When It Snows in Hell & All the Little Angels Go Skating
Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price Mason County Progressive
In his 8/25/11 letter to the Journal editor titled "Avery urges voters to support Dick Taylor", Brian E. Avery, recent candidate for Port of Shelton Commissioner, encourages those who voted for him to now vote for Dick Taylor. It is hard to discern from his letter exactly what prompted Mr. Avery to take this position.
In his letter to the editor, Mr. Avery states that the two sitting Port Commissioners (Hupp and Wallitner) must be "honorable men" because they "have chosen to represent the voters of the Port District and the call of public service is a noble one".
I, however, think that the use of the word honorable isn't quite right here because their behavior toward the citizens ("voters of the Port District") shows a side of them which is not honorable in the least. And "public service"? Serving up an airport for their buddies seems more likely, and at the taxpayers' expense to boot.
How else can we explain the Port spending more than one-quarter of a million dollars in attorney fees (in a twelve month period) to protect the airport from the pesky developer next door? That's a quarter of a million TAXPAYER dollars, not Hupp and Wallitner dollars. What else might the Port have done with that money that might have benefited the citizens a little more? An endless list of things, actually!
Mr. Avery suggests that Hupp, Wallitner, and Ring Master Dobson should "give up your shortsighted focus on the airport". Aside from wanting to burn biomass, the airport is very nearly the sole focus of the Port right now, and protecting the airport trumps the citizen's right to benefit from the development planned by Hall Equities.
In addition, Mr. Avery encourages Hupp and Wallitner to complete the master plan for the harbor and stop their opposition to the Shelton Hills Project. When it snows in hell and all of the little angels go skating, they sure will get right on that; and I am sure they will thank Mr. Avery for the suggestion.
Mr. Avery also states in his letter that the "bickering" at the Port has to end and that is why we should now all support the only candidate who can stop the "bickering", namely Dick Taylor. He proposes that Dick Taylor, the candidate who is financially supported by Hupp, Wallitner, Dobson, Rick Hoss, Jack Krause, Linda Gott, Wyla Wood, Patti Case, Jerry Ring-Erickson (his campaign treasurer), etc., and the rest of the folks who think biomass did not get a fair shake here in Shelton, can stop the "bickering" at the Port.
Well of course Dick Taylor could stop the "bickering"! He is a "yes-man" for industry (remember "Citizens for a Prosperous Mason County" that Steve Bloomfield and Dick Taylor started to support ADAGE?).
Indeed, Mr. Avery makes a number of really good points about things that should and could be done at the Port by the existing commissioners, but then suggests that they will be done when Dick Taylor is on the team.
Really? These are the very things these two great "public servants" have clearly demonstrated that they do not want to do now. What in the world would make them want to do these things later, particularly when they have biomass-proponent Dick Taylor on their team?
I am assuming that Mr. Avery is being sincere. Nevertheless, ignore, please ignore, his recommendation that we now turn to Dick Biomass Taylor as the savior of our Port.
I'm voting for Jack Miles...he is our best chance to protect the environment and insure that citizens have a voice at the Port of Shelton.
A nail hit right on the head rings as true as Katherine’s words. Let me add only that Mr. Avery and Mr. Taylor are both Free Masons, evidenced by both men's appearing in full aproned regalia at Commissioner Lingle’s memorial at Little Creek Casino. So that little tidbit might bring some perspective to Brian Avery’s endorsement of fellow Mason, Dick Taylor. Also, it should be noted that I have never witnessed Mr. Avery in attendance at a Port of Shelton meeting, which means, to me, he simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And, finally, two additional bits of “gossip” that may serve to bring some clarity to the larger issue: 1) Brian Avery has submitted his resume and letter of interest to the county commissioners for consideration to replace Jerry Lingle (kind’a like replacing a steak dinner with tofu on a cracker), and 2) Is Dick Taylor just a ringer, if elected, will serve a few months and then resign so they can appoint Jerry Ring-Erickson (a scientist) in order to put a little weight behind the next biomass push? You heard it here first.
ReplyDeleteThese additional "tid-bits" are pretty relevant.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a Mason, so it's not Mason's that are the problem; it's more of the chummy, nepotistic ("Masonic Brothers"), choosing from among your own that I find objectionable.
Thank you for your observations Tom, and for sharing them here.