It’s primary day. Here in the newsroom we’re getting ready for a
late night, reporting on the election.
2 p.m. : OK then, things just busted loose with reports of loud
explosions about 2 p.m. Seattle news agencies are reporting it was
sonic booms from military aircraft. KItsap Sun reporter Josh Farley
says on Twitter, “Seattle area explosion Caused by two fighter jets
that broke sound barrier, confirmed by Seattle traffic
control.”
Reporter Ed Friedrich has it from the FAA, they were
F-16 military jets
responding to a plane in air space that was temporarily restricted
due to the president’s visit.
In the meantime, back to business. So, if you were in Seattle to
see Obama, share your pictures and experiences. Did you hear the
booms?
You’ll notice the county commissioners don’t have much on their
Monday agenda this week — in fact one of their Monday meetings
was canceled. Can’t tell you much about what they’re talking
about since the agendas are vague, but I know Commissioner Steve
Bauer is out this week, so that’s probably one reason why they
don’t have a whole lot to go over.
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, Aug. 16: 9 a.m. Meeting is
canceled.
2 p.m.: The board (Commissioners Josh Brown and
Charlotte Garrido) will hold a discussion until 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 18: 8:30 a.m. The two
commissioners will review the upcoming agenda for the Aug. 23
nightly business meeting, followed by sharing information for an
hour, a five minute break and then an hour and 20 minutes of board
discussion. The commissioners will head into executive session from
11:30 to noon to discuss real estate issues.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, Aug. 18: 5 p.m. The council will
hold a briefing before heading into their regular meeting in
council chambers at 5:30 p.m. Agenda not online as of Friday (Aug.
13). Check the website Monday to see if
it’s up.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, Aug. 17: 7 p.m. The council will hold
a work study session. Not sure what’s on the agenda because there
wasn’t a description available online.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, Aug. 18: 7 p.m. Business agenda
items include: the continuation of the public hearing on the
Peterson Street latecomers agreement; an initial meeting on the
Julian Annexation; information about a tenant elase of the city’s
Parks and Recreation facility by the Liberty Christian Center;
final acceptance of the Viking Avenue Improvements phase 2; a
variance request for Fourth Avenue; a grant agreement with the
Department of Ecology for the retrofit of the Anderson Parkway; and
a workshop on Fjord Drive.
In other words, everything’s a trade-off. What threshold or
criteria make one program or expenditure something you would
support at the expense of other state functions? Give specific
examples.
What can be done to make more state functions self-sustaining?
Give specific examples.
People frequently reference privatizing liquor sales. Do you
agree? What other state functions could be jettisoned … At what
cost to the public or to the state as whole? Feel free to enlighten
us on your understanding of how state government is organized and
what obstacles present themselves in any discussion of shrinking
government.
Most candidates I’ve talked to say the key to restarting the
economy is helping business (especially small business) survive and
thrive. How would you do this? Give specific examples. What are the
obstacles to enacting these changes?
On education, if you had to make choice between funding a
certain program for Pre-K or post-secondary education, which would
you choose? Alternately, if you had a certain pot of money to
allocate to Pre-K or post-secondary education, what percentage
would you give to each.
According to Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson, the program isn’t
targeted only at employees close to retirement. But both the Kitsap
County undersheriff and county clerk on Monday told the board of
commissioners they would prefer to see workers close to retirement
take advantage of the offer.
Maybe “targeted” is the wrong word, since both programs are
strictly voluntary. Both, however, clearly offer employees who have
been in their positions the longest the greatest incentive to
leave.
Under Poulsbo’s agreement adopted by the council, employees who
take the voluntary separation would receive varying payouts based
on how long they worked for the city.
Employees who have been with the city for up to five years would
receive two months’ pay, those with five to 10 years of service
would receive 2 1/2 months of pay and those with more than 10
years’ service would receive three months’ pay.
Under a draft proposal, Kitsap County employees who have worked
fewer than 10 years would receive 10 percent of their annual rate
of pay up to $10,000; 10 through 15 years, 15 percent with a
maximum of $12,000; 15 to 20 years, 20 percent with a maximum of
$15,000; and 20 years or more, 25 percent with a maximum of
$20,000.
I asked the county’s HR director Bert Furuta how such a program
would be expected to affect morale. “OK,” he said. “As long as it’s
fully voluntary.”
The county has already made layoffs in addition to leaving
positions unfilled. Poulsbo has not yet had to make deep budget
cuts, so I’m wondering if the voluntary separation agreement isn’t
making folks around city hall just a tad nervous.
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone whose employer has offered a
voluntary separation. How was it for those who accepted the
agreement? How was it for those left behind?
And for those of you who haven’t had to chance to consider a
voluntary separation offer, what would it take to get you out of
your position?
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, Aug. 9: 9-11 a.m. Board information
sharing (that was easy enough…)
2 p.m.: Resource conservation update; shoreline
master plan update and alternative futures presentation; the
county’s Human Resources director will discuss a voluntary
separation program — similar to the one implemented in 2009, but
with a few tweaks; the board will go into closed session from 3:45
to 4:30 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining.
Regular Business Meeting: 7 p.m. The agenda’s
pretty light, once the consent agenda is approved they’ll discuss
the road closures for the upcoming Kitsap County Fair and Stampede,
then hear two public hearing items. Those include: a hearing to
consider amending an ordinance relating to emergency orders under
Kitsap County Code, Chapter 2.04 – Commissioners, Emergency Powers;
and then a decision only on the MOU with Pope Resources — but like
last time this now says Aug. 23 (last time it said Aug. 9) so I’m
guessing that means it’s being pushed.
Wednesday, Aug. 11: 8:30 a.m. The county
administrator will give a sewer financing plan review that should
last an hour, followed by a Kitsap 1 briefing, also to last an
hour. A five minute break will be held, then board discussion from
10:40 to 11:30 a.m. From there the board will recess into executive
session until noon to discuss real estate matters.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, Aug. 4: 5 p.m. The council will have
a study session. Agenda not online as of Friday evening (Aug. 6).
Check the website Monday to see if
it’s up.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, Aug. 10: 7 p.m. Well, I’m wondering if
last week’s post I put up for Chris Henry (who was running off on
vacation) should have applied for this week’s meeting because the
description on the city’s website is the same. Here’s what the city
says about Tuesday’s meeting:
The Port Orchard City Council will hold a Public Meeting to
receive input on whether City residents should annex into the
Library District, on August 10, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall
Council Chambers, 216 Prospect Street, Port Orchard. The City
Council invites public input on the proposed annexation to allow
residents to become part of the Library District, which is
scheduled for the August 17, 2010, primary election ballot.
At the conclusion of the Public Meeting the Council may take action
by adopting a Resolution in support or opposition. Any person
wishing to provide input may do so by submitting their comments in
writing to the City Clerk’s Office no later than August 10, 2010,
at 4:30 p.m. or in person during the Public Meeting.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, Aug. 11: 7 p.m. Business agenda
items include: approval of an ordinance dealing with petty cash and
another one dealing with the police investigation fund; a 7:15 p.m.
public hearing on the Maintenance Crew Inc./Peterson Street
latecomer application, which will be followed by the Maintenance
Crew Inc./Peterson Street #64 latecomer agreement; there will be a
presentation on Dogfish Creek restoration and then a Port of
Poulsbo Agreement.
In preparation of this afternoon’s Housing Kitsap (aka Kitsap
County Consolidated Housing Authority) meeting, I read the
agenda packet, including the monthly update from executive director
Tony Caldwell.
Here’s what he has to say about the letter from county
commissioners regarding their request the agency
vacate the Silverdale office, and the move to the Norm Dicks
Government Center:
The agency is in receipt of a letter from the County
Commissioners giving the Board and Agency 60 days to vacate the two
buildings in Silverdale. Copies of the letter have been provided to
Board members and a copy of the letter has appeared in the Kitsap
Sun. Staff awaits direction from the Housing Authority board on
this matter.
In the meantime, the agency has met with the City of Bremerton. The
City of Bremerton has expressed a strong desire to move into the
first floor space at the Government Center. There is a strong
desire to centralize some of the City’s departments into that
space. We are working in
a cooperative manner with the city and we have scheduled several
meeting to continue the discussions. All parties are very well
aware of the need to expedite this matter. Additionally, the agency
is continuing discussions around two potential sites that will
allow for consolidation of agency resources into a single location.
These locations are both located in areas of the county served by
the housing authority. The cost of leasing either of these two
locations would provide substantial savings in overhead to the
agency.
Not sure how much of this will be talked about in an open
meeting, because the board does have an executive session listed
again on its agenda. The move was not discussed at all in the last
meeting during open session.
Also listed in Caldwell’s report is a little more information
about the rebranding of the agency. As you may have notice, we’ve
started using the new name “Housing Kitsap”, and they now have a
new logo to go with it. I can’t copy and past the logo here, but
it’s green colored (to signify the sustainable, green building
techniques they use when building new homes) and includes a tree
shape, and nice-looking home with the body shapes of a family of
four holding hands out front. If we get a pdf I’ll post it.
Here’s the details from Caldwell’s report on the rebranding:
We are moving forward with the re-branding of the organization.
Application has been made to the state for Kitsap County
Consolidated Housing Authority dba Housing Kitsap. The state has
notified us that additional information is required to complete
this process. Staff is working to gather that information so that
Housing Kitsap can be registered. We have received several proposed
logos and I have requested and received feedback from staff and
commissioners. This is the logo that has been selected by those who
have responded to the email. It will also be available in a black
and white format. We believe it embodies our focus on housing,
families and sustainability. We will begin using the logo once it
is approved by the board.
We are also working on a new website for the agency. The new
website will further the rebranding of the agency’s image. The new
website will be easier to navigate and provide a better interface
for clients and users. We expect to launch our new website later
this year.
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, Aug. 2: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The board is
in an all day meeting looking at their work priorities for 2011.
This includes: the Kingston Master Plan; Kingston Village Green; SK
Regional Parks (phase 1 and citizen engagement); Village Green Golf
(business plan); Howe Farm; CK Community Campus (parking
structure); Parks: Implementation in 2011 of 2010 Parks business
plan; NK Legacy Project; Trails Planning; Road Standards; Water as
a Resource; Sustainability in county operations; Regional Energy
Planning; Annexation Policies & Direction/work plan; and Fiscal
Stability. (And that’s all before lunch!) After lunch the
commissioners will review each departments’ initial draft work
plans and other ongoing projects and work, then discuss program
budgeting by priorities before wrapping up the afternoon.
Wednesday, Aug. 3: 8:30 a.m. The board will
review its agenda for the Aug. 9 meeting, then have 45 minutes of
information sharing. There will be a five minute break, followed by
a 30 minute presentation on the Hood Canal Coordinating Council
stormwater plan. An hour of “board discussion” will follow before
commissioners recess into executive session for 30 minutes to
discuss real estate issues.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, Aug. 4: 5 p.m. The council will hold
a briefing upstairs before going down to the council chambers for
the 5:30 p.m. meeting. The agenda for that meeting includes the
first of two public hearings on the surplus and transfer of park
property to right-of-way for Eleventh Street and Warren Avenue
street improvements. (No action will be taken at this meeting,
they’re just hearing from the public. The second hearing, Aug. 18
will be when the council votes). The council will also approve the
downtown Bremerton traffic circulation enhancements project summary
report — adopting the purple option.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, Aug. 3: 7 p.m. From Chris Henry: City
of Port Orchard residents on Aug. 17 will be asked whether the city
should annex in to the Kitsap County Rural Library District. Doing
so would allow them to vote on a proposed library levy lid lift in
November. The city council will hold a public meeting to gauge
support for the measure, and based on what they hear, they may
adopt a resolution in support or opposition of it. Citizens who
can’t give testimony at the meeting Tuesday night may submit
comments to the city clerk’s office at city hall no later than 4:30
p.m. Tuesday.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, Aug. 4: 7 p.m. Business agenda items
include a 7:15 p.m. public hearing on the six-year transportation
improvement plan, a resolution about a voluntary separation
agreement between the city and staff, and a legislative workshop
with the 23rd District Legislators and the council.
Housing Kitsap (aka Kitsap County Consolidated Housing
Authority) (meet at 345 Sixth Street, Norm Dicks
Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, Aug. 3: 1 to 3 p.m. The agenda
includes a couple of items on the consent agenda that caught my
eye. They included: a resolution approving public records request
policy and a resolution approving policy to submit budget prior to
fiscal year start. Because they are on the consent agenda, unless a
housing authority commissioner pulls them for discussion, these
will be approved altogether, without discussion. Following the
consent agenda adoption the board will recess into executive
session to discuss real estate and potential litigation, then will
reopen the meeting to hear the directors’ reports and an update on
the financials. There will be work plan updates and then an update
on the sale of any KCCHA properties since the last meeting. The
board of commissioners will discuss a retreat they have planned for
Aug. 24 and then will discuss other business.
Kistap County Planning Commission (meet at 619 Division
Street, County Admin Building in Port Orchard)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, Aug. 3: 9 a.m. The planning commission
will hold a work study on the rural element. No public testimony
will be taken at this meeting, but it is a great opportunity for
the public to learn about the county’s planning for the “Year of
the Rural” and the Rural Element document.
Sorry I’m late on getting this out this morning. I meant to do
it this weekend, but then it was sunny and I have to admit, I
became mesmerized by the sunshine. Please accept my apologies.
Here’s what we’ve got for the week.
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, July 26: 9-10 a.m. Board information
sharing. (Sorry this already happened, but you can still make the
afternoon meeting if you want!)
2-3:30 p.m.: Budget update; then a closed
session from 3:30 to 4 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining.
7 p.m.: Here’s the public hearing items for
Monday’s regular business meeting: A public hearing about a request
from Pope Resources for the vacation of a portion of Donohoe Hwy
No. 2 in North Kitsap. There’s a decision only item about the MOU
between the county and Pope/OPG on the North Kitsap Legacy
Partnership, but it then says Aug. 9 so I’m not clear if that means
the decision only will happen Aug. 9 but the item will be discussed
in public hearing tonight…(and it had been on the July 12 agenda
too). The next public hearing item is to considering enacting an
ordinance to amend county code (Title 17.381) regarding allowed
uses — it’s a program to approve existing accessory dwelling units
in possession of “innocent” purchasers.
Wednesday, July 28: 8:30-11 a.m. The board will
hold a workshop on Parks with parks director Jim Dunwiddie. From 11
to 11:30 a.m. they’ll hold an executive session to discuss
potential litigation, and then recess into another one from 11:30
a.m. to non to discuss real estate issues. Adjournment will
follow.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 28: 5 p.m. The council will
hold its study session upstairs. To see a complete list of items on
the agenda for discussion, click here.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, July 20: 7 p.m. From Chris Henry: The
Port Orchard City Council will hold a public hearing on the city’s
Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) for Years 2011-2016
and later vote on its approval; the council also (and, folks, I
couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried) will authorize the mayor to
approve a contract for “sewer TV” (and lining maintenance) with
C-More Pipe Services. The council also will approve a public event,
Celebrate Life Walk for Life and 5K. C-More Pipe Services! It’s for
real.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
No meeting this week because the council doesn’t meet
this week.
Later this evening, the Kitsap Sun will post a
story about 26th Legislative District candidate Doug Richards’
rebuttal to critics of his campaign materials. As you may have
already noticed, Richards is heading ’em off at the pass by having
posted on July 14 disclosure of a domestic violence charge he
incurred in 1989 in an incident involving his wife, Whitney. The
charge was dismissed.
Richards’ service record has also come under question from
another quarter. As part of my research, I asked him for a copy of
his Navy discharge papers, which he willingly provided to me. I
gave his opponent Larry Seaquist, a Navy veteran with a 32-year
career, the same opportunity.
***The service documents have been removed temporarily to
remove personal information that should not have been made public.
They will be reposted Monday Aug. 9. ***
Aug. 12: The documents have been reposted below. Apologies
for my tardiness. Chris Henry, reporter
In case you missed it, the story I wrote for Sunday’s paper on
the Norm Dicks Government Center
included some new information regarding the move of the Kitsap
County Consolidated Housing Authority (now known as Housing
Kitsap).
I called Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent to ask her about the
government center and before I even got the chance to ask if the
city had any plans to expand within the building, she let me know
that since becoming mayor seven months ago she’s been eying the
vacant KCCHA space on the ground floor.
Lent does not believe that KCCHA should be located in the
building. It’s not that she doesn’t want them as a neighbor, but
she believes based on the agency’s mission to serve families in
Kitsap (except for in the city of Bremerton), they don’t need a
presence in a city where they don’t have any clients.
“It’s inappropriate,” she said. “This is not the location for
the consolidated housing authority.”
Lent believes the city could save money by consolidating
services — including moving some into the government center. Fire
and police services would remain in their respective locations, she
said. Specifically for the KCCHA space within the building, Lent
thinks the city could look to move its utility billing department
from its current location into the 4,389 square foot ground floor
space.
The move would place the city’s billing departments under one
roof, making it more efficient for city taxpayers to “pay for
everything in one place,” Lent said.
The city could also potentially merge its engineers at its
Olympus Drive building with Public Works staff into one building to
save money, she said.
But of course, it all comes down to money. And no one has it
right now.
Negotiations are ongoing between KCCHA and the city — but Lent
said the economy limits the city’s ability to finance a move right
now. But, if a deal is reached the city could take the space off
the books for KCCHA, freeing them up to move into a location that
would house all their services at a cheaper price than what they’d
pay to be in the government center.
A week ago county commissioners voted to request KCCHA vacate
its Silverdale location in 60 days. But the building is owned by
KCCHA, not the county, according to KCCHA executive director Tony
Caldwell. So, does the county have legal authority to force the
move into the government center?
Caldwell doesn’t know, and says it’s not up to him to make a
decision — that falls under the direction of KCCHA’s board of
commissioners. Caldwell will present the housing commissioners with
the letter at their next meeting. KCCHA’s board will then decide
how to respond to the county commissioners. (My question: Will the
county commissioners abstain from this discussion because they sent
the letter?)
Now we’re back where we started. Four KCCHA commissioners who
support keeping the agency out of Bremerton, and three
commissioners who want to see the move take place to reduce
overhead costs.
And now a possible twist. I received a copy of the letter the
county sent to Caldwell. One line caught my eye: “Under Section
4.1(10) of the (tri-party) Agreement, the County also has the right
to take fee title to any of the Authority’s property pledged as
real property collateral.”
If I am reading this correctly, I believe the county is saying
while KCCHA owns the building now, the county can take over its
title, become owner and force KCCHA out if the agency’s board votes
to ignore the county’s request.
The letter also asks for a public discussion of any alternative
locations, or tenants for the building. I’ve posted the letter
below so you can read it, and make a determination about what you
think it’s saying. County
Letter to KCCHA
Last week we had the candidates vying for the Kitsap County
Commissioner District No. 3 (otherwise known as the Central Kitsap
Commissioner) seat at the Sun to talk with the editorial board.
Normally we would have a video posted to our website so you could
watch the debate, but there were some technical problems this time,
so all we have is the audio.
I’m posting it here for you to listen to — look at it this way,
you can listen to the debate and multitask by doing something else
while you listen.
The three participants were Republican Abby Burlingame,
Conservative Democrat Wally Carlson, and incumbent Democrat Josh
Brown. Republican David Corley was not able to attend. I think when
you listen you’ll be able to decipher who is speaking — Abby’s the
female voice obviously — but if you have any questions over who
said what, let me know.
The audio starts out with the editorial board introducing
themselves (you’ll hear me there too, but I was just there to
listen and run the video camera, I am in no way involved with the
editorial board, their decisions or endorsements.) There is one
point where Josh Brown is talking and it cuts him off, that’s
because we had an issue with the video. Part of his introduction
about why he is running for reelection is cut off. Otherwise the
bulk of the debate is there for a listen.
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, July 19: 10 a.m. Board Information
Sharing will happen for an hour and a half, followed by 30 minutes
of calendar and agenda reviews.
2 p.m.: There will be an hour update on the
Surface and Stormwater Management Program, followed by 20 minutes
to discuss a $120,000 grant that would allow the county to handle
stormwater runoff at three car wash sites where fundraiser car
washing events happen regularly. A retrofit, paid for with the
grant money, will allow the sites to provide an environmentally
safe alternative to what happens now — 1,000 gallons of “soapy,
grimy”water per car wash fundraiser event, that flows into local
surface waters. Next the board will receive a resource conservation
update for 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes for a sheriff grant
approval. There will be a Veterans Fund policy update from 4:10 to
4:25 p.m., followed by adjournment.
Wednesday, July 21: 8:30 a.m. To start the
meeting there will be a 45 minute agenda review of the 7/26/10
nightly meeting, 45 minutes of information sharing will follow, a
fire and building code update will take 30 minutes and then the
meeting will recess into executive session for 30 minutes to
discuss existing litigatin, followed by another 30 minute executive
session to discuss real estate. The board will adjourn likely
around noon.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 21: 5 p.m. The council will
hold a briefing for 30 minutes before heading down to the council
chambers. The agenda isn’t online yet (as of Saturday night) so I
can’t tell you what they’re going to be discussing. The website is
here, in case you want to check it
out.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, July 20: 7 p.m. The council will hold
a work study session. Not sure what will be discussed because it
wasn’t listed online, so you’ll just have to show up to find
out.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 21: 7 p.m. Business agenda
items include reviewing a special event application for the street
dance and fair, a resolution adopting the city’s purchasing manual,
an ordinance regarding the second quarter budget amendments and a
budget presentation by the city’s budget director.
Bremerton Housing Authority (meet at 4040
Wheaton Way, Bremerton)
Meeting dates:
Monday, July 19: 5:30 p.m. Usually BHA meets
the fourth Monday of the month at the Norm Dicks Government Center,
but this month they’re holding the meeting a week earlier at their
offices at 4040 Wheaton Way because of a scheduling conflict with
the building’s space.
“This is a great opportunity for me to work regionally with a
diverse group of people,” Endresen said. “I absolutely love the
organization and its mission.”
Endresen served as Kitsap County commissioner from January, 1997
until June, 2007, when, part-way through her third term, she
announced that she was to head up Cantwell’s Washington State
office.
During her term on the county’s board of commissioners, Endresen
served on PSRC’s executive board and transportation policy board.
The state of the economy puts the Puget Sound region at a pivotal
point, she said.
“The challenges of economic development in the state present really
great opportunities for us as a region and statewide,” Endresen
said.
I was up bright and early Wednesday morning to attend the Port
Orchard/Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce candidate forum where
the four Central Kitsap Commissioner candidates were set to square
off on the issues.
Three of the four were able to attend, David Corley, and East
Bremerton Republican, was there initially but had to leave because
of a family emergency, according to Patti Kirkpatrick, vice
president of the Port Orchard Chamber.
The candidates are Republican Abby Burlingame, of East
Bremerton; self-proclaimed “old school” Democrat Wally Carlson, of
the Fairgrounds area; and incumbent Democrat Josh Brown.
Here’s why each candidate said they chose to run:
Brown: He is running for three reasons:
1. Fiscal responsibility. Since being elected four years ago
Brown says he’s seen the county cut its general fund by $14 million
and go from relying heavily on reserves to balance the budget to
not using the reserve fund at all. Commissioners also implemented
financial policies that prohibit the county from guaranteeing
outside loans, like what was done with the Kitsap County
Consolidated Housing Authority.
2. To get things done. He cited cutting through the red tape
that almost prevented the Seabeck marina from happening and getting
the ball rolling on developing the Central Kitsap Community Campus
through the courtship of the YMCA. He called the YMCA a “phenomenal
project” for the community, and believes the county’s $1 million
investment from its capital projects fund will be returned to the
community the minute the facility opens.
3. Balanced growth. Brown cited endorsements by the home
builders association and Kitsap conservation voters.
Burlingame: She is running because she believes
the county lacks accountability and needs to create a sustainable
budget that focuses on core services. Those are:
1. Law and justice
2. Roads (maintenance and construction)
3. Keeping facilities like the courthouse open for business five
days a week
Burlingame believes the county has fallen short in those areas
and needs to get back on track without increasing taxes. She
believes the removal of the county commissioners from the land use
appeals process was not smart and says the county is anti-growth
and anti-job. She is also concerned about the county’s
participation in the Puget Sound Regional Council, saying she feels
Kitsap is not comparable to urbanized King, Pierce and Snohomish
counties. Trying to place Seattle-size growth on Kitsap just won’t
work, she said.
Carlson: Calling himself a “regular renaissance
man” compared to Burlingame and Brown, Carlson said he is running
because over the last 40 years “I haven’t seen a government that’s
so dysfunctional.” The current government has excessive regulations
and rules that are stagnating job creation, he said. He has
suggested a “Wally Vision 2010” that would streamline county
government and “control our own destiny.”
The owner of a custom built homes business, Carlson has
first-hand experience of the dysfunction in the county’s Department
of Community Development, he said. He cited the trouble he had
getting a permit to remodel an elderly Tracyton couple’s home — he
was asked to build a bedroom on the couple’s ground floor so they
don’t have to walk upstairs. Carlson said it took him three years
and three months to get the permit. He believes an overhaul of DCD
is necessary, and that the department should establish a “people’s
advocate” to make sure permits don’t get “lost” on the desks of
planning staff, resulting in the delay in permit processing.
*** NOTE, THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER WEDNESDAY WORK STUDY
IS NOW STARTING AT 9 AM ***
Brynn Grimley writes:
Here’s what we’re looking at for the week starting July 12. (Can
you believe we’re already into the second week of July. I wish our
summer lasted as long as our “non summer,” and our “non summer”
lasted as short as our summer).
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, July 12: 2 p.m. Only two items on this
meeting’s agenda. A Surface and Stormwater Management program
update by Chris May and Dave Tucker for an hour, followed by 30
minutes of discussion on the budget call letter, lead by county
administrator Nancy Buonanno Grennan. The board will recess into
executive session to discuss potential litigation and personnel
matters from 3:35 to 5:05 p.m.
7 p.m. public meeting: The board has a number
of items not on their consent agenda that include big sums of
money, and for once the sums aren’t in the red. The board is set to
approve an amendment that extends a contract date it has with WA
State Department of Social & Health Services and increases the
contract amount by $2,813,992 to provide support services to
individuals with developmental disabilities. This is 100 percent
grant funded by DSHS. They also plan to issue and sell limited tax
general obligation and refunding bonds that the county holds (not
to exceed $9.9 million) to help with the finance, refinance and
reimbursement of costs associated with the construction and
improvements to the coroner’s office building and the Central
Kitsap Community Campus project. This is being done to save the
county money, and relates to the work commissioners did earlier
this year to plan for the possibility the county real estate excise
tax fund could go in the red in another few years. By refinancing
these bonds, the county is taking advantage of low interest rates.
(The stories I wrote on the REET fund are HERE and HERE).
The public hearing items include the adoption of a memorandum of
understanding between the county and Pope Resources for the
North Kitsap Legacy Partnership (the
document has changed little since Chris Dunagan wrote about it
HERE) and a public hearing on a
resolution to amend the 2010 annual budget.
Wednesday, July 14:8:30 a.m. 9 a.m. Nancy
Buonanno Grennan will kick off the meeting with 30 minutes of debt
policy talk, Bud Harris will spend 20 minutes Situs Addressing
(What is this you ask? It relates to addresses in the county that
cause problems for first responders, elections officials, etc. The
county is looking at a study as to what to do about it.); next the
discussion shifts to redistricting the county commissioner
boundaries — don’t worry nothing will be approved until 2011, so it
won’t affect the current election. This is being done in accordance
with the recent Census 2010; Jim Dunwiddie will give an hour-long
workshop on Parks. A five minute break will follow then the meeting
will end with a 40 minute “board discussion.” At 11:30 the board
will recess into executive session to discuss existing litigation,
lasting 20 minutes. Then at 11:50 they’ll recess into another
executive session to discuss real estate issues for 10 minutes.
Adjournment will follow.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 14: 5 p.m. The Bremerton City
Council will meet, but the agenda wasn’t available on the website
Friday night when I wrote this.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, July 13: 7 p.m. There will be a public
hearing on International Building and Fire Codes, and flood damage
prevention; a presentation by Olympic Bird Fanciers; contract
agreements related to the Tremont Street widening project; and a
vote on the city’s official newspaper of record.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 14: 7 p.m. Business agenda
items include special event approval for a community concert; a
budget amendment relating to the Viking Avenue improvements (3A); a
budget amendment relating to the Fjord slide permitting (this is
the part of Fjord Drive that washed out last November); the
establishment of a public and agency participating plan for the
2010 comprehensive plan amendments and the establishment of a
docket for the proposed amendments to the comprehensive plan.
That’s all I got — if I forgot someone, throw up the meeting
dates/content in the comments section. Enjoy the sunshine!
Sorry this is coming out a little late. I blame a spotty
Internet connection and the three-day weekend.
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 7: 8:30 a.m. The board will
review its agenda for the July 12 meeting, they’ll share some
information for about 30 minutes and then spend four hours doing
their budget process and call letter. The board will go into
executive session from 11:30 to noon to discuss real estate.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 7: 5 p.m. The council will hold
a briefing for 30 minutes before heading down to the council
chambers. This week’s meeting will include business items that look
to reorganize the city’s safety and health committee, amend a city
ordinance regarding the gambling tax (read Gardner’s story on that
here) and amending and
modifying the annual budget.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
No meeting this week.
City of Poulsbo (meet at 19050 Jensen Way)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, July 7: 7 p.m. Business agenda items
include setting the public hearing date for the 2011-2016 six year
transportation improvement plan, selecting a project for federal
enhancement funding, debt policy, and a proposed revision for
one-way traffic on Fjord Drive.
Kitsap County Consolidating Housing Authority
(meet at 345 6th Street, Norm Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, July 6: 1 p.m. The housing authority’s
board will meet to discuss the move to Norm Dicks, a possible
renaming/rebranding effort, and director’s reports. They’ll also
recess into executive session during the meeting to hear about real
estate and potential litigation.
The Secretary of State’s office says backers of an initiative
that would implement an income tax in Washington have scheduled an
appointment to drop off signatures. So have those who would allow
private insurers to compete with state workers’ comp insurance
program and others would roll back taxes on candy and soda. The
press release follows.
It seems after Memorial Day things have been a little sluggish
by way of news. It’s not that news isn’t happening, but in this
business it seems when it rains it pours, and when it’s dry it’s
like you’re in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Every year around this time we expect the political life to slow
down a little — school’s out, city councils often have lighter
agendas because people are taking vacations with families. I’m not
complaining, it’s great to have things slow down every now and
then, but I also feel like I’m not doing my job unless I’m slammed
with stories and working 12-hour days.
So instead of using my weekly Tuesday blog post to blab about
whatever I’ve been covering on my various “political” beats, I
thought I’d try to find out from readers what they’d like to see us
cover. (I realize I may be opening a can of worms here, but I think
it’s always good to check in from time to time with our loyal
Kitsap Caucus followers).
What do you want to see us cover when it comes to government? I
specifically cover Central and North Kitsap, so anything you can
think of for those areas would be great, but feel free to suggest
ideas for other areas in Kitsap, as well as state agencies.
Are we missing something? Is there an expose you’ve been mulling
over that you’d like to see someone dig into? Or do you have
something good (gasp) that you want to share about government? (Or
anything else good for that matter, heck I’m not picky!)
Now some parameters: No conspiracy theories please; no personal
attacks against people; no claims that you can’t prove are true;
since it’s election season I will not be writing any stories that
appear to be major cheerleading for one candidate over the other —
or that go out of their way to make one candidate look bad, that’s
for the opinion page and its Letters to the Editor section.
Lastly, my disclaimer: I can’t promise I’ll write everything
suggested, or that I’ll even write anything (I need, legitimate,
good suggestions here people). If you’re serious about a story
leave contact information so I can follow up (you can email me at
bgrimley@kitsapsun.com if you don’t want your information posted on
the blog).
Like I said, I probably just opened a can of worms, but I’m also
excited to hear from you all about what you’d like to see us do a
better job of covering, or to see what stories you all have mulling
through your heads at one time or another.
Happy Summer Solstice! You can tell summer’s here (well maybe
not temperature wise quite yet) because there’s not a whole lot
going on this week by way of government meetings. Here’s what’s on
the docket for the week:
Kitsap County Board of Commissioners (meet at
619 Division Street)
Meeting dates:
Monday, June 21: 10 a.m. The commissioners are
replacing their regular Monday morning and afternoon briefings with
a 5-hour board retreat that starts at 10 a.m. And for all of you
who are ready to complain about them “retreating” to somewhere
other than Kitsap, you can save your breath because the meeting
will be held in the Port Blakely conference room, in the admin
building, in Port Orchard. The topic of discussion is the 2010-2011
work plan.
Wednesday, June 16: 8:30 a.m. The board will
spend 45 minutes sharing information, they’ll hear a resource
conservation update, take a 5-minute break and then spend 15
minutes hearing about grant approval requests followed by a
presentation on the Newberry Hill Heritage Park
master planning process (if the board likes the resolution it will
be up for approval at their June 28 regular business meeting). The
board will recess into executive session from 11:30 to noon to
discuss real estate issues.
City of Bremerton (meet at 345 6th Street, Norm
Dicks Government Center)
Meeting dates:
Wednesday, June 23: The City Council meeting
has been canceled due to lack of agenda items.
City of Port Orchard (meet at 219 Prospect
Street)
Meeting dates:
Tuesday, June 22: 7 p.m. The city council will
be hearing a number of items. Highlights include two annexation
issues: Annexation of South Sedgewick and hearing from people
interested in annexing Sidney Glen — they’re submitting their
notice of intent to petition for the annexation. The city will also
review an ordinance that would impose a 180-day moratorium on the
acceptance of applications for “certain signs” under the city’s
code, also with this they’ll review changing the chapters and
definitions in the city’s code on sign regulations. The city will
also adopt a resolution that modifies parking restrictions on
Advantage Avenue and authorize the mayor to execute a change order
with BHC Consultants for the Tremont Street sewer pre-design report
and PS&E.
On Tuesday, I Interviewed twin brothers Patrick and Nathan
Griffin-Hall from Port Orchard, 27, who both filed as candidates
for precinct committee officer. Since they live together, they both
filed for the same precinct, but they won’t be facing each other in
the primary because Patrick’s a Republican, Nathan’s a
Democrat.
Just for fun, let’s see how your expectations play out, as you
try to guess which brother is which from the set of attributes and
characteristics below. Just answer Republican or Democrat after the
question.
Of course if you’ve read
the story, you’ll have most of the answers.
OK, here we go.
Has a beard.
Clean-shaven.
Works as a psychiatric aide for Kitsap Mental Health.
Is an animal control officer for the Kitsap Humane Society.
Loves rock music of all eras.
Runs marathons.
Put a 10-foot diameter red rug with an official looking star in
the middle of their living room (it was a cast-off from a
department store jewelry department).
Has backpacked through at least a dozen foreign countries.
Has an “active social life with friends and family.”
Graduated from South Kitsap High School.
Attended military school.
Thinks Sarah Palin was unqualified for the office of
president.
Is a proponent of individual property rights.
Rescued an obese black cat from the humane society.
Works swing shift.
Works days.
How did you do? To find out, look for the answers later today on
this post.
