WEEK of 9/3/12 MEETINGS IN REVIEW

TOM'S TALES FOR THE WEEK

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Tom Davis Mason County Progressive

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

9:00 AM: Regular session of Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)

Foreword: When I was still in the single digits of childhood someone told me that the most powerful sentence ever written was, “Jesus wept”. But now that I have advanced to digits which challenge even those of good wine and cheese, I have found a phrase even more deserving of that distinction:

Item 4.2 Presentation of 2013 Budget Requests.

Auditor Karen Herr and Chief Financial Officer Theresia Ehrich tag-teamed the Commissioners to paint a picture of a county on the cusp of living beyond its means, about $2M beyond, give or take a shekel. Of course that number does not include entirely unforeseeable incidentals, like – oh, I don’t know – two freakin’ million dollars to pay for the mother of all labor negotiation screw-ups.

Here’s the numbers (minus the pocket change):

• $24M in revenues
• $26M in expenditures
• $1.5M in supplementals
  

Fortunately, the non-represented employees have not received a pay raise for five years, so the Commissioners have the option of enjoying yearly pay raises, or they can donate their ill-gotten gains to some worthy cause, such as returning the money to the general fund, or a trip to Paris to feed street orphans.

Personally, I think the Commissioners should be commended for their valiant attempt at self-preservation; they saw rough seas ahead and quickly fashioned a life raft for themselves. I’m sure they would have tried to save some of their fellow public servants, but, hey, time was short, and it was all they could do to push away from the wreck without being sucked under.

8.1 Approval of the 2012-2013 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Project list as recommended by the Mason County Economic Development Council.

It’s called an economic development strategy list, but it’s really just a wish list submitted by the EDC. In order to have your pet project listed on CEDS for possible funding, you need to be a governing body, a powerful politician, or have pockets deeper than the average well. Then you just call up Matt Matayoshi at the EDC and tell him you would like to build a chocolate covered pyramid in the middle of downtown Shelton, or whatever project is rattling around your head. Matt won’t question your wisdom or your intentions; he’s not there to judge. And don’t worry that your request will expire; it remains on the list till fully funded or the second coming of Christ, whichever comes first.

There were 49 items on the CEDS list, totaling $154,246,651, and not one of them had anything to do with funding the County Fair.

Like I said, "it’s a wish list", and I guess no one wishes to keep the County Fair.

8.3 Approval to enter into a contract with Prothman & Associates for an Interim Human Resources Director.

The rate is $64 per hour +3% B&O tax and a temporary housing allowance. This will be paid from the Human Resources budget.

Former Commissioner Annette McGee was on this one like white on rice; she questioned the housing allowance, the hourly rate, and even the 19 cents per hour B&O allowance (which turned out to be .03%, or 19 cents per hour, according to Commissioner Sheldon). Ms. McGee was not at all enamored of the contract language, calling it “open-ended and non-specific”.

For my part, all I want is an HR Director who knows how to negotiate a union contract without turning it into a three year legal quagmire.

2:00 PM: Port of Shelton Commission

ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS

A. Fairgrounds – Action

The trouble with having bad neighbors is that there seems to be so many of them and only one of you. That’s the way I feel when attending Port meetings.

The problem is that everything the Port touches turns to crap and no one is able to stop them from touching everything they see.

When it comes to winning lawsuits, making money or promoting economic growth, Port leadership leaves a lot to be desired. However, when it comes to not getting along with the community and really pissing people off, no one can hold a candle to the Port of Shelton.

Okay, now that I got that off my chest, here’s what happened:

The hope that Mason County Fairgrounds would continue operations at its current location, on Port property, is dead, kaput, morte; killed with an arrow fashioned by Port Director Dobson and fired through the heart of the community by Commissioners Taylor and Wallitner. So, don’t go blaming the FAA, or be fooled into thinking nothing could be done; blame for losing the fairgrounds needs to be laid at the feet of those who pretended to care but never did, and lifted not even a voice to question the authority of the FAA.

Here’s the raw truth:

Dobson wanted to throw the fairgrounds off Port property and sold the idea to Taylor and Wallitner, who were far too willing to go along with the suggestion. But Commissioner Hupp opened a can of kick-ass when he forced the Commission to post his request for public input on the Port website. The response was quick and irrefutable: keep the fairgrounds where they are.

Faced with the reality of another public relations disaster, Taylor, Wallitner and Dobson tried to convince the public that their hands were tied – it was all the FAA’s fault -- but the public wasn’t buying it, and for good reason. Recent examples of the FAA’s bark being worse than its bite can be found in their empty growling over the State Highway Patrol Academy being located on Sanderson Field property and big box stores on Centralia-Chehalis airport land.

At the end of the day, the Port did what it had intended to do all along; they voted to move the Fairgrounds off airport property. The motion passed 2 to 1 -- Hupp being the lone “Nay” vote.

In the end, it mattered not how the public felt or how many names were gathered on a petition, or how convincing the power-point presentations by Commissioner Hupp. All efforts to save the fairgrounds were doomed from the start.

Such was always the plan of three men who are bent against the will of an entire community.

Farewell Mason County Fairgrounds; you were deserving of a better death than to be left quivering on the deck like an expiring mackerel for another year.

Later…