About Tip Johnson

Tip Johnson is a longtime citizen interest advocate with a record of public achievement projects for good government and the environment. A lifelong student of government, Tip served two terms on the Bellingham City Council and has worked on many community boards and committees. He travelled with the Federal Transit Administration and Department of Commerce on mass transit trade missions in SE Asia and Africa before settling down to focus on keeping public interests at the fore of local government and the course of growth and development.

By: Tip Johnson (180)

PDC - The Missing Documents

Wherof we cannot speak, thereof we must be silent?

Wherof we cannot speak, thereof we must be silent?

By
• Topics: Bellingham,

In all of the materials produced by the County pursuant to a public disclosure request on jail mailers, there is no evidence of Mailer #1.  County documents clearly discuss two mailers and at least one citizen reports county voters may have received a distinctly separate ‘newsletter’.  Mailer #1 was supposed to have been mailed out on September 18 according to an online action schedule the County shared with their consultant.  The County produced no documents indicating Mailer #1 had been scrapped.

Mailer #2 was the large format, glossy mailer sent out on October 9 with the ballots, and has been the subject of complaints to the Public Disclosure Commission. 

Counties are allowed only one jurisdiction-wide fact sheet per ballot issue.  Evidence is clear that Mailer #2 was delivered to a targeted voter list, not property addresses.  The County has yet to disclose any evidence of Mailer #1 despite records that it was discussed and scheduled.  Did the County mail two non-jurisdiction-wide mailers?  Documents clearly indicate two distinct mailers were discussed.

Regardless of what was mailed, the evidence is irrefutable that public officials used public resources to actively and strategically run a "campaign" to win the jail tax.  They themselves used those very words.

Nevertheless, the Public Disclosure Commission staff has recommended the Commission take no action on complaints against Whatcom County and further forward the same advice to the State Attorney General.

The County already seems to be setting a new standard in transparency, here and here.  So it goes - on and on.

No documents, no action, I guess.  Someone is supposedly getting paid to do this, and it isn’t us.

About Tip Johnson

Citizen Journalist and Editor • Member since Jan 11, 2008

Tip Johnson is a longtime citizen interest advocate with a record of public achievement projects for good government and the environment. A lifelong student of government, Tip served two terms [...]

Barbara Perry

Dec 03, 2015

Tip,  I assume you are requesting and not receiving who the “targeted audience” was for the mailer. and who the three public officials were.”  I am curious what the the other “questionable information” is.  I guess I am inpatient because I have always voted and I own property.  I want to know why I wasn’t on the mailing list.  Thanks for your work.  Barbara

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Dianne Foster

Dec 03, 2015

I’d just like to know if we can get our $28,000. back.  (?)

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richard jehn

Dec 05, 2015

Since no one has posted here about it yet, the Washington Public Disclosure Commission decided to reject the recommendation in the final report and send the case #1122 back for additional investigation.  New evidence was presented to the commissioners on Thursday morning at their regular monthly meeting and they recognized that additional work on the case was required.  We should expect a new report to be released prior to the January 28, 2016 meeting of the PDC.  To watch the proceedings from Thursday morning, the discussion of case #1122 begins at about minute 17 and goes until minute 40.

http://original.livestream.com/wapdc/video?clipId=pla_61113d59-39bc-48f9-ae27-985ccd48bcc2

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PDC - The Missing Documents

By Tip JohnsonOn Dec 02, 2015

Wherof we cannot speak, thereof we must be silent?

3 comments, most recent 8 years ago

NAMI Whatcom Opposes Prop 2015-1

By Tip JohnsonOn Oct 27, 2015

The latest addition and the issue in review

Info Slowmo

By Tip JohnsonOn Oct 26, 2015

When they feel you just don’t need to know

4 comments, most recent 8 years ago

The Mysterious State of the Whatcom County Jail

By Tip JohnsonOn Oct 26, 2015

Wherein the operative information is $$$ECRET

3 comments, most recent 8 years ago

Making a Jail: Bamboozle!

By Tip JohnsonOn Oct 16, 2015

With a smarmy October Surprise

9 comments, most recent 8 years ago

That Louwsy Jail Deal

By Tip JohnsonOn Sep 15, 2015

FEMA camp or new county seat?

13 comments, most recent 8 years ago

Second Water Main Break on Donovan in a Year

By Tip JohnsonOn Sep 07, 2015

Mains a’ bursting - Avast!

Flash Mob Protests Arctic Drilling

By Tip JohnsonOn May 21, 2015

Wherein we ponder the fate of humanity

Irish Thuggery

By Tip JohnsonOn Apr 02, 2015

The difference between a threat and a promise

5 comments, most recent 9 years ago

Little Hong Kong by the Bay

By Tip JohnsonOn Jan 29, 2015

Wherein Bellingham’s billion dollar boondoggle is revisited

5 comments, most recent 9 years ago

Dead or Alive: How do you like your herring?

By Tip JohnsonOn Jan 18, 2015

Wherein the ridiculous is ridiculed

5 comments, most recent 9 years ago

Prosecutor McEachran Calls Racism Charge “Preposterous”

By Tip JohnsonOn Nov 23, 2014

Wherein Whatcom’s Klan heritage may be oozing from some cracks

8 comments, most recent 9 years ago

Fergusonham

By Tip JohnsonOn Nov 01, 2014

Or why to vote for Nyima, the dog, for County Prosecutor

4 comments, most recent 9 years ago

Something Gristly to Chew On: The rest of the story -

By Tip JohnsonOn Oct 23, 2014

It’s just how things roll in Whatcom County

5 comments, most recent 9 years ago

The Business of Government

By Tip JohnsonOn Oct 04, 2014

Wherein we see that sometimes government can do what business can’t.

9 comments, most recent 10 years ago

Widespread Slaughter Won’t Work

By Tip JohnsonOn Jun 17, 2014

Wherein the failings of a bad policy framework are revealed

1 comment, most recent 10 years ago

‘Legislative Sausage” or “Slaughter this Ordinance”

By Tip JohnsonOn May 05, 2014

Wherein the gyrations of the bid for widespread county slaughter are exposed.

2 comments, most recent 10 years ago

Mobile Slaughter

By Tip JohnsonOn Mar 15, 2014

Wherein there’s a crackdown on growing plants, and plans to let slaughter run free

2 comments, most recent 10 years ago

Steal this Waterfront: Costs without Benefit

By Tip JohnsonOn Dec 07, 2013

Wherein the direct, indirect, hidden and lost opportunity costs make this a waterfront boondoggle of billions

3 comments, most recent 10 years ago

Noballmacare and Setting the False Standard

By Tip JohnsonOn Nov 14, 2013

Dear Mr. President, There’s a sucker born every minute, and two to take him.

7 comments, most recent 10 years ago