Telling the truth about one of the worst, most corrupt places on Earth, and providing more information than the Peninsula Daily News could ever hope to.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Election Night!
It'll all be over soon...For better or worse. Which do you think it will be? What do you think of the election results? Once the voters have spoken, it's your turn to respond.
I don't see a Democrat being elected to the County Commission again for at least another decade. The tide has turned, and, as noted elsewhere, the liberals and lefties are simply moving away from here. Add to that all the dysfunction and drama coming out of our local Democratic Party in the last few years, and it's a recipe for continued Republican dominance of local politics.
No one saw Roark-Miller being defeated either but when the Port O Call went county-wide with the "Pesky Roark-Miller Report" it turned the tide of that election. With sufficient support this, or any other magazine willing to spread the news, can turn the tide. All that is necessary is to get the word out. For too long the PDN has had a monopoly on delivering its brand of "news." Their brand is usually to support the ruling class no matter how badly they rule. If we had a county wide paper printing the truth some of these hard right candidates would have to become more centric or seek other work. Think for a moment of what we have in local news. The PDN or the Rush Limbaugh radio station. Other than these there is no county wide news media. There is a fully functional broadcasting studio at the Skills Center, lacking only an editing machine, but they will not bring it online because it would provide a broadcasting element to the local cable channel. They would not be able to control content so they keep it shuttered. When you find people willing to stand up to the hard core right you need to support them--warts and all.
I'm going to be sending the Port oCall a decent donation as a "Thank You". Best thing in terms of real change I've seen take place in this county in quite a few years. I hope they keep at it.
Yes, but, have you every actually talked to Dale Wilson? While his heart is apparently in the right place, he is his own worst enemy, and he's a sloppy writer, and his website is a mess. He makes himself easy to dismiss, in other words.
Steve Tharinger just scrapes by in his home county, while winning by a wider margin thanks to Jefferson county. As of now, Sissi is losing by around 440 votes to Bill Peach. That'll give us three - THREE! - Republican county commissioners.
It keeps getting brought up here that Port Angeles has lost around 500 people, per the most recent census. It sure feels like it, and from these results, it sure seems like most of those who left were, well, not Republicans anyway.
This used to be a pretty 50/50 county overall, but it's clearly not anymore. Liberals leave, leaving the conservatives here to win elections. I think we're at the point where this is a self-reinforcing cycle, frankly, which isn't good for anyone, especially those of us left here who aren't Republicans.
I guess I'd say I'm disheartened, but, really, I think this is what I was expecting. Three - THREE!!! - Republican commissioners. Such a wide variety of opinions and outlooks leading us. So much to look forward to.
After yet another disappointing local election, expect more bad decisions from local governing bodies, and further brain and population drain from Port Angeles and Clallam County.
We just can't seem to do anything but step backwards.
It is a wonder that ANYONE would agree to run, or volunteer for any position in public service in our area, what with all the misinformed gripers, whiners and slanderers that don't contribute any ideas for improvement!
Well, that pretty much describes politics anywhere in the US, these days. Look at what the National political rhetoric has been about! Talk about hate filled mis-information, gripers and whiners.
This is one of the big problems. People are so ready to believe the worst, and the campaigns know it. So, instead of real debates about real topics, we get mailboxes filled with nonsensical garbage that has little to do with fixing the countries very real problems.
You probably saw the article about the oil company employee who taped the political consultant who was urging the oil companies to use every means possible to smear oil and gas project opponents.
Who cares about the FACTS of the situation, it's "win by any means".
Looks like the county charter will be shaped by such notable pinheads as Sue Forde (the number one choice in her district), Glenn Wiggins (the number one choice in his district), Maggie Roth, Connie Beauvais, and Rod Fleck. I assume Mike Doherty is getting out of the commissioner's office because he's tired of seeing the other two bozos wrecking everything. Well, Mike will get one more chance to see how bad things are likely to get, since he's going to be in the charter review, too. Buckle your seatbelts, everyone. There's even more turbulence ahead.
What IS the story with Kaj, anyway? How did this guy wind up HERE? Given everything I know about him, and his background, and his personal tastes, Clallam County seems like one of the LAST places on Earth he'd want to live. Yet there he is.
For the uninitiated, Sue Forde once put forth the assertion that Olympic National Park was a staging area for a UN invasion of Seattle. The Olympic Discovery Trail was a transit route for the surreptitious delivery of troops and equipment when the shit went down. So even though Kaj didn't get elected, the charter commission will have its full complement of crazy with Sue Forde on board.
There was one of those "Look back in time" boxes in the PDN, where they reprint articles from decades past. I was amused to see the one from 25 years ago, saying the County/City had to think ahead because forest industries were diminishing, and other ways to sustain the economy had to be adopted.
Here we are, 25 years later, still fighting the same battles, and going nowhere.
Really, none of us should be surprised. This cycle of new people with progressive idea coming, and leaving, is nothing new. As someone else said, it's like that movie "Groundhog Day".
As for Sissi. There are still more votes to be counted, than have. 11,000 still to be counted, if I read that right. A 400 vote margin isn't that huge.
Another interesting factoid. Jefferson has 58% voter turn out. Clallam: 38% THAT is a huge difference. Any winner in Clallam isn't getting any kind of mandate!
So...If, as it stands, Bill Peach has around a 2+ percent lead over Sissi Bruch, that means this is a fairly close race, county-wide.
So...With that lead, and with the number of votes left to count, to win, Sissi would have to get well over 50 percent of the remaining votes, something like, say, 55+ percent of those votes, rather than the 49 percent she's gotten thus far.
That seems unlikely. Not impossible, of course, but highly unlikely.
Remember: Peach nearly beat Mike Doherty last time out, even with Mike's long history and experience as a Commissioner. Sissi had an uphill fight from the start, and had to fight the all-too-common sexism in this area, as well as her own party's shady and questionable history.
I'd say it seems highly likely that Bill Peach has won. We'll see on Friday.
Please take me away. Porter as Judge again. NO! His MO is still obfuscate the facts. That he will not send poor people to jail even when they show up. Pay or Appear. I sat in his court and saw some guy tell Porter he had done community service for his 2.5 hours that was left. He said he had proof but Porter said without the verification from Friendship Diversion, he would be put in jail. I have no idea what he was in probation court for, but it was obvious in my opinion that he had proof, but no verification from Friendship Diversion. 2.5 hours and going to jail? Jail time is assessed at $75 a day. Tack that on to this poor guy and again at working for $10/hr to probation cost, a total fucked thing to do. Where is this guy's empathy of justice? Oh, I forgot, he is tough on crime but civil in his approach. Yeah right, Jesus rode dinosaurs too. And yes, if this guy lied about his community service he is due to face the fire. But jail? For 2.5 hours? Stupid.
The retired folks with time on their hands and the inclination should organize a network of judge watchers to stay in the courtroom and document his abuse of the poors. That would be a true social justice cause that any liberal church or ACLU members should take up. I know they're here. Do something!
Just a follow up to my comment about giving Port o Call a donation as a Thank You. A poster added that: " While his heart is apparently in the right place, he is his own worst enemy, and he's a sloppy writer, and his website is a mess. He makes himself easy to dismiss, in other words."
Yeah, that may be true, but the fact remains that the paper is getting more things changed around here, than has happened in a long time (if ever). Prior to that paper coming to town, any concerns were just swept under the rug. You couldn't get a letter-to-the-editor published unless the editor liked what you were saying. The powers-that-be could do what ever they wanted, knowing the PDN would not expose what they were doing.
That has all changed now. These people know well that they will get questioned, and their responses (in what ever form they take) will be made public. Others involved get questioned. Issues are investigated. There is finally what has been lacking for so long: public accountability.
CK does a great service by maintaining this forum. But the Port O Call reaches people who never see the comments here. The civic leaders don't fear what will be put in print, here. They do know the Port o Call gets delivered to every address in the city.
Yeah. It isn't perfect by any means. Hopefully, it will continue to improve. I'm hoping my donation will let Mr. Wilson know his efforts are appreciated, and help him continue doing what he is doing.
And, I can see that Sissi losing is Port O Calls' fault. Sure. Okay. Let's run those folks out of town; we don't need them because it is all hopeless. I get it.
Port O Call Contributions: 1. Russ Veneema is out of sight (if not out of mind) 2. City Council is no longer giving Chamber $350,000 per year 3. Flow control ordinance halted at county level 4.Porter's sexist ways exposed 5. McEntire's pay decreases dropped 6. Public Defender practices exposed 7. Civil rights at traffic stops explained 8. Police contacts with mental patients improved 9. School board clown circus exposed 10. Oak Street project cancelled 11. Port Angeles United is no more 12. Harbor Study Tax removed from utility bill 13. City more compliant with ADA (disabled persons have better access to more)\ 14. Tribal Culture Saluted 15. Candidate interviews with every candidate in county 16.Selinda shakes up county governance 17. Travis Beebe re-assigned 18. Promoting women is sports Roller Derby and wake surfing 19. Flouride fight renewed 20. Smart Meters cancelled 21. New businesses get free stories 22. Fact checked the CSO and found the city full of it 23. Sustainable businesses saluted 24. Monthly cultural stories 25. Chamber director resigns 26. More defendants released upon personal recognizance 27. Coming soon: City receives funds from insurance companies who insured the companies who polluted the harbor. This would have been put on the city residents. 28. 75% increase in diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurisms at OMC since his article came out listing the danger of misdiagnosis. 29. Garden Glory = eating shit While Port O Call is not claiming credit for all these happenings it sure has had an impact on each and every one. Not bad for a hack writer with a ten year old laptop.
Geez, Dale, do you REALLY think "anonymous" is gonna cut it with this list? And, uh, you DO seem to be taking credit for all of this, which is more than a little bit of a stretch.
Well, Dale didn't write all the articles in the paper, for starters. But, that really doesn't matter. Point remains. He's doing what nobody else is.
What kind of perfection is going to be good enough for you to be supportive of? Do you want to drive Dale out of town, and go back to the good ole days?
Anon 10:14 Really? You can't see any positives for all that the Port O Call has done in just one year? You really think it is all about Peach, and all the other changes mean nothing?
With the impact Dale and his paper has had already, in just one year, I'll be watching to see how this next year shapes up.
You know, it isn't a character flaw to give credit, where credit is due.
I think it's safe to say that Sheila Roark Miller's own scandals and shortcomings - as presented in all local media, and as known by seemingly everyone - were enough to sink her, especially with a real opponent. Even those who are ideologically aligned with her severely conservative views had a hard time justifying her breaking the law, backdating documents, abusing staff, etc., etc.
The game is rigged here. When I have more time, as someone suggested, I will give a more thoughtful and provoking response. BTW, get that painted Re-Elect Porter sign off of the Republican Party Building. Maybe the other renters OK'd that but isn't that a violation by affiliation? What a dump.
...and it looks like Bill Peach will squeak it out!
ReplyDeleteGiving people with skills and education another reason to simply get out - of Clallam County.
DeleteI don't see a Democrat being elected to the County Commission again for at least another decade. The tide has turned, and, as noted elsewhere, the liberals and lefties are simply moving away from here. Add to that all the dysfunction and drama coming out of our local Democratic Party in the last few years, and it's a recipe for continued Republican dominance of local politics.
DeleteNo one saw Roark-Miller being defeated either but when the Port O Call went county-wide with the "Pesky Roark-Miller Report" it turned the tide of that election. With sufficient support this, or any other magazine willing to spread the news, can turn the tide. All that is necessary is to get the word out. For too long the PDN has had a monopoly on delivering its brand of "news." Their brand is usually to support the ruling class no matter how badly they rule. If we had a county wide paper printing the truth some of these hard right candidates would have to become more centric or seek other work. Think for a moment of what we have in local news. The PDN or the Rush Limbaugh radio station. Other than these there is no county wide news media. There is a fully functional broadcasting studio at the Skills Center, lacking only an editing machine, but they will not bring it online because it would provide a broadcasting element to the local cable channel. They would not be able to control content so they keep it shuttered. When you find people willing to stand up to the hard core right you need to support them--warts and all.
DeleteI completely agree.
DeleteI'm going to be sending the Port oCall a decent donation as a "Thank You". Best thing in terms of real change I've seen take place in this county in quite a few years. I hope they keep at it.
Yes, but, have you every actually talked to Dale Wilson? While his heart is apparently in the right place, he is his own worst enemy, and he's a sloppy writer, and his website is a mess. He makes himself easy to dismiss, in other words.
DeleteCall me! My number is on page 4 of every Port O Call.
DeleteI don't feel "dismissed" yet. Dale
Speaking of sloppy writing, "have you every talked to..." should be "ever" talked to. See, we all make mistakes.
Pretty typical now.
ReplyDeleteSteve Tharinger just scrapes by in his home county, while winning by a wider margin thanks to Jefferson county. As of now, Sissi is losing by around 440 votes to Bill Peach. That'll give us three - THREE! - Republican county commissioners.
It keeps getting brought up here that Port Angeles has lost around 500 people, per the most recent census. It sure feels like it, and from these results, it sure seems like most of those who left were, well, not Republicans anyway.
This used to be a pretty 50/50 county overall, but it's clearly not anymore. Liberals leave, leaving the conservatives here to win elections. I think we're at the point where this is a self-reinforcing cycle, frankly, which isn't good for anyone, especially those of us left here who aren't Republicans.
I guess I'd say I'm disheartened, but, really, I think this is what I was expecting. Three - THREE!!! - Republican commissioners. Such a wide variety of opinions and outlooks leading us. So much to look forward to.
After yet another disappointing local election, expect more bad decisions from local governing bodies, and further brain and population drain from Port Angeles and Clallam County.
DeleteWe just can't seem to do anything but step backwards.
Well, we'll be spared Sissi's endless waffling on the County Commission.
DeleteIt is a wonder that ANYONE would agree to run, or volunteer for any position in public service in our area, what with all the misinformed gripers, whiners and slanderers that don't contribute any ideas for improvement!
DeleteWell, that pretty much describes politics anywhere in the US, these days. Look at what the National political rhetoric has been about! Talk about hate filled mis-information, gripers and whiners.
DeleteThis is one of the big problems. People are so ready to believe the worst, and the campaigns know it. So, instead of real debates about real topics, we get mailboxes filled with nonsensical garbage that has little to do with fixing the countries very real problems.
You probably saw the article about the oil company employee who taped the political consultant who was urging the oil companies to use every means possible to smear oil and gas project opponents.
Who cares about the FACTS of the situation, it's "win by any means".
Looks like the county charter will be shaped by such notable pinheads as Sue Forde (the number one choice in her district), Glenn Wiggins (the number one choice in his district), Maggie Roth, Connie Beauvais, and Rod Fleck. I assume Mike Doherty is getting out of the commissioner's office because he's tired of seeing the other two bozos wrecking everything. Well, Mike will get one more chance to see how bad things are likely to get, since he's going to be in the charter review, too. Buckle your seatbelts, everyone. There's even more turbulence ahead.
ReplyDeleteLook on the bright side. At least Kaj Ahlberg didn't make it into the top five in his district.
DeleteWhat IS the story with Kaj, anyway? How did this guy wind up HERE? Given everything I know about him, and his background, and his personal tastes, Clallam County seems like one of the LAST places on Earth he'd want to live. Yet there he is.
DeleteWhat gives???
For the uninitiated, Sue Forde once put forth the assertion that Olympic National Park was a staging area for a UN invasion of Seattle. The Olympic Discovery Trail was a transit route for the surreptitious delivery of troops and equipment when the shit went down. So even though Kaj didn't get elected, the charter commission will have its full complement of crazy with Sue Forde on board.
DeleteIn reply to Anon 2:12 PM...Yikes! But why am I not surprised?
DeleteThere was one of those "Look back in time" boxes in the PDN, where they reprint articles from decades past. I was amused to see the one from 25 years ago, saying the County/City had to think ahead because forest industries were diminishing, and other ways to sustain the economy had to be adopted.
ReplyDeleteHere we are, 25 years later, still fighting the same battles, and going nowhere.
Really, none of us should be surprised. This cycle of new people with progressive idea coming, and leaving, is nothing new. As someone else said, it's like that movie "Groundhog Day".
As for Sissi. There are still more votes to be counted, than have. 11,000 still to be counted, if I read that right. A 400 vote margin isn't that huge.
Another interesting factoid. Jefferson has 58% voter turn out. Clallam: 38%
THAT is a huge difference. Any winner in Clallam isn't getting any kind of mandate!
I believe there are another 3,900+ votes in to be counted, not 11,000.
DeleteFrom the PDN earlier today: " Rosand expects 7,000 more ballots to come in by Wednesday, “and then it's going to trickle off,” she said.
DeleteThe next vote count has been scheduled for Friday, Rosand said.
So...If, as it stands, Bill Peach has around a 2+ percent lead over Sissi Bruch, that means this is a fairly close race, county-wide.
DeleteSo...With that lead, and with the number of votes left to count, to win, Sissi would have to get well over 50 percent of the remaining votes, something like, say, 55+ percent of those votes, rather than the 49 percent she's gotten thus far.
That seems unlikely. Not impossible, of course, but highly unlikely.
Remember: Peach nearly beat Mike Doherty last time out, even with Mike's long history and experience as a Commissioner. Sissi had an uphill fight from the start, and had to fight the all-too-common sexism in this area, as well as her own party's shady and questionable history.
I'd say it seems highly likely that Bill Peach has won. We'll see on Friday.
The math is in Peach's favor, like it or not.
DeletePlease take me away. Porter as Judge again. NO! His MO is still obfuscate the facts. That he will not send poor people to jail even when they show up. Pay or Appear. I sat in his court and saw some guy tell Porter he had done community service for his 2.5 hours that was left. He said he had proof but Porter said without the verification from Friendship Diversion, he would be put in jail. I have no idea what he was in probation court for, but it was obvious in my opinion that he had proof, but no verification from Friendship Diversion. 2.5 hours and going to jail? Jail time is assessed at $75 a day. Tack that on to this poor guy and again at working for $10/hr to probation cost, a total fucked thing to do. Where is this guy's empathy of justice? Oh, I forgot, he is tough on crime but civil in his approach. Yeah right, Jesus rode dinosaurs too. And yes, if this guy lied about his community service he is due to face the fire. But jail? For 2.5 hours? Stupid.
ReplyDeleteWhy were you at the courthouse?
DeleteThe retired folks with time on their hands and the inclination should organize a network of judge watchers to stay in the courtroom and document his abuse of the poors. That would be a true social justice cause that any liberal church or ACLU members should take up. I know they're here. Do something!
DeleteJust a follow up to my comment about giving Port o Call a donation as a Thank You. A poster added that: " While his heart is apparently in the right place, he is his own worst enemy, and he's a sloppy writer, and his website is a mess. He makes himself easy to dismiss, in other words."
ReplyDeleteYeah, that may be true, but the fact remains that the paper is getting more things changed around here, than has happened in a long time (if ever). Prior to that paper coming to town, any concerns were just swept under the rug. You couldn't get a letter-to-the-editor published unless the editor liked what you were saying. The powers-that-be could do what ever they wanted, knowing the PDN would not expose what they were doing.
That has all changed now. These people know well that they will get questioned, and their responses (in what ever form they take) will be made public. Others involved get questioned. Issues are investigated. There is finally what has been lacking for so long: public accountability.
CK does a great service by maintaining this forum. But the Port O Call reaches people who never see the comments here. The civic leaders don't fear what will be put in print, here. They do know the Port o Call gets delivered to every address in the city.
Yeah. It isn't perfect by any means. Hopefully, it will continue to improve. I'm hoping my donation will let Mr. Wilson know his efforts are appreciated, and help him continue doing what he is doing.
Yes! Why, if not for the Port O Call, then Sissi Bruch wouldn't have won her landslide victory!
DeleteAnd, I can see that Sissi losing is Port O Calls' fault. Sure. Okay. Let's run those folks out of town; we don't need them because it is all hopeless. I get it.
DeletePort O Call Contributions:
Delete1. Russ Veneema is out of sight (if not out of mind)
2. City Council is no longer giving Chamber $350,000 per year
3. Flow control ordinance halted at county level
4.Porter's sexist ways exposed
5. McEntire's pay decreases dropped
6. Public Defender practices exposed
7. Civil rights at traffic stops explained
8. Police contacts with mental patients improved
9. School board clown circus exposed
10. Oak Street project cancelled
11. Port Angeles United is no more
12. Harbor Study Tax removed from utility bill
13. City more compliant with ADA (disabled persons have better access to more)\
14. Tribal Culture Saluted
15. Candidate interviews with every candidate in county
16.Selinda shakes up county governance
17. Travis Beebe re-assigned
18. Promoting women is sports Roller Derby and wake surfing
19. Flouride fight renewed
20. Smart Meters cancelled
21. New businesses get free stories
22. Fact checked the CSO and found the city full of it
23. Sustainable businesses saluted
24. Monthly cultural stories
25. Chamber director resigns
26. More defendants released upon personal recognizance
27. Coming soon: City receives funds from insurance companies who insured the companies who polluted the harbor. This would have been put on the city residents.
28. 75% increase in diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurisms at OMC since his article came out listing the danger of misdiagnosis.
29. Garden Glory = eating shit
While Port O Call is not claiming credit for all these happenings it sure has had an impact on each and every one. Not bad for a hack writer with a ten year old laptop.
Geez, Dale, do you REALLY think "anonymous" is gonna cut it with this list? And, uh, you DO seem to be taking credit for all of this, which is more than a little bit of a stretch.
DeleteWell, Dale didn't write all the articles in the paper, for starters. But, that really doesn't matter. Point remains. He's doing what nobody else is.
DeleteWhat kind of perfection is going to be good enough for you to be supportive of? Do you want to drive Dale out of town, and go back to the good ole days?
All it says is "contributions" what did you contribute this year?
DeleteAnon 8:47 PM: The "good ole days" never ended. Look at the good ole boy we just elected to be county commissioner. Get a clue!
DeleteYou missed one; Shelia Roark Miller is gone...
DeleteAnon 10:14 Really? You can't see any positives for all that the Port O Call has done in just one year? You really think it is all about Peach, and all the other changes mean nothing?
DeleteWith the impact Dale and his paper has had already, in just one year, I'll be watching to see how this next year shapes up.
You know, it isn't a character flaw to give credit, where credit is due.
I think it's safe to say that Sheila Roark Miller's own scandals and shortcomings - as presented in all local media, and as known by seemingly everyone - were enough to sink her, especially with a real opponent. Even those who are ideologically aligned with her severely conservative views had a hard time justifying her breaking the law, backdating documents, abusing staff, etc., etc.
DeleteUpdated count.
ReplyDeleteSissi lost.
Start packing.
You really think that if Sissi had won, things would have been so different, and it would be worth staying in this sinkhole?
DeleteThe game is rigged here. When I have more time, as someone suggested, I will give a more thoughtful and provoking response. BTW, get that painted Re-Elect Porter sign off of the Republican Party Building. Maybe the other renters OK'd that but isn't that a violation by affiliation? What a dump.
ReplyDelete