State Rep. Christine Rolfes’ bill allowing out-of-state firms to build state ferries was debated at a House hearing on Monday.
Listen to the Bainbridge Democrat discuss her bill in the video above, and read Ed Friedrich’s coverage of the bill here.
Daily Archives: February 3, 2009
Kordonowy undecided on reelection bid
Mayor Darlene Kordonowy said today that she has not yet decided whether she’ll seek a third term.
Former city councilman Bob Scales, a critic of the mayor, announced this morning that he would seek the mayor’s office.
Kordonowy said she would wait until after state legislators decide whether to allow Bainbridge to hold a special election that could replace the elected mayor position with a manager hired by the council. The special election’s supporters hope to put the question up for a vote in late May. If the measure fails, the mayoral election will occur on-schedule in November.
Islander honored for internment memorial
Clarence Moriwaki was named conservationist of the year by the National Parks Conservation Association for his work to preserve the former Eagledale ferry dock as a National Park site and memorial to Japanese-Americans interned during World War II.
The Eagledale dock was the departure point for more than 200 residents living on Bainbridge Island — most U.S. citizens of Japanese descent — to internment camps in California and Idaho.
“On behalf of the generations before me — and with the hope of inspiring generations to come — I’m deeply humbled and honored to receive this award for the 120,000 Japanese Americans whose stories of sacrifice, courage, patriotism and grace are a shining and eternal beacon for freedom loving people everywhere,” Moriwaki said in a statement issued by the NPCA.
Police blotter: Kisses from the burglar
A Bainbridge couple returned home from a long trip to find lipstick stains all over their bed sheets.
On the other end of the island, a woman returned home from a short walk to find someone had turned off her lights and unplugged the fridge.
Breaking and entering has never been so green or looked so fine.
Scales announces mayoral bid
UPDATED: Former Bainbridge city councilman Bob Scales announced on Tuesday that he will run for mayor.
Scales, whose four-year council term ended in 2007, promised to safeguard the island’s water supply, protect the environment, improve the island’s transportation networks and reform the city’s financial management.
“Our city is suffering from a lack of leadership,” Scales said. “We need to have a strong, experienced and professional leader in the mayor’s office. We need a leader who can reform, reorganize and revitalize our city government.”
Scales is the first candidate to declare candidacy for November’s mayoral election. Mayor Darlene Kordonowy has not announced whether she’ll seek a third term.
Scales said the city is in dire need of better financial planning and accountability.
“The city of Bainbridge Island is running out of time and money,” he said. “The city is adrift and in financial disarray. Millions of taxpayer dollars are wasted each year on an inefficient and ineffective bureaucracy.”
Scales is a senior policy analyst for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. In that role, Scales has “seen first hand what a positive impact an experienced mayor can have on a community,” he said.
A Seattle native, Scales moved to Bainbridge in 1999 after earning a law degree from the University of Washington and serving as a King County deputy prosecutor. He has also worked in an immunology lab and as a tour guide and English teacher in China.
Scales was a strong advocate for non-motorized transportation and affordable housing while on the Bainbridge council.
He was an outspoken critic of the mayor’s budget proposals and financial management during and after his council term.
For more information, visit scalesformayor.com
