Some Thoughts On Armed Forces Day

Today is Armed Forces Day. I hope the following serves as a fitting tribute to those we honor, and who, no matter what your politics or your views on the Iraq War, deserve our respect.

Definition Of A Veteran...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in one's life, wrote a blank check made payable to:

"The United States of America" For an amount of "Up to and including my life."

That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

— Author Unknown

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May we always remember the General...

Unfortunately for our detractors, the true core of the American people comes shining through loud and clear. Bravery and selflessness off the charts, is alien to all but a few. However, the following, although it a gem that’s been around, is the perfect bitch slap. Yes, we’re an imperfect country, and many of the media delight in pointing it out to us repeatedly. But here’s a pleasant read about America, and our unselfish motives around the world. Enjoy.

When in England at a large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

It became very quiet in the room.

Finally, a couple of videos that perhaps say more than I know how to.

A Tribute — Please Don't Forget Them

If you appreciate our men and women in the service, but either don't know how, or feel awkward about expressing your feelings of appreciation for what they do, this is for you. It's called The Gratitude Campaign — and believe it or not, it started in Seattle.

A Disappointment...

I have worked very hard over the years using my column in the Business Journal to promote local business. I have been especially hard on local governments, insisting they purchase locally at every opportunity. I've never advocated that local businesses should just be handed business by the government if they aren't price competitive, but that they should always be given the opportunity to compete — which hasn't always happened.

In fact, when it comes to buying services, Kitsap County and some of our other quasi-governmental agencies, seem to have a belief that there isn't the knowledge and/or expertise here to make it even worthwhile to look within our county. They also appear to think that if they don't pay big money (our tax dollars) for something, it must not be as good as what's available elsewhere else. My experience has been just the opposite. What I have found is that many service providers located here originally came from Seattle — and in many cases California — in search of a better quality of life. It hasn't diminished their ability to deliver high quality services, but it has in many cases reduced the price. Understanding Kitsap isn't Seattle and doesn't command the prices most service providers there can charge, many of those people have willingly traded money for quality of life.

In Port Orchard, I have instituted a simple purchasing policy. Assuming cost competitiveness, our purchasing priorities are to look first within the City itself (that way, we can at least recapture a portion of the sales tax we pay), then South Kitsap, Kitsap County, Washington State and then elsewhere — in that order.

So it was a major disappointment to me when the City posted an RFP to redesign our Web site and out of 28 bids received, only three were from Kitsap-based firms and two from Seattle. The rest were from out of state and came from as far away as Atlanta, New York City, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, and of course, California. We also directly contacted a number of local Web designers whose work we were familiar with, encouraging them to bid as well. Not a single one of them did.

After reviewing the bids we did receive, we decided to revise the specs somewhat and will re-advertise the project hoping to draw additional bidders. Hopefully, this time some will be local.

Talk About Chutzpah...

It's a good thing the Washington Supreme Court ruled several years ago that lying in a political campaign was an acceptable form of free speech. I received the following as part of a campaign donation solictitaton press release from our esteemed governor...

"In 2005, when I was elected, Washington had the highest unemployment rate in the country, a government with too much red tape and a $2.2 billion deficit. But I entered office ready to take on challenges and get results."

Excuse me??? Dino Rossi — NOT Governor Gregoire — was the architect of the budget that solved that nasty little $2.2 billion deficit problem. To try and take credit for what Rossi accomplished shows an enormous amount of chutzpah, if for no other reason, than because it's a outright lie.

In fact, in the four years she's been governor, state spending has ballooned over 33 percent and we are projected by Gregoire's own budget office to have an even BIGGER budget deficit next year. And she'll solve that problem how??? Most likely, by new and increased taxes (Say, "Goodbye one percent property tax increase"). That's because she isn't about to anger the education and state employee unions, which along with the environmental lobby, are the backbone of her financial support, by making any meaningful spending cuts.

On the other hand, Rossi's campaign continues humming along, attracting people new to the political process — or at least new to donating to candidates anyway — which should worry Gregoire. Many are moderate Democrats, which Rossi calls "Dinocrats." In fact, over 40 percent of Rossi's donors have never donated to a candidate before, and his campaign logged its 30,000th campaign donor yesterday.

Meanwhile, independent polls continue to show the race as a dead heat that's too close to call. That too, at this point in the campaign, should be a major concern to Gregoire — who has never polled 50 percent in the entire time she has been governor.

Intentional Misinformation or Sloppy Reporting?

I was dismayed to read the Sun's April 24 editorial concerning SKIA, because of its obvious bias against Port Orchard. To call the approach Port Orchard has presented for the development of SKIA "convoluted," is not only misinformed, it does a disservice to the paper's readers who most likely aren't familiar with the proposal, by representing what appears to be misinformation, as factual.

What Port Orchard has presented is a balanced proposal based on what is clearly spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Port, the County, and the cities of Bremerton and Port Orchard. This is a legal contract which Port Orchard believes the parties have an obligation to fulfill.

As far as any "threatened lawsuit" is concerned, there have been NO threats issued by the City of Port Orchard. Our City Attorney did send a letter to the parties signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding reminding them of their obligations under the agreement — and nothing more. Perhaps the Sun should have checked with Port Orchard before implying to its readers in that editorial it was the potential plaintiff. It is our sincere belief that cooperation is preferable to litigation. Meanwhile, the City has been informally approached to partner with a group interested in using litigation to stop the annexation of SKIA by Bremerton. We have declined to participate because of our obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding.

In the future, perhaps before casting the City of Port Orchard in any kind of negative light editorially, it would be better if the Sun's editorial writer(s) simply picked up the phone and made sure they had all the facts first.

Governor's Race Heating Up

The governor’s race is beginning to heat up in a big way. Governor Christine Gregoire has been on a whirlwind tour of the state — riding around in a fully equipped luxury motorcoach. Although the coach is rented from a Seattle company, it's licensed in Oregon (avoiding the sales tax?), which seems to me to be a major faux pas on the part of her campaign managers. The tour included a stop in Bremerton, where she met with local elected, business, and community leaders (including yours truly) to listen to our concerns, tell us what a great job she’s done as governor, and remind us of all her accomplishments, before holding a fundraiser in another part of the building.

Meanwhile, challenger Dino Rossi has caught up to her in fundraising, surpassing 27,000 individual donors — of which, over 40 percent are new to the Rossi campaign. If I were Gregoire, that would be making me nervous. Rossi has also unveiled a transportation plan with 71 percent of the proposed spending going towards nine major unfunded congestion relief projects. Democrats are having difficulty refuting his plan because the cost projections for eight of those projects were taken directly from DOT and RTID numbers.

In spite of Gregoire’s bravado, saying, "In November, we will win, election night, within the first 10 minutes, by a large majority," a couple of independent polls show Rossi neck and neck with Gregoire — who has never polled over 50 percent the entire time she’s been in office.

In my view, it’s still way too close to call, but Rossi has a legitimate shot at unseating Gregoire, who he arguably beat four years ago.

Local R's Finally Recruit a Candidate

The local Republican Party has finally found a candidate to run for the South Kitsap commissioner’s seat — Tim Matthes.

Matthes is actually a pretty sharp guy who is well-informed, thoughtful and pragmatic. However, as a member of the militant Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) you can look for most local news reports concerning him to begin with something like, “County Commission Candidate and KAPO member Tim Matthes said…” Hopefully, the local media can restrain itself where this is concerned, but honestly, I don’t have much hope about that.

As happened with NASCAR, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see an environmental reporter covering at least a part of Matthes’ campaign — instead of a political one. That’s too bad, because it will unfairly color the debate on many of the real issues facing the county.

KAPO, for the uninformed, is a politically active property rights group with about a thousand local members. Led by Vivian Henderson, who is a fixture at most public meetings, it has a reputation as a take-no-prisoners organization that’s been a continual thorn in the side of the county commissioners where land use issues are concerned. The mere mention of its name has a tendency to infuriate local environmental activists.

If Matthes can overcome KAPO to actually get his message out, it may resonate surprisingly well.

Have The terrorists Won?

Just as I don't watch Fox News, I am also an infrequent reader of Sound Politics, as I find the ultra-conservative mindset of a lot of the posters there to be way too narrow for my level of patience — but that in itself is fodder for a completely different post.

However, while checking it for the first time in a couple of weeks, I came across a link to a story there that was originally posted on SLOG, the blog for The Stranger (which I also don't read). It made me shake my head and wonder if the terrorists haven't already won.

As someone who flies somewhere between 50 and 75 thousand miles a year, I'm no stranger to the daily stupidity that passes for safeguarding our freedom perpetrated upon us by the TSA. We might be safe from our own shoes, as well as from the evil possibilities of the imagined threats posed by fingernail clippers and toothpaste, but you have to wonder if these morons just haven't let their authority get in the way of basic common sense.

It seems that recently, a woman was forced by TSA security to remove two rings in her pierced nipples in order to pass security. The woman was given a pair of pliers in order to remove the rings, which had reportedly been there for many years. Several years ago, actress (?) Nicole Richie, had her breasts inspected by security at a different airport because of her nipple rings.

Given that some people have metal medical implants for hips, shoulders, head wounds, etc., should they be given pliers and a field surgical kit and ordered to remove the pins holding their joints together?

My question is, what part of the U.S. Constitution doesn't the TSA accept or understand? The First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression — and such freedom of expression would certainly include nipple rings — or the Fourth Amendment, with its protections from unreasonable searches and seizures?

If there was some "reasonable" concern about this woman and her rings being a bona fide threat to other passengers, it could have been resolved in seconds. Private booth, female guard. "Please lift your shirt... Okay. Thank you ma'am, sorry for the inconvenience. Have a nice flight." End of story.

Is it just me, or does that make too much sense?

In my opinion, the TSA is the biggest make-work boondoggle since the WPA, and hasn't really had any significant impact on making our skies safer. At any rate, find the Stranger story here and another version here.

The Facts About SKIA and Annexation

The Port of Bremerton recently announced its intention to consider an annexation petition by the City of Bremerton on its April 22 agenda. That action is surprising, given the existing Inter-local agreements, established County-Wide Planning Policies, and Urban Growth Area (UGA) association templates already in place. These require a joint process for annexation by any jurisdiction.

Therefore, I was surprised at the Kitsap Sun’s editorial stance regarding the City of Port Orchard’s position on the annexation of the Port and the South Kitsap Industrial Area (SKIA) by Bremerton.

Some facts for consideration: The Gorst/SKIA Sewer Feasibility Study found having Port Orchard provide sewer service rather than Bremerton, saved taxpayers nearly $2 million. The City of Port Orchard has demonstrated its commitment to the development of SKIA by already providing capital funding, and constructing infrastructure to achieve that goal. As part of our joint obligation, Port Orchard and the Westsound Utility District (formerly Karcher Creek Sewer District) have completed a $21 million expansion of their Joint Wastewater Treatment Facility. The upgrades were sized specifically to satisfy the increased sewer capacity required to service the entire SKIA UGA.

Meanwhile, Bremerton’s own Comprehensive Plan concludes its industrial land capacity needs have already been met within its existing city limits — for the next 20-year planning horizon. So why do they need — or want — SKIA?

The existing inter-local agreement Memorandum of Understanding for Joint Planning between Kitsap County, Bremerton and Port Orchard, which was signed in 1998, mandates a joint process for Planning, Annexation, Growth Assumptions, Infrastructure, Future Agreements of Responsibility, and Governance. The City of Port Orchard and the Westsound Utility District have operated in good faith within that agreement.

So why is there is a sudden urgency to justify violating those good faith efforts, which are the most cost effective way for the jurisdictions to provide efficient economic development of SKIA? Could the private landowners see a previously unrealized opportunity still lurking in the shadows?

Whether that's true or not, Kitsap County articulated the path for joint cooperation with its 2004 County-Wide Planning Policies, which were ratified by the County, Bremerton, and Port Orchard, to benefit the citizens and all of the jurisdictions. The Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan Policy also identifies the need to resolve urban growth association — including SKIA — by the end of 2008, and to commence Urban Growth Area Management Agreement (UGAMA) negotiations. That effort has not yet concluded, and Kitsap County recently issued a Request for Proposals to conduct the necessary financial analysis.

Port Orchard is the poorest city in Kitsap County, but still committed the financial resources necessary for participation in the economic development of SKIA — which is more than Bremerton or the private landowners, the people actually driving this process — have done. Considering Bremerton’s unexpected annexation efforts, and Port Orchard’s request that the terms of the Inter-local agreement all parties committed to, be honored, isn’t it ironic that Port Orchard is suddenly being depicted as the obstructionist?

My job as Mayor includes working to create economic opportunity for the residents of my City. I'm sorry, but I don’t consider attempting to safeguard Port Orchard’s investment in SKIA by insisting these agreements be honored, to be obstructionist. I consider that my job, and I make NO apologies for doing it.

Lantz Pulls The Plug. Abel Announces Run For Her Seat

As the state legislative session ground to a close, longtime 26th District Representative Pat Lantz (D-Gig Harbor) announced that she will not seek a seventh term.

In a press release issued by Lantz, she stated, "I believe it is time to turn my full attention to my family — my husband, my three children, and five wonderful grandchildren."

Within hours, former Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel announced that she would seek the seat Lantz is vacating. Lantz endorsed Abel, and said as a part of Abel’s press release, “Kim Abel understands the needs of our district, cares deeply about our families and communities and I am delighted to offer her my support.”

There had been some speculation when Abel declined to run for a second term as Mayor, that she would file for the county commission seat being vacated by Jan Angel. Instead, she will now face off against Angel, who announced her intention to challenge Lantz some months ago.

Lantz said she actually made the decision not to seek another term back in September, but didn’t want to announce her decision and be viewed as a lame duck during the legislative session.

That wasn’t really news to Angel, who said, “I had heard when I threw my hat in the ring that she (Lantz) was not running for another term.” Angel added, “The last eight years have given me a real good foundation. I understand the needs and issues of the 26th District.”

Without going into a lot of detail, I'll just say that as the guy who inherited what Kim Abel left behind in Port Orchard, I believe that Jan Angel is the most qualified of the two candidates — which is why I've endorsed her.

Thoughts On SEED

Are the Port Of Bremerton Commissioners running for political cover, finally realizing that the Sustainable Energy & Economic Development (SEED) project has lost favor with the majority of our overtaxed citizens, and that a serious revolt is brewing?

The Port's Executive Director, Ken Attebery recently "fired" SEED's consultant, former county commissioner Tim Botkin. Fired is actually the wrong word. What happened, was the Port terminated Botkin's contract to manage the project — a contract that reportedly paid him in the neighborhood of $12,000 a month. That contract was due to expire at the end of March.

So, what did we get for our money? As near as I can figure, we got a partially working Web site, some outdated printed materials, and some pie-in-the-sky promise of high-paying jobs in an emerging industry in some fuzzy, undefined, future time frame. But after two and half years and several million taxpayer dollars, Botkin failed to deliver on any of his promises. Not one single company has signed on the dotted line to locate at SEED.

For that kind of money, taxpayers had a right to expect a high level of performance from Botkin. He couldn't even put together a coherent grant application. Instead of spending a couple of thousand dollars on a professional grant writer, in one instance, he kept the money in his own pocket and did it himself. He scored 345 points out of a possible 1,000 — nearly at the very bottom of the list.

I have to believe it was Botkin's arrogance — once again — that was his undoing, just as it was when he was defeated as commissioner after only one term. As an incumbent, that election was his to lose, and in spite of a solid Democratic majority in this county, a Republican political neophyte didn't just beat him — she spanked him. On the day after that election, I asked a key Democratic Party insider why he thought that had happened. His unhesitating answer: "Tim's f***ing arrogance did him in."

What is probably the straw that broke the camel's back in this instance was an email Botkin sent to political supporters urging them to bring as much pressure to bear on the Port and other elected officials to keep the project fully funded (read: keep him fully employed). Feeding at the government trough a large part of his working life, Botkin obviously doesn't "get" that so blatantly politicizing something that is strictly a case of knowing that business demands results, is exactly why Botkin failed to bring SEED to fruition.

To illustrate that point, he attempted to misdirect criticism away from the poor job he did, by issuing self-serving statements, like, "...SEED was growing so fast and the Port doesn't have the system to support that." In another, he said, "My retrospective is I asked the Port for more than they can do." The bottom line is Botkin didn't produce results. End of story. If he'd have been working in the private sector, he more than likely would have been canned long before now.

Another illustration of Botkin politicizing SEED, was when he went to Olympia to testify against NASCAR and strong-arm legislators against supporting the legislation to make it possible. As the consultant for SEED, he had absolutely no business doing that. In fact, had NASCAR come here, it was ready to partner with SEED — reportedly to the tune of a couple million dollars for openers.

What Botkin received in political payback was Sen. Phil Rockefeller diverting over a million tax dollars earmarked for a project in Bremerton, to SEED. What is most interesting here is that SEED isn't even in Rockefeller's district — but Rockefeller opposed NASCAR. This happened after after it came to light NASCAR and Bremerton were discussing the possibility of it annexing the proposed site — taking the decision-making out of the county's hands and away from vitriolic opponent Commissioner Chris Endresen — Botkin's political partner before his defeat.

Again, it was Botkin politicizing SEED instead of understanding it is a business proposition.

So where does SEED go from here? Port Chair Kincer deserves to be commended for insisting on independent third-party reviews of SEED's business plan and funding mechanisms. She has also suggested the project partner with a research institution, and explore working with private industrial developers. This is Business 101 — which is what Botkin should have been doing from the very beginning.

A LOT of money has been invested in SEED — the taxpayers have in essence been the unwilling venture capitalists for this project. I also believe it is a sound concept that should go forward. However, if anything is abundantly clear, it is that Tim Botkin should have never been the person in charge. While he a passionate environmentalist, his blatant, "I know what's best for you," arrogance, has also made him a lightening rod for controversy. And like his political opposition to NASCAR, because of his inexperience in the business world, he has mismanaged what could be a golden opportunity, almost into oblivion — all at the taxpayer's expense.