You better watch out If you've been bad,
Santa's sidekick, Krampus, is coming to town!
Santa's sidekick, Krampus, is coming to town!
Port Looks to Back Away From City & County Oversight
Submitted to Shelton Blog by Tom Davis Mason County Progressive
The Port of Shelton is seeking authority from Mason County Commissioners to inspect and permit septic systems located on Port property. Currently, permitting of those systems is a requirement of re-occupancy by new business tenants wishing to operate out of Sanderson Field Industrial Park.
Responsibility for inspection of those systems currently falls to the Mason County Dept. of Public Health, as it should, but Port Chair, Jay Hupp, argues the process is slow and cumbersome, and causes unnecessary delays to business proposals. At a recent briefing of County Commissioners, Mr. Hupp stated that no one was better suited to oversee septic systems on Port property than Port staff, since they would be the first to notice any system malfunction.
I would argue that transferring any regulatory oversight from a legislative body to one with no legislative authority sets a dangerous precedent for the future; in the event of a system failure, damages may not be confined to Port property which could leave the County liable for actions (or inaction) by the Port.
As is typical, the Port attempted to avoid public scrutiny of their intention (Port Commissioners did away with workshop sessions for just that reason), and tried to “fly it under the radar” (translation: do it behind the public’s back) indicating, once again, that even from bad experiences Port managers have learned nothing.
Okay, now for my 12/20/11 meeting report:
It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon, and I had just vanquished my third "Happy Meal" at the local McDonalds while trying to decide if I should attend the final Port meeting of 2011, or buy a bottle of Tequila and lay down in the middle of the road. While I never actually enjoy Port meetings, the source of today’s angst revolved around one particular item on the agenda: the swearing in of Dick Taylor as our newest Port Commissioner.
But right from the get-go Jay Hupp announced that the swearing in ceremony was not going to happen, at least not today. At first, it appeared that Mr. Taylor had the good sense and common decency to postpone the proceedings till a more appropriate time, closer to assuming his duties.
At the time, I had no idea Commissioner-elect Taylor was reacting to a letter written by outgoing Commissioner, Jack Miles, in which he cautioned that any premature swearing in of the new Commissioner would have embarrassing ceremonial consequences.
Speaking of embarrassing, I thought it appropriate to bring some transparency to the public comment period of the meeting by going on about the Port’s ongoing efforts to exempt itself from a County regulatory agency, the Department of Public Health.
It has become clear that the Port is looking to back away from City and County oversight at a time when it should be combining resources around a common goal to expand and diversify our economic base. Once again, the Port is attempting to reject precisely what it so desperately needs: municipal, cooperative interdependency.
And on that note I wish you all a most Joyous Holiday Season!
Graphic: myconfinedspace.com
SHELTON BLOG NOTE:
"Krampus is a mythical creature who accompanies Saint Nicholas in various regions of the world during the Christmas season. The word Krampus originates from the Old High German word for "claw" (krampen). In the Alpine regions, Krampus is represented by an incubus demon accompanying Saint Nicholas. Instead of giving gifts to good children, Krampus gives warnings and punishments to bad children..." Wikipedia
I have some serious concerns about the Port of Shelton being their own "health department" in connection with being allowed to "inspect and permit septic systems located on Port property."
ReplyDeleteThis is so far beyond the scope of what the Port should be doing that I hope we keep a laser focus on this one. What a crock of #@&%$!
"Mr. Hupp stated that no one was better suited to oversee septic systems on Port property than Port staff..."
I beg to disagree in the strongest possible terms, including multiple expletives and deletes.
I suggest we resist this with all our vigor and I thank Tom Davis for attending these meetings and for keeping us apprised of the crazier ideas that Hupp and Friends come up with.