Friday, January 29, 2016

Cranking Up the SMP PR Machine

It's wonderful that we have an independent, critical thinking press. We have Orcas Issues. We have the Journal too. And we have the Friends.








Where is the Friends video of this armoring project on Blakely?

164 comments:

  1. Shoot me. Just shoot me.
    The patronizing tones of these people are too much.
    This video made me vomit in my mouth.

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  2. If the Friends are looking for a place with unnecessary armoring and in need of beach restoration and feeder bluff restoration, there's an egregious example across the parking lot from The Bay restaurant. How. The. Fuck. did that abortion of a guest house get a building permit?

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    1. New guest house built in a flash over on Orcas as well. Right next to the Ocean Hero's house.

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    2. @ 8:36 This is what their VRBO says about the setback. "We built the cottage in 2006 on the site of a pre-1930 cabin that was grandfathered in and meant we could rebuild right at the water's edge. https://www.vrbo.com/365185
      @ 1:57 As for Ranker and his guest house, it was easy. When you know that the setbacks will change hurry up and get a permit even though you aren't ready to build. And don't worry your pretty little head over things like it expiring because it won't as long as you are named Mr. Kevin Ranker.

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  3. That dear woman looks like she might choke, probably from what all this nonsense cost. She did only need to check her, or someone's, talking point notes a couple of times as she waxed on about her beach feeding the Orcas.

    It is good to have dear Stephanie,(hair by ?) finally on record as saying what FOSJ does is for the tourist economy, the only economy that outfit seems to care about.

    Having lost pretty close to 1/2 acre of land to the Sound in 20 years, I'm not so sure the claim of an inch or two per year was accurate. Note how he stuck in some qualifiers, like "on average."

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  4. Just heard on a Council video that there's about $300,000 in funding for "social media," so I guess we're seeing that now.

    The high point of the five-year process leading up to the final hearings on the SMP was the Friends' testimony that they would prefer keeping the old SMP over the new one. The new cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and did NOT begin with the simple question: What about our existing plan needs changing? There were a few changes required by statute or regulations, but other than that, the route to take would have been to look at data--where are the data? We have none. We pretty much have a well-functioning ecosystem. Our iconic whales suffer from a shortage of salmon, but no one will pause the heavy commercial fishing (mostly tribes) or stop the wasteful netting and laughter on the banks as the fish return upstream. Yet, there are signs that the pods are beginning to recover. Several new calves. And no data on all the terrible threats we hear about from the industry that requires millions of grant dollars every year to continue pontificating. Instead, we had laughable colored circle voting and key word word clouds that meant nothing. Meanwhile the County spend months of employee time and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

    All to produce something that the Friends now would rather see rejected than adopted.

    And while the Friends suggest that the new SMP opens the County up to unfettered development, in fact, it ignores the important element of the SMP rules requiring that the SMP enable and encourage use of our shoreline. Of course, new docks are anathema. And even though there are thousands of boaters here and a shortage of berths, background changes were made to preclude the renovation or expansion of marinas. It used to be that you couldn't build a dock because the Friends could find a berth 15 miles away from your home. Now you can't even drive that far to get to a marina.

    Think of what could have been done with those tax funds. Sewage treatment, for example. But no. we continue to spend our time and money "planning" to do things.

    Business as usual.

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  5. Thanks for posting this video. It is actually pretty informative and apparently was not well distributed by other means. This will help get the word out.

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    Replies
    1. Soooo .... in other words no grant money for distribution, just production. Typical.

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  6. As the Friends were "setting the table" on Brown Island, they were forgetting about Blakely. Not a word about an armoring project on Blakely Island.

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  7. I know for a fact that the property owners are mega wealthy and politically connected peeps.
    WDFW stormed this beach with a warrant and then the political machine kicked in and this massive sea wall was declared an "emergency shoreline stabilization" by the corrupt hack Randall Gaylord.
    FOSJ? HAHAHA They only pick on non-contributors and those who won't due them out of existence.

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  8. Do we have a Mystery Candidate on Orcas? http://forum.islandist.xyz/t/mystery-candidate/89

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  9. Where on Blakely Island is this beach and who owns the property?

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  10. I don't know the exact location but I heard that they have a massive unpermitted dock as well. I heard that the former CDP director, Rene, had concluded, along with WDFW, that violations had occurred.
    Somehow, allegedly, political pressure from these folks came to bear, and Randy walked it back. Time to do some more digging.

    I know, surprise and shock that our little county would have corruption and favoritism.

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  11. What!!! You mean boots on the ground. Actually go out and look at something. Whoa...that borders on work and reading, and talking to people, and, and, doing your job.

    And some people think houses get built without driving nails.

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  12. Work? You think corruption and favoritism is easy? Heck no, it's tons of work. Just ask the council and the PA's office. Just look at the massive budgets you have. Corruption, in the state we see is actually hard work.

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  13. @5:57 That places it right by Armitage Island. It all falls into place.

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  14. The house on Blakely is the Runstad Property. Two houses on the shoreline owned by the same mega-rich Seattle property developer who is VERY well connected with the Washington State political elite.

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    1. Owns way more than 2 houses on the shoreline. The rest of the properties are owned under the name Whaleback LLC.

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    2. I thought having multiple shoreline properties kicked in a whole host of additional requirements for development in the shoreline...
      Oh wait, the rules don't apply to rich connected folks, or the council, just you and I.

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    3. Runstad as in Judy Runstad? She should know better!!

      http://realestate.washington.edu/about/people/board/judy-runstad/

      "She has substantial experience representing clients in the areas of growth management, zoning, shoreline management, and regulatory matters."

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    4. As a land use attorney that just means she knows how to do things nobody else could get away with. Jon Runstad has spent his life in real estate development so this comes naturally to him.....developing.

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  15. WE need a PR machine.

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  16. So 5 houses on 60 acres including a small island and two docks, worth over 11 1/2 million dollars on Blakely Island maybe makes them think they can put boulders wherever they want to. They must have some good Friends!

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  17. How do Runstad's Rocks kill salmon and whales?

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  18. How is this in line with the soft shoreline protection movement? Why are they armoring the shoreline when it does not appear from this picture that stabilization was even necessary?

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  19. @7:04 Good question. Because they can?

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  20. Well I think it is bullshit. No more double standards.

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  21. Amazing to me that people with so much money often do things all wrong. Rock of this size is too heavy. It sinks into the substrate and becomes washed out from behind. Most shoreline erosion is greatly aided by on-land drainage making the soils soft and easy to wash away.

    Still, the rocks are OK sorta, but they need to be bedded in heavy gravel and sand so the upland water can pass through easily.

    The only real way to stop beach erosion is to raise it up. Yes, feed the damn thing. In this case this crushed rock needs to be buried in pebbles, sand and dirt and then have lots and lots of salt tolerant grasses stuffed in.

    Expensive, you bet, but this will last way longer than just a pile of such quarry rock which also looks like shit.

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  22. I see that a lot. When regulations are so ridiculous and city or county staff are not nice to work with or you fear them people will not do the right thing. They do what they want and take the chance or getting caught. Defeats the purpose of it all.

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  23. Was it Churchill who once observed that over-regulation destroys respect for law and government?

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  24. Yes it was.....If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law. Winston Churchill

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  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Removed by mistake when trying to edit.... Here it is

      I have decided to run for San Juan County Council Dist. 1. No one should ever have to go through what we have.

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  26. Good for you go for it!

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  27. The sacrifices I will make will be well worth it (for my community).

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  28. Be careful out there, but godspeed!

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  29. Thank you. I have been through many political trials and tribulations since I started in this business 28 years ago. I am not afraid.

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  30. Holy shit, an actual worthwhile candidate!!! Thank you Sheryl Albritton. I don't see anyone close to being as qualified as you in both experience and with open eyes as to what most of the public, I believe, sees as extremely poor County government.

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  31. I would love to hear about who you are Sheryl. I love the Winston quote and agree w/it. Where are you from? What business are you in? How long have you lived here? What are your feelings about the CAO and the SMP? Thank you!

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  32. Thank you. Here is a little about me. Born and raised in Marysville married to a Lopezian. My mother in law owns Windermere Lopez and I spent almost every summer here - a true blue local Washintonian. My adult life has been spent representing the rural homeowner with permitting issues. My public service years include City of Marysville, City of Mill Creek and then 9 years at Skagit County. I left in 2002 to help homeowners deal with cumbersome regulations on the private side. How I feel about the CAO and the SMP will take more time than I can type here and will elaborate more later BUT I do feel all of these grants funds should be used to compensate those with CAO's and not just tossed around. CAO regulations take away value and my giving grant monies to the land owner we add value and change attitudes. I am a ICC Certified Building Inspector (since 1995), Permit Technician and Wetlands/Stream specialist. www.permitprofessionals.org

    I do not work for big developers only homeowners and a couple very busy builder friends. Complete Bio coming soon.

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  33. Wow! Go Sheryl ! This is gonna be fun to watch (though not so much for Jarman, Gaylord, Thomas and the latter's in-house "werlands specialist", I suppose).

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  34. I think it is possibly good that we have a new contender in the local political race. One thing for sure, Sheryl will get quite a few votes for simply being "Not Bob Jarman".
    I am concerned that that might not be the best approach. We had that same situation with the sheriff and his replacement is pretty much Rob Nou V.2.0.
    How strong of a candidate is Sheryl?
    In reading through the past articles on the TH, i found comments where she apparently thinks very highly of a certain planner at CDP, Kuller. I am not sure if this is an old friendship or past experience, but I have tried working with Kuller on 2 separate occasions and found her to be stubborn, narrow minded, obnoxious, and part of the same ole' "central planning" mentality. We need less of that, not more.

    Anyway, Sheryl, looking forward to hearing your opinions and proposals for what we have ahead.

    Kudos for standing up to corruption and our dirtbag Prosecuting attorney.

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    1. I worked with Linda for quite a few years at Skagit County and when she was as Snohomish County BUT I have challenged her decisions in the past when needed and WON my arguments because it was the right thing to do. Business is business and it has always been and always will be what is right verses what is wrong - pretty simple!

      I had to stand up with the lawsuit because that is what I do for a living - STAND UP FOR PEOPLE. When I cannot sleep at night my moral compass has been thrown off so I am standing up again because I cannot watch what is going on any longer.

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    2. There are a few people in CDP who need some warmth in order to improve customer services. Believe me I just applied for a permit for ourselves and I should not be treated the way I was. I am not going to name names here but he knows who he is.

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  35. I expect Jarman will abdicate once Albritton makes a more formal announcement.

    One can only hope there is not baggage with this lady, but right now it would appear she is a real gift to public of SJC.

    Now all we gotta do is get John Geniuch past CBO to move to Orcas...any of you Orcas folk got a nice pad at a reasonable price???

    Point of interest; there is no length to the residency requirement, is there? Imagine sticking a thinking non stoner person in a rental on lopez for a county wide vote. WOW.

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    1. I thought Geniuch already moved to Orcas. I think I have seen him commuting to Friday Harbor on occasion.

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    2. I have zero baggage only a reputation of being the peoples advocate. If you would like references I have a list of former bosses, clients and friends who will tell you the same.

      Had I received any monies from the lawsuit it would have all gone to charity.

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  36. Sheryl, if elected, would you consider requiring senior management to wear shock collars? when they get out of line, give them a quick reminder...

    I think that could work well to shape this place up.

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    1. We could raise money by auctioning off the rights to hold the controller for the shock collar. I'd pay a bunch to have possession of a box controlling a shock collar on Jamie for a week.

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    2. Sorry they would throw me in the clink. However I will stand strong and demand efficiency, getting rid of useless permit requirements where it makes sense. This requiring things because this is the way we have always done it has got to go.

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  37. Anyone got an actual resident location for Geniuch? If it is Orcas??? And if he knows Albritton, a person with similar County experience, is now running, then, just maybe, we're looking at candidates of value finally coming on board.

    Loved that idea of sticking someone on Lopez for a quick resident address in a County wide vote. They would just flip-out.

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    1. He has taken up residency on Orcas. Pretty low profile though.

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    2. Is he thinking about running for County Council? We need people with real experience and not someone who worked for ESPN in Marketing/Sales. Current council is so out of touch with the public's wants and needs.

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  38. Wow she has decided to run! Go Girl

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  39. http://sanjuanislander.com/news-articles/government-news/elections/21165/albritton-running-for-county-council

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  40. OK, and excellent! Albritton is down pat, but now ORCAS??? I think Hughes is just as easy to toss as Jarman, might cost a bit more. The pay and bennies for the job ARE pretty good. Maybe an outline of such, full page, in the Sounder is needed right now.

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  41. Are you wondering what I'm wondering? I'm wondering whether Lauren Stephens has an inherent conflict of interest if she were elected to the Opalco board.

    In 2014, Jarman was told he couldn't simultaneously hold the job of county councilman because of an inherent conflict of interest and he was forced to withdraw his name from the Opalco ballot.

    Because our fancy new county charter vests in the council direct executive authority over county functions, Jamie has direct responsibility for CPD and other departments. Won't Jamie be forced to recuse himself from any decisions involving Opalco, like his recent teenage girl meltdown in the March 8 council meeting regarding cell towers?

    If it's not a direct conflict of interest, it's clearly a constructive conflict of interest. I'm surprised that the Opalco nominating committee missed this.

    Is this just one more situation Planning Commission where Jamie and Lauren will end up leaving Lopez without a voice in county government? And to what end? So Jamie and Lauren can consolidate their power even more? Their current situation provides insufficient opportunities for corruption? How many fucking Tesla's does one family need?

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  42. OPALCO does seem to be going off the rails. IE, the 45 cent mandatory payment the board just stuck on your monthly bill. This followed by a glossy open solicitation for any person having trouble paying their bill (who doesn't?) to try out for this new gift of rate payer funds. The board is actually LOOKING for 1,500 people!

    Yes, it's only 45 cents! But is it?

    First look at the bureaucracy this thing generates to check off the poor from the rich...well those who pay without whining.

    Second, perhaps there is something beyond this altruism with someone else's money. Like...we're jacking everyone's rates so let us COA by with this diversion of any appearance of hardship. Cute.

    And lastly, certainly it is easier to collect from those who pay than it is to collect from deadbeats.

    PS: I'm not anti-social (the whole family is voting for Bernie) and we all participate in the rounding up, but this mandatory 45 cent thing smells bad. Will it be five bucks two years from now?

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  43. Bureaucracy? Is that where someone crunches number all day long to write the required quarterly report for the board. Or where another person spends day after day looking at and checking on applicants. Or where yet another person follows up monthly on the financial status of recipients. And yet another person writes countless newsletters and spends many hours in sit down meetings with all of the above. That's an entity called OPALCO, certainly not a bureaucracy. Oh no, not us.

    Hey the Tesla franchise on Lopez is tax supported, even a federal deduction, so the Stephens family is just doing their civic duty under the tax code, and by the idiots who vote for em.

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  44. OPALCO is getting out control. I watched the council meeting referenced above. What a joke. These BSW's have their heads so far up each others asses, its insane.

    We need some serious candidates for office for Orcas and San Juan. I am not so sure about Sheryl, I believe she is a professed Donald Trump fan. Thats a disqualified in my book.
    Anyone else can step up? anyone>

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. I see. Please tell us more. What else do you know, Sheryl?

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    6. If you are not so sure about yourself then please do not post things about me you have NO knowledge about. Call me if you are interested in the real facts.

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    7. Are you this much of a hot mess all the time?

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    8. From what I see, you've made and removed 6 comments, but you're telling other people to get it straight?

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    9. Not at all, I just felt I said too much and chose to remove it but thank you for pointing that out.

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  47. Bill Watson has filed for Dist. 1

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  48. And, Bill Watson is? It is good that anybody files.

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    1. If it is who I think it is William D. Watson .....friends with Stephanie Buffum.

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    2. Former Friends board member for many years. I think he stepped down in 2013 or 14? He's a familiar face. Leadership San Juans. EDC. You know the type.

      I hope he runs and wins. It would be quite the show.

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    3. That would be a great show, I will bring the popcorn.

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    4. As long as it is someone smarter than Bob I am good. Someone to fire Mike Thomas and Sam Gibboney. Both have created a atmosphere of morale in the crapper and how many people have quit? -- or been fired? Is Gibboney on drugs? She twitches and blinks like she is possessed or on drugs.

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    5. Hate to break it to you, but I don't think Watson will put on that kind of show.

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    6. Too bad! It was a nice thought.

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    7. Bad!!! A good reminder we need someone in the middle for once. Sheryl appears to be that person (we will see). Not Bob and not Bill. Bill is a former Friends board member and Bob gets the manager to waive state laws. We need change. I agree with 5:27 pm. choices are good and it looks like we have three variations. Now how about Orcas!

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    8. No one could have filed yet, so all announcements have to taken with a grain of salt. Filing isn't open yet.

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    9. Yes of course. Disclosures have been filed as required within two weeks of announcing in any public forum. www.pdc.wa.gov

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  49. Darn, I missed all the deleted posts above. It's not all that relevant who's voting for who as the next president, as I think most would wish we had better choices across both slates.

    It would be good, I think, if we had several people running for both open seats on the County Council. I know, good luck with that.

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    1. Agreed 5:27 P.M. There is no one good candidate for Pres.

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  50. It appears that most see Bob's seat as an open seat, as though he had resigned, so it is not surprising FOSJ would be coaching someone into that seat.

    Bob, of course, should throw the five votes he has to someone and quit.

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  51. "Bob, of course, should throw the five votes he has to someone and quit."

    Yeah, but it'd be so mean to wake him up to tell him that. Let the old guy sleep. He looks so peaceful in the council meetings sometimes when he's asleep, you just want to throw a blankie over him, turn to everyone else and go "Shhhhhhhhhhh".

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    1. Wow really. Can you provide meeting dates so I can go back amd watch.

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  52. Things I don't keep:
    bellybutton lint
    fingernail clippings
    a list of when Bob is sleeping.

    It's not really like Bob's seat is "open", it's more like it has a "do not disturb" sign on it.

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  53. Some here on the TH have the uncanny ability to sniff out through the maze of public records, The Truth.

    So the question is: What are or is the pay and benefits dear Bob receives from the taxpayer trough each and every month? Such revelation could be thrilling not only for those running, but also for those mulling on Orcas.

    My guess is we are paying very, very well. (Is it true there is a transportation allowance?)

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    1. $74,930 per year as of the end of 2012. Plus state retirement benefits and the same health care options that other SJC employees have. Haven't heard about transpo allowances but it wouldn't surprise me.

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  54. Now, do you want to know the official salary + benefits of the council positions or the overall totals, including graft, that move the needle over into Tesla territory?

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  55. Is a Tesla a gift tax we gotta pay? Shit, I'm taking that deduction like right now. Please give us what you know beyond doubt.

    Not to quibble, but the "OTHER" entry on my property tax bill has climbed to $731.62. No, not pocket money for me. I think there are many of us few on the tax roles that pay a basis that balloons as we fix up some dump. Is "other" a new pay grade for hubby? What the F is it???

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  56. What is important in all of this is that we elect people we can trust. It appears District one will give us some possibly better options than the sitting council whose health and mentality is in question. To be falling asleep at the wheel tells me he should be home in bed and taking naps for his hearts sake and let someone trustworthy take over. As for Orcas I ask that people step up and run for this important position. Rick has proved he is a Yes man covering up for Mike Thomas and his wife and needs to as well be replaced. Orcas citizens voted for Lisa, it is my understanding San Juan votes got him there. We trusted him to act legally on behalf of the citizens; we must not make this mistake again.

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  57. If Watson has filed there is s fund raising effort under way already. A sneaky little fellow. Ralph Hahn's errand boy. Buffum's butler. He's a bug. Squash him. By the way speaking very little of Kevin Ranker anyone ever notice his odious similarities to Donald Trump? Think about it. Watson, Buffum, Pratt, Zee. They kiss his ass and beg for more.

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  58. No one wants Bob to die in office or anywhere else. Thanks to 1:46AM (some people ARE dedicated!) we know that 75K plus large bennies is good pay to butt sit and mostly read.

    What is needed is a person, now two of such, who take things in hand and lead with ideas to simplify and organize County government, not sit and listen and read countless hours and pages of tripe from self important "officials."

    Jerry Brown, yeah, that guy, during his first term in office, walked around and sat down with many government employees. He asked them what they did. Very few knew. I suspect this is our situation here in San Juan County.

    Sorry, but Ranker is no The Donald. He is only a manipulative, lazy, little shit, who does nothing and therefore is viewed as harmless. Trump ain't harmless. And, it is true that if the Mexican government actually believed 11 million of their own were headed their way, they would come to the table ready to deal.

    Ranker/pitiful

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  59. Well don't be too sure. Ranker is not the The Donald to the extent that Ranker is a third rate loser poopy pants. But Ranker is also a sociopath narcissist still trying to fill his big daddy's shoes, the Hallmark Gift Card King. Ranker likes to pull wings off flies. He likes to be mean to others in order to elevate his obvious self loathing. Many who initially supported his run for Council were taking in hoping for some youthful new thinking. Once he was a elected his true personality came out, and he is a one man personality cult surrounded by toadies and sycophants like Watson or puppet masters like Zee. The "tone is set at the top" and right now Ranker's temperament is what his true believers need. Bill Watson would be the wrong person to elect to County Council. His carpet bag overfloweth.

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  60. I agree on Watson. We need true leaders with experience who are NOT narcissists. That is not becoming of a public servant.

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  61. No one on the council has public service experience do they? I mean the real deal; not service boards or ports.

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    1. No one on our council has any real management experience at all beyond looking over his wife's shoulder as she opens the envelopes with the rent checks in them.

      If you were interviewing people for the job(s) of having executive authority over a $50 million annually enterprise and you received these three resumes, you'd shitcan the resumes after tacking them to the bulletin board in the coffee room for a day so everyone could laugh.

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  62. How unnerving, not laughing here! Our leaders are asleep at the wheel, corrupt, have conflicts of interest and NO experience. Hope we can change this come election time.

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    1. At least none of the three is actively sandbagging the economic future of the county.

      OK, I lied, one of them is.

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    2. Only one of them? I'd have guessed two - you can't exactly say that Sleepy is actively sandbagging anything. If anything he's inactively sandbagging. Snoring. Grumpy and Dopey? They're both actively and sandbagging our economic future.

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  63. Impeach all three this is ridiculous!!!!

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  64. No problem with Albritton, she has the chops, but I do worry that if she is alone on this new/old council that she may explode at the ineptitude she would be faced with. (Way above throwing pencils.)

    The only answer is to have another qualified and reasonable person from Orcas. Then we might have hope of a Council that directs and leads staff instead of staff leading them, they must have nose rings by now, as we have had for many years. (I don't know why we pay and have the current bunch; they do nothing of consequence.)

    So, on bended knee, come on Orcas!

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    1. Good I hope she slaps them upside the head...no just kidding (not really). I have learned more about her reputation and she will motivate people, do the right thing and stand behind it. We will find out more about her soon once they formally file but I do know she has spent her entire career helping the little guy sometimes for no pay other than the satisfaction of making a difference in peoples lives. One driven hard working lady...and Bob Jarman thought his neighbor was stupid. LMAO

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  65. Cards are floating around, well with all this rain, you know, Steve Wehrly is also running for County Council. Wehrly is not currently on the Journal's masthead, but has written for it. Maybe he has had many hours watching the current council in action...or rather out of action.

    Don't know anything else, like what District, or his background, etc.

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  66. Steve Wehrly worked for more than 25 years as a corporate lobbyist in Washington state and Washington, D.C.

    He represented beer companies (Miller Brewing), insurance companies (Safeco Insurance), tobacco industry (smokeless tobacco council), and casinos (Muckleshoot Tribe).

    http://www.commondreams.org/views/2013/12/01/life-corporate-lobbyist

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    1. Uh, wow. It shows how fucked up SJC is that an unrepentant scum like that can even think about running for public office. And here's what's even worse--he'd be an improvement over any of the three losers currently on the council. I mean, at least he's honest about poisoning our children, I'll give him that. What kind of person facilitates giving out samples of chewing tobacco to kids?

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    2. He's more than unrepentant, he's proud of screwing the little people over for big corporations. Can't wait to see how his bio will read as a candidate.

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  67. And in other news, a great terminal career move for a guy who's been run out of more nonprofits in San Juan County than anyone can remember, the one, the only Arnie Klaus has been hired by San Juan County to put his prodigious skills to work at the helm of the Marine Resources Committee as of this month. This is not a drill.

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  68. http://www.billwatson2016.com/ Read his bio. It goes into a lot of detail that has nothing to do with running for council. About his divorce etc. etc.

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    1. The thought of Klaus, Watson and Wehrly having any say in public policy is so depressing that organizing a Jonestown-style mass suicide for the rest of us is beginning to look like an acceptable alternative.

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    2. Klaus? This has got to be a bureaucratic version of a mercy f*&k.

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  69. This is getting good! Four candidates have announced. One with experience and three others with experience that has nothing to do with the job they are applying for. OK!

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  70. Wherley, a tobacco lobbyist.
    I sell cancer.
    Helluva resume

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  71. www.albrittonforcouncil.com

    For those here who want to know more. I will be adding more over time. Sheryl

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  72. Is this some kind of divide and conquer thrust by FOSJ? They are very good at this underhanded bullshit. Meanwhile nothing from Orcas? What's with that? They think they are getting the representation they want??? (I know, way too many questions.)

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  73. The FOSJ haven't mounted a run on Orcas because they already have their guy in office. Think about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Correct. The people on Orcas have the representation we want and we're getting it good and hard.

      Delete
  74. Klaus, Watson and Wehrly oh my. Klaus, Watson and Wehrly oh my. Klaus, Watson and Wehrly oh my. Klaus, Watson and Wehrly oh my.

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  75. We seriously need to dump all three members of the current council and pick up three replacements from the hobo camp under the I-5 bridge over the Skagit in Burlington. The current council has all the appearance of a failed clown school.

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  76. On topic, the focus has to be on Orcas. Come-on, someone has to know something! Put the hearing buds in and buy a few beers for goodness sake.

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  77. Two reasonable candidates who can knock Ricky out in the primary would be nice. Likely this is what will happen to Bob on San Juan.

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  78. Unless the island just wants to vote for someone whose wife's dad started the airport. Who gives a shit if you don't perform.

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  79. A previous commenter mentioned that Jarman should "give his 5 votes to a candidate that can win"...
    Bob, his wife, Rick, Jamie, I only count 4 votes that Bob has. Curious who you think this mysterious 5th citizen is that will vote for Bob.

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  80. His sister in law?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob's wife is his former sister in law. You must mean his wife's sister.

      Delete
    2. "Bob's wife is his former sister in law."

      Stop. Don't say another word. We've officially entered the "extremely and unexpectedly creepy" zone.

      Delete
    3. Yep their kids are cousins and step brother and sister. Just saying

      Delete
  81. Word on the street is that no one from Orcas will step up to run against Rick because he is generally liked on Orcas. The only way to win would be to make public the complete and total lack of leadership he has shown and make public the total failure he has been in allowing both the council and management to get themselves into legal squabbles. In order to expose Ricky to the world, the campaign would have to be "negative" (or as a realist might say, truthful). Sadly, the people on Orcas are happy being represented by a guy that has absolutely no clue about what he is doing. The battle cry is: Well, at least he's not Bob!

    There have been 2-3 names floated around Orcas but I don't think they are going to give up their current jobs to campaign against a guy that has nothing but time to glad-hand the community. As long as Rick continues to be effective at doing nothing, the people there are happy to throw a few more parades and pretend that everything is great! 4 more years of Rick!

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  82. Absolutely. They need to realize what Mike Thomas has been allowed to do. Crush staff and allow someone like Gibboney to do the same. We need someone to vote with whomever is our new Councilmember on San Juan. Bob cannot win again.... he had pissed off his closest supporters and in reviewing two other candidate websites they will do a finer job than he has. We need a new Manager someone with respect for the islands instead of Thomas who thinks we are po-dunk! He has been heard saying that.

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  83. He was not even the most qualified candidate for Manager and they hired over a couple others. Pure idiots. Thomas gotta go.

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  84. So the Orcas people "like this guy" (thanks for the bar hopping research--better than what's been presented so far.)

    So what's to like? There must be something needed, perhaps many things needed, that do nothing Hughes has failed to move on.

    Day care? That is usually a reliable hot ember. The old failed waterfront restaurant rotting for years on the Town waterfront?

    Meanwhile the rest of use have to endure his complete lack of leadership in San Juan County Government.

    The guy's a bum. Run against him, get elected and throw the bum out!

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  85. Any idea why "local wetland expert JT" aka Jennifer Thomas, aka, wife of County Manager, has been spending a ton of time at the Conservation District?

    Suckling off the state Teat perhaps., rather than the county one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She shouldn't need to suck off the state. Her husband is sucking enough off the county. He does such a great job he just got another raise. Check out the motion after the executive session. http://media.avcaptureall.com/session.html?sessionid=2c2ab008-9e4f-446b-b3ea-3cdf758784ef

      Delete
    2. OMG. The gushing like high school girls is appalling.
      Long live King Thomas. All Hail King Thomas. Holy crap.

      Delete
    3. She should not be allowed to work for CD. She took part in waiving of wetland laws for the Hughes permit.

      Delete
  86. Anyone know how Mike Thomas' compensation ranks with that of other county managers?

    As they are all glowing about the wonderful job he has done with all the departments, no mention of the fact that in CD&P he managed to get the county sued, because he personally broke protocol by having his wife inject herself into the county process and then hid it or that one of his early appointments (Gibbony) had to be shuffled off to another department to keep her hidden.

    A guy who should currently be under investigation for possible corruption charges instead just got ANOTHER pay raise. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF the council members should be ashamed of themselves for not recognizing that the people of this county are getting screwed.

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  87. I know it's more than a year later, but now the truth can be told. It was a Chevron barge in Mosquito Pass and it was about half full of crude oil. Now, depending on which lawyer you talk to, the oil belonged to OPALCO, or maybe not.

    In the late summer of 2013, OPALCO started a large project to put in a permanent power cable, and, of course, other types of cable, to Henry Island. It seems the cable serving the six brave souls who live year round on Henry; well this cable had broken several times in years past as the powerful current of the Mosquito Pass surged back and forth. The OPALCO hierarchy, determined to end this problem child, drew up a budget, a big budget, to finally fix this cable crossing. (After all, who's to say the population of Henry wouldn't double someday.)

    The idea was to drill a hole under Mosquito Pass, insert a conduit and then pull the cables through it.

    Contract papers flew and a brand new drilling rig showed up on the SJI side of the Pass and proceeded with a large crew, enjoying the late summer weather, to dig a big bore slurry hole and get the big drill head turning and headed for Henry.

    Now these modern drilling rigs can direct where they are going, in almost any direction. So when you encounter really hard rock, you can try to go around it, or at least try a different direction.

    The drill ran every day, all day, month after month, and the days were getting shorter and the weather was getting downright awful. Neighbors, on the SJI side, say the crew was restricted to working only daylight hours, and was running behind schedule; a schedule OPALCO had promised the neighbors with even a daily compensation to them for any time over run. So maybe, no one will admit to anything, the crew tried going deeper and maybe deeper to find a soft spot under the Pass.

    And then it happened. Black stuff gushed out into the by now huge slurry hole. It smelled like oil. It was oil!

    All Hell broke loose. Someone at the drilling crew's home office had the smarts to call the nearby Chevron geo techs in Anacortes, who immediately said: "Stop drilling!"

    Problem was that the oil continued to seep into the slurry hole, and shear panic was beginning to set in at OPALCO. It is also true that one board member thought to look on the bright side saying: "Heck, we'll sell the oil, make a fortune, and OPALCO's membership will all get a big dividend."

    But, in the meantime the reality was a legal battle instantly started between the easement holders and OPALCO. Oh, did I mention that FOSJ went ballistic, hired a high end Seattle legal team, and also garnered large donation sums with that mailer claiming Chevron was going to put a tank farm on Henry.

    Would you believe it? Chevron saved the day showing up with that barge and pumping the slurry and oil into it. And then they analyzed the oil and proclaimed this was nothing but a "bubble."

    Of course they were right, and OPALCO was stuck with a drilling bill at $1,120 per foot. A crew member did say the oil, as you might imagine, helped speed up the installation of the conduit.

    The crew did do a very nice job of cleaning the drill site up.

    They left, exhausted.

    (Submitted April 1st, 2016.)

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  88. PS: For those asking about last year's young MD who claimed the island's procreation rate was higher than any of seven Western States; there's unfortunate news. He's in jail in Arizona.

    It seems two women were attending a soccer game, each had a son on the field, and as they sat there, in the bleachers in Phoenix, they began to chat.

    Eventually talk turned to planned vacations and they both were astounded to discover that each of them had years before come to our islands on vacation.

    And, it was then one of the women leaned over and whispered: "Those islands were so romantic. That's where our son out there, little Johnnie, was conceived."

    "Holy mother of God," exclaimed the other as she rose to her feet saying: "Me too!"

    The two women exchanged high fives and hugs and instantly launched and giggled into details of how their progeny came to be, and, of course, the verification of their pregnancy by our young MD.

    And just about then there was a break in the soccer game and two boys came running up to these mothers and two jaws dropped; theirs.

    The boys could have been identical twins.

    Oh my. After much DNA testing and lawsuits galore, it was determined that our MD was taking and giving more than vaginal fluid during his pregnancy tests.

    Many more could be expected, but DNA showed twenty seven women had 27 babies, all with the same father. Him.

    Well, his personal license plate did say: "PROVEN"

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  89. Here is the link to City/County Exec. salaries. The only one I could find for now is based on 2010 AWC data. Looking for more up to date.
    http://www.salaries.wa.gov/documents/City-CountyExecswithExecBranch.pdf

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  90. Something I'm wondering: since Rhea Miller is circulating an email to the faithful exclaiming her undying, slobbering adoration of Lauren Stevens for the opalco board, how is it that Sandy Bishop, Rhea's wife, is running a supposedly "independent" candidate forum next week on Lopez? Isn't this just a disguised campaign commercial for Lauren?

    ReplyDelete
  91. http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/374768371.html

    The Trojan Heron takes another scalp?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sweet.
      I heard ole' Randy was pretty deep in the cover up of this one too....
      Time to start doing some more digging....

      Delete
    2. Randy's being ass deep and in the center of any cesspool at the county is kind of a given these days anyway, isn't it? Actually, not only in the center, but he's usually the town idiot who's bobbing for (road) apples.

      Isn't the real question regarding the Blakely mess when "JT" will need to step in and save the day for the connected and the powerful? It's not like the Runstads don't have the money to afford the "free" services of JT.

      Delete
  92. OPALCO ballots are out. I'm voting for Lett - he's been a steady and reasonable hand on the board, who, unlike idiots like our council members, hasn't been swayed by the radical de-growthers. I'll vote for Whitfield because the alternative, Jacobs, seems really to be a vote for the Alex McLeod/Bogert tribe. I'll vote for Silverstein, reluctantly. He's got a great background to be on the board (his BPA experience), but he's too close for comfort to the Chris/Chom Gracaen, Sandy Bishop, Rhea Miller collective. That said, I'll vote for him because not casting a vote for him is a vote for Lauren Stephens and Dwight Lewis, both of whom are so massively unqualified to hold any position of responsibility that it's actually embarrassing that we live in a county where those two balls of shitgas bubbled to the top of the PortaPotty tank. We should hate each other for allowing this to happen.

    Lewis is a fucking crank who should have been institutionalized a few years ago. Is he going to have to hurt someone badly enough to hospitalize them before we as a community do something about him?

    Lauren Stephens is completely unqualified to have any kind of job where she's responsible for any amount of money or assets worth over 10 cents. Her candidacy is being pushed hard by Rhea Miller in a series of private e-mails that are being passed around, which is reason enough to not vote for her. She also has the ignominious distinction of being the only candidate for public office I've ever heard of who ran unopposed and lost. Let me repeat that: she ran unopposed and lost - when she ran for the sewer board (how appropriate) and lost to a write in candidate.

    But the real reason not to vote for her for OPALCO board is that she has no qualifications of any kind, unless you count that her husband is on the county council. Which to me seems more problematic than it is a reason to vote for her - OPALCO directors have to sign non disclosure agreements. Her husband is a councilman in a county where the charter explicitly grants the council executive authority over all departments not headed by another elected official. Jamie thus shares executive authority over Community Planning - in an ethical world, he'll have to recuse himself from any county council vote involving OPALCO. And she will be expected to abide by her nondisclosure agreement, even at home. Given that both Jamie and Lauren are demonstrably ethically challenged, that expectation is a pipe dream.

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  93. Good, now Lauren soon to be sitting on the OPALCO board and privy to all the great inside stuff they play with can then roll over to hubby and jointly decide to step on some poor bastard they don't like; or give privilege to one they do.

    Welcome to the circle jerk of the SJC oligarchy. I think the point being made at the very top of this column is the application of the "rules" and the hypocrisy there in, not the actual rocks on the shore.

    But watch how it will unfold. The completely incompetent County council, none of whom could even read a road map, have approved the new SMP and off it goes now to the creeps at the DOE who will then take calls from the FOSJ hierarchy and doctor up language they both like. And, then kick this murderous bit of poor writing back for a final rubber stamp by the beloved.

    FOSJ discovered the word "armoring" and went nuts over their own concocted frightful idea of what that is. Go look at the Saanich Peninsula just across the Strait here if you want to see "armoring."

    So instead of having a well thought out process land owners can routinely follow to stop 100 year old trees from falling in the water, we have the "RULES."

    The property owner loses a nice tree and about 100 sq. feet of land and well that's just the way FOSJ likes it, unless it is one of the brethren. And, that just takes some patrician cash or other patronage.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Don't even have to go to Saanich to see armoring - you can just take a look at the salmon fingerling Auschwitz behind Jamie's house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "salmon fingerling Auschwitz behind Jamie's house"?
      I've heard it called the Stalingrad for marine mammals...

      If you go to Lopez, just don't drink the water in the village.

      Delete
    2. Call it whatever you want, you don't have to go to the middle of the Pacific to find a dead zone in the ocean.

      Delete
  95. There is a big meet-up planned on Orcas next month, where several special interest groups will instruct shoreline property owners on what to do with their shoreline. Mostly the target is those few property owners who actually have what some consider as armoring.

    The meeting is free, but it does bother me that there is a registration process, although the claim is made that the functionaries there are not government regulators. (We'll see how fast that sign-up list gets passed to those bad boys & girls.)

    It will be interesting to see if any worthwhile suggestions come out of this that actually might help and benefit shoreline property owners...I know, perish the thought! So far, all shoreline property owners have ever gotten is threats, actual fines, and a whole host of regulators all demanding they do thus and so.

    Will modest "beach recharge" be allowed?

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    Replies
    1. I'm not going to defend anyone doing armoring or fudging the rules, but I'd be damned leery of attending a meeting like this and giving my name in light of the Friends of the San Juans history of suing people. I can see their to do list as something like:

      1. Fool people into giving their names and admitting they may have an issue.
      2. Sort list into two categories: a) friends of the Friends, and b) schmucks who haven't given enough to the Friends and/or who aren't connected enough to merit the papal indulgences that the Friends give out.
      3. Sue the shit out of everyone on list b).

      This sounds a lot like one of those newspaper stories you see where the police send a postcard to the last known mailing address of everyone who skipped bail to let them know they've been selected in a drawing for a 70" TV set and all they have to do is show up Saturday at 10 am to pick the TV up. And the schlubs go in the front door looking for their TV and then out the backdoor into the paddy wagon.

      Delete
  96. Right. I don't know what these people expect. Shoreline property owners who paid a big premium for their land and therefore pay large property taxes are generally treated like shit.

    What really gets to me is the assumption that these property owners are doing bad things. What total crap. Almost every shoreline owner I know is scared to F-ing death. We got the County taking pictures from above and the zealots in their kayaks taking pictures from below.

    Living under a microscope and being dissected with a sharp knife is not a life anybody would want. Good luck real estate people, the word is getting out.

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  97. If you go to this meeting, DO NOT put your name on the list. I heard accounts that Lynda Lyshall, sin recent times, attempted to take the list so she would have "documentation of a violation". on a voluntary meeting. Fortunately, an individual with a shred of dignity and overall integrity grabbed the list before Lyshall could get her grubby grant paid fingers on it.

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    ReplyDelete