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Rank: Administration
Groups: Administrator
, Member
Joined: 1/11/2008
Posts: 277
Location: Bellingham, WA
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Once again, I post to offer my respects and congratulations to my former political opponent Stan Snapp. And again, the props are offered for Councilman Snapp's work regarding the ongoing debate over the library. Snapp has recommended re-opening the discussion of the site for the new library, and also the idea of branch locations. Even as we ran our campaigns, there weren't that many issues on which Stan and I disagreed, and I'm very pleased to see his handling of this difficult subject. Despite the distance we have already come as a community on this issue, Snapp is dead on target with this one. We need to step back, take a long deep breath, and examine this issue afresh. In its current form, it is a debt load we as a community have no business taking on.
Mark Twain wrote:
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on.
Mark Twain
Baron Miller wrote:
Grace ruins the idea that you are fully in charge.
Baron Miller
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Rank: New Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/9/2008
Posts: 51
Location: Bellingham
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Hi Damon,
I just saw this for the first time. I haven't really spent much time poking around here but wanted to thank you for your kind remarks. So far, this part-time job is taking some serious time and commitment.
I'm still up for it but I'm feeling like I've got to get a better handle on the input level.
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Rank: New Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/9/2008
Posts: 139
Location: Zeta Reticuli
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Stan, No good deed goes unpunished, and I still question the sanity of anybody who crawls in a burning building when the sane folks are running out. I was pullin' for DJ, but Keep up the good work, Stan! p.s. Tell billy boyd he needs to catch up with the rural folks and purchase a few CAFS engines when he replaces the old ones. ( I know, Compressed Air Foam takes all the fun out of crawling on melted carpet...)
You better laugh at yourself, Everyone else is. www.parkenfarkergroup.blogspot.com
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Administrator
, Member
Joined: 1/11/2008
Posts: 277
Location: Bellingham, WA
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Stan Snapp wrote:Hi Damon,
I just saw this for the first time. I haven't really spent much time poking around here but wanted to thank you for your kind remarks. So far, this part-time job is taking some serious time and commitment.
I'm still up for it but I'm feeling like I've got to get a better handle on the input level. You're welcome sir. I just call them as I see them, and there have been a couple of key issues where I think you have shot a bullseye. Since this is "Eye on Whatcom" I'm giving props where props are deserved. But I'll call it the other way too when I don't like what I'm seeing, no matter who is in my sites. 
Mark Twain wrote:
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on.
Mark Twain
Baron Miller wrote:
Grace ruins the idea that you are fully in charge.
Baron Miller
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Rank: New Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/9/2008
Posts: 51
Location: Bellingham
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PPP,
I talked to Billy today and he mentioned this Blog. He says he has you pegged as a fire guy on Lummi Island.
DJ,
I've been following your disection of our fine Mayor's comments on LOS. Recently the newbie electeds spent a few hours with Chris and Brent of Public Works fame on this very topic. They broke down for us how the LOS is defined and measured. I agreed with them that the way it's being done is nuts. Trouble is when they talk about using a better, more realistic formula, everyone hollers FOUL. Formula and LOS aside, how does the City stop development in the county? It makes me nuts that the watershed is being built out year in and year out and all those additional houses are adding to lake (reservoir)degradation and plugging Lakeway Drive an hour or so in the evening. On Sunset we are widening it to McLeod and then it's two lanes on into the County. For the millions of dollars it cost and forcing a bunch of people out of their homes, what problem have we solved on Sunset? We've just moved that problem out to McLeod and bought a preciously small amount of time.
Back to Lakeway. The pinch point out bound is at Raymond until Birch Street. If we condemn those houses for the several blocks and extend the two outbound lanes we'll spend 10's of millions of dollars and we'll move the pinch point further out towards the lake (reservoir). I don't see the point of doing that even if we had the money in hand which we don't. So; what do we do? Like you, I'm not riding my bike to Costco or even into town and back for my endless meetings, at least not until the weather warms up. This week Council will be struggling with these very issues as we do our annual review of the TIP (transportation improvement program).
C'mon down.
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Administrator
, Member
Joined: 1/11/2008
Posts: 277
Location: Bellingham, WA
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Stan, Given your handling thus far, of issues that were near and dear to my heart, I'm somewhat encouraged, and looking forward to seeing how this issue plays out. I am not at all unsympathetic to the challenge it presents, particularly with the bottleneck on Lakeway. The Northwest issue is much easier to resolve. It needs widened. But there is less "wiggle room" on Lakeway. However, that said, I don't think it really addresses the issue of Pike's comments. He appears to be very much in the Barbara Ryan camp. I don't know if you recall the discussion last year when the council voted to lower the LOS rating. She said outright that her goal was to make driving painful enough that folks would abandon their cars and start taking the bus, biking or walking. That's social engineering, and something I am very much opposed to. I'm not saying that finding solutions to the traffic snarls is easy, but it is the job you signed on for. But aside form that, I really dislike starting from a position that says "Cars are bad," and then ignores the laws currently in place to achieve a predetermined end. Then for Mayor Dan to point the finger at the county was just pathetic. We need the courage to engage our problems, look them squarely in the face, own them, and then architect solutions for them. I know you'll give due diligence to this. I'm not sure what to make of your frustrations with the Lake Whatcom watershed. I know your concerns are sincere, but in all candor, it can come off as a bit disingenuous when one considers that your house is in that watershed. It would be very easy for someone to look at that and say, "Oh, sure, now that Stan has his house there, he's all for stopping the growth in the watershed." I'm not saying that's what you are doing, but caution you that it would be real easy for someone to come at it from that angle. I'm still very much in favor of a matrix that considers all cleanup options, and weighs the ROI against the costs. I have yet to see anything like that, and feel a bit like we are flying into the clouds with no radar.
Mark Twain wrote:
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on.
Mark Twain
Baron Miller wrote:
Grace ruins the idea that you are fully in charge.
Baron Miller
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Administrator
, Member
Joined: 1/11/2008
Posts: 277
Location: Bellingham, WA
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One other quick note: I'm not just all down on Dan Pike. I have some concerns, yes, but when I see him doing something I think is right, I'm saying so. The library issue is a great example of that. He is right on with that, and I was glad to see it, and said so. I have another example, but I want to see how it comes to fruition before I get too excited about it, and that is, I like Pike's concurrency in permitting. Conceptually, that is a great thing. Permitting has been a nightmare, and this is a pretty decent start toward a solution. It is similar to what I proposed on the campaign trail, probably more workable, and I like the diagram in his 100 day report. So, just to be clear, I'm applauding when I see good things and frowning when I see bad. It's how I roll.
Mark Twain wrote:
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on.
Mark Twain
Baron Miller wrote:
Grace ruins the idea that you are fully in charge.
Baron Miller
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Rank: New Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/9/2008
Posts: 51
Location: Bellingham
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Lot's to agree with in your comments Damon. For me it's refreshing to hear praise for the good things. As you know, I spent much of my fire career at the upper staff level, quite a bit of that time in the classroom and praise in the emergency service is seldom seen. We are hard on ourselves and each other when things don't go the way we like and when we make a great medical save or keep a room fire from spreading we just shrug our shoulders and go about our business because our job is to deal with other peoples emergencies. I don't know how else to describe it but I'm overwhelmed by the support I've received so far for stepping up to serve on Council. That doesn't mean I'm not hearing from the other side because I am. But the numbers are lopsided so far. I've had a handful of folks that have thumped on my chest but that comes with the territory.
Good point about my living in the watershed. I bought the lot 18 years ago and knew absolutely nothing about it being a watershed. The more I learn the more my discomfort rises. So far, I'm doing all I can to educate my neighbors and be a good steward myself. The worst of it has been to drive back and forth to town so many times a day. The weather is gradually getting better and I took my little motor scooter in to town and back this week. If my schedule will lighten up a bit I could peddle the Railroad trail to town and back which I used to do a lot. A couple of months back a dear lady sitting next to me at our Silver Beach neighborhood meeting leaned over and asked me if I live in the watershed and when I said "yes" she gave me "the look".........
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