Port Angeles Business Association — Breakfast meetings are held Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at Joshua's Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive, Port Angeles.
This Tuesday's program will feature a debate between Port Angeles City Council, Position 5 candidates Michael Merideth and Marolee Smith.
Might I suggest that some of you might want to bite the bullet, go to this, and try to insert some sensible and/or relevant questions into the usual PABA pabulum? Marolee is at least out there swinging, which should be supported, and this might (might) give you a chance to see the elusive and mysterious Michael Meredith as well.
Oh, and Marolee, if Cherie Kidd is in the audience, well...I'd say just go for it.
Good luck, Marolee, and please continue to speak to the truth of life and governance in Port Angeles. Our only hope is to dispel the myths and lies.
ReplyDeleteShell won't be coming back to PA Harbor. Guess Nathan West will have to come up with a new economic development plan.
ReplyDeleteYes, and Russ Veenema is now an "economic official." Guess his undeserved golden parachute qualifies him for that.
DeleteLet's look at the last decade or so and review the potential game changers that have been elected to the Port Angeles city council.
ReplyDeleteBetsy Wharton: Fell right into line, and fell for Karen Roger's blarney. Results: Zero.
Larry Little: Kind of an ass, but he probably wouldn't have fallen for staff's BS. But he resigned after two days. Results: Less than zero.
Max Mania: Fought hard, but was stymied at every turn by staff and other council members. Then moved away during the last year of his first term. Results: Zero.
Sissi Bruch: Quickly proved herself a go along to get along gal. Not nearly as foolish as Wharton, but still...Results: Zero.
My point being, Marolee, no matter what, will not and cannot be a change agent all on her own. This is no slight of her, just a realistic assessment of the situation. Should she get elected and challenge the status quo, she will have little to no institutional support, no council support, and reams of bad press from the PDN and KONP.
Results likely to be: Zero.
Sorry, Marolee. I wish you well, I really do. I just don't see how the current set up can produce anything but continued decline.
I cannot disagree with your assessment. I am not so naive as to think that -- alone -- I can bring light to the darkness.
DeleteHowever, aren't there some more positions opening up in a couple of years? Maybe the long-game is what we need to focus on. It's not like this election cycle is the only one. We need to start looking at how to have a full slate, next cycle. We need to become a community.
This "problem" has been more than a decade, or two, in the making (I have no knowledge of prior, as my tenure in this town is only two decades). It is going to take more than one election to get this ship turned around. But, that doesn't mean we can't churn up the waters -- now.
I may not have answers, but I like to ask a lot of questions. I've always been fascinated with the power of people, joined together. Community is going to be more powerful than any elected official, in any position.
Just remember: if we were a country built on the status quo, we'd still be drinking tea and bowing to the Queen of England. We aren't. "WE, the People.." still means something. We aren't powerless.
Start coming out to city council meetings (1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month). We can all go out for a beer after (and, maybe, I'll buy the first round). Sure, watching the city council is painful, and boring (like watching paint dry). However, they're less likely to do bone-head stuff when there are witnesses. Watching, speaking up, voicing opinions, writing letters -- will have an effect. One new face on the council won't do it. There needs to be a shift in the paradigm.
I'm looking at this as an adventure. There are no 'zero' results in an adventure.
Just remember Kennedy's inaugural address: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
For those (foolish) few who were hoping the have repeat Port business from the Shell oil rig....Shell has just announced they're abandoning all arctic oil exploration. So, no return engagement.
ReplyDeleteSo, we are to believe that Shell, who only got permission to drill in the Arctic a month or so ago, explored all over enough to declare the place dry? After all the years we've been told there were vast amounts of gas and oil up there?
DeleteI'm not buying it.
The truth is that there is already a glut of oil on the market, and the mainland of the US has oil and gas wells all over it now. The politics of fossil fuels is going away from supporting ongoing use.
But, the effect is the same, even though they are lying through their teeth, as always.
It is embarrassing that there are people who think we should be supporting the oil and fossil fuel industries, here.
ahh, but there is more CK.
ReplyDelete9/29 (Tues) KONP starting at 1:20pm.
9/30 (Weds) The League of Women Voters has their candidates forum from
6-8:30pm at the Elwha Klallam Heritage Center
10/1 (Thurs) Jet Set Soroptimists 7am Senior Center
10/5 (Mon) Chamber of Commerce Noon, Red Lion
10/7 (Weds) Noon Rotary TBA (they need to secure a new location)
10/23 (Fri) Morning Rotary; 7am Season's Cafe OMC
I think those are the main events on my calendar.
noon rotary will be on 10/21 but tba for the location!
DeleteThat was a pretty nothing article about the "debate." Maybe Marolee can tell us more with some comments here?
DeleteIt wasn't much of a debate. It is very difficult to debate things, when we agree on nearly everything. Mike is a good guy, good heart, and he's as sick of the status quo as I am.
DeleteClearly, if I were up against an incumbent, these articles would be more spectacular. I'm not. (unfortunately. Bad choice on my part.)
Mike and I aren't spending a dollar on the "campaign". No blight around town in the form of yard signs. Neither of us want to take a cent from anyone because ..well, who wants to be in debt to anyone? We came to these decisions, independently. And, I can tell you that we've both been met by a lot of "whaaaaa?"
The biggest differences between us are what you can see -- age, background, gender. He doesn't read everything he can get his hands on, like I do. But, he has the history of the town, that I lack (from being raised here).
I can't speak for Mike, but, I do get the feeling, that which-ever one of us is not elected this time -- will run again, next time. I think we are so well matched, that we (together) would be a force to be dealt with together.
I am looking at the long plan...one new face now -- lets get more people at the city council meetings, and then a full slate next election, and change the dynamics.
So, actually the PDN article was pretty reflective of what went on. We'll be appearing at the League of Women Voters tonight -- at the Elwha Klallam Heritage Center across from the post office.
Thanks for the note, Marolee. And good luck.
DeleteSo, this is an odd question, and probably wouldn't really work since entrenched incumbent and would need a ton of advertising and all, but... Both Marolee and Mike are sick of the status quo and they somehow wound up running against each other. Cherrie Kidd, however, is not sick of the status quo and doesn't have anyone running against her, regardless of what it says on the ballot. What if we moved one from column A to column B? Like have a coordinated effort where Marolee gets this and Mike gets written in against Cherrie? And I'm assuming that the council position is random and not based on physical location or first letter of your first name or something?
DeleteThe League of Women Voters event was odd.
DeleteCherie Kidd was there. It certainly threw off things.
(Cherie is also going to be at the October 5, Noon Chamber lunch.)
She is insisting that she be allowed to run, because her opponent is not off the ballot.
I'm sorry. To be honest, it's awkward. It is annoying. It was hard to focus on the audience asking questions, because of all the "I did this, I did that." pontificating next to me.
Instead of allowing these events to be a showcase to let people see the differences, and decide between Mike and myself, it was a three ring circus.
During the trapeze act we had a clown riding around on a unicycle honking their little bulb horn. "ahh-oooh-gaaa"
Dare I say it: I hope that Drop-out-Dan wins the race.
Don't you realize that Cherie is going to be Mayor again, don't you?
DeleteI thought you had to pay for a plate just to show up? Regardless if you ate at home or not...
ReplyDeleteCorrect. A 3 dollar charge for those that don't order breakfast. They're not ashamed to let everyone know every Sunday via the PDN. They should be but they're not. Lol.
DeleteAs some one posted a few weeks ago, Marolee is clearly a better choice. Both seem nice enough, and should be commended for stepping up and offering their skills for the betterment of the community.
ReplyDeleteBut, Marolee has demonstrated an ability to analyze and write coherently. I've yet to see anything from her opponent. Everything thing else being equal, I'd rather see a thinking person on the council, instead of just "another nice guy'.
Anyone see today's article where McEntire is now supporting the City of PA getting Coast Guard Community designation? As a Coast Guard milbrat, and having lived in a couple of the communities they listed, I can say that I have sincere doubts about this happening. As long as I've lived here it is rare to even have anything happen to make you aware that there exists a Coast Guard station, much less any demonstration of visible community support.or embracing of the presence. When the officials can't figure out how to bring jobs or engage their local residents, why should we think they are capable of supporting short term residents? There's a reason the communities that have received this designation often become the sites where the military retirees go back to live permanently and PA just doesn't have those same things to offer.
ReplyDeleteIf we weren't good enough for NOAA to consider, I don't know why the Coast Guard would do us any favors.
DeleteI just have to ask...Is the Port Angeles garbage bluff worth dying over?
ReplyDeleteSo, to the already exorbitant costs for moving the garbage from one spot to another, we can now add the costs of a (very defensible and justifiable) lawsuit. More overtime for the city's lawyers in Seattle.
DeleteI'm missing something here. Please do elaborate.
DeleteA worker moving garbage from the garbage bluff to the future garbage bluff to be was badly, badly injured when yet another worker there ran over him with a bulldozer.
DeleteWhat is it with Port Angeles and bulldozers?
I saw the article. Thanks.
DeleteYes. What is it with Port Angeles with ANY issue?
With nothing else to compare to, I guess people think Port Angeles is just great. Or, some do.
Life can be so much better.
Yet another unnecessary unnecessary expense inflicted by this city council. There is no need for this big-time operation to move refuse from one site to another a few hundred meters away. They could have installed a meter-wide conveyor belt from the bluff to the area they wanted the garbage moved. Then send the sheriff's chain gang out with pitch-forks and shovels to load the garbage onto one end and allow the conveyor belt to carry it to the other selected site. These city council members who voted for this huge unnecessary expenditure should be removed from office and placed in stocks on the court house square so people can throw rotted fruit at them. Everyone please write in Dan Bateham for city council.
ReplyDeleteAnd, to highlight yet another example of how some in Port Angeles see what is going on, we have the article about the nurse asking for the County Commissioners to fund a supply of that heroin antidote, Naloxone.
ReplyDeleteBecause we have twice the heroin and opiate drug over-dose death rate than the rest of the State.
So, we have Alex Helper comment on the PDN site: " Newspeople, Please consider doing a report/asking questions Re: the US Border Patrol & their role in keeping heroin away from the Olympic Peninsula."
As the article Alex references states: "Most communities do not have the advantage of being home to a new, $11.9 million, 50 agent US Border Patrol facility." And: " Massing US Border Patrol agents at Port Angeles fails to keep heroin out of town."
And: "The press remains silent."
But, Port Angeles is the "Best Town, EVER" Right?
It isn't coming from Canada, it is coming up from Mexico.
DeleteThis is a very well researched article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/09/24/pellets-planes-and-the-new-frontier/
The issue is that we are dealing with a very well organized cartel that is targeting rural America, coupled with the unbelievable resurgence of opium grown in Afghanistan (the Taliban had reduced the crop to nearly zero, but then we took them out of the deal). We have had American troops guarding the opium fields (google it).
We have lost the war on drugs.
The "War on Drugs" was never real, as far as the federal government was concerned. It was just a political position taken to appeal to the "conservatives", to gain their support for the militarization of virtually everything in this country, and abroad.
DeleteWe saw them increase "the military" in the name of "security" right here, in Port Angeles.
"War on Drugs"? There are more drugs, and more kinds of drugs being used by more people than ever before. Is that what anybody would call a success? After all the billions spent. After all the people sent to jail, live ruined? After all the laws, and civil liberties we have given up in the name of this "War on Drugs"?
DeleteEventually, policies will change. But not until a lot more money an resources are wasted.
You may recall the border patrol/coast guard "lost" a shit load of confiscated cocaine a while back. Whatever became of that 'sniff sniff?
Delete"While Americans comprise only 5 percent of the world population, we consume an incredible 50 percent of Big Pharma’s drugs, as explained in Jeff Hays’ documentary film, Doctored."
DeleteAnd: "Sep 30, 2014 - America Consumes 80% of the World's Prescription Painkillers."
Hunh? Why?
And we have 25% of the world's prisoners. Are we that bad? or have the prosecutors and judges gone nuts?
DeleteIf anyone would like to view many recent public meetings, Stephanie Noblin has been attending as many as she can and filming them and placing them on YouTube. This is in hopes of eventually getting the public access channel off the ground. In the meantime, you can view some of the various debates and public meetings in case you were otherwise unable to attend. Witness the incompetence for yourselves!
ReplyDeleteHighest opiate death rate in the state? Well, hell it must be time to cut taxes! No need to more fully fund law enforcement to go after dealers, no not at all. Or how about providing the county health department efforts to treat addiction or even, god forbid, abuse prevention (we all know that shit doesn't work anyway right?). Or maybe pay your employees a little better after illegally cutting their work hours for 3 fuckin years while you "accidently" increase the county's reserve fund by $1.3 million. NO, cut taxes to feed red meat to your rabid thug tea party base to stave off an election opponent. Save everybody $20 bucks a year!
ReplyDeleteAnd the OPNET cowboys only go after marijuana. That is what they call the low hanging fruit.
DeleteFirst, Cherie Kidd is many things, and I'm all in favor of speaking of her in truthful and unflattering terms. But to simply resort to sexist name-calling...Well, those comments aren't going to make it through.
ReplyDeleteBut, FYI, recent search terms that brought people to this blog include "where to get heroin in port angeles" and "where to ger heroin in port angeles."
Does anyone care to speculate on our next Mayor?
ReplyDeleteI offer the following possibilities in order of their likelihood:
1) Cherie Kidd - No surprises in store from a Re-run Kidd! French toast, anyone?
2) Pat Downie - Known as "Sleepytime" Downie, he's hungry for the job - such as it is.
3) Dan Gase - Young, handsome and eager to go places (Olympia), that man-about-town's man-about-town would like this to be the capstone to his career in PA - before moving on to other places (Olympia).
4) Sissy Bruch - I consider her a distinct outside chance, yet she's proved she won't cause any trouble and meekly go along with whatever the staff hands out.
Kidd by a landslide unless we replace her with Dan Batham. Yeah, I know, it will be a tough pull but I cannot bear the thought of Kidd representing us as mayor for another year. The fix is in, she is going to leverage all that lodging tax money for the votes she needs. She keeps going around to all these candidate debates and begging to speak even tho her opponent (such as it is) has punted the race.
DeleteNow, here is a REALLY spooky video.
ReplyDeleteIt is dated Sept. 10th of this year, so, about 2 weeks or so. It is 8 mins of a guy with a drone video camera flying around Port Angeles. I'm guessing it is supposed to show off Port Angeles and surrounds. A beautiful day.
But, it looks like one of those sci-fi movies of after some event that wipes out all life on earth! Yeah, there are a few people to be seen, but in 8 minutes of video, flying above downtown, the courthouse, Peninsula College, the waterfront, you see virtually no one.
The clock at the courthouse shows noon, but nobody is to be seen. The camera repeatedly swings around to show the streets of Port Angeles.
Virtually no cars, No people. No boats in harbor.
It really has the feel of one of those old Sci-Fi movies! You expect to hear the church bells ring, and see the zombies walkout!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2fKD0ikpSc
Creepy!
The boosters say everything is just booming in Port Angeles. Doesn't look like it here!
Wow! Thanks for tipping us off to this. I just finished watching it...
DeleteAnd, yeah...It is almost entirely free of people. There are repeated (and repeated - and repeated) shots of some McMansion that looks like it's probably actually out in County land, not within Port Angeles itself.
Then there are numerous shots of the County Courthouse clock tower. Not of the Courthouse as a whole - oh no. Just up and down the nice clock tower. Again and again.
There's also LOTS of footage from a completely deserted Peninsula College campus. That's at least easy to understand - if you shoot early, on a weekend, there shouldn't be many people walking around there.
But how, how do you get several long shots along the waterfront trail on a bright, sunny morning, and have NO people on said trail? I guess that would be tied to the nearly empty Red Lion parking lot you see in one of these shots.
And then, there's a lot of footage of forests that, of course, are not even close to being in Port Angeles, or what Port Angeles looks like.
There are no real shots of downtown, other than one in passing (that shows no traffic or people). There are no shots at all - none - of any neighborhoods in Port Angeles. Other than the trail by the Red Lion, there aren't really any shots of the waterfront at all, either. And there are certainly no shots of Nippon, or the log yard, or the Turd Tank. Not even a shot of a ferry, or boats in the harbor.
So this is a slick, fairly professionally done and deceptive video. Deceptive in making Port Angeles look very green (trees!) and well-off (McMansions!) while also, unintentionally, revealing the sad, lonely truth about Port Angeles: There's no there there, no people there. The swelling, dramatic music used is also pretty funny, given the reality of Port Angeles. Some mournful banjo being plucked might be more accurate.
I couldn't help but imagine a video like this done for my town. You'd have shot after shot of tree-lined streets. Plenty of footage of a vibrant and busy downtown. You'd want to get some footage of our lovely, well-preserved neighborhoods, and all the gardens and flowers people have in their front yards. And even on a weekend, you'd be hard pressed to find our college(s) deserted. In other words, I can't imagine how difficult it would be here, or in most places, to get shot after shot after shot of public spaces and streets with no people or traffic in them.
But in Port Angeles...
But in Port Angeles, the boosters won't see what's not there. They'll just see the same worn out illusions they've always seen, and slap on a mindless grin and say, "It's another GREAT day in Port Angeles!"
Amazing! Yes. It looks like one of those old movies. You know, where the unsuspecting couple drives into a beautiful but completely deserted community, and then all kinds of horrible things happen to them.
DeleteAs you say, what would it take to contrive a video like this? How can you fly hundred feet or so above the downtown of a town, and orchestrate so little activity, at noon on a beautiful summer day?
You're right CK, I'm sure the boosters are going to ignore it all, and say everything is better than ever. Again, as this video shows, they will ignore the visible reality, and tell each other how great everything is.
That is how ya pay the bills!
Was this video intended to be an ad for selling a house that is ostentatious but architecturally ugly? The home is built on a lot large enough to include a tennis court, but if this video is intended as a real estate marketing piece, the cinematographer obviously figured that it was better to film exterior shots of the surrounding area and Peninsula College than actually show more about the house itself.
DeleteMy guess is that the house is outside city limits and up Mount Angeles Rd. And that it was "designed" and built by a do it yourself contractor, whose pride in the resulting product is misplaced.
Who is the dude who is riding a bike and featured so prominently in the footage? Is he supposed to be adding something manly and wonderful to the scene? Yikes!
Poor taste all around, except for the forest shots.
It was indeed a sunny and nice day, though.
What is this fascination with a crowded, vibrant downtown? Some people don't need to rub elbows with strangers and found the place not to do so.
DeleteI keep waiting for someone to start screaming "help me" in that video.
DeletePatric McInnis...last man left in Port Angeles. Patric, please close the door when you're done. Oh, and turn off the lights, please?
DeleteWonder why he moved here. Patric McInnis's IMBD: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3653767/
DeletePlease note he hasn't had any production credits of any sort for almost two years now...
Delete@Anon 4:28 who says : "What is this fascination with a crowded, vibrant downtown? Some people don't need to rub elbows with strangers and found the place not to do so."
DeleteI guess you have been too "out there" to notice that the City, County and local civic groups have been spending millions of tax dollars for years trying to promote Port Angeles, attract more tourists, and attract new businesses.
That these "boosters" recently spent weeks at their computers voting over and over in that on-line ballot box stuffing contest, to get more people to come to Port Angeles.
That the Chamber and Lodging Tax committee have spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on advertising campaigns trying to get people to come to Port Angeles.
And, despite so many people saying that these efforts are misplaced, and that Port Angeles needs to "clean house before inviting people over for a party", Port Angeles and it's boosters keep throwing good money after bad.
As this video unintentionally shows so well, all these promotional efforts have resulted in an amazingly empty town.
I see that Port Angeles is going to spend a couple hundred thousand in an advertising campaign to try to lure more people to come to Port Angeles. That Venimaa ( yeah, I know) tried to use his great past experience and history in this exact effort, but didn't make the cut.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see how many different ways Laurel Black tried to get lodging tax money! She was willing to "partner up" with how many different people?
But, the City, once again, throws other people's money in the wrong direction.
Rather than looking at why the millions of tourists who are ALREADY passing through Port Angeles each year have such a minimal economic impact, the city does exactly as it has done before, and spends big money to do what created no results before.
And they think heroin is a significant problem here?
How many times has it been said that 400,000 get off the Coho every year, and 3 million come to the ONP, blah, blah, blah. Yet, here we see all these efforts to "promote Port Angeles". We get criticized for being "negative" here, but when are these folks ever showing that they are listening? Year after year, they keep spending our money doing what they should know is a waste of effort.
DeleteAnd Cherie Kidd is the chair of this committee and will surely leverage these many thousands of dollars for votes. See how smoothly it runs when you get in on the inside. Vote Dan Batham, hold your nose and vote Dan Batham. A nod is as good as a wink to a blind man.
DeleteLaurel Black needs to take a break. It's getting to the point where all her designs and logos look the same and hence, no one business or organization stands out which is the intent of marketing. She's pretty much the only game in town which is why she gets business, but she would do well to try to compete in other markets and we would do well to give some outside contracts for this sort of thing.
DeleteCan you believe the balz of Russ Veneema attempting to get the marketing contract? That only shows how totally clueless he really is. Russ, slink back into the night and let us get over the damage you inflicted for ten years at the helm of the chamber. Take your supercilious attitude back to Park City where you will fit right in with the stuffed shirt stalwarts.
ReplyDeleteHeard an interesting story on Canadian radio earlier. Seems their money isn't worth as much against the US dollar. Their dollar is worth 75 cents in the US! So, the Canadians are not traveling to the US like they have in the past.
ReplyDeleteWill this impact Scott's Crabfest?
We'll see in a couple days.