Thank You!

I have to say that I am truly humbled and extremely grateful to the voters in Port Orchard for last night's primary election victory. I believe the disparity in the numbers, (58+ percent vs.27 percent for the nearest opponent) is very telling in that it shows how hungry the people of Port Orchard are for new leadership, for a new direction for our city, and to begin the work of moving us forward. This wasn't a victory for me — it was one for ALL of the citizens of Port Orchard.

Now that the primary is over, the real work will begin. During the primary, I knocked on over 1,000 doors in an attempt to personally introduce myself to the voters and ask what their concerns are. I learned a lot, and quite frankly, modified some of my positions on issues — like the downtown height limits — because the voters made their feelings very clear to me. I see the Mayor's job as representing the will of the voters, not forcing my personal opinions on them.

In the time between now and the general election, we will continue to knock on doors, and attempt to personally talk with each and every voter. We will also be re-canvassing the areas already visited. Our strategy all along has been to campaign like we were 20 points behind. That won't change. Hard work is what's going to win this election for us — and that victory will be a win for ALL of Port Orchard.

Please accept my personal "Thanks" for your vote, and for your confidence in me. I won't let you down.

A Plan to Revive Downtown

It's no big secret that our downtown area has been in decline for some years. As I've been out doorbelling, the single most asked question has been, "What are you going to do about our downtown?"

I'm putting the finishing touches on a proposed marketing plan for the downtown business core. I've run this by a number of the merchants there, and they have all seemed to agree it's a solid strategy that will work. Here's the Cliff Notes version, but after you read it, I'd like your feedback.

I believe we need to leverage our biggest asset downtown, which is obviously the marina. The Port of Bremerton has done a study showing the average boater spends $165 per day of moorage. The problem we have, is not enough spending opportunities for the kinds of things those boaters want and need when they're in port.

What I'm proposing is that we market downtown as a destination — the "Marina District" or something like that — and do it in much the same way a shopping mall is packaged. First come the "anchors." In a mall situation, that's Macy's, Nordstrom, Sears, etc. What we'll use for anchors are the kinds of businesses the boaters need — a grocery store, a marine supply store, a liquor store, etc. From there, we go out and actively recruit the kinds of businesses that are a good, long term "fit" in terms of downtown tourism, shopping, and serving the needs of both visiting and local boaters.

We do that by establishing a marketing committee comprised of representatives from the Port Orchard Bay Street Association, and the Chamber, along with an accountant to do the numbers and make a solid business case for the folks we'll be recruiting, and the mayor acting as the chief salesman, head cheerleader, and running interference with the city bureaucracy if necessary — which by then, will be operating with an entirely new, business-friendly attitude. After all, leadership and attitude do come from the top.

I had a meeting this week with a potential grocery store operator — two fellows who own a successful grocery store in another location. I had earlier called Monsour Samadpour, the owner of six buildings downtown, and he connected me with his representative here. We showed these two grocers three different sites — two belonging to Mr. Samadpour and one in the Coe Building on the corner of Sidney and Bay St. We then had lunch at Amy's with the two owners of the store, a commercial Realtor, and Amy. A couple of downtown merchants also stopped by to answer questions and help "sell" these fellows on Port Orchard.

We learned some invaluable things from this meeting that will help us with landing other potential merchants. Those include:
• The two gentleman we met with agreed our basic marketing plan is a good one that should work.
• They agreed the potential for a successful 9,000 to 12,000 square foot grocery store exists downtown.
• For a grocery store to be successful, the parking situation needs to be addressed at two of the three locations.
• In their view, downtown IS going to be revitalized. It's simply a case of "when" not "if."
• Redevelopment of downtown, which will bring more residents to the area, will only increase the chances of success.

While I didn't expect we would sign them on the dotted line during this initial meeting, I'm encouraged by the results of our first effort. We will continue to work on this and keep you posted. I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Breaking News!

I just received a phone call from Clark Mather, Congressman Norm Dicks' local liaison, telling me we have received Norm's endorsement.

Pretty cool, huh?

I'm both thrilled as well as humbled and grateful.

The Campaign Trail — Volume Two

Doorbelling continues to go well. Our message seems to be resonating well with the people I've been able to meet at their door. The biggest issue is catching people at home to talk to. Our Web site is attracting a lot of traffic as well, and will be updated again shortly, showing our new TV commercials which will begin airing on Wave Cable next week.
I was out of town a couple of times in the past two weeks on automotive adventures. The first was the Northwest Automotive Press Association's (NWAPA) annual "Run To The Sun" event, where we drove 18 different vehicles — including the 2008 Dodge Viper, ZO6 Corvette, and Audi R8 among others. The first day we did a drive loop from the Airport Radisson out to the coast, via places like Yelm, Pe Ell and Bucoda, while the second day we did the Olympic Peninsula Loop out to Lake Cresent, down the coast through Forks and Klaloch, to Aberdeen and then back to the Radisson.

The second event was the press intro of the new Infiniti G37 Coupe. VERY sweet ride — and much improved and refined over what was already a great little car. Luckily for me, it was actually held in Seattle, so I only really missed one doorbelling day since the normal two travel days for these types of events consisted of a ferry ride for me — not a plane trip.

I had committed to both events some time ago — well in advance of the campaign getting underway — and hated missing my doorbelling time. I was feeling guilty being gone, knowing I should be out putting up signs and knocking on doors. At least the Infiniti event gave me some of the time back. I also have four others on tap between now and election day in November, including the new Mercedes S550 intro in McCall Idaho, a Nissan event in San Diego, the new Volvo XC70 intro in Montana in September, and NWAPA's annual Mudfest event which pits all the new SUVs against each other, head-to head, on and off road, in October.

But back to the campaign...
I was saddened to learn this morning that one of the mayoral candidates was involved in a financial issue 11 years ago at OC. While this could be construed as "good news" for me, it just makes me sad to see attention to the real issues in the campaign — public safety, economic development, downtown, etc. — being diverted away to this kind of thing. Everyone makes mistakes in life. You put them behind you and you move on. We've all done it. I believe what we've done, — good and bad — and what we've learned from it, makes us what we are.

I say, let's focus on today's issues and let the past be just that — the past.

All three of us will be debating twice this coming Tuesday — the first time at Port Orchard Rotary at 7:15 a.m. (LaGarmache) and again at South Kitsap Rotary, (Puerta Vallarta) at 11:45. Should be interesting. Hope to see you there.

Hokey Pokey

A. J. Weldon, a good of mine from High School in Florida, and with whom I later went through the electrician's apprenticeship with, sent me this bit of humor this evening. It's too good not to share.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Larry LaPrise (Roland Lawrence LaPrise, born: 11 November, 1912, in Detroit, Michigan, died: 4 September, 1996, in Gooding, Idaho) holds the U.S. copyright for the song Hokey Pokey.

LaPrise reportedly wrote the song in the late 1940s for the après-ski crowd at a club in Sun Valley, Idaho. The song was first recorded by his group the Ram Trio (with Charles Macak and Tafit Baker) in 1949. They were awarded U.S. copyright in 1950.

After the group broke up in the 1960s, LaPrise worked for the Post Office in Ketchum, Idaho.

The authorship of the Hokey Pokey is disputed, with British/Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy claiming to have written the original (entitled Cokey-Cokey) during WWII. Robert Degan sued LaPrise for copyright infringement of his 1946, The Hokey-Pokey Dance. They settled out of court.

See article Hokey Pokey for a more comprehensive account of the various competing theories attending the origin of the song and dance both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

After LaPrise's death, the following joke circulated on the Internet, comparing the Hokey Pokey to the process of placing LaPrise in his coffin.

Sad News

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at the age of 83.

The most traumatic part was getting him into his coffin.

First, they put his left leg in. And that's when all the trouble started...

My Sincere Condolances

No matter how you felt about the NASCAR initiative, this is a sad day.

Lesa France Kennedy, president of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), lost her husband today in a plane crash in Sanford, Florida. The Business Journal received the following press release this morning.

“This morning, at approximately 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time, a Cessna 310 registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau, Inc. of Daytona Beach, crashed in a Sanford, Florida, area neighborhood. At this time, we can confirm there were two people on-board, including the pilot, Dr. Bruce Kennedy and Michael Klemm, a senior captain with NASCAR Aviation. Both were killed in the crash. “Dr. Kennedy was the husband of NASCAR Board Member and ISC President Lesa France Kennedy.

“It is clear that numerous families were affected by this terrible tragedy and unfortunately several people were deceased or seriously injured. Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with all of those who were involved in this tragic accident and their families. We will provide additional information as it becomes available."

I met Lesa France Kennedy on a number of occasions related to ISC's attempt to build a NASCAR track here. She is a genuinely nice woman, with a very relaxed style. I found her very easy to talk with, quick to laugh, and quite charming and engaging. I also met her husband more than once and thought he was a pretty nice guy as well. It was obvious he doted on her, and was secure in his own persona — which considering the entire atmosphere which engulfed their lives, could become easy to get swallowed up in — and wasn't at all intimidated by any of it.

This is the second tragic death for Lesa in the past 30 days. Her father, NASCAR legend Bill France, passed away just a couple of weeks ago.

My heart goes out out to Lesa. If you're so inclined, I hope you'll say a prayer for her tonight.

The Campaign Trail, Volume One

I've spent the past couple of weeks doorbelling — doing a minimum of 50 doors a day, and usually more.

There are a number of common threads emerging — or at least those that are city issues.

Downtown Port Orchard is far and away at the very top of the list. Local voters are demanding action. This should be good news for the businesses down there, but could spell trouble for a couple of incumbent city council candidates. The most frequently asked question: "Why can't we be more like Poulsbo or Gig Harbor?" Several have mentioned Monterey and Sausalito as comparables to aspire to as well. The fact we are a waterfront jewel just waiting to be polished, isn't lost an anyone.

Our top priority issue of public safety has resonated extremely well — especially among young families wanting information about sex offenders and where they are located. There are online tools available to law enforcement detailing their locations, and Police Chief Al Townsend is anxious to put these in place. I've also had a number of residents talk to me about a couple of specific locations of meth trafficking, which I've passed on to our PD.

I've come to realize how economically disadvantaged our community is. It's MUCH worse than I ever imagined. There's a huge dichotomy between those of comfortable means, the middle class, and those who struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis.

Something else that's become very apparent is that there is a LOT of lingering anger about the rejection of NASCAR — at least in this end of the county. I've had more than one voter ask me as I've stood on their doorstep, point blank, where I stood on this. To a person, they swore they would vote against EVERY politician who was against it. Larry — You wouldn't want NASCAR fans living next door to YOU — Seaquist is going to face the brunt of this wrath — IF he even runs for re-election. From what i can see, this issue could make the difference between him and a credible Republican winning that seat.

Anyway, that's it for now, but I will be posting regular updates as I continue doorbelling and let you know what the pulse of the community is.

Thoughts On Running For Mayor

It’s been an unusual few weeks for me since the last major posting here, which has included two rounds of eye surgery, dealing with two family deaths in three months, as well as embarking on a major political journey. In case you aren’t aware, after a brief flirtation with a legislative run last year, I’ve decided to run for Mayor of Port Orchard.

I’ve lived in South Kitsap since moving here from South Florida in 1975. I started my business in Port Orchard in 1979, and lived on Long Lake for about nine years before moving to Manchester in 1986. Deciding to do this about a year and half ago, I moved into the city early last year and have purchased a residence here.

So why do I want to be mayor?

Frankly, I’m worried about the future of the city and what it means for the long-term safety of my family, my business, my investments here, but most of all, what it means for the future of my 3-year old grandson Bryce, whom Dee and I are raising.

I want for Bryce to want to come home to Port Orchard when he graduates from college. But for that to happen, there needs to be something for him to come home to — family wage jobs and affordable housing for example — not to mention being a safe place for him to live and to raise his family. None of that exists today.

Quite frankly, in surveying the local political landscape, I don’t see anyone else stepping up that has the absolute unbridled passion about the future of Port Orchard that I do.

The mayor’s race is non-partisan. Considering how much I've managed to piss off both parties writing about them over the years, that's probably a good thing for me — and was a major consideration in my decision. However, I’ve been extremely encouraged by the high level of bipartisan support I’ve received since I began sharing my intentions with people about a year ago.

Since announcing publicly a couple of weeks ago, that support has blossomed with endorsements across the political spectrum from groups as diverse as the traditionally Democratic Kitsap County Central Labor Council, Retired Government Employees of Kitsap, and Olympic Peninsula Building Trades Council, to high-profile Republicans like Dino Rossi, Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro and County Commissioner Jan Angel. My kick off event included a highly diverse group of 227 people — and campaign contributions from people of all political beliefs from the most conservative to the extremely liberal. It was an extremely pleasant surprise.

My goal is for Port Orchard to become the safest city in Washington to live, raise your family and own a business.

Without going into a lot of detail, we’re raising Bryce as a direct result of the city’s drug and crime problem. We also know, as grandparents, we're not alone in this situation. In spite of the Port Orchard Police Department doing a great job with its very limited resources, in recent years we’ve gone from having one of the lowest crime rates for cities our size, to 6th highest in the state for violent crime. For Port Orchard to have a higher per capita violent crime rate than Seattle, I believe is simply unacceptable.

I’d like to implement new ideas such as using the RICO statue to encourage building owners not to allow drug activity on their properties, as well as Police Chief Al Townsend’s suggestion to adopt a crime-free multi-housing ordinance similar to the one being used very successfully in Lakewood and Tacoma.

On the business front, it’s been proven lowering crime rates positively impacts a city’s ability to attract families and new businesses to the community. Putting more cops on the street will not only reduce our crime rate, but spur economic development as well.

It only takes a walk down Bay Street to realize what needs to improve in Port Orchard. Developers are lining up to buy downtown buildings and redevelop the last, reasonably priced waterfront in the Puget Sound region. Residents are understandably concerned, yet many still don’t realize that development isn't the cause of growth, but is the response to its consumer demand.

Whether we like or not, change is inevitable. Responsibly managing that change within the narrow confines of the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA) is our key challenge. However, we’re only going to have one opportunity to get it right!

The GMA mandates accepting taller buildings and mixed-use redevelopment as a way to keep the expanding population within the confines of the Urban Growth Areas. Quality development along Bay Street of retail and shops at street level, with a variety of living spaces above, will help retain our small-town ambiance, while complying with the GMA and meeting the housing needs of a growing population.

As Bremerton has proven, urban parks make cities much more livable, and a more enticing place for business. I’d like to create desirable amenities by increasing the size of the existing park between the waterfront and Bay Street and expanding the Boardwalk from downtown to the Annapolis ferry terminal, as well as explore the possibility of building a conveniently located parking garage with a walkway to the downtown waterfront.

Annexation is another issue that must be addressed head-on. If Port Orchard doesn't deal with annexation and expanding the city's boundaries, we will become little more than a suburb of an aggressively expanding Bremerton with a shrinking tax base.

Also on my “To Do” list is upgrading the city’s Web site to make it possible to pay city bills (water, traffic fines, etc.) online. Interactive crime mapping and on-line reporting tools are available for municipal websites so citizens can report minor crimes. These also track where sex offenders are located and allow citizens easy access to this information.

There are a lot of other things I want to accomplish, but this isn’t meant to be a full-blown campaign piece. If you want to know more, visit www.electlary.com.

However, after writing my Business Journal column for more than 19 years, I’m going to take a sabbatical during the campaign. I believe it would be inappropriate to continue to observe and comment upon local politics while running for office. Beginning next issue, we will publish provocative guest editorials for the duration of the campaign. The guest editorials will continue until the election is decided. Contact me directly if you think you'd like to write one.

Remembering Bob Oke

I attended Senator Bob Oke's memorial service yesterday and was touched by the amount of true respect for the man that was shown by everyone from Governor Gregoire on down. It was also interesting — and very welcome — to see a kinder, gentler side of the governor than we're used to witnessing.

I admired Bob, and one of my fondest memories will always be of fishing in Carl Zimmer's annual salmon derby (remember those — back before the tribes gillnetted all the fish?) at Point No Point with Bob and friends Bill Parnell and Bill Hilton. It was a cold, rainy, windy day, and the three of us were convinced Hilton was going to blow his boat apart — again — only this time, with us in it. Without going into a lot of detail about Hilton and his boat, let's just say you had to be there.

I believe Gov. Gregoire put Bob’s contributions into the proper perspective at the memorial when she said, "Bob came to the Legislature dedicated to the people he served. He was concerned first and foremost about what was the right policy, not what was the right politics."

In the highly polarized political atmosphere that exists today, Bob’s brand of true statesmanship will be missed, but should serve as a shining example for all elected officials of what the term “public service” actually means.

Former Senator Bob Oke Passes Away

Former Republican State Senator Bob Oke of Port Orchard has passed away after a courageous and very public battle against a rare form of blood cancer. He died Monday night, losing his three-year fight against multiple myeloma, a cancer that weakens the bones by targeting plasma cells.

Oke, 66, served four, 4-year terms in the Senate. An unabashed conservative, he was well liked and highly respected by lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle before the disease forced his retirement in January.

A 26-year Navy veteran, Oke was an avid outdoorsman who was recognized as a leader in the areas of natural resources and fisheries, and perhaps best known for his relentless efforts to combat youth smoking, as well as his unwavering support for a second Tacoma Narrows Bridge. At one point after his battle with cancer became public, Oke climbed one of the tower walkways to the top of the new bridge.

Oke had been very open about his struggles with the disease, and underwent two stem-cell transplants as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Those treatments helped him hold the disease in check for part of his final four-year term. Although he was absent for part of the 2005 session and sometimes used a wheelchair or cane to get around the capitol, he always kept his fellow legislators abreast of his illness and the progress of his various treatments.

“I have a picture of Bob and Judy on my desk, from the dedication ceremony of the Bob Oke Community Center at Long Lake. As I look at this, I can’t believe he’s gone,” said an emotional Commissioner Jan Angel. “He has truly been my mentor — a man of the highest integrity, devoted to the public’s service. He fought for his beliefs and always sported a smile and a positive attitude even through the toughest times. His strong faith and love of life have always given me personal strength.”

Oke, who was highly religious, received tributes in both 2005 and 2006 from his Senate colleagues, saying at one of the events, "A lot of prayer is needed, and I appreciate your support. You've always been there for me."

“I think our community and our state are better places because Bob Oke chose to serve,” said Senator Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor), the man who was elected to his seat when Oke retired. “He was the most devoted husband and devout man I’ve ever met. I’m convinced he’s in a better place.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.