Tag Archives: darlene kordonowy

New poll: Should Kordonowy continue to serve on regional boards?

Darlene Kordonowy has taken some heat from City Council members and some folks in the community about her continued service on regional boards she was appointed to as mayor.

She has a seat on eight boards, including Kitsap Transit, where she’s the chair, and Kitsap Consolidated Housing Authority, where she’s vice chair.

Read this story for more background on the issue, and then take the poll to the right.

The Bainbridge Conversation’s last poll showed that most respondents thought the city handled the Eagle Harbor sewer leak well.

It was interesting to see most initial opinions reflect a view that the city botched the response and endangered the harbor. But, as news rolled in that the harbor appeared to be recovering quickly, the city began receiving high marks.

Here’s the final breakdown:

40 percent: Good. The city did the best they could in a tough situation. (18 votes)
24 percent: Fair. They did the right thing, but the fix should have been made earlier. (11 votes)
22 percent: Terrible. The city’s response endangered human health and the environment. (10 votes)
13 percent: Excellent. The city was on top of things every step of the way. (6 votes)

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Bainbridge council-manager discussion on NPR’s KUOW

Mayor Darlene Kordonowy and council-manager supporter Bob Fortner were on KUOW’s “Conversation” yesterday.

It was a short bit among other discussions about Iran’s missle tests and credit card debt. You can listen to the archived show here. The part about the council-manager issue begins about four and a half minutes in.

Kordonowy said criticism of her second term was part of the reason the measure passed.

“I can’t help but take things personal,” she said.

Kordonowy said she was disappointed in how well she was able to manage the city during “in difficult times.”

Fortner said voters passed the measure because the city’s government structure is “flawed,” giving the mayor too much power and concealing processes at City Hall that should be open.

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Kordonowy won’t seek a third term

Mayor Darlene Kordonowy announced Monday evening that she will not seek a third term.

Kordonowy made the announcement at a Kitsap County commissioner’s meeting in Port Orchard.

Kordonowy had said earlier in the year that she would wait until after tomorrow’s change-of-government election to announce whether she’d run again. She decided instead to get the word out the day before ballots are counted.

Kordonowy attended the county meeting in her role as vice-chairwoman of Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority board.

Former city councilman Bob Scales is the only candidate to formally announce a bid for Bainbridge mayor.

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City added to lawsuit involving the mayor and her neighbors

The city was this week pulled into a longstanding property dispute involving Mayor Darlene Kordonowy and two of her Port Madison Bay neighbors.

Last year, Kenneth and Jette Hammer filed a lawsuit in the Kitsap County Superior Court against Kordonowy, her husband James Abbott and the neighboring Knapp family seeking damages related to the placement of docks and a disputed property line.

The Hammers, who live to the west of the Knapps on Sivertson Road, on Monday amended the lawsuit to include the city.

The Hammers charge that the city violated its rules in allowing the Knapps to build a dock on their property. City shoreline regulations prohibit two docks on the same lot and mandate that no dock can be built within 10 feet of an adjacent property. According to the Hammers, a dock on the Kordonowy lot straddles the Knapps’ east property line, precluding the construction of a new dock on either property. The Hammers contend that the Knapps’ new dock crowds their dock, making vessel navigation difficult.

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Kordonowy still undecided on reelection bid

kordonowymugsmallMayor Darlene Kordonowy remains undecided on whether she’ll seek a third term.

Kordonowy said in early February that she’d make her decision by March 31. But today – her self-imposed deadline day – Kordonowy said she has not yet “come to terms.”

“I’ve been pushing myself to do it, but I’m not quite ready to make a decision,” she said. “I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking and talking to people about this.”

Former city councilman Bob Scales, a critic of Kordonowy, remains the only candidate to have formally announced a bid for mayor.

Voters will decide on May 19 whether to abolish the elected mayor’s office and replace it with a manager position under the control of the City Council. If the measure passes, Kordonowy would become an eighth councilor until her mayoral term expires at the end of the year.

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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.

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Kordonowy: ‘Let’s work together to weather the economic storm’

Mayor Darlene Kordonowy’s State of the City address focused on the need for cooperation and long-range planning to pull the city through its financial troubles. She delivered the speech at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Read her address below.

Mayor Darlene Kordonowy’s 2009 State of the City address

We’re currently facing an economic challenge more sobering than most of us have encountered
in our lifetimes.

I’d like to take a moment to recognize some recent successes, which stand out against the darker
background of the daily economic news, and the news we’ve heard here tonight.

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