No surprise. The Herald has always protected Port Commissioners. The KAP scandal of 1990 is a good example. The commissioners got suckered into a multi-million dollar development scheme that turned out to be a shell game - and they lost over $4 million in taxpayer dollars. The Herald refused to report on the developing scandal which I uncovered and kept talking about. Eventually the whole thing collapsed and the Port admitted their loss. The Herald ran one story that explained what happened. The Port and Herald then made an agreement that holds to this day - the Herald would never again refer to the KAP scandal and the Port would continue to flow advertising dollars into the Herald. It is basic corruption by the Herald and an abandonment of its responsibility to us citizens.

Today's Herald has a piece by the Managing Editor, Julie Shirley. She makes the best of the Herald losing their ability to even afford a printing press any more. She promises to make the paper better.

Well, she can start by having the Herald beat the Tacoma News to press with stories by the Herald's own reporters. That should be easy and would be nice. On Friday, the Tacoma News Tribune newspaper ran John Stark's story on the Port Commissioner race - the one where the candidates are interviewed. It will finally run in our Bellingham Herald tomorrow, Monday - 3 days after Tacoma has run it.

www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/830317.html

Stark buries and waters down the facts of Scott Walker's corrupt practice of delivering $180 million in low interest bonds to his employer, BP Refinery, over the past 10 years. All other businesses in Whatcom County have received only $13 million during this time. To John Stark and the Herald, this is perfectly OK. No wrong doing here. Just like the KAP scandal, they will be the last to report on this.

Stark avoids reporting the amounts of the bonds and only writes that Ham Hayes "questions" the practice. It is buried at the end of the story. Stark does his best to reduce Ham's charges of corruption and will not report that Ham has accused Walker of this. Stark also has Walker in office for 14 years when it is 18. We'll see if that is fixed for tomorrow's paper. The Herald editors do check NwCitizen every day.

Walker, in tomorrow's Herald, notes that the bonds are not taxpayer funds. He fails to note that they are limited low cost bonds that are very valuable to any business planning new construction or buying equipment. The IRS allows only a very limited amount of these bonds each year and the Port is the clearing house for them in Whatcom County. Of the approximately $20 million allowed to Whatcom County each year, the Port has given $18 million to Walker's employer.

Scott goes on to say that some funds have helped "build the power-generating manure digester at a local dairy." This is just evidence that these bonds are valuable and could have been used for many projects in our rural county agriculture areas. And by many Bellingham industries. The value of these bonds is immense - and it has nothing to do with public funds. It has to do with scarcity - there are only a few each year.

Scott has shown his arrogance and disdain toward citizens in two other important issues. We have to realize Scott is the leader of the three commissioners - he has unquestioned control of the commission.

One issue is his manipulation of the public process to not allow discussion of the GP treatment lagoon. The Port wants to turn this into a marina and Scott has gamed the EIS process to prevent any analysis of the costs involved. Another option for the lagoon is to use it for light industrial water treatment - thus cleaning our Bay and enhancing economic development. This viable option has been systematically ignored by the Port. Our sewage treatment plant is reaching capacity and we face tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in new treatment facilities - while Scott plans to turn our valuable existing one into an unneeded marina. This issue deserves serious attention. It is not that Scott is against this - it is that he has not allowed the facts to be published and the issue to be considered.

The second is the surprise deal with the Lummi Indian Business Council set for signing this Tuesday, August 4. The Port - led by Scott Walker - required the Lummi's to agree to secret discussions. The deal is now announced at the last minute and immediately signed. This is how Scott runs the Port of Bellingham. No public process - no hearing - no ability for anyone to look at the agreement. This deal allows the Port to turn the lagoon into a marina - and the Lummi's were the last ones who could have prevented this.

The other day I was in Lynden and picked up the Lynden Tribune newspaper. It was bigger than the Herald. More importantly, it had stories of county wide interest that were missing from the Herald. It had more stories than the Herald. It was a newspaper. The Lynden Tribune also has its own printing press. They own their own building. They are a going concern and feel a responsibility to their community and the surrounding rural area. They report their local news. What a concept. I'll be buying the Tribune from now on to read our county news stories.

A PLEA - repeated

Vote for any of the challengers for the Port Commission. Ham Hayes or John Blethen for the 1st District. Doug Karlberg or Mike McAuley for the 2nd. They need a strong vote if the survivor is to run a strong campaign against these two corrupt incumbents. Urge your family, friends and acquaintances to vote for a challenger. We need to run these two guys out of office.