Lee.

It's practically the motto of Port Angeles:

If it is broke, don't fix it.



On a related note, let's also note that Jake Oppelt is the public face of the "super secret" money that bought ye olde Lincoln Theater. I would be shocked - shocked - if said Lincoln Theater didn't come before the City in the not-too-distant-future looking for some sort of financial assistance. In other words, the Conflict of Interest alert just jumped up right to Orange, headed for Red. Keep your eyes peeled, folks.

Because between Oppelt and Moran, and whoever else starts crawling out of the woodwork, the olde guard is not letting go of power. They may try to put on a newer, shinier face, but don't be fooled. As some of you have pointed out, there are plenty of influential people in Port Angeles who have a vested interest in keeping it poor, backward, and dysfunctional. Some of those people may run for City Council, or have their minions do so. Great vigilance will be required.

The Properties of a Community

Ah, lovely, charming and desirable Port...Townsend. Yes, just down the road an hour is picturesque and cultured Port Townsend. That town's City Council is currently having discussions about their ordinances regarding what they're referring to as "tourist" homes. I'd call them vacation homes. Whatever. The point is, Port Townsend is such a nice, pleasant place to be, people want to have second homes there, or rent out entire homes to vacation there.

And they have a great many beautiful, well-preserved houses there to chose from. As well as more than a few excellent restaurants, two movie theaters (and a drive-in in the summer), an active and walkable waterfront, a thriving downtown, and all sorts of cultural and artistic amenities.

A crowd at the Port Townsend Film Festival...



Ah...

In other words, the situation their City Council finds themselves dealing with is one of abundance. As in, and abundance of people who want, in one way or another to spend time in Port Townsend, and an abundance of people who stand to make money off of that.

So, hey, Port Angeles City Council...I'm just wondering what issues you're dealing with? Anything similar? Really? Oh, I see. You've got an abundance of your own struggling citizens who are pissed off at you? An abundance of empty parking lots and storefronts? An abundance of drop outs and drug abusers? What's that? Oh, you've also got a double abundance of debt?

Uhm, well, you see, those things, though absolutely abundant, to be sure, aren't really the same. Not at all. Not really. No.

What a difference an hour makes. So the question could be framed as...Will Port Angeles ever acknowledge and adjust itself to that time difference?

Screw You, Sue You...And Then Bill YOU

Another day, another way the Port Angeles City Council finds to try to go to war against their own citizens. Yep, they're gearing up to go to court to try and stop the "change of life" that will go on the ballot soon for Port Angeles. It's amazing how hard this fourth-rate City Council will fight to keep Port Angeles from changing (per the will of the voters) to a second-class city.

But make no mistake about it: The will of the people means less than nothing to this crew, and they will spend thousands upon thousands of YOUR tax dollars to fight an initiative that YOU put forward. It's awful, wasteful, and so transparent. It's like the worst student in class suing to prevent the teacher from issuing report cards, because they know (but won't admit) they're failing.

It's cliché, but so true in the case of the Port Angeles City Council: Struggling will only make it worse.

Jim Moran: The friendly, youthful face of

your future, Port Angeles!



Meanwhile, it sure looks like someone has been out beating the bushes, because there's already an announced candidate for the next City Council election. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jim Moran, who is "absolutely opposed" to the change in status for the City, and describes himself as a fluoride "agnostic" - which means he'll support continuing to fluoridate the water. He's a status quo blockhead (and roadblock) in a time (and place) that demands major changes just to survive.

Fasten your seatbelts, everybody. It's going to continue to be a bumpy ride.