The city has officially responded to the McCain-Coburn stimulus report, in which the Bainbridge police patrol boat was singled out as one of the worst uses of federal stimulus funding.

In a press release issued this afternoon, Interim City Manager Lee Walton said the report failed to take into account “significant relevant data,” including the police boat’s potential use as a safeguard against terrorist attacks on state ferries and the Winslow ferry terminal.

“The FBI has determined that WSF boats, which carry as many as 2,500 passengers during peak hours, could be attractive targets for terrorists seeking a loss of life comparable to that which occurred at the World Trade Centers,” Bainbridge Island Chief of Police Jon Fehlman said in the release.

And here’s the kicker:

“Fehlman noted that the popular television show Grey’s Anatomy gained significant attention for a storyline demonstrating the dramatic potential of such an attack,” the release states.

Read the full press release below.
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A Redmond businessman is stepping up to face Rep. Jay Inslee in 2010.

James Watkins, who worked for over a decade for Microsoft, said on his newly-launched website that he’s running against “career office-seeker Jay Inslee” because of the Bainbridge Democrat’s support for “passing massive tax and regulatory burdens on working Americans.”

Inslee and his political ilk are “killing the American Dream,” said Watkins, who ran a small bank when he was 22 and now works as a business consultant.

Inslee, who has not announced whether he’ll seek reelection, has won the 1st Congressional District by wide margins since wrestling it from Republican Rick White almost 12 years ago.

The 1st Congressional District includes Redmond, Kirkland, Edmonds, Bainbridge, and Central and North Kitsap.

In recent elections, Inslee has faced Kirkland Republican Larry Ishmael. On his website, Ishmael announced he’d not run against Inslee in 2010 because he is studying for a Ph.D. Ishmael predicts Inslee will seek the Washington governorship in 2012.

Watkins’ website does not mention party affiliation, but the Seattle P-I reports that he is seeking the Republican nomination.

First it was the BIPD’s purchase of 75 riot helmets. Now we have the news that Sen. John McCain dissed BIPD’s suped-up patrol boat, calling it one of the biggest wastes of stimulus funding.

If you haven’t heard yet, McCain put the boat, which has enough whiz-bang features to make Michael Knight’s chatty Trans Am envious, near the top of a list of the 100 worst stimulus-backed projects – right up there with federally-funded puppet shows and condom tests.

Amid the 59 comments that have streamed in after my story on McCain’s trash-talking, Bainbridge-naming list came out last night, a little gem emerged: a lively bit of commenter fiction. A new voice in this new genre, Kdda191 (perhaps a nom de plume?) knits the boat and helmet hullabaloo together for a gripping scene in which our heroes (the BIPD) are confronted with a do or drink decision…..

Asst. Chief: Hey Chief, what are we gonna do with 75 riot helmets?
Chief: Hell, I dunno, but if the day comes that the whole island of yuppies decide to raise hell & riot, every one of us can put two on to protect our domes from wine bottles.
Asst. Chief: Ahh, ok. But wouldn’t it just be easier to hop in our luxury overkill ‘Police Boat’ and escape to Seattle and have cocktails?
Chief: Did you say “cocktails in Seattle?,” I’m in! We leaving now?

Not your taste? Care for a more grounded, fact-based analysis by a respected newsman? Well, click on over to the Kitsap Caucus where Steven Gardner has crafted the insightful “Bainbridge’s Boat to Nowhere” post.

Here’s but a snippet:

The man responsible for Sarah Palin’s fame gives little credence to the idea that the boat should be able to “test vapor or surfaces for microscopic traces of explosive material.

Steve’s post is probably a better use of your time than wading through all those 59 (oops…make that 63 now) comments.