For once, Paul Clotlieb accurately captured the essence of a moment with his writing, in the very first sentence even:
As the
City Council awarded a $15,000 contract for 2015 to the Clallam County Economic
Development Council, some were displeased that no one from the group attended
the meeting.
For once, even dopey Pat Downie managed to encapsulate the essence of the problem, as reported in the second line of the same article:
“Is
there any reason why they shouldn’t be here?” asked Patrick Downie, Port
Angeles deputy mayor, before the 5-1 vote approving the agreement Tuesday
night.
Of course, Pat's "concerns" didn't keep him from voting to give the money away. Hey, it's only $15,000, right? Does it really matter which failed organization (the City or the EDC) gets to fritter it away?
Breaking
from tradition on funding allocations, Nathan West did not make a recommendation to
the council on the contract because the council has given a lowest-priority
rating to funding outside groups such as the EDC.
Sure, the EDC is a failed organization. Sure, the City keeps pleading poverty (at least when it's useful to do so). Sure, the City Council gave this type of outside funding their own lowest priority rating. And sure, no one from the laughable EDC could be bothered to even show up to snag the check (or to answer questions). But hey! Why should any of that stand in the way of giving away the public's tax dollars? Especially when the rationale for doing so is...
Councilwoman Cherie Kidd, a former mayor, called it a positive proposal. “They are working hard on behalf of Clallam County,” she said.
"Working hard," eh, Cherie? I suppose it's also "another great day in Port Angeles!" You know, your vapid clichés have never been very convincing, Cherie. Especially in the face of ongoing laziness, incompetence and, as mentioned above, the utter failure that has become the brand of Port Angeles. I mean, even an ATM makes you show up to get the money. Apparently the City has lower standards than that. And you'll doubtlessly get "results" to match those low, low standards.
Port Angeles: Where the money flows free...for freeloaders.
Unconscionable. Disgusting. Sadly, only too typical of city corruption and dereliction of duty.
ReplyDeleteI get it!
ReplyDeleteYou get the police chief to say the city doesn't have enough money to fund traffic law enforcement. Get the public worried about their safety, not enough cops, and all.
You get the city's financial guy to tell the council publicly that the city has taxed it's citizens "to the limits", inferring that the city has no more money to spend.
You hold meetings asking the public to take time out of their lives to show up to tell the council what they see as important things to keep funded, because the city has run out of money, and cannot keep funding what it has already committed itself to, like programs to assist victims of domestic violence. By holding the meeting, it sounds like it REALLY IS important.
Then, the first application for the "lowest priority" funding shows up, and they get all the money they are asking for. Without even having to show up to plead their case.
And, the council spends over a million dollars on other projects that very same evening.
Makes total sense, right?
Christ, even Pat Downie knows something is wrong! But like the well-trained pawn he is, he just votes yes anyway.
ReplyDeleteSpend, spend, spend...Where are the results???
I have enjoyed voting for Chattanooga a few dozen times today. In Port Angeles, stupid should be its own, and the only, reward for this contest.
ReplyDeleteOn an unrelated note...Trolls who send homophobic insults in the middle of the night...Wow, how very 7th grade in the 20th century...Get some new material.
ReplyDeletethat's what happens when you throw out the baby and raise the placenta.
DeleteIt seems that the only comments allowed are the one's that feed your ego so why not do something at least a little funny.
ReplyDeletePort Angeles absolutely has its struggles, and I absolutely would love it all to be fixed. It doesn't happen by a laying around digging in the dirt and pointing out obvious problems without offering solutions. There is a very well intentioned, hard working, forward thinking group that is actually DOING something rather than proving themselves right everyday.
That said, things are getting better around here and you wouldn't know it from your self appointed seat in your own private pedestal.
Running a blog like this with edited replies is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded.
Feed my ego? In an anonymous forum? Oh, yeah, I'll be cashing that check at the bank. Anyway, here's your comment, and thanks for participating. Nice slur about the Special Olympics, by the way...
DeleteYes, I can see how things are getting better in Port Angeles. I see it every day in the empty streets, empty sidewalks, and empty stores. Every day.
DeleteOnce again, we see the Revitalize folks do what they do best: blame others for their failures.
Anon 7:07, you might figure out that it wasn't CK, or people posting here that complained about finding used syringes and blood spattered sheets when they checked into that Port Angeles hotel. And, it wasn't the local politicians, either .
Just go down to the corner of Lincoln and First, and watch all the traffic drive right on out of Port Angeles, as directly and as fast as they can. Today. Tomorrow. Next week. You pick the day.
Just because well-intentioned folks are "working hard, DOING something", doesn't mean it is worth doing. Getting people to vote for the town in a meaningless "contest" is self delusion. You may see it as "positive", but go down to First and Lincoln and see if the lines of traffic heading out of town cares.
You may think insulting people here gains you something. Quite frankly, I can't think what; only you know what jollies you derive. The FACTS remain the same, and are easy for any objective person to see. The streets, sidewalks and stores are empty. Worse now than they have been in years.
So, you can keep saying you're the "best", and the traffic will keep driving out of town as directly as they can.
"The customer is always right". Remember?
Anony 7:07
DeleteNo, you're wrong. This forum has a great deal of value, and attacking the moderator/creator is just dumb. Dumb as in retarded, which has nothing to do with the Special Olympics. Wise up.
I see that the PDN and the blame Max first brigade have already, duh, retracted their first story, since it looks like his account got hijacked too. Classic PDN, smear first, ask questions later.
ReplyDeletePerhaps even the dopes at the PDN could see a phone call from a lawyer in their future?
DeleteSeems like the Revitalize crowd and/or the PDN realized that (surprise, surprise!) PA was going to lose, so they needed a scapegoat. But really, they need to get a new boogieman. That one is getting really old.
DeleteMax will be even more yesterday's news when Port Angeles loses this contest next time. I wonder who they will blame then? Heaven forbid they would look in the mirror to find the guilty party...
DeleteCongratulations, Chattanooga, for winning the world's most pointless contest.
ReplyDeleteNow, can we get back to the business of watching our community crumble? Please?
People clearly don't understand how spoofing works. Now they're looking like a bunch of rubes, again.
ReplyDeleteThe last day of the pointless contest, and the number of hits for this blog more than doubled from what they usually are. No matter what, it was clearly a day that people were searching for "Port Angeles" online...
ReplyDelete