Posted here because the Bellingham Herald has now ignored this for two days. Of very high importance to Bellingham - and with significant developments.
On Monday evening, the Bellingham City Council voted 4-2 to support the appeal of the Clean Water Alliance - CWA - against Whatcom County and the Sudden Valley Association in Snohomish County Superior Court. The city will file a motion to intervene, thus greatly aiding the CWA in their appeal.
Why? The County designated Sudden Valley as a future city without any required studies and in such a way as to seriously damage our city drinking water. Sudden Valley got state funds to help put in the $5 million sewer line and is going to town permitting more construction - right on the delicate watershed.
The CWA challenged the “future city” designation before the state Growth Management Hearings Board - and that board acted so outside the law that the CWA is appealing to the Snohomish Superior Court where it hopes to get a fair hearing. This is what the city is joining.
The Board had only one member- of the three - presiding at the hearing and he made a mockery of the proceedings, blatantly showing his contempt for the CWA. The Sudden Valley attorney, Phil Sharpe (ah yes, the city Public Facilities District chair - the ultimate government-paid hack) went on before the board about fine housing in Sudden Valley and ignored the laws involved. The Board voted 1-1, which supported the county.
The effort to help the CWA was led by council member Gene Knutson, hardly a person the Building Industry Assoc. - BIA - would label as an environmental radical. Gene - and the other three council members - fully realize a stand must be taken now to protect water quality for Bellingham. They also did a bit of homework and learned how the one Hearings Board member - Les Eldrege - showed total disregard for the law and fairness.
What is most troubling in this entire affair are the four supposed environmental county council members who support the Sudden Valley buildup - Dan McShane, Seth Fleetwood, Sharon Roy and Laurie Caskey-Schreiber. Dan is up for re-election this year.
So - you may agree or disagree with my opinion, but you can probably agree that the Herald should be telling you about all this. It is of vital interest and importance to Bellingham and Whatcom County. What I try to do at this website - this blog - is post information on important issues being ignored by the media.
If you want to support the Clean Water Alliance and their effort to protect our drinking water, then send them a check. The legal costs should be shared by all of us who will benefit - including developers who can sell new homes for more because of the good water. Send checks to:
CWA, c/o Lois Garlick President, 3014 Lynn St., Bellingham, WA 98225.
Recent Articles
A stand must be taken to protect water quality
Posted here because the Bellingham Herald has now ignored this for two days. Of very high importance to Bellingham - and with significant developments.
Posted here because the Bellingham Herald has now ignored this for two days. Of very high importance to Bellingham - and with significant developments.
To comment, please log in.
A stand must be taken to protect water quality
Posted here because the Bellingham Herald has now ignored this for two days. Of very high importance to Bellingham - and with significant developments.
There are a few outstanding news web sites
that provide national and international news that is most important and not always available. One site is truthout and it depends on visitor donations to continue. No ads, no popups, no commercial spo
The system does not work when there are no checks on state agencies
St. Joe’s Hospital will probably be facing fines for venting toxic gas into the construction area of their new addition. Our Bellingham Herald has not reported a bit of this. Rumor has it that one or
Candidate listings were updated this morn
If you have info on candidates or possible candidates, send it in. The list to the right will be maintained through the election. We gripe about the actions of elected representatives - well, here is
This site will be quiet for a week
as I will be out of town. Upon return, my first interest will be updating the candidate listings in the right-hand column. If you have info on a candidate - or a person considering running - then plea
Two basic political concepts were trashed last night
The Bellingham city council passed the Public Facilities District (PFD) agreement last night. What was passed was 100% what the mayor, last September, told the PFD board to propose. They obeyed. The b
Thank you for visiting Whiner Net
Welcome back. I thank you for visiting Whiner Net - as it is called around Bellingham City Hall. Even the mayor has endorsed that name in our local government corridors. Seems they check the site ofte
Brett Bonner has announced
he will run for Mayor of Bellingham. He has resigned his news job at a local radio station. At the end of his last broadcast this morning, the station ran his paid political ad. There will be a cam
False rumor; fiscal responsibility
One rumor proved false. Scott Walker will not run for mayor. He had heard the rumor also.
Not rumor is the fact that Port Commissioner Ginny Benton and her husband declared bankruptcy in Novemb
City Council support for Clean Water Alliance
The Bellingham City Council last night voted 5-2 to support the Clean Water Alliance legal action against Whatcom County’s designation of Sudden Valley as an Urban Growth Area (UGA). Grant Deger and B
Web site to check out
Waterfront Futures for Bellingham - nothing here. This is one of those processes t
Very first PFD meeting finally scheduled
The Bellingham City Council will finally hold its very first public hearing of the Public Facilities District (PFD) proposals next Monday, May 19, 7 pm at city hall. Really - the
I don’t have the resources the Herald has, and yet . . .
The Bham Herald admits sitting on - covering up - for months the headline story today about developer Rick Westerop being a Canadian felon and being barred from entry into the US. This was one of the
I know, it is not local stuff,
but too much fun to resist. Local coming - with a bang.
The Dixie Chicks played to their third sellout crowd last night. One person stood outside with a protest sign. One. A search of Google Ne
It is so sad to see the how small and vindictive
our government can be. Fox news isn’t telling you about how the US military will not allow a Belgium plane to fly to Iraq with medical equipment and medicines. Why? Oh, come on. Because Belgium oppose
Tis time to focus on local issues
Elections this fall could bring positive change to Whatcom County and Bellingham. In particular, we need a new Mayor and we need a new Port Commissioner. The challenge is not convincing the voters
The distortions continue
The American media are reporting the basics of the massacre of unarmed Iraqi civilians by our US Army two days ago. Finally. But they are using the lowest reported numbers - not the higher and more re
Casualty reports were fabricated by the US military
and the US news media cooperated in the big lie. As the war ended around mid April, the truth was revealed but you probably did not read it anywhere.. About April 9, the US wounded was listed a
What should we, who opposed the war, now think or feel?
I can write for myself.
We have liberated Iraq. Now we should work to allow them to rule themselves. We should turn their country over to them quickly. We don’t have to teach them anything.
Local news first today
Reliable rumor has it that local radio news guy, Brett Bonner, might run for mayor of Bellingham. If he does, then Mayor Mark is in deep trouble with his reelection bid. Brett knows the local i
