How Many Lawsuits Does it Take to Unseat Tim Sheldon?
Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price Mason County Progressive
The Shelton-Mason County Journal informs us (July 19, 2012 issue) that our Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) or the "Tim and Lynda Show", if you prefer, has once again attracted a lawsuit by citizens, this time for their failure to follow the law in granting contracts.
The Journal reports that this latest lawsuit, brought by a nonprofit group calling itself "Advocates for Responsible Government", alleges that Mason County failed to comply with requirements of state law in connection with granting a contract for long haul and disposal of solid waste. Here we go again: Our Commissioners have embroiled the County in still another lawsuit which the County is likely to lose.
In support of this statement, and rather than trying to type a page and a half of text, I refer my gentle reader to RCW 36.58.090 (just Google that), which sets forth a number of steps our Commission MUST take prior to entering into contracts. By a review of Tom Davis' fine reporting on this blog about how this contract went down (Week of 6/25/23 Meetings in Review), our Commissioners (not for the first time) missed the steps which precede the granting of a contract and went straight to granting the contract.
This lawsuit is being heard in Grays Harbor County, and the plaintiff's attorney, Wayne Hagen, is a very competent and capable attorney (his nick name as a child was "Tiger").
Included in the text of RCW 36.58.090 are a couple of lines that spoke to the statutes' intent:
"...to be fair and reasonable and in the best interest of the county."
and
"... that it is in the public interest to enter into the contract, that the contract is financially sound, and that it is advantageous for the county..."
I cannot argue the merits of this lawsuit, but I suspect it has some. On the other hand, I really like it when I can find statutory language that includes the citizen, and the citizens' interests. As Rachel Maddow loves the word "infrastructure", I love the phrase "public interest".
Such a quaint phrase, no doubt to be someday removed altogether from the statutes, as citizens rights are reduced and revoked, and corporate rights are elevated and made grand! God, to be a corporation... but I digress terribly.
What about this latest lawsuit? Should we be worried as taxpayers?
Heck yes! Even a "nuisance" lawsuit gets money thrown at it to make it "go away".
We must stop the flow of blood from our County coffers, and from increased insurance rates charged to our County because the BOCC has become a lawsuit magnet. It is the BOCC who embroils our County in these lawsuits, not the citizens. Logically, to stop these lawsuits, we should replace the current Commissioners with commissioners whose interests are aligned with those of the citizens.
We, the people, pay a lot more in taxes than our local businesses do. Why is our interest last in discussions concerning the direction of our County?
It's time for a change, Mason County!
When have three seats on the Mason County Commission been up before?
We really do have candidates who will put citizen interest first, their names are Roslynne Reed and Denny Hamilton. With Lynda and Tim no longer on the BOCC, this County can move forward without the weight of lawsuits dragging us backward. But a change in leadership is required if we are to move forward. Status quo is killing our County, and these lawsuits drain our County's resources unnecessarily.
Vote Denny Hamilton and Roslynne Reed for forward-looking, solution-based Commissioners, whose interests are aligned with the citizens, and who see the citizens as partners rather than pests.
Use wisely your power of choice, please!
Photo: www.insidearm.com
SHELTON BLOG NOTE:
Link to previously related article:
http://masoncountyprogressive.blogspot.com/2012/06/week-of-62512-meetings-in-review.html
Link to KMAS News Voters Guide:
http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/voter-guide-2012
Link to Progressive Voters Guide: 2012 Primary Edition, Mason County
http://progressivevotersguide.com/2012/washington/primary/county/mason/
When a lawsuit is filed against the county it is standard procedure for Commissioners to publicly dismiss the action as “frivolous,” or, privately, to belittle plaintiff’s character.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that such action reflects poorly, not on the plaintiff, but on those whose actions prompted the necessity of legal action.
This is certainly not the first time citizens have witnessed Commissioner Sheldon inflame what was a reasonable concern into a costly lawsuit.
Such hubris comes at a price, and it is unfortunate that price must be paid for by the citizens. More of a loose cannon than a “Maverick,” Mr. Sheldon will continue to ride roughshod over Mason County till such time as he is removed from ‘public service,’ and deposited back onto the shelf of self-service from which he came.
Teehee, the "shelf of self-service." God love you Tom!
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