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For what it is worth,
here are my recommendations for the election.
The basic values that I apply are for elected officials to have honesty and provide open government that is accountable to the citizens. We can all
here are my recommendations for the election.
The basic values that I apply are for elected officials to have honesty and provide open government that is accountable to the citizens. We can all
The basic values that I apply are for elected officials to have honesty and provide open government that is accountable to the citizens. We can all bring our different views to the public process, but without honest public process we have factionalism and corrupt government. Beyond that, environmental protection is the most important cause I support.
Bellingham Mayor - Brett Bonner. Brett will be a fresh breeze and will try hard to provide open and honest government. Mark has not been honest, has taken vengeance on those he does not like, provides favors at public expense to his friends and is generally quite corrupt. I agree with what comes out of his mouth, but his actions do not follow his words. Bonner's election will encourage the council to set policy as it should and allow new liberal leadership to develop in Bellingham. Mark stifles liberal progress.
City Council - John Watts, John Wilson and Terry Bornemann. Watts tries so hard to be a good representative that it doesn't matter whether we agree or disagree. Wilson should replace Bjornson for At Large. Louise is a leaf in the wind on issues and does not contribute to any solutions any longer. Don Hansey is a good conservative but his interests on the council would be too narrow. Terry has learned during this campaign that he needs to be more open to public input and process.
Port of Bellingham - Jim Jorgensen. Jim will work with Scott Walker to make the Port work for our community again. Ginny has avoided being accountable to the citizens for her cozy deals with Port clients. Jim is highly qualified to contribute to our Port and economy.
County Council - McShane and Kaufman. McShane is more environmentally responsible than Chappell, although he is certainly not the hero his adoring fans make him to be. He has flaws and is erratic in his decisions. Kaufman holds promise of being one of the most intelligent and energetic council members we have ever had. He should replace Crawford who is a knee-jerk representative of gravel and development interests.
Levy for EMS - NO. This levy is a tax increase to allow previous funds to be wasted on cultural projects. The EMS is not in any danger of under funding. But other pet projects are in danger. The fear tactics used for this campaign are despicable. Local governments and fire districts are playing a big shell game with our taxes. They just want more easy money.
See eight election commentaries by well-qualified local political observers.
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For what it is worth,
here are my recommendations for the election.
The basic values that I apply are for elected officials to have honesty and provide open government that is accountable to the citizens. We can all
The huge gap for news in this community
Will be posting election recommendations today. Have not had time for some good posts the past week.
Reliable rumor has it that another weekly newspaper will start publishing in early November
No one in a position of responsibility will touch it
So the Public Disclosure Commission is investigating Foster without any complaint. Yet they pretend to not know of flagrant violations of the PDC laws being committed by Mark Asmundson as Mayor - to w
Another perspective on County elections
I’ve just posted up a commentary by Stephen Trinkaus on all the local elections. He gives the perspective of a liberal activist - one who has participated in the local process and knows what is happen
On the levy, low-cost rentals and the Mayor’s gag order.
Today’s Herald devoted much of the first section of the paper to promoting the levy tax for EMS services, under the guise of reporting the issues. They printed two big graphs showing increases of resp
What closed-door deal has Mark made with Foster?
That is the question making the political rounds this afternoon. Foster Rose, who came in third in the primary election for mayor, today endorsed Mayor Mark Asmundson for reelection. Foster’s voters h
This is the piece that this election deserves
Tip Johnson has written the best analysis of the mayor Mark’s record that will appear anywhere. Tip, a hero to local environmentalists and liberals, takes an honest and courageous look at Mark Asmunds
The Police Guild believes Terry did this
The Bellingham Police Guild will endorse Don Hansey today for city council. Their executive board voted 100% last night to endorse Hansey and not Bornemann. To most political observers this will be a
Attempted extortion by the Mayor
The City Council yesterday evening showed their disdain for public process and for state laws against using city facilities for promoting campaign issues. And in their afternoon session they bowed to
Very quietly, more and more liberals are
telling me they are voting for Brett Bonner for mayor. Some very prominent ones - but they are not going public. Why not? Fear of retaliation.
Why are they against Mark? Two reasons in general.
The political junkies around town
are abuzz about the trap Brett Bonner stepped into on Tuesday evening at the Labor Council. Dave Warren blindsided Brett without even allowing an introduction. They jammed questions at him, and baited
Mayoral Debate
The two differed strongly on several issues. The differences between them are becoming more apparent and this should continue for the next two weeks.
Brett continues to develop his Lake Whatcom
Election Commentary
Port Commissioner by Sheri Ward
So what happened to all the heat among contenders for this race? It was only a few short weeks ago… (<a href=”http://nwcitizen.us/oldsite/elections/2003/ben
Remember the ‘Truth Squad’?
We need one to follow Asmundson during the next three weeks - and to nudge the Herald to do minimal checking of facts before publishing. I’m referring to Friday’s post below, where it was noted how St
A far superior and more objective analysis
If you’re a liberal and just figure you’ll vote for Mark for mayor, then read Tip Johnson’s analysis of the two candidates. Compared to John Stark’s report in this morning’s Herald, Tip gives a far su
A “Cadillac” system
Mayor Mark is in trouble with young liberal activists - just the voters who normally would support a liberal mayor. But they are remembering his presiding over police and court abuses that targeted yo
Very qualified local political observers comment
I am posting commentary on the election races by several very qualified local political observers who have agreed to write up their views of selected debates, candidates and issues. The first one i
Election Forums
The first of three Bellingham Herald Election Forums is taking place this evening at the County Council chambers.
The forums are being broadcast live on KGMI radio, 790 AM. You can see the vide
News censorship is not some obscure conspiracy theory
Indeed, I watched CBS news and they have the story now. (see 3 pm below) Still nada at the CNN and FOXnews websites. A search shows nothing. Novak of CNN wrote the article that exposed the identity of
US soldiers would never do things like that
How many war prisoners is the USA holding? 6,000? A new website is trying to track all the foreigners the USA is holding in secret prisons or not telling us about. Amnesty International is involved. T
