WAS THIS PART OF THE PLAN, JAY HUPP?

THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF "WINNING"

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price Mason County Progresseive

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

Natalie Johnson of the Shelton-Mason County Journal wrote an informative article in the September 1, 2011, edition of the Journal titled "State grants to city in jeopardy after growth management ruling". She should have titled it: "Was this part of your plan, Jay Hupp?"

I think not. I think Hupp and friends were surprised at the unintended consequences of "winning" it's battle with the City of Shelton over the rezone of the Hall Equities property.

Thanks to the Port of Shelton, the City of Shelton has been found to be out of compliance with the growth management board. A local municipality has taken another local municipality before the Growth Management Board to stop economic growth and clean (non-polluting) development, at a time when we have acknowledged unemployment near 10% in our county.

The Port (except for Commissioner Jack Miles, who stood with the citizens) fought tooth and nail to (unsuccessfully, I am happy to say) bring us ADAGE - a highly polluting industry that would have provided MAYBE a mere 24 local jobs

This same Port now fights the City's plan to rezone property for development which could provide hundreds of jobs, over many years, in all manner of disciplines. A little moment of economic recovery for Shelton and Mason County in this time of financial uncertainty.

Rather than work with the City of Shelton to bring needed economic growth to Shelton, and by extension to Mason County, the Port of Shelton stood in the way of the City's right to rezone it's property and now, thanks to the efforts of the Port, the City is out of compliance with the state's Growth Management Act.

Rather than work with the City to bring growth and economic prosperity to our community, the Port fought the City in an expensive legal battle and, as of the ruling by the Growth Management Board, the Port "won".

But what did the Port win? And how long is their win?

This matter will now be heard by the Thurston County Superior Court where it is hoped the decision of the Growth Management Board will be seen to be wrong, and where that decision should be reversed with a little schooling (one hopes) of the political-minded Growth Management Board for reaching this bad decision at the behest of the Port in the first place.

And that long-winded summary of how we got here, and where we may be going, leads to the reason I wonder whether Hupp's win did not come with an unintended consequence.

Returning to Natalie Johnson's article titled "State grants to city in jeopardy after growth management ruling", we are informed of the potentially unintended consequence of the Port's fight with the City.

The unintended consequence: The City of Shelton is no longer eligible for state funds; any state funds, but in particular some it was hoping to obtain from the state whose funding cycle could end BEFORE the Superior Court in Olympia rules on this matter. What state dollars are drying up as a result of being out of compliance with the GMA?

One is a "20-year loan from the Public Works Trust Fund to pay for upgrades to city well number one, which serves JOHNS PRAIRIE AND THE PORT OF SHELTON!" (Johnson article; emphasis mine).

Johnson goes on to report that this state-funded project "would correct a problem causing high levels of sulphides and iron in the well water, adds a storage tank and removes sand from the well..."

So, did the the Port Commissioners or their Executive Director consider what other events might be triggered by their successfully protecting their private airport from encroachment by pesky citizens and developers?

I am guessing not.

I think these fellows focus so narrowly on what it is they think they are protecting that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Their actions prevent the clean up of Goose Lake; the improvement of the interchange at Wallace-Kneeland and Highway 101; the influx of badly needed jobs for these projects alone; and now they prevent the City of Shelton from being eligible for any state dollars so long as it remains out of compliance with the GMA, including state dollars that would benefit Johns Prairie and the Port of Shelton.

As a resident of both the City of Shelton and the Port of Shelton, I am pretty unhappy about these results.

If you are a resident of the City or the Port, or both, perhaps you would like to share your feelings with the current Port leadership?

Hupp, Wallitner and Dobson have had the unbridled running of the Port for a long time, but there has always been this annoying buzz in the person of the citizens of Mason County and the only commissioner not on Social Security, Jack Miles.

If these three officials can play fast and loose with MOST things Port while the citizens are watching and Commissioner Miles is there to represent his constituents, what will it be like in the awful event that Dick Taylor should beat Jack Miles? All things Port would "fly under the radar" as Commissioner Hupp loves to say. All things...

Keep it light.