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.
That is funny! Sad, but still funny.
ReplyDeleteThe Port Angeles Curse. The few people that have a little bit of authority over a couple other people are so jealously busy trying to make sure they get what ever they can out of any given situation, everybody that comes near Port Angeles can just smell it.
Hoarders! Just perfect.
I turned on the tv yesterday and the suspected hacking of the utility payment system for the City of Port Angeles had finally made it's way to the Seattle news stations. Another great day!
ReplyDeleteYes, I saw that the mystery of said hacking still remains mysterious, and that particular "service" is still strictly offline for PA residents.
DeleteWhere else can you go and live, and have such great depictions of your town on the regional and national media?
DeleteI'm sure that the wagons are circling as we sit here. Why? Because it might turn out that someone in the city has been siphoning off funds for as long as that "payment" solution has been in operation.
DeleteDoesn't help that the city doesn't seem to understand how to "vet" any vendor. High bid/low bid, go with the crooked company.
The fact it is taking so long is saying loudly that it was NOT some breach in the system, but an internal backdoor.
Oh, now this just adds to it all.
ReplyDelete"Putting The 'Ho-Ho-Ho' In Hoarders | Previously.TV
previously.tv/hoarders/putting-the-ho-ho-ho-in-hoarders/
Apr 3, 2016 - One hoarder thinks she's Mrs. Claus; the other just wants to give her ... Sandi, of the Washington state city of Port Angeles, loves Christmas so much..."
But it gets better:
"Clallam County Hoarding Task Force - Home | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/clallamcountyhoardingtaskforce/
Founded in March 2016, the Clallam County Hoarding Task Force is a nonprofit volunteer group working with... "
Gee. Look at the dates. The TV crew comes to Port Angeles and films the segment, which airs April 3, 2016. A month before the clip goes national, the "Clallam County Hoarding Task Force" is formed, to make it appear that Port Angeles actually cares.
If the TV crew hadn't come to Port Angeles, does anybody really think the supposed "Task Force" would have been formed?
As we head into the winter months, will we see a "Homelessness Task Force" formed to get people into shelters? Remember the Port Angeles police chief telling us that "It really doesn't get that cold here, anyways"?
Which film crew do we need to call?
Silly hoarders! Don't they know they can solve all their problems by renting a storage unit from Cherie Kidd?
ReplyDeleteAnd from the Nothing Ever Changes Department in Clallam County...
ReplyDeleteSure, we all know that Colleen McAleer is a throwback good ol' boy with a purty face. She's absolutely at home with the lie, cheat, steal, stab you in the back and smile to your face group of charlatans and backroom dealers that have ruined Port Angeles and Clallam County.
But you know what? It doesn't look like her opponent is much better...
"Most of Michael Cobb’s Nov. 7 general election campaign for Port of Port Angeles commissioner is funded by seven employees and the owner of Platypus Marine Inc., a port tenant.
Their combined $8,000 in contributions — $1,000 each, the maximum allowed under state law — constitutes 92 percent of the $8,698 that Cobb had raised for his campaign as of Thursday, according to state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) records filed by Cobb."
Because, really, even if Michael Cobb were to be the most honest and upright person alive, there is still a problem with the fact that he is clueless about how bad something like this looks. Obviously it looks like a big potential conflict of interest. Obviously it looks like he stopped "fundraising" after getting these big, done on the same day donations. Which obviously makes it look like he's been paid off.
Which, this being Clallam County we're talking about, is probably always going to be closer to the truth than not. Or, being generous, given the above information, maybe we could say that Cobb is "only" 92% bought and paid for? "Only" 92% dirty? Is the fact that that is better than McAleer's 100% rotten rating enough for people?
Amazing!
DeleteReally. I keep thinking one of these days, the cronies will see how bad it all looks, and make half an effort to make the situation not look as bad.
But, no. Year after year these clowns keep playing the same games.
Yeah that article really depressed me. Now I'm all sorts of conflicted.
DeleteWait a moment...the PDC reports are not in for Cobb. https://www.pdc.wa.gov/browse/campaign-explorer/candidate?filer_id=COBBM 362&election_year=2017
DeleteMeanwhile McAleer has donated 5,530.48 to herself (4230.48 in kind) and 6,429 has been donated (cash) by other people.
You can look for yourself. I have NO IDEA where the PDN is getting this information. Sounds like bullshit to me.
When the media controls the information, the community becomes a puppet for their whims and agendas.
DeletePDN got quotes from the Playtpus people.
DeleteMcAleer like all good republicans holds a meet-and-greet at Camraderie hosted by Don Corson where cash is put in envelopes.
It's been going on for years not really a secret.
Anonymous 3:59 PM is correct, in that there is no information about Cobb's campaign expenditures or funds raised on the PDC website. Which IS pretty odd, to be sure. But clearly, the guy is running for office, he is raising funds, and spending money. Those are givens. But it is perhaps not a given that he has been keeping up with the required paperwork. That seems the most likely explanation, and, if that's true, it would also be troubling. Transparency? Responsibility? Staying within the law? Playing by the rules? Hello? Michael Cobb, people have questions...
DeleteAs for Colleen McAlleer, the incumbent crook, she has received donations from such great, civic-minded citizens as John Brewer ($250) and the ever-present Cherie Kidd ($100).
DeleteThe company you keep and all that.
With the public information here, you're either with them, or against them. There is no middle ground.
DeleteCK...as if ANYONE running in this god-forsaken town has been "keeping up" with accurate paperwork.
DeleteNegus the doofus who coordinated with Oppelt and dropped out opted for full reporting, and never was compliant (and still isn't).
In past years our council candidates received funds from lobby groups that were NOT in compliance with the PDC in any way. And, even though there were complaints, nothing came of it, except that the lobby groups faded away mysteriously, to be reborn with new names the next election.
Cherie couldn't fill out a report accurately to save life. It appears she loaned herself thousands of dollars, and forgot who gave her money to run.
I don't see that the PDC even gives a damn about what happens here. We are a corrupt county and everyone knows it.
We are the joke -- the big fat joke of the state.
CK - there was a long running public fued between McAleer and Platypus. Platypus offered to buy the land (same as Westport) but the commissioners dug their heels in and said no they wouldn’t sell port property anymore. It got nasty as everything does.
ReplyDeleteThat being said McAleer is jammed up because she wouldn’t sell land to Platypus but is proposing selling the John Wayne Marina to buy the McKonky property in Sequim and deliver a fat sales commission to the listing agent..... TEAM MCALEER!
That's why these people get into politics.
DeleteReal estate people should be automatically ineligible to run for public office, since so much of the "public's business" involves land use in one form or another.
That is why they hired Danny Gase to manage all their vacant properties. So far they are all still vacant or have sweet-heart deals with sketchy tenants. How many believe this Airborn thing is a reality. I smell another rip-off of the taxpayers. I see the platypus donations differently. They are tenants of the port and know its inner workings as well as anyone. If they are dissatisfied with port management then they should be the resident "experts." If they think a change is needed we should pay attention.
DeleteAnonymous 5:16 AM...I agree with your point, up to a point. Yes, if the tenants of the Port (who are, let's be honest, only going to be concerned about their own interests) are dissatisfied, that is a legitimate piece of information to consider.
DeleteBUT...When you have such a small group (eight people) who max out their individual donations (anyone here ever given $1,000 bucks to one candidate at one time?), and they're all from the same company...A company that does indeed have business with the governing body that their candidate is running for...You have to admit, that at the very least creates a problematic image.
Very much related to that...It sure seems like Cobb essentially stopped raising funds for his campaign after that big slug of cash. Which again, certainly creates the appearance of a "done deal."
And if Michael Cobb is not aware enough, not intelligent enough, to see how these things might LOOK, then that is a pretty big blind spot. And, in Clallam County of all places, I think it's safe to say that the line between looking crooked, and actually crossing over to being crooked, is a very, very thin one. I mean, the whole county lives and breathes cash-grabbing and graft.
So, even if you currently believe that Michael Cobb has nothing but good intentions, do you also believe that those good intentions are strong enough to hold back the dark forces at work in Clallam County? If so, please ponder the sad case of one Mark Ozias as a fairly recent example of a "nice guy" going over to the dark side...
Yes. Quite obviously publicly-expressed good intentions in Clallam don't mean anything at all. Because the back water tends to corrupt.
DeleteThe corruption runs so deep, and is so "matter of fact" and the people around here are so ignorant, lazy, or afraid to speak up.
DeleteIt is ingrained.
The place should get nuked.
Ozias was corrupt going in, he was just under the radar and hid behind the goody goody health food glow. Little do people know for some time he has run a goody goody foody foody non-profit from which he is funneling funds into his own pocket. Some say 85% of funds go into Ozias pocket and the dregs go to fundraising costs. Little or nothing funds the mission of his non-profit. He has been at this a long time. He has only been seen as publicly corrupt since elected to county office.
DeleteName of this non-profit, please...Thank you.
DeleteThere are two active corporations that Ozias is part of:
Delete#1 Olympic Peninsula Healthy Community Coalition.
UBI 604037292 Nonprofit, WA filing date 9/21/2016 This corporation is also a charity. with a 501C3 federal ein 81-3318669
Phone number 830 570-2521 (San Antonio TX mobile number)
they filed a 990N for tax period 2016 (1/1/2016 - 12/31/2016) showing gross receipts not greater than $50,000.00
Principal officer's name and address: Kerry L. Wyman-Webb 300 Webb Road, Sequim, WA
Olympic Peninsula Healthy Community Coalition
Agent name: Andrea Smith (Sequim) also the Governor; Monica Dixon, Governor; Michelle Rhodes Governor; Kerry Wyman-Webb Governor; and Mark Ozias Governor.
website: healthyop.org
#2 Olympic View Community Foundation
UBI 602068968 Filing date 9/27/2000
Agent name Leslie Lauren
Jennifer Puff, Governor
Mark Ozias, Governor
Registered as a 501C3 Charity. EIN 91-2084105
Website www.ov-cf.org
There are NO 990-N tax filings on record.
I would guess that he is sucking a little from nonprofit #1 and #2, to make it look more kosher. But, has anyone even HEARD of these, aside from some low-end nonsense (with #1)?
DeleteThe Olympic View Community Foundation says on the WA website that in 2015 the beginning assets were $112,226, total revenue $106,206, program services $85,527, total expenses $85,527, and ending assets were $131,925. But, I can't really see what they do other than giving s$$ to the Sequim Food bank (which Ozias is the Executive Director -- ca-ching!!).
Looks like they haven't done diddly in 2017, but the other corporate entity must be taking up the slack? I think the key here is the Sequim Food Bank.
Lets compare the Sequim and Port Angeles Food Banks.
Sequim Food bank (UBI 601799850) is a non-profit (ein 91-2125709).
Fiscal Year ending 2015 beginning assets $433,828, Total revenue $932,209, program services $806,534, total expenses $893,216, ending assets $472,821.
They used 90% of their expenses for expenses that fiscal year. (Which is odd right there.)
By comparison -- the Port Angeles Food Bank (a similar organization which serves a greater population -- a 96% greater population, so almost double the need in Port Angeles)
Beginning assets on the Port Angeles Food Bank 2015 tax return as $662,739, total revenue of $200,220, spent $237,712 in program services, and had ending assets of $625,247. 100% of their program services went to the program.
NOW...makes you wonder how/why Sequim, which has a much smaller need for food bank services (population of 6,964 - 2016) compared to Port Angeles (population of 19,833 - 2016) needed to spend 116% MORE in services.
So either the Executive Director (Ozias) is really getting some fabulous funding, or that food bank has caviar and foi gras.
If that is the case, sign me up!!!
Once a crook, always a crook.
DeleteI dont think Platypus Marine gives a shit how it looks. I think they want it to look like the threat it is. They offered to buy the property because they wanted to dump millions of dollars into it and it would have actually created lots of new living wage jobs. Platypus Marine in frustration threatened to close up shop and move. The Port who could give a crap about anything but continuing to provide marginal service for the top dollars they pay themselves basically laughed in their face. Why would Platypus pump that kind of money into property that belongs to the Port? The Port was betting they would anyway.
ReplyDeleteYes but.
DeletePlatypus wants public waterfront lands. I'm not the least bit interested in giving away publicly owned waterfront land to a private corporation, for the promise of "jobs, jobs, jobs".
We, the public, have already been conned out of too much, as it is.
Now for my next question. As I recall after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan the natural disaster insurance for the Port of Port Angeles increased and the Port decided they could not afford to insure our Port for its full value. I think it was only insured at 25 to 50 percent of its value. Now that we are all aware of the likelihood of a similar disaster in our not to far off future I wonder if the Port has ponied up the cash to fully insure itself?
ReplyDeleteDid anyone see McAleer trying to refute Bainswanger’s claims in the PDN? She is now calling the John Wayne Marina a jewel
ReplyDeleteIsn't that kinda like asking the crook if they did anything illegal?
Delete