The Devil's in the Details - Now Let's Eat!

Tomorrow night (Tuesday) the City Council holds one of their regular meetings. As per regular business, they have the City's expenses - $5 million dollars worth for the last two weeks - on their consent agenda. That means, of course, they don't even discuss it they just approve it, unless someone makes a request to pull it for discussion, which rarely happens. Just another meeting, another $5 million in tax payer dollars...Ho hum.

But there are a couple of little things in those expenses I wanted to point out as follow ups to some recent discussions here, and to illustrate the Devil May Care approach to spending that this Council has.

First up, there was some question here about whether Dan DiGuilio's road trips to see regional convention centers would cost the City anything. Well, yes, it seems the Mayor does bill the City for those totally unnecessary trips - trips that, so far as I know weren't suggested or authorized by the City Council.



But there on page E-14 of the expenses is this item: Advanced Travel - DiGuilio - Cnvntn Ctr Tour - $114.40. In other words, Dan DiGuilio wanted to take a day trip, and have a meal or two on the road, and you get to pay for it.

Ah, but Dan isn't our only mobile Council member. Page E-14 also includes this item: Advanced Travel - Travel Exp/Downie - $118.70. On the same page, there's also this: Port Angeles City Treasurer - Ec Dev Dinner - Downie - $37.50. Yes, that's right. Pat spent nearly forty bucks of your money, on one meal. I guess that's the City Council's idea of "Ec Dev." Thank goodness Pat's a Mormon and doesn't drink, or that total could have been much higher.

I'm told it tastes so much better if you don't have to pay for it yourself.



Meanwhile, as you know, by the end of the month we're supposed to know if the totally fraudulent PA Untied will be absorbing - I mean merging - with the Chamber, the PADA, the PABA, etc. In other words, things are potentially in flux.

On the other hand, what is never in flux in Port Angeles is the free flow of tax dollars to useless causes. Thus, on page E-36 of this week's expenses, we find these items: Port Angeles Chamber of Comm - Consulting Services - $27,486.47, as well as Port Angeles Chamber of Comm - Consulting Services - $20,886.72. Yes, nearly $50,000 to the Chamber for "Consulting Services." Given how little they do, they should be labeled "Insulting Services."

But, at any rate, be it big or small, in Port Angeles they waste them all.

It's the Water Part Three: Drowning in Debt

Port Angeles is drowning in debt.

From the $50 million dollar Turd Tank to the $17 million dollar waterfront redo to the millions spent on the deeply stupid Smart Meter fiasco, the City of Port Angeles has recklessly chosen to take on projects of highly questionable need and/or quality – and their associated mountains of debt – time and time again. Meanwhile, other projects that need attention, and dollars, like the projected $18 million dollars to address the garbage bluff situation, pile on as well. At the same time, much needed basic infrastructure needs continue to go unmet, unfunded, and in many cases are even undiscussed. Anyone who’s driven on local streets knows how many of them need repaired or replaced, for instance. The City is also woefully behind in replacing their street lights and telephone poles – many of which are literally rotting in place.

This year, 2014, the City’s existing debt load reaches a new plateau – a plateau that extends out for at least a decade. As is, this burden of existing debt is completely crushing, totally unsustainable. Anyone want to bet that the City will exercise restraint and resist adding any new debt to it in the next ten years?

Yeah, right.

There’s that old saying, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” Applying that idea to City Hall, you’d think that, even if all this financial irresponsibility wasn’t done with malicious intent, that if it all was 100% due to simple stupidity, they’d occasionally make the right decision, even if by accident. But no. The City is remarkably consistent. They seem to get it wrong, wrong, wrong time after time after time. They just spend, spend, spend, with no end in sight. It’s almost as though there were a concerted effort to drive the City of Port Angeles into financial ruin.

But why would anyone want to do that? Why would anyone want to intentionally drive the City’s finances off a cliff?

Let me follow that up with another question: At the end of the day, what is the one unquestionably valuable resource that the City possesses?

I believe the answer to both questions is the same: Water rights.

The City of Port Angeles has truly remarkable and extremely valuable water rights.

And, unless you’ve been in a coma for the last few years, you know that water is (finally) being seen as the incredibly (financially) valuable resource it is. In an era of climate change, shifting weather patterns, devastating droughts and an ever-increasing population, water has been steadily rising in value as a market commodity. In financial circles, the new saying is that “Water is the new oil.” Companies that deal in water – like Veolia – have been very busy trying to find new sources to serve their rapidly expanding markets.

 

Thanks for your honesty, sir. Oh, and can

I suggest a place for you to store that bottle?

 

But how do you get a municipality like, say, Port Angeles, to give up their claims on such a valuable and marketable commodity? You could offer to buy it at market value, but that’s risky, and potentially very, very expensive. Even historically stupid municipalities (like Port Angeles) might realize they’ve got a gold mine on their hands and charge you accordingly – or become your competition. Neither of those are desirable outcomes from the corporate perspective.

But what if…What if you could help manage and manipulate a situation in which the municipality in question was desperate, say, drowning in debt? Just like, gee, Port Angeles is. Further, what if said municipality just happened to have a newer, upgraded water supply system to an existing industrial facility? Just like, say, the new water treatment plant – treating the water to commercial, not industrial, standards – that supplies the Nippon facilities?

What would be even better, from the perspective of a company like Veolia, would be to find an industrial location with an existing water supply, but that would soon be vacant. Like say, the Nippon plant? After all, Nippon reps keep talking about how their paper market is shrinking. And in just a couple more years, if they’ve kept their mill “operational,” they’ll be able to walk away with the millions set aside for them by the National Park Service. If they were to then sell their mill facilities, they now come with their own power plant, and they’re located right next to an existing port – a port that could ship out a lot of water. All a company like Veolia would have to do is convert the mill facilities to bottling facilities, and they’d be sitting very pretty indeed. They’d have new facilities, easy transport, and a ready labor pool that’s desperate and will work cheap, not to mention a City that’s an easy mark and a local political culture rife with corruption.

It seems the only part of this intricate little web that hasn’t come together is the second reservoir that the PUD was supposed to build for the City, but didn’t. You could just see how staff would have able to use a second reservoir as a way to assure the City Council and the public that, even if the new water bottling plant used up all the available water from the Elwha on any given day, the City would still have reserves on hand. When the PUD screwed up, and didn’t provide this candy coating, well, you could see how those involved with such a plan might have been pretty upset – like Glenn Cutler was.

 

Screening in City Hall, anyone?

 

Anyway, there you have it. A pretty little scheme right here in little ol’ Port Angeles.

Now, can I absolutely prove all of this? Hell no. But do I absolutely believe that something very close to this is unfolding around us? Hell yes. This is a way to fit all sorts of pieces together, even some that seem at first glance to be random, or unconnected. At the risk of sounding simplistic, this scheme I’ve outlined would pretty much explain everything – the drive for more debt; the behind the scenes scheming to get the NPS to upgrade the water coming in to Nippon to commercial levels; the new water treatment facilities that are designed to treat far more water than the City would ever need now or in the foreseeable future; Cutler’s fury at the PUD.

This would create a situation in which the City selling their water rights would be an “out” from all the debt they’ve taken on. It provides an “out” for Nippon, who clearly won’t need their mill facilities here much longer. And it doesn’t take much to imagine that we’ve got enough greedy, crooked people locally (in City Hall, the County Courthouse, and elsewhere) who would happily take part in such a scheme in order to line their own pockets.

And so, there you have it. I’ve laid out what I think is going on behind the scenes for you to consider and comment on. I’m putting this out there now, because at this point I think I’m much more right than wrong about this. In closing, thanks again for sticking with me through three parts of this. I know it’s a lot to take in altogether, but there was no good way to simplify it without losing crucial details. In any case, I look forward to the discussion that I hope follows this, and to hearing what you all have to say, and what you may have seen or heard yourselves.

 

The Mayor of Port Angeles - AFTER the fact.

It's the Water Part Two: Random Acts or Blindness?

Here in Part Two of the Nippon Saga, we’ll be looking at some seemingly random, seemingly unconnected facts dealing with Port Angeles, Nippon, and the local water supply.

Basic Fact: Nippon is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, despite Cherie Kidd’s oft stated description of them as being “a local company.”

Random Fact 1: As stated previously by a commenter, Nippon pays the City a whopping $15,000 a year for the right to use up to 20 million gallons of water a day. Yes, just $15,000 a year for 20 million gallons a day. Even with a calculator, I can’t figure out how little Nippon pays for their water.

Random Fact 2: Related to the fact above…Did you know that there’s no water meter at the Nippon plant? In other words, there is no way to know how much water they actually draw from the system.

Random Fact 3: Related to the fact above…Did you know that, during the time of year when the Elwha flow is the lowest, which is also the time of year that salmon return to spawn, that Nippon’s 20 million gallons a day “allotment” could often exceed the total flow of the river? In other words, during this time of year, Nippon could conceivably drain the river dry. Gee, do you think the Feds might be open to a little blackmail from a certain “local company” to keep them from doing just that? Hmmm…

 

This year's salmon fishing season is brought to you by Nippon!

 

Random Fact 4: As part of the Elwha River Restoration Act, it was mandated that the National Park Service protect Port Angeles’ industrial water supply. At the time the act was written and passed, there were multiple mills (industrial water users) in Port Angeles. By the time the dams came out, the only industrial water user left was Nippon.

Random Fact 5: To meet this requirement to protect Port Angeles’ industrial water supply, the NPS worked directly with Nippon, not the City. They cut a deal, and then told the City. Our then City Manager Kent Myers was allowed to look at the agreement, but wasn’t allowed to have a copy – even though it was all (in theory) about protecting the City’s water supply.

 

Memo to Kent Myers: Look, but don't touch. So much for scumbag solidarity, eh Kent?

 

Random Fact 6: For all the years that Nippon received their water from the City, the City was contractually bound to provide them with water suitable for industrial use. When the NPS and Nippon cut their secret deal, the NPS agreed to build a new water treatment plant for Nippon’s water supply – a treatment plant that would provide them with water treated with the same processes and chemicals used to produce commercial bottled water.

Random Fact 7: There are no blueprints, plans, permits or other information available through either the City or the County for this new water treatment plant. It was just built, and there it is. The City didn’t even know about it until it had already been built and was functioning – and adding the abovementioned chemicals to the water.

Random Fact 8: Related to Fact 2 and 7 above…Since there is no water meter at the end of the industrial water line at Nippon, it is impossible to know how much (chemically-treated) water is leaking out of the pipeline before it gets there. But it is almost certainly leaking somewhere.

Random Fact 9: Another part of the agreement to “protect Port Angeles’ industrial water supply” involves a cash payment from the NPS – to Nippon. Yes, Nippon gets a little over $7 million dollars in cash – cash that they can do with as they please. All they have to do is keep the mill “operational” for a few years. Under the terms of the agreement, “operational” essentially means they could turn out one roll of paper a year and it counts as keeping the mill “operational.” Once that term is up, they can pocket the cash – and close the mill (if they wanted to).

Random Fact 10: Years ago, the City and the PUD signed a contract wherein the PUD agreed to build a new reservoir for the City, to be completed a couple of years ago. The PUD dropped the ball, and didn’t do so. They defended their failure by (correctly) noting that when the two parties had signed the agreement years before, all trends showed a net growth in Port Angeles in the next decade, but that more recent models all showed a projected shrinkage in Port Angeles – thus making an additional water storage facility unnecessary.

Random Fact 11: Despite the fact that there really and truly didn’t seem to be any present or future need for a new reservoir, and despite the fact that no one else in City Hall or on the City Council seemed too upset by the PUD’s failure, Glenn Cutler went ballistic. As you may already know, the PUD also gets their water from the City, and on more than one occasion during this period, Glenn Cutler personally threatened to turn off their water supply.

 

Better living through technology - Glenn Cutler-style!

 

Question 1: Why was Glenn Cutler so upset?

Question 2: How do these random pieces of information all fit together?

Question 3: Why all this effort to protect and enhance the water supply of a dying mill in a remote, dying town?

Question 4: Have you ever heard of a company called Veolia?

Question 5: Did you know Veolia has a foot in the door right here in Port Angeles?

Suggestion 1: Google the phrase “Veolia lawsuits” and see what turns up. And stay tuned for the third and final part of this series…

 

 

It's the Water Part One: Nippon Taxes the System

Despite the undeniable fact that Port Angeles is no longer a mill town, it’s also undeniable that a great many of the old guard here still cling to that identity. And we know that all of our so-called elected “leaders” are deathly afraid of seeming anything other than 110% pro-business at all times. With all that being so, Nippon – the Last Mill Standing – clearly has an outsize influence in Port Angeles. I would argue that that influence is generally malignant, or, at best, extremely self-serving.

Basic Fact: Nippon is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, despite Cherie Kidd’s seemingly unshakeable belief in them being “a local company.”

Background Fact: The City’s Utility Advisory Committee is very important when it comes to setting utility rates and policy. These decisions have a huge impact on both utility customers and the City’s overall finances. Nippon, for all intents and purposes, has two permanent seats on the UAC. No other business, local or not, has a presence on the UAC.

Background Fact: Related to the above…As the City’s largest utility customer, Nippon has historically paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to the City in utility taxes.

Background Fact: The City is debt-ridden, and strapped for cash, and likes the Nippon tax dollars very, very much. Utility tax dollars make their way into the City’s General Fund.

Background Fact: Nippon likes their dollars, too, and they have spent a great many of them on some very good lawyers. These lawyers have been very effective at challenging the local property tax assessments placed on Nippon. This is why, as their property has seemingly increased in value due to all the construction and upgrades, their property tax bills have actually been steadily declining.

Background Fact: Related to the above, for many years the Port was (and possibly still is) paying some of Nippon’s utility bills for the property they lease from the Port.

 

Think of it as a boon for doctors who treat asthma.

Background Fact: Nippon only ever started their biomass upgrade because A) The U.S. market for renewable (“green”) energy at that time was extremely strong and they smelled profits, and B) They had penciled it out in a way that had roughly half of the costs covered by U.S. tax breaks and other government giveaways.

 

Like a thief in the night, avoiding grief by taking flight...

 

Fact: The timing of Harold Norlund’s leaving Port Angeles was not random. Harold was the public face of Nippon for many years, and made many statements and promises on behalf of the company. Soon, many of those statements and promises will be exposed as lies, and Harold didn’t want to be here for that. Functionally it will work best for the company to have a new person introducing the new reality for Nippon in Port Angeles.

Fact: Since the biomass project has gotten underway, the U.S. market for renewable energy has fallen greatly, making it very doubtful that Nippon has found a buyer for any “green” energy the biomass facility will produce. (Remember: That’s why the biomass project in Port Townsend finally got stopped – the company realized there’s no market for the energy.)

Assumption: This being the case, it seems logical to assume that it is extremely likely that, sometime soon, Nippon will simply switch from buying electricity through the City and start using the electricity they produce to run their own plant.

Assumption: The last two years, Nippon has been challenging the City on the way they calculate Nippon’s utility taxes. This challenge resulted in the recent payout of $200,000 from the City to Nippon. It seems likely that this ongoing challenge will be part of the reason Nippon will give for switching to using their own power – they “just can’t afford” to pay the City all those pesky taxes.

Fact: If the above comes true in any way, it will result in the City suddenly and permanently losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in utility taxes. This loss, and the related loss of funds to the General Fund, will be crippling for the already threadbare City budget. Jobs, programs and services will be cut.

 

The bomb that will blow up the City budget is ticking...ticking...

 

Given all that, does it still make sense for the City Council to kowtow to Nippon? Do you think the Council members know some secret that makes this all go away and makes everything all right? Or are they whistling past the graveyard?

Put very simply, are you comfortable with the status quo? Or do you think the City could be doing a better job at being both proactive and protective?

Stay tuned for more on Nippon, coming soon…

Something Borrowed...

...with permission, from the Port O Call. For the full, unedited version, visit Port O Call's website. Thanks to Dale Wilson for letting me reprint this here.

Port Angeles Economy is the way it is because 2 dozen are happy the way it is

Port Angeles’ economy is the way it is because a certain cadre of people want it just the way it is. These few people, probably less than two dozen, have situated themselves at certain pinch-points within the larger economy and are thereby able to control the levers of power, influence and funding.

These two dozen people are satisfied that the economy has remained stagnant long after surrounding communities have begun to claw out of the great recession. These two dozen people have rebuffed economic development plans presented to the community. Microsoft sought to purchase an old hotel and remodel it for offices. That project was thwarted for no apparent reason. Adventure Zip Line Tours sought to locate here and create 200 jobs. That project was stymied and those jobs went to northern California.

These two dozen people are satisfied with the City Council spending taxpayers into hundreds of millions of dollars in debt so long as no new jobs are created. 

These two dozen people are satisfied with the high school failing to graduate 30 percent of the students who start classes each year. 

These two dozen people have been so successful for so long they no longer have the need to hide their plans. They operate in plain sight and the taxpayers pay for their destructive plans.

Every year, for the past ten years, the City Council has handed over hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars ostensibly intended for economic development to Russ Veenema, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. When pressed, everyone would agree this is actually for tourist development--but no one is pressing.

The Chamber of Commerce is not an evil organization. However, its executive director acts much like a cancer on the local economy. Veenema has hand-picked an executive board of acolytes who pretend to make decisions for the organization. In actuality, Veenema and a few behind the scenes individuals make the decisions and carry out the plans.

In this way the city gets to pretend they are doing something--spending money for economic development. The Chamber gets to pretend they are doing something--spending money for economic development. The Council is appeased because they can tell taxpayers they are doing all they can by presenting money to Russ Veenema.

Russ displays a year's worth of brochures from the Visitor Center.


In the ten years the City Council has handed over money to Russ Veenema, they have never audited the books to see how the money is being spent. The contract between the city and the Chamber requires quarterly audits to be sure the money is being spent appropriately. Instead, once a year, about the time for the next check to be written, Russ comes to the City Council, quotes a few statistics gleaned from state reports, assures the Council all last year’s money was spent appropriately and now it’s time to cough up some more.

This has been the process for the past ten years. Councils come and go but the cancer remains. The way a cancer works is it robs surrounding tissue of nutrients and resources. The way Veenema works is to rob the local economy of any of the funds allegedly intended for economic development. 

With the millions of dollars already given over to Veenema, the needle on economic prosperity for most citizens has not moved one whit. Some of the owners of various tourist properties are doing pretty well. However, most of their employees are still making near minimum wage. 

For many years these local elites have had it pretty much their way. They have co-opted the local bankers, the media, and the independent business organizations.

Recently, Tim Smith came out of retirement to personally recruit the so called Port Angeles United. This “Big Tent” organization was supposed to gather all the “stakeholders” from throughout the peninsula and hammer out a unified, peninsula-wide plan for economic development. The plan was based on the fact there are now more than two dozen separate entities in existence whose reason for being is to improve economic development locally. Within these two dozen organizations, more than $5 million is spent annually. Most of this is spent on salaries, benefits, and rents for the organizations. Hardly any is left over for real job creation efforts. The elites like it that way.

Port Angeles United has had superficial meetings in public for a couple months now. In between the “official” meetings, put on for the media, are the real meetings where the media was not allowed and here the plans take shape.

At the fifth, and what was supposed to be the final meeting of Port Angeles United there appeared a local attorney, Pat Irwin. He was there to help guide the committee toward its next phase, which is to design and build yet another economic development entity which is streamlined to receive city tax money without all the fuss of Russ having to come to the City Council with hat in hand once a year. Most likely the new and improved economic development entity will be more like an appendage attached as closely as possible to the city’s treasury so that there won’t be as many opportunities for the media or other snoops to actually see where tax money is going.

 

Webmaster of the Internets, Tim Smith!



The ambition of Tim, Russ, Jim Haguewood and Karen Rogers is to not only create a new entity but also destroy existing business groups. For several meetings they’ve discussed the dissolution of the Port Angeles Downtown Association and the Port Angeles Business Association. Fortunately PADA’s charter will not allow their being absorbed into Port Angeles United. There is a clamor to dissolve PABA into PAU. PABA’s program chairman, Andrew May threw PABA under the bus at the most recent Port Angeles United meeting.

Historically, Chambers of Commerce have been staunchly business minded organizations. Normally they have contempt for “government give-aways.” Not so locally. The local COC would dry up and wither away were it not for the millions of dollars it has received from taxpayers over the past ten years. For the past ten years its reason d’etre has been to receive and spend taxpayer dollars. Support of local businesses is almost non-existent.

As a member of the local Chamber, I’ve yet to receive a call from anyone associated with it asking me what the Chamber can do to help grow my business. At least three/fifths of the Chamber’s budget comes from the Port Angeles City Council plying them with tax money.

The question is: Has your business/economic life improved in the past ten years due to efforts by the local COC? If not, then ask the second question: How better might the city have invested those millions of dollars given to the Chamber? The options are many. We could have improved Civic Field so there wouldn’t be huge pools of water on the field when ball games are played there. They could invest in training for first line service personnel to provide a more warm and fuzzy experience for visitors who stay overnight. They could provide charging stations for electric vehicles who cannot now visit for fear of running out of battery while on the peninsula. They could establish yacht races in the harbor. This would bring a very moneyed elite to visit. Some may own companies which they might consider moving here if the climate was more inviting. 

They could spend it this way if the City Council would quit giving it to the ones least likely to do anything meaningful with it. 

 

Put Your Best Foot Forward?

Oh, joy! The "small" cruise ship is coming back! Gosh, I guess that means they really, really like us? Even though we haven't paid it off yet, maybe that new waterfront sidewalk is starting to pay off?

Yes, Port Angeles is a waterfront community all right. Even though, as you probably already know, all coastal towns have a waterfront, Port Angeles, for whatever reason, seems to think theirs is special, and has great untapped potential as a tourist magnet.

I think the untapped potential is very debatable. So let's focus on the existing waterfront, shall we? The waterfront as it really is. How is it viewed by some real, live tourists?

After visiting Port Townsend again, and enjoying how nice their downtown is again, I got curious about how visitors view downtown Port Angeles. So I spent a little time online checking that out...I decided to focus on the Red Lion and Crab House, because they are so prominent, they are right next to the ferry, and because the Chamber of Commerce meets there. With so much going for them - location! energy! - I figured these would surely be the best ambassadors for Port Angeles possible. Surely with their prominent location, our local business community wouldn't let these places be anything less than stellar.

Oh.

To be fair, the Red Lion does better than the Crab House, garnering three stars (out of five) on Trip Advisor, and three and a half on Yelp. (See sample comments below for both.)

Meanwhile...Yikes! Don't eat at the Crab House. Wow. On Trip Advisor, it rates only three and a half stars out of five, and is ranked at #35 out of all the restaurants in Port Angeles. But that's better than its standing on Yelp, where it only manages two stars, and ranks at #49. Still, that's probably better that it does on Urban Spoon, where it gets only a 47% approval rating.

Yes, our crab cakes are made by hand...



For comparison...The Crab House comes in at #49 on Yelp, right? You can do better by crossing the street. The dingy little Dairy Queen comes in at #48. Yes, Dairy Queen beats the Crab House. On Trip Advisor, Baskin Robbins beats the Crab House. And I don't think it's as simple as more-people-like-ice-cream-than-crab.

I think it's illuminating to see what restaurants rank highest among in our town, and among visitors. And actually, it's not restaurants, it's a singular restaurant. Sabai Thai is rated #1 on both Yelp and Trip Advisor, with four and a half and five stars, respectively. On Urban Spoon, they get a whopping 97% - or, 50% more than the Crab House. What makes this illuminating is that Sabai Thai is not downtown (and thus is not burdened by the PADA), and is not involved with the Chamber of Commerce. They just do their thing, do it exceedingly well, and get the success and praise that comes from that, even in their out of the way location.

So my point is this...Our so-called business leaders and economic development gurus all frequently gather at some of the lousiest places in town and think that they're fine, just fine. They embrace and embody the low, low standards they set for the town. They never step out of their collective comfort zone. They never honestly try to improve their game. And it seems they never look at what people are saying about Port Angeles online, or they would know that something is wrong, terribly wrong. If these people really believe that tourism is the name of the game, they're out of touch with what people are saying, where people are spending their money, and clueless about the easy online tools available to give them some of this information.

Catch of the day at the Chamber luncheon!



And yet, these are the people, paid and otherwise, who are in charge of promoting Port Angeles to visitors? They of the dingy rooms and terrible food and hostility to the ONP? I find it difficult to believe that anyone really expects any sort of results from these people. How about you?

THE REVIEWS:

On Yelp and Trip Advisor, I found the following revealing reviews...All from within the past year, and most from people who live in our region. Does it sound like any of them will be big boosters of Port Angeles?

3/19/2014 - Crab House: Richelle from Vancouver, WA: "Awful. Terrible food, atrocious service. We waited a LONG time and half our meal never came. When I asked about it, the server said 'well, they're not very good anyways.'"

3/10/2014 - Red Lion: Joe from Spokane starts his review off with this great line: "For being Port Angeles, this isn't a terrible hotel." He then goes on to say "From the outside it looks like a sketchy, ghetto, like I need to lock my doors and shut my shades before going to sleep."

2/27/2014 - Red Lion and Crab House: Amanda from Australia: "Over priced and over rated. The restaurant is gaunt and the food barely edible (for fear of food borne illness)."

1/13/2014 - Red Lion: Dave from Portland, OR captures his experience with his header: "Outdated and overpriced."

12/28/2013 - Red Lion: John from Auburn in his three-out of -five star review also states the obvious: "This is Port Angeles." In other words, set your sights low, and you'll do okay.

12/28/2014 - Crab House: Beth from Surrey, B.C. says " Thought going to restaurant named "Crabhouse" would have a menu to die for...not so. Crab was frozen...no other seafood offered...Restaurant dirty..."

10/10/2013 - Crab House: Lola from Medford, Or says it all in the header or her review: "Skip this place!"

9/28/2013 - Red Lion: Kyle from Seattle starts off with what might be a new slogan for Port Angeles: "Not horrible, but definitely wasn't impressed."

9/16/2013 - Red Lion and Crab House: Heidi from Winlock had a lot to say in her one-star review: "I'm only giving the one star because our waitress at breakfast was very nice and friendly...Our room smelled like mildew and the heater/fan was so noisy you couldn't use it unless you were gone. The Crab House attached to it was horrible. Too expensive for what you get especially with bad service. Expect a trip to Your chiropractor after you sleep on these beds. Then when we told the front desk they just shrugged like they've heard it before. Someone needs to help this Red Lion or close it down!"

7/16/2013 - Crab House: Connie from Walnut, CA: "I would say that for the less than mediocre food, the prices were too high."

6/30/2013 - Red Lion: Phillip from Saint Paul, MN also caught the flavor of PA: "I can't complain too much since the town itself doesn't have many options."

6/14/2013 - Crab House: Laura from Seattle: "Higher prices, lower quality. Crab not fresh as usual."

Bicker Bicker Bicker

So I was reading a book yesterday, and it made a reference to the Transition Town movement. That spurred an, "Oh yeah" moment for me, as I recalled that Port Angeles briefly had some activity towards becoming a Transition Town a few years ago - before it all fell apart.

Now, to remind you, a Transition Town is, per Wikipedia: A Transition Town is a grassroots community project that seeks to build resilience in response to peak oil, climate change and economic instability. In other words, it's all about becoming more resourceful locally, and less dependent on imports and fossil fuel. Both these things help build a stronger, more localized and sustainable economy.

Transition Town kids: Planning, planting and building a better future.



The local effort here, as I recall, was spearheaded by a couple, Andrew and Neil, along with Hank Gibson, Sissi Bruch, and possibly Max Mania. There was also one older man involved, whose name escapes me now, but who I remember as being one of the worst presenters I have ever seen.

Anyway, the whole thing got off to a big start - I remember one meeting in a packed room with almost the entire City Council there, and even that slimeball City Manager, Kent Myers. There seemed to be a lot of energy and excitement around the idea. There were even supposedly copies of The Transition Handbook floating around City Hall. Wow! Neat, huh?

Then the Port Angelesness of it all reasserted itself. There was bickering between the people leading the efforts, with particularly bad blood (for whatever reason) between Andrew and Neil and Sissi. The one big group split into two smaller groups. Soon after that, both groups, so far as I know, simply evaporated.

Port Angeles kids: Still pining for a job shipping our natural resources to China.



Now, Andrew and Neil (and Max) have moved away. Hank Gibson has seemingly returned to his curmudgeonly cocoon. And Sissi is on the City Council, voting with the majority way too often.

Why does this always happen here? What is it about Port Angeles that inherently causes bickering and dissension to break out? Members of the Chamber bickered and shat out the PABA. Then there's the PADA. For years the Democratic Party had two groups. I hear there are even two Kiwanis groups. And on and on. What is it about Port Angeles that causes groups left (the Transition Town people) and right (pretty much everyone else) to fight, split and feud?

Is this a manufactured dysfunction, one meant to keep people separated and distracted, and thus easy marks? Or is it our remote location? The fluoride in the water? An Indian curse? Why is this such a good place to come together so you can split apart?

I can't believe you like Transition Team Red! Everyone knows Transition Team Blue is the best, you moron!



It Never Ends - Part II

Here's a quick and dirty synopsis of last night's City Council meeting discussions of term limits and the proposed Nippon payout. (Please understand that any quotes here are based on my quickly taken notes. They should all be at least 90% accurate, if not word-for-word perfect.)

Brad Collins and Sissi Bruch both spoke in favor of having City Council positions being limited to just two consecutive terms. Brad Collins at one point stated that there are always term limits in place, because "people can vote incumbents out." Of course, incumbent Collins ran unopposed this last time, which does somewhat undercut his point.

If you'll allow me to undercut my own argument for a moment...

On a similar note, Mayor Dan DiGuilio said that "voters can tell us when our term is up." But again, when races are unopposed, Dan, what then? (Mention was made during the discussion of the three unopposed Council races in the last election.)

In the end, essentially the entire Council - including Collins and Bruch - punted, and directed staff to "do outreach" to the community to find out what "the people" want. Cherie Kidd wants a survey sent out with utility bills, and Collins seemed to support that idea with his comments. In any case, staff will now spend time trying to think of ways to "do outreach." Said ideas will then have to come back to Council for approval. If they are then approved, then staff will actually initiate said "outreach" and eventually report the results back to Council. All of this will occur at a later date - probably a much later date.

As for the Nippon payout...City Attorney Bill Bloor started the discussion off with a recap of how the City got to this point. Back in October of 2011, the Bonneville Power Administration introduced a new two-tier billing methodology. In response to this, the City enacted a change in their own ordinances - a change that wasn't intended to change the Industrial Rate Class that Nippon is billed (and taxed) under. The amended ordinance included a complex methodology for calculating the Industrial Rate - and Nippon has challenged the City's new methodology from the start.

In October of 2013, Nippon made a formal claim against the City for a revised utility tax refund - to the tune of $394,000. City staff proposed that the City pay $200,000 to settle that claim. That money will come from the Unassigned Fund Balance (which is 28% of the General Fund), and not from utility reserves. Mind you, the City's utility departments have millions of dollars in reserves, but again, those won't be touched.  This payout will, however, affect the General Fund, which is an ever-shrinking resource. City Manager Dan McKeen tried to make some lemonade out of this big, yellow lemon, by assuring the Council that this payout will "have no impact on electric utility rates." Left unsaid and undiscussed was what impacts there will be from blowing a $200,000 hole in the General Fund, though Bloor did state that "the 2014 budget will need to be amended."

As part of this settlement, the City also agrees to help Nippon try to extract even more of a refund from the State of Washington. Pretty sweet deal, yes? Pay the extortionist, then help them with their next extortion attempt.

Anyway, after giving his recap, and explaining how the City's own screwed up ordinance caused all this, Bloor defended the ordinance as being a "good one." Then, doubling back yet again, having just defended the ordinance, and explained that the City has just reviewed it, he told the Council that staff would review it again. Remember, staff time is money. How much money is all this reviewing going to cost? And who wants to bet that the next answer will come back the same: Looks good!

Speaking of good, Dan McKeen finally piped in to say that "Bill did a really good job." He also described the settlement (where Nippon gets over 50% of what they asked for from the City- plus help with the State) as the City and Nippon "agreeing to disagree." He said that twice, actually. Again, from Nippon's perspective, that's a pretty nice "disagreement."

Council members didn't have a lot to say after all that. Cherie Kidd, perhaps suffering a mild form of Stockholm Syndrome, described Nippon as having "made an honest attempt to work with us." Lee Whetham praised staff for their work. Only Sissi Bruch expressed being "a little less happy about the settlement," and was concerned that the matter festered because "ambiguity existed for such a long time."

But in the end, Brad Collins moved approval of the payout, Pat Downie seconded it, and the City Council voted unanimously to approve it. Nippon - part of a multi-billion dollar multinational corporation - can expect their check in the mail within ten business days.

Your money is about to take a trip abroad!

I wonder how many days it will take for staff to "amend" the 2014 budget to account for that new $200,000 hole in it?

It Never Ends

Does the idea of Pat Downie or Cherie Kidd "serving" you on the City Council for all eternity have any appeal to you?

If not, you might want to get down to the City Council meeting tonight, where the Council is set to talk about repealing their self-imposed term limits that currently restrict people to three consecutive terms.

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to state that I personally don't support the idea of term limits. Voters are, in theory, all grown up, and should be able to make decisions like these for themselves. If they don't understand the graft, corruption and deep-brain paralysis that can settle in on politicians serving endless terms, well then, they should  pay closer attention. (And it's fascinating how poll after poll seems to show widespread support among voters for term limits - but they always tend to vote their incumbent back in.)

However, in Port Angeles, given the already systemic constipation and corruption we face, the thought of unlimited terms strikes me as very much not a good idea. Given the well-known advantages incumbents (even lousy ones) have when running for office, if this change goes through, it might even tempt Larry Williams to move back. Even if that weren't the case, the notion of potentially having Mayor DiGuilio for life and Councilor Cherie Kidd for decades isn't pretty.

I have always lived in the castle...And hope that I always will...



What about you? Do you support term limits in general? Do you support term limits in Port Angeles? Is this the City's idea of an April Fools joke?

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN...Seeing the City Council agree that, because the City screwed up in planning how to refund utility taxes, they are going to give Nippon $200,000.

Per the Council meeting package for tonight, the City's own memo states (with emphasis added):

During the claim evaluation and subsequent negotiations, it became apparent there are issues the City should address in the near future. First, our current Industrial Transmission rate ordinance should be clarified to eliminate any future uncertainty about calculation of the rate or the utility tax. Second, the City should have prepared a full Cost of Service Analysis of the Industrial Transmission rate class. A full COSA has not previously been done for this rate class. The COSA would provide objective information for City Council to evaluate and, if appropriate, to be used to change the change the rate calculation methodology for the IT electric rate class. The cost of the COSA is a cost to be allocated in the costs assigned to the industrial transmission customer that are then used to determine proposed rates to be charged. If the settlement agreement is approved, staff will begin work on both of these issues in the near future.

In other words, they should have had information ahead of time - and didn't - but went ahead and made decisions anyway. Nippon cried foul, and, to make them feel good about everything, the City is going to fork over $200,000. Well, actually, Nippon gets the money (within ten business days) and the citizens of Port Angeles get the fork - again.

But once the Council approves this huge payout, City staff will "begin work" on making sure something like this never happens again.

Sure.