Thankful on Thanksgiving

I have many reasons to be thankful:

I am thankful to live among citizens who care very much for their city.

I am thankful for having a family and an extended family that care for each other.

I am thankful to still have a good paying job to help support those I love in these tough times.

I am thankful for a wife who is strong, courageous, hardworking, and beautiful.

I am thankful to God and his son who brought us love and forgiveness.

And I am thankful for turkeys...they are very yummy.

Why D.J. Wilson endorses Priya Cloutier.

D.J. Wilson has invested a lot in Priya Cloutier this election. A Michael Plunkett victory means the council will restore the citizens' right to appeal land-use decisions to the council. Michael Plunkett also has a proven record of voting against taller buildings, that D.J. will not be able to overcome. He needs Priya on his side.

I say we dissapoint D.J. and keep Michael Plunkett on the council. Michael will protect our appeal rights and our historic small town charm.

References:

1) Public Disclosure Reports
2) Council minutes 6/2/09

Nothing wrong with being a finance sleuth.

Well, you can tell its election time when some newspapers grope for reasons to convince their readers not to vote for someone.

In a very biased article, the Enterprise basically wrote a hit piece on Lora Petso and Diane Buckshnis for asking questions about our finances. The newspaper article questioned Diane's "credentials" to ask these questions.

Fortunately for Lora and Diane, the public wants candidates to ask questions about the city's finances. You really can't attack someone on this point.

This isn't the first time Diane has been in trouble for asking questions. As a bank regulator, she got some looks for asking some hard questions of an investor named Charles Keating. You know, the Keating 5. Yep, Diane's job was to fight bank corruption on the federal level and she served on the investigative team that brought down Charles Keating.

Recently, she was interviewed by Dick Gordon on this investigation. It's fun to listen to. (click here)

In my opinion, no candidate for city council is more qualified to examine city finances than Diane Buckshnis.

Priya Cloutier failed to act.

We all agree that a council member should make public safety the number one priority. Michael Plunkett has definitely done that as a council member. He voted to save paramedics when Mountlake Terrace pulled out of Medic 7. He also voted to add Bational Chiefs to improve the safety of fire fighters and those they save. During tight budget times, he refused to cut public safety. Michael Plunkett has clearly passed the test of public safety.

And of course, he cast his ballot for last year's EMS Levy, a crucial measure that funds our Paramedics and our EMT's, so they can aid the public with their emergency medical needs.

Every current council member and every current council candidate, including primary candidates like Al Rutledge, cast their ballot in the EMS levy election, except one.

Priya Cloutier. She chose to blow it off, along with a lot of other Edmonds elections.

Priya will attempt to slide by this issue by pointing out her endorsements, but we all know action trumps endorsements. How can we trust our public safety services to someone who can't find the time to check the "EMS levy" box on a ballot and mail it in. Michael Plunkett "acted" to fund public safety, and Priya "failed to act" to fund public safety. No endorsement can overcome that simple fact.

Why I endorse Adrienne Fraley-Monillas.

I endorse Adrienne Fraley-Monillas for city council for the following reasons:

Adrienne supports our historic small town charm: Adrienne opposes taller buildings in downtown and on the waterfront. She sees history as a part of our future; that is, our historic downtown charm is key to the city’s economic development. Adrienne recognizes that condos may give a little money to the city, but they bring an increased demand on city services with them. The cure for our economic woes is to market are strengths: our historic character and our artistic treasures.

Adrienne will restore our rights to appeal land-use decisions to the council: This is one of the most contentious issues of the campaign. This year, four council members took away your right to council appeal. Adrienne believes in ethical, open, and transparent government. She is committed to restoring our right to council appeal.

Adrienne fights for our seniors, our children, and the disabled: She serves on the South County Senior Center board of directors and as the vice-chair for the Edmonds School District Special Olympics. She is also a member of the Snohomish county advisory board for developmental disabilities, and the Special education PTA board.

A personal note: Adrienne has a son with Down Syndrome. We all know how much effort and time it takes to raise a son with a disability. It takes a very special person to do that, but Adrienne went beyond just her own son. She made a life and career devoted to helping folks with developmental disabilities become independent and attain the American dream. In my view, she's a patriot.

If Edmonds gets a tenth of the devotion she has put towards folks with disabilities, Edmonds will get one darn good council member. She's got my vote.

Which candidates are more "refreshing?"

This is an easy answer: I don't care.

The Herald editorial staff and I have had a debate over the word "refreshing." I disagreed with how they chose to endorse a candidate for city council. To their credit, they were very gracious and printed my reply. I include links to both their endorsement and my letter.

The Herald Endorsements (click here)

My Response (click here)

Understanding the council divide on land-use appeals

This year, four council members took away your right to appeal certain land-use decisions, including variances. In short, they shut the door on you.

This means a developer can apply for a variance to waive codes regarding setbacks, height limits, and even environmental regulations. You can no longer appeal variance decisions to the council.

While you may appeal unjust variances to court, the cost is prohibitive. These four council members have essentially used financial means to shut down your ability to appeal unjust variances. Again, they have shut the door on your right to appeal.

Voters should understand the divide on the council, so they can vote to retain incumbents who want to open the door, and vote to remove incumbents who closed the door. Council members Michael Plunkett, Dave Orvis, and Steve Bernheim want to open the door. Council members Strom Peterson, D.J. Wilson, Peggy Olson, and Ron Wambolt voted to close it. Unfortunately, the "close door" council members have a one vote majority.

Here's how the candidates line up on this issue by race:

Michael Plunkett voted to keep your right to appeal unjust variances. We need his vote to restore your rights and open the door. As far as I can see, Priya has been silent on this issue, but she is endorsed by Peggy Olson and D.J. Wilson, who voted take your rights away and close the door.

Strom Peterson voted to take your rights away and close the door. Diane Buckshnis has publicly stated she will vote to restore your right to appeal land-use decisions. The distinction here is very well documented in Diane's candidate statement and website. You can also see Strom Peterson's vote in the council minutes of 6/2/09. I have previously blogged on this issue. (click here)

Adrienne and Lora both want to restore your rights and open the door. They defeated Ron Wambolt (who voted to close the door) in the primary. With regard to land-use appeals, both of these candidates have already done us a big favor.

So there it is. If we want to force the council to restore our rights to appeal unjust variances to the council, we need to elect Michael Plunkett, Diane Buckshnis, and either candidate for position 3.

Cliff's Picks

Cliff Sanderlin is a friend of mine from southwest Edmonds, where there has been much controversy over the city's handling of a new park. I think its good to have his perspective on these elections (which differs a little from mine), so I have included his letter to his neighbors in this blog entry.

CLIFF’S ENDORSEMENTS FOR EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL

Hi all,I helped produce two City Council candidate forums at the Senior Center this fall. Since I didn’t see many neighbors from SW Edmonds at the forums, I am sharing my choices. One of my criteria is the work that candidates have done on behalf of SW Edmonds, plus potential for leading Edmonds out of our current situation. I’m writing as an individual, not representing any other entity. Here’s who I support and why:

• Michael Plunkett – Was a strong supporter in getting Edmonds to buy school district property at the Old Woodway Elementary School (104th and 237th SW), where a new park opened in August. Michael is committed to listening and empowering citizens and giving us a voice in how our communities are developed. Michael knows Edmonds really well and has done many good things as a City Council member. He acts with local knowledge, courtesy and civility, which I cannot say about his opponent.
• Diane Buckschnis -- Is a no-nonsense, rock-solid community organizer with a long career in banking regulation. She has spent months trying to figure out the Mayor’s budget. Also, Diane set up the volunteer group that maintains the Edmonds Off-leash Area at Marina Park, giving our mutts a place to get some real exercise. She is a board member of the Edmonds Arts Center. And she has been very patient helping those of us who are trying to update the South County Senior Center’s website. Check out my letter in the Edmonds Beacon this week.
• Lora Petso – This one is hard. I really like Lora and Adrienne and would like to see both on the Council. My wife (Heather) and I are voting for Lora. She and husband Colin were key players in helping us save school property in SW Edmonds for open space (now Hickman Park.) By means of a lawsuit, Lora has stalled land developers from building 26 or so houses on the half the city failed to buy, based on shoddy permitting by the City. Lora knows what can be accomplished and where to find the money to make things happen. Neither Lora nor Adrienne would put up with bullying by the Mayor or his staff, which is another reason I wish both could be on the Council!

Election blog entries

Here's a summary of my blog entries for this election:


Which candidates understand the importance of historic preservation?
Michael Plunkett fights for Paramedics
The Off Leash Area of Edmonds (O.L.A.E)
Does more condos mean less property taxes?
Correcting Strom Peterson on Land-Use appeals
The Grass Roots Factor
Strom Peterson's flip-flop on heights
Challenging Priya Cloutier’s website
A better way to look at campaigns: Number of Donors from Edmonds
Did Priya Cloutier lie to the unions about her signs?
I have a view too.
Priya Cloutier files late reports.
Ron Wambolt joins the ESCA $1000 club.
Edmonds Beacon: Ron Wambolt defends shutting out the public
Does Priya Cloutier REALLY "love" Edmonds?

Celebrate Halloween: Give your kids an H1N1 shot!

If you really want to scare your kids on Halloween, give them an H1N1 vaccine. Nothing like a needle in the arm to make them cry "Mommy!". Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

Okay, that was creepy. I will stop now.

Seriously,the Snohomish County Health board is trying to vaccinate folks against H1N1 swine flu. They will be sponsoring free vaccination clinics on October 31st. The fact that its Halloween is a coincidence. If you are in a high risk group (like your kids are), get them vaccinated.

For more info on where to get the vaccinations, go to www.snocoflu.org

Which candidates understand the importance of historic preservation?

The members of the Edmonds historic preservation commission work hard to save historic structures in our city. The Edmonds bank building above was recently recognized as a historic structure with a plaque.

Historic preservation IS economic development, as evidenced in a 2006 study done by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

This leads us to a question.

Which candidates recognize the value of historic preservation in our city's economic development? Which candidates value historic preservation so much that they are willing to incorporate it into their platform and campaign on it?

Well, let's look at their candidate statements, which are now online.

For Position 1: Michael Plunkett emphasizes that he was the council member who formed the historic commission. His opponent, Priya Cloutier, says nothing about historic preservation. If you go to Priya's website, where she has unlimited space to write anything she wants, Priya only uses the word "history" to reference her own resume. She makes no reference to historic preservation in Edmonds.

For Position 2: Only Diane Buckshnis highlights history with the statement: "She will fight for Edmonds' traditions, historic buildings, and character." She also discusses historical preservation on her website. Strom Peterson makes no mention of history in his statement or his website.

For Position 3: Only Adrienne Fraley-Monillas mentions history with the statement: "Adrienne will fight to oppose taller buildings in downtown and the waterfront and to preserve our historic buildings and artistic treasures."

Economic development depends on historic preservation. The two go hand in hand. We need candidates on the council that understand this. If you see historic preservation as imporant to our future in Edmonds, I recommend voting for Michael Plunkett, Diane Buckshnis, and Adrienne Fraley-Monillas.

Michael Plunkett fights for Paramedics

Yesterday’s Beacon contained a very humorous ad by Michael Plunkett, who frequently will poke fun of himself on the council, just like he does here.

It gives me an opportunity to talk about Paramedics, and how a paramedic differs from an EMT, and how Michael Plunkett worked to save the paramedics.

If you, god forbid, should ever have a heart attack, two units from the Edmonds fire department will deploy. The first is a basic life support unit, which will leave from one of the three fire stations in our community. Its goal is get there within 4 minutes so they can continue CPR and use a defibrillator. The second unit is called the advanced life support unit, and it has paramedics. This dedicated paramedic unit is stationed at one fire station. Its goal is to bring drugs and advanced life support tools (such as portable pacemakers) to the scene. These paramedics essentially act as the hands of a doctor.

The combination of basic life support with EMT’s and advance life support with paramedics has given Edmonds and Lynnwood some of the best success rates in the country.

The dedicated advance life support units were not always part of the fire department. Instead, they had their own organization called Medic 7. It started with volunteers, then it grew large enough to support two advanced life support units, which served Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, and Edmonds.

Early in my career, Mountlake Terrace decided to leave Medic 7. Since all three cities contributed to its funding, Medic 7 now had a big whole in their budget. Could we continue to have two advanced life support units available 24 hours a day?

Michael Plunkett, the Mayor, and the rest of the council worked with Lynnwood to fill the whole. We brought one Medic 7 unit into Edmonds, and the Lynnwood fire department took the other. Each city assumed the full cost of keeping the units, which meant we had cough up some money in the budget. But it was worth it, because we saved the advanced life support units. Public safety should be our top funding priority, and Michael Plunkett passed this test with flying colors.

You notice the ad above also takes a shot at Priya Cloutier, Michael Plunkett’s opponent. Priya Cloutier is the only candidate for any position on the council that failed to cast a vote for our EMS levy. Without this EMS levy, we wouldn’t have advanced life support units at all. Priya’s lack of enthusiasm for the EMS levy causes me to doubt her enthusiasm about public safety.

Michael Plunkett truly has a Strong public safety record.

Does more condos mean less property taxes?

Short Answer: NO!

I am always amused at how some folks claim more condo development will translate into less property taxes, because, in reality, it doesn't happen.

The municipal research service center makes property tax data for cities readily available (click here). We can look at the amount of 2008 property taxes collected per person from city to city.

In 2008, Edmonds collected $242.28 of property taxes per person.

Many folks point to condo rich Kirkland as being an example of what Edmonds should be. They collect $300.81 per person.

Folks love to point to all the new development in Mill Creek as an example of what we need for condos and heights. They collect $271.12 per person.

Now Bellevue has a lot of condos. However, they collect about the same property tax that we do: $242.48 per person.

Redmond collects $365.12 per person. Mega condo capital Seattle collects $551.39 per person!

Condos may look like they generate revenue on paper, but they also increase the demand for city services. As seen above, condos actually cause property taxes to go up, not down.


Now Lynnwood collects only $212.82 of property tax per person. How do they do it? They have a huge sales attraction called the Alderwood mall, which draws folks from outside of their city to spend money inside of their city.

Building tall condos will not solve our economic woes and lower our taxes. We must make better use of our historic and artistic treasures to draw in folks to spend money in our community.

Correcting Strom Peterson on Land-Use appeals

Today in the Beacon, I read an interesting exchange, and unfortunately, I now have to correct Strom Peterson's statements on land-use appeals. Once again, I am sorry this appears negative, but facts are facts.

First, I will repeat the relevant portions of the exchange titled "Bellevue West, here we come!":

George Murray: He [Strom] did vote to block citizens from the right to appeal certain land-use decisions.

Councilman Strom Peterson: Regarding land-use decisions: Again, Mr. Murray is wrong. Citizens have the right to appeal land-use decisions and the council can better represent the people of Edmonds on these issues.

Mr. Peterson is actually the one who is wrong. Ordinance 3736 removed the citizen's ability to appeal certain land-use decisions to the council, including variances. Thanks to Mr. Peterson and three other council members, a developer can now apply for a variance to waive setbacks, height limits, and environmental regulations without fear of a hearing before the council.

Arguments were taken before the council on 5/26/09, where Mr. Peterson refused to vote in favor of allowing the public to appeal land-use decisions to the council.

In the council minutes of 6/2/09 on page 13, the council passed the final ordinance taking your right to appeal certain land-use decisions away, with Mr. Peterson voting for it. Here's the actual text:

UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION CARRIED 4-2, COUNCIL PRESIDENT WILSON, AND
COUNCILMEMBERS PETERSON, WAMBOLT AND OLSON IN FAVOR; AND
COUNCILMEMBERS ORVIS AND PLUNKETT OPPOSED.

Mr. Peterson's decision to block citizens from the right to appeal certain land-use decisions before council also cost him the endorsement of the Herald. Their words are:

Buckshnis, a longtime community volunteer, critcizes the majority of council, including Peterson, for its “Chapter 20” vote in June regarding shoreline development and variences. The change means that appeals will be decided by a Hearing Examiner rather than the City Council. We agree with Buckshnis that those sorts of appeals are exactly the important type of decisions that the council should make.

Mr. Peterson's statement "the council can better represent the people of Edmonds on these issues" floors me. If Mr. Peterson felt this way, why didn't he vote to let you appeal land-use decisions to the council, so the council can represent the people.

Mr Peterson, rather than denying what you did, you should accept responsibility for it and explain why you took our rights away.

And once again, sorry to all for appearing negative, but truth is truth.

E-Mail Postcards

My Dad and Mom are on a trip this month, and they are now sending all their kids postcards with pictures taken from their I-phone. It's a cool application. I especially like how the stamp shows their location on the map.

The Grass Roots Factor

The public disclosure commission’s new website allows us to easily look at a campaign’s cash contributions.

We can now quickly determine a campaign’s Grass Roots Factor: that is, the amount of folks it takes for a campaign to raise a $1000 dollars. You simply take the total number of contributors, divide by the total cash amount, and multiply by $1000.

[Grass Roots Factor] = ([Total contributors] / Total Cash Amount] ) X $1000

A grass roots campaign draws its strength from numbers, not from money. Therefore, a grass roots campaign will raise its money from numerous modest contributions. Grass roots campaigns have high grass roots factors, because it takes a lot of contributors to get a $1000.

Money driven campaigns tend to rely on a few big donors to cover most of their costs. They will have a much lower grass roots factor. It only takes a few contributors to get to a $1000.

The results are below. I leave out Position 3, since one candidate has chosen the minimal reporting option.






The conclusion is obvious. Michael Plunkett and Diane Buckshnis are running grass roots campaigns. Priya Cloutier and Strom Peterson are not.

Strom Peterson's flip-flop on heights

I know that by putting up this blog, many of my supporters and friends are cringing. I can here it now, “Dave your being negative again.”

But here me out for a second…

Look, if Strom Peterson were a candidate for a national office, wouldn’t you want the press to point out how a candidate’s statement changed over time? Would you fault the press for citing how a candidate’s current “stated” views differed from his or her actual “actions?”

A candidate’s flip-flops are highly relevant to a campaign, are they not? If you care about a particular national issue, don’t you want to know if the candidate you are casting a ballot for has changed his or her mind on that issue?

Why should it be different for the council?

Strom Peterson’s record clearly shows two facts:

1) As the president of the downtown merchants association, Strom Peterson advocated for changes in downtown codes that included increasing downtown heights. The quote above is just one. He is also on record in front of the planning board on 12/15/2004.

2) Strom is now saying he doesn’t want to change codes in downtown.

I am sorry, that’s a flip-flop. You may not like to hear it, but that’s what it is.

Now, add the fact that Strom Peterson does not make a commitment about heights on the waterfront, where a Seattle developer is now applying for 75 foot tall buildings.

If you care about taller buildings in Edmonds, and you are considering casting a vote for Strom Peterson, I urge you to consider his record. You don’t need to trust me, just look up the cited references above.

Strom’s record may cause you to doubt his sincerity.

And sorry for being negative again…

Happy Birthday Bro!

My brother Bill turned 40 two days ago. He lives in San Diego and flies helicopters for a living. Isn't that a sweet job!

When we were growing up, I became the high school nerd and he became the high school athlete. His sport was the triple jump, which he gave up after injuring the connection between his thigh muscle and hip. He literally busted his ass for his high school!

It also turns that I am the one who gets motion sick and he doesn't. Hence, he can do the flying thing, and I am grounded to science labs.

Now he's 40, happily married to his wife Tracy, and flying helicopters for a living.

I am 41, happily married to my wife Martha, and I program computers and represent the public of Edmonds on the city council.

I love representing the people of Edmonds, but I can't help but wondering what it's like to be my bro, flying helicopters.

Challenging Priya Cloutier’s website

I am glad that Priya Cloutier has a website, just like I am glad to have a blog. Discussion is good, but ideas must be challenged in order to get to the truth. So let’s do some challenging…

Assertion: Priya describes herself as “a highly involved community activist.”

Challenge: Priya has lived three years in Edmonds and has missed many local elections in that time. She is the only candidate for any position who did not cast a vote for our EMS levy. She also missed two school levy elections. Michael Plunkett has perfect voting record over the same period, and has lived in Edmonds 30 years. If Priya won’t vote, then Priya has no business calling herself a community activist.

Assertion: Priya states; “Through his (Plunkett’s) actions, it is clear to me that my opponent is too comfortable in his 12 years…”

Challenge: Priya criticizes Plunkett’s actions, but then she doesn’t tell us what those actions are.
So Priya, what did Plunkett do that you disagree with? Are you upset with him because he formed a historic commission and fought for historic structures? Are you disappointed with his vote to fund Yost pool, the senior center, and public health? What about his votes to create the Edmonds Center for the Arts, streamline architectural design review, or save paramedic service after Mountlake Terrace pulled out of Medic 7? Are you upset that he wanted a larger park in South Edmonds and that he voted to save Marina Beach from development?

Or do you just hate the fact that Plunkett said “no” to taller buildings?

Assertion: In 12 years all my opponent has to show for is passing frivolous laws such as “paper or plastic” or cat leash ordinances!

Challenge (1): Plunkett voted against the cat leash ordinance, check the record, and look it up next time.

Challenge (2): This statement does not indicate how Priya would vote on these issues. Priya seems to fault Plunkett for making a decision. We know what his decisions are. Priya, what would your decision have been?

Assertion: “I am not interested in turning Edmonds into a casino-haven such as Tacoma or Lynnwood .”

Challenge (1): Lynnwood bans casinos, but I am glad to know that Priya wants us to be better than Tacoma.

Challenge (2) Her statement does not take a stand on casinos in Edmonds. In fact, her statement suggests that she would be willing to allow casinos under certain conditions. So what is it Priya? Where do you stand on casinos in Edmonds? Please clarify, clearly please.

Assertion: “I, too, oppose increasing building heights in the downtown Edmonds corridor.”

Challenge: This deceptive statement is designed to trick you. I have heard it again and again from other candidates trying to dodge the issue of building heights in downtown. Priya is trying to give you the impression she opposes taller buildings in all of the downtown and the waterfront, when in fact the phrase ‘Edmonds corridor’ refers only to a portion of downtown.

Priya, the public would like you stop your lawyerly dance and take a stand. What is your stand? Quit dancing around taller buildings and tell us.

Well this concludes my blog for now. Priya, I hope my challenges will improve your website.

Attention All Campaigns: Disclose Pledges

A commitment of funds for later in the campaign is called a pledge. Pledges must be disclosed when you file your C4.

If you've arranged to have a lot of money from unpopular donors come in late in the campaign (where it's difficult for folks to hold you accountable for accepting those contributions), the law says you must disclose this arrangement (or pledge) on your next C4.

I just thought I'd make that nugget of information available.

A better way to look at campaigns: Number of Donors from Edmonds

You'll see many a newspaper article talking about how much money has been raised by such and such a candidate. However, this last primary has taught us that money does not equal votes.
The public disclosure commission's website contains an "advanced search" feature that allows us to look at data differently. I put in a query asking how many donations each candidate received from someone in Edmonds. I did not look at the position 3 race, since one of the candidates has chosen the minimum filing option.


I would argue that the number of donors from Edmonds is a better measure of campaign strength than simple money totals. You don't win by having the majority of the money, you win by having the majority of the votes.




The Position 1 race shows Michael Plunkett has almost 4 times the donors from Edmonds that Priya Cloutier has. Not surprising, since most of Priya Cloutier's cash contributions come from outside of Edmonds. Interestingly, the latest PDC filings show Michael Plunkett has clearly outpaced Priya Cloutier in terms of "Cash On Hand", mostly because of wasteful spending (including a $1200 kickoff party) by the Cloutier campaign. The Plunkett campaign seems to now have the upper hand in terms of financial and popular support.

Diane Buckshnis beat Strom Peterson in the primary, even though Peterson vastly out spent her. Looking at the Number of Donors, we can get a glimpse as to why. Diane Buckshnis has more individual donations from Edmonds residents. While her cash contributions may not be large, they are numerous.

Diane Buckshnis's primary win has also had a leveling affect on the campaign. Both Peterson and Buckshnis are at a financial tie when looking at "cash on hand." Peterson is now just recovering from a major dry spell in the month of August, while Diane keeps bringing in a steady rate of modest, but numerous contributions. This race is a close one, with Peterson's fundraising ability pit again Buckshnis's grass roots networking.

Way to go Michael and Diane! You two clearly see that winning in Edmonds means getting support from the people of Edmonds.

An Innovative Archery Target

My son has been developing an interest in Archery, so much so that he is now taking lessons. He has a home made bow he uses in the backyard, because we don't allow him to use professionally made bows unless he's at a range.

He wanted to shoot an apple off of some one's head, but he obviously did not want anyone to volunteer. He took an old Halloween zombie mask and nailed it to a post with an apple. Now, he has an excellent archery target.

So far, the zombie has not fared well.

Great Voter Turnout in Edmonds

Edmonds voter turnout in the primary election was the third best of every city in Snohomish county. Only Granite Falls and Woodway bested us. You can see the data here.

Let's be first in the general election!

Every candidate should go on channel 21

You may have seen channel 21, the city government’s cable channel. It has a lot of info about the city, and every city official gets his picture on it.

During my last election, I advocated that my opponent, Strom Peterson, should get some time on channel 21, too. Even though, channel 21 is not election oriented, it still puts across information about elected officials, and I felt it needed to be a level playing field.

I still feel that way.

I even made a slide show suggesting how channel 21 should be formatted during elections. I used a “make believe” race for Position zero. Photos are provided by Gary Larson. :>)

During elections, I proposed that channel 21 be turned into a TV voter’s guide. The city provides the name, picture, and contact information for each candidate. We could even add a link for a website or blog (like this one). This way the playing field is kept level and the city is NOT maintaining anything political. The candidates can then exercise their right to free speech on their OWN website and blogs.

One of the reasons I have my own blog is so I don’t have to worry about mixing my “political” thoughts with my “city official” thoughts. This is my own blog, so public money cannot be used for “political” purposes. I can say what I want, freely.

The Life of Anne and Alex

Anne and Alex have recently moved to Edmonds and they are blogging! I have added a link to their blog in the left hand collumn. They recently reported on the new Hickman park and are now blogging about their travels. They and I share a common interest, hiking and camping.

They seem to like Edmonds, but they are hoping for better bloggers. Apparently, they are not impressed with "old-man orvis' blog" :>)

Welcome to Edmonds, Anne and Alex.

Did Priya Cloutier lie to the unions about her signs?

If you're like me, you don't much care about endorsements. However, I am very interested in what a candidate will do and say to get that endorsement, especially when that candidate takes a stand on a policy issue.

Or worse, they lie.

Unions typically expect candidates for office to show solidarity by purchasing their signs through a union printer. The proof of that is shown with a symbol called the "union bug," which denotes information about the union who is associated with the printing shop.

Priya told the unions she was using a union shop to make her signs, but it turns out that's not true. Her signs were made in a non-union shop in Texas, and the sticker denoting the union bug is a fraud designed to deceive folks into believing that the sign was union made. The union bug is for a union in California.

Now to be fair, the unions have forgiven Priya, excepting her explanation that she was unaware of the deception, but I have a hard time believing that a Patton attorney and nuclear engineer would be so stupid as to not make sure her signs were union made before telling the unions they were.

In short, I think she's lying.

Regardless of whether you believe a candidate should use union signs or not, I think we all agree that a candidate should be truthful about it.

After all, if Priya lies to some of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the state to get their endorsement, what lie is she is willing to tell you to get your vote?

A good movie: Julia & Julia

Two weekends ago, my wife and I saw Julia & Julia, drawn by the fact that Meryl Streep is playing Julia Childs. Naturally, she did wonderfully, but her performance wasn’t the only good one. I was particularly impressed with Stanley Tucci, who plays Paul Childs, Julia’s devoted husband. Stanley Tucci made me look up to Paul Childs, a man who supported and encouraged his wife to write her book. When the book wasn’t published, he always took her side of things. When her book was finally published, he rejoiced with Julia. He never forgot her birthday, and he also remembered Valentines day.
Of course, you could say Paul benefitted from Julia’s interest in French cooking. “What’s for dinner?” was one of Tucci’s common lines in the movie, but Tucci also brought out Paul’s appreciation for Julia. Tucci wasn’t just saying “I want food”, he was saying “Stick with it Julia, I love you.”
Thanks to Stanley Tucci, we can see an example of a good husband, Paul Childs, in action.

Local Business: Tarantulas.com

Every once and a while, it’s good it to highlight a local business. Today’s business is tarantulas.com!

Yes, Edmonds is known for its restaurants, shops, and tarantulas! I have looked at their website and they have a variety of species from Acanthoscurria geniculats (otherwise known as the Brazilian Giant Whiteknee) to Theraphosa sp, blondi (alias the Burgundy Goliath Bird Eater).

Next time I need a giant bird eating spider, I am going to support our local businesses and go to trantulas.com. Don’t go to Lynnwood to get your tarantula. Only Edmonds has the best.

And I don’t have to walk far. It turns out that trantulas.com is located just on the other side of my backyard fence. We can wave to each other. Whoopee! Or should I just say EEEEEEEEE!

Poor guy, Freddy goes to the vet.

I took my dogs to the vet yesterday. Unfortunately, our youngest dog, Freddy, doesn't appreciate the vet as he once nipped an assistant. For the safety of the staff, I asked him to be muzzled. As you can see, he is not a happy dog.

Vets must be hard for dogs. They can't comprehend why they have to be poked, prodded, and probed. Our vet actually saved Freddy's life once with emergency surgery, but Freddy can't appreciate it because he doesn't even understand what surgery is! All he remembers is the humilating cone he had to wear over his head.

So he gets a muzzle. Poor guy.

Regulation of Gnomes in Edmonds

Gnomes are a mixed blessing in Edmonds. On the one hand, they are responsible for many a beautiful garden. On the other hand, some are mischief makers that cost the city enumerable dollars.

I recently caught a gnome sleeping in a tree in my parent's backyard.

Lot's of myths concern the culture of gnomes; the main myth being that gnomes are essentially "friendly little people." The reality is that gnomes have a full range of personalities and tempers, and they absolutely hate humans. For example, the gnome above quickly woke up, gave me a hand sign that I can't describe here, and scrambled into the tree and threw seeds and nuts at me. I tried to explain that I was just a councilman trying to do research, but that only made matters worse.

Some gnomes are so nasty they "go gremlin." Gremlins, while genetically identical to gnomes, shed their pointy hat in favor of leather jackets and body piercings. They cause all sorts of problems. Their favorite prank is to cause personal computers to run slow or make a printer fail just when someone is running late for a presentation.

One nasty gremlin, known as Zanchilius, repeatedly dumped bubble bath in the gazebo fountain in downtown. Then assistant parks director Brian McIntosh eventually caught him by creating a stand on the street used to sell nose piercings, which would periodically emanate a shock similar to a taser. Zanchilius was stunned (along with several Gothic band members) and held in a "gremlin proof" cage, which failed to live up to its name. Zanchilius has not been seen since (sadly) a youth drove a car into the fountain while the gremlin was sabotaging it.

Another troublesome gnome is Grimchnotti. Grimchnotti is tired of "taller buildings" in Edmonds; however, anything over 2 foot tall is too tall for Grimchnotti. In his now infamous lawsuit, Grimchnotti v. Edmonds, Gimchnotti argued (over the phone since he couldn't stand being near humans) that any development over 2 feet tall was an unconstitutional breach of a gnomes property rights. An odd argument, since gnomes don't have a concept of property ownership. Attorney Scott Synder argued the constitution did not recognize the rights of gnomes. Synder prevailed, but the case still eats up city legal resources on appeal.

Gnomes are currently regulated under the animal control ordinances of the city of Edmonds; however, there is nothing our animal control officers can do about them. Edmonds gnomes flee human contact and effective gnome traps are virtually non-existent. The planning board will take up the regulation of gnomes this year, but in the meantime here are some tips to prevent gnomes and gremlins from becoming pest:

1) Reward good behavior by praising excellent gnome work. For example, if your flowers are blooming, say "Thank You" very loud and tell them him much you love the flowers. You can't see them, but they listen.
2) Don't get angry when a gremlin strikes. Gremlins feed off anger. Calmly fix the problem they have caused and smile like it's no big deal.
3) Respect a gnome's privacy and they will respect yours.
4) Don't cut down trees. Gnomes love trees, gremlins hate them.

You can report problems to animal control, but don't expect them to do anything about it. And don't report it to your councilman either, because well, some council members mistakenly believe that gnomes are not real. :>)

A fun piece of art

Howard Duell created this piece of art for the Edmonds American Revolution Bicentennial Project in 1976. It looks like a lunar orbiter with a picture of an astronaut and the American flag. It is a nice honor to Niel Armstrong and his fellow astronauts who landed on the moon.

Howard Duell picked this event to honor because it was a moment in our history where we could all come together.

You can find this work on the northwest corner of the public safety building. It's worth a look, especially since this year is the 40th Anniversary of America's journey to the moon.

I have a view too.

I am not among the fortunate in Edmonds who have a view of the waterfront, but nevertheless I am passionate about height limits. Height limits not only protect views of the waterfront, they also protect my view: the view of the sky. My view can be seen in the picture above.

The view of the sky is much like the view of the ocean.

When you look at the ocean, you see vast pure expanses that separate land masses. When you look at the sky, you see vast pure expanses that separate solar systems.

When you look at the ocean, you see pristine mountains over Puget Sound. When you look at the sky, you see powerful stars, so bright you can see them light years away.

When you look at the ocean, you get surprised; you see a ferry, a sailboat, or an occasional orca. When you see the sky you also get surprised; you see a meteor, a satellite, or even the international space station.

I get alarmed when folks want to dump 50 foot buildings next to outer residential areas, because they don't have a view of the waterfront. So what. They have view of the sky. And that's my view you’re talking about.

I have no problem with three story, mixed use buildings in our neighborhood business districts, but 50 foot buildings are not needed to make these areas economically feasible.

We folks in the outer neighborhoods like our sky. We're willing to do our share for economic development, but could you folks who want to dump development out here be reasonable about it?

Priya Cloutier files late reports.

The citizens of Washington voted to create the Public Disclosure Commission to enforce transparent elections.

In my experience, a candidate that does not take campaign disclosure seriously will not be a transparent and open council member if elected. If a candidate will not respect the majority of citizens who created the PDC, then how can we expect them to respect the citizens they represent?

So I am more than concerned (and perturbed) when Ms. Cloutier filed a contribution report late! Very late!

I guess it is not unreasonable for someone who can’t figure out how to cast a ballot for our EMS levy to have problems filing more complicated forms like contribution reports.

By the way, the PDC bends over backwards to make report filing as easy as possible. They provide software to make it simple and they are easily accessible to answer questions for candidates.

Candidates should file contribution reports (called form C3), once a week. (see filing instructions) According to her own report, Priya received contributions as early as June 25th and did not report them until July 9th, over two weeks late.

I can understand why Priya is slow with her contributions reports. Over 90% of her cash contributions come from outside of Edmonds!

P.S. Her expenditure report (form C4) is late too. It was due last Friday and still does not appear on the PDC’s website.

Welcome back Ice Caves!

The Herald recently reported that the trail to the ice caves has re-opened with a brand-new bridge (The old-one had been washed out by flooding) (click here).

When someone says to me, “Where’s a good place to take a nice hike in the mountains?”
I immediately answer, “The ice caves, of course.”

The ice caves are located off of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. It is a very short 1 mile trail with very modest elevation gains, so you can take anybody, including kids and folks who are in their 80’s like my mother and father-in-law, who went with me on August 2006, when I took these photos.

The ice caves are at the base of a mini-glacier that is formed from the snow that sloughs off huge granite cliffs. If you like pictures of beautiful waterfalls, this is the place to go, because they are everywhere.

The trip up to the view point is spectacular too. You are first treated to a forest where artists have carved faces into some of the fallen lumber. Then you cross a bridge over a large flowing creek, and then you are treated to beautiful meadows full of flowers, that would cause envy in the most seasoned gardener.

I would definitely recommend this hike to anyone. Go. You won’t regret it.

Priya Cloutier: Speaking of Casinos...

It’s been a week since I challenged Priya Cloutier to clarify her position on casinos in Edmonds.

So far, no answer. Priya has posted comments on this blog, so I know she monitors it.

Is Priya Cloutier refusing to side with the clear majority of citizens who oppose casinos in Edmonds?

Ron Wambolt joins the ESCA $1000 club.

Edmonds Shopping Center Associates (ESCA) just recently contributed $1000 to the re-election campaign of Edmonds City Councilman Ron Wambolt.

For those who forget, ESCA owns the Antique Mall Site, otherwise known as the “Old-Safeway Shopping Center” Site. They actively lobby for taller buildings on the waterfront. In one proposal, they wanted to build towers up to 10 stories tall.
In the past, Al Dykes (the head of ESCA) has tried to put a casino on that property. When the citizens of Edmonds signed an initiative petition banning casinos, his lawyers lobbied the city to take legal action to stop it. When the casino ban passed anyway, ESCA sued the city to have the ban tossed. Fortunately, the city won, and ESCA lost. (see State Court of Appeals Upholds Mini-Casino Ban)

It’s sad to see council members accept large contributions from a developer who is likely to come before them asking for zoning code changes that will likely improve the profitability of their development. It looks like a buy off.

Ron Wambolt becomes the third council member, along with Strom Peterson and DJ Wilson, to join the ESCA thousand dollar club. If these three council members vote to change ordinances on that site, how will the public ever believe those changes were done for the good of the city?

The Off Leash Area of Edmonds (O.L.A.E)

Imagine a park full of dog poop. Would you want to go there?

There was time that the Edmonds Off-leash area for dogs (located at the south end of Marina Beach) was like that. Citizens were growing tired of it.

But instead of pounding fists at the podium during the council meeting, this group of citizens decided to take matters into their own hands. They formed a non-profit organization called O.L.A.E, and began volunteering their own time to clean up the park for the benefit of the citizens. They also raised money to help support the park and educate dog owners on how to keep the park clean.

Now dogs and their owners have a better park to play in. Thanks to citizens who volunteered their own time to solve a community problem.

Their group has many active participants including council candidate Diane Buckshnis, who is one of their founding members and their current treasurer.

You can find their website at http://www.olae.org/.

Edmonds Beacon: Ron Wambolt defends shutting out the public

The Edmonds Beacon has given excellent coverage to a recent council decision to exclude the council and the public from land-use appeals.

George Murray criticizes the decision (click here).

Betty Larman rants over the decision (click here).

Diane Buckshnis points out the realities of the decision (click here).

Council member Ron Wambolt defends the decision (click here).

I debate Ron Wambolt over the decision (click here).

Rich Senderoff takes offense over the decision (click here).

Diane Buckshnis sums the effects of this decision up the best:

"City bureaucrats can now allow developers to waive shoreline environmental regulation, reduce setbacks, or even allow taller buildings and these issues would not be able to go to appeal to our elected officials. "

Senior Center Italian Dinner

My wife and I enjoyed a great Italian dinner at last Saturday’s fundraiser for the Senior Center. I wanted to give my complements to the chef’s and thank all the volunteers who put in their time. They also had a silent auction. I hope they raised a lot of money.

I couldn’t help but notice two of the volunteers: Adrienne Fraley-Monillas and Diane Buckshnis, who are both running for city council. I also noticed Councilman Michael Plunkett. Michael and I were amongst the diners giving Adrienne and Diane a good reason to volunteer. :-)

Priya Cloutier: Does Transit Oriented Development Mean Casino?

In her essay, “What Priya Cloutier Wants for Edmonds”, Priya Cloutier puts an emphasis on Transit Oriented Development.

When I hear “Transit Oriented Development” I think “Tall, Onerous, and Dense”, but I then decided to do some research. I scanned the web for some examples of Tall, Onerous and Dense developments, whoops, I mean Transit Oriented Developments. Here's what I found:

You can find the EAST 4TH STREET TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR PLAN, complete with a casino (here)

The City of St. Louis is also considering T.O.D at http://www.cmt-stl.org/ISSUES/stltod.html
It not only has a Hotel-Casino, but it also has an RV Park!

Camden, New Jersey is considering a Transit Oriented Development at http://www.cherryhill-nj.com/economic/GoldenTriangle.asp. It has a Latin Casino and a race track.

San Fransisco is considering “Transit Oriented Development for All!” at http://communityinnovation.berkeley.edu/publications/GCCFramingPaper_FINAL.pdf.
Phase 1 includes a casino.

Hmm...

The word “Casino” and “Transit Oriented Development” appear together a lot!

So this begs the question,

Is Priya Cloutier using the phrase “Transit Oriented Development” to hide the fact that she is for casinos in Edmonds?

I have to wonder.

Priya Cloutier and Dave Orvis in the Beacon.

As an example of Al Hooper’s policy of allowing responses to criticisms, take a look at a recent exchange between Ms. Cloutier and I. (click here)

Thumbs up to Al Hooper

Whatever you think about Al Hooper, Al Hooper has guts, and I’m not talking about the kind that hangs over my belt. I am talking about real courage in the world of journalism.

An election is like a jury trial. The candidates are the plaintiffs, the public is the jury, but who’s the judge? Al Hooper tries his best to serve as the judge in his role as the editor for the Edmonds Beacon.

In a jury trial, the judge does not take sides. Instead, he guides the trial. He makes sure that both sides get their say and he also makes sure that both sides get to challenge the other. A good judge sees this adversarial system as the best way to air the truth. It may not be comfortable to watch, but truth trumps comfort.

When folks present their point of view, they tend to cast their view in the best light. When a point-of-view is challenged, one of two things happens: The point-of-view falls under the weight of the challenge, or it survives and becomes a stronger point-of-view. In short, challenge is a great tool to unearth truth.

Al Hooper is the only local editor who promotes challenge in his newspaper. When someone sends in a letter criticizing a candidate, Al Hooper e-mails the letter to that candidate and gives the candidate a chance to respond. By allowing a candidate to challenge his critic, truth has a better chance of getting into the minds of the public.

Critics go unchallenged in the Enterprise and Herald newspapers. When a candidate does respond, the response doesn’t go into the paper for a weak. Therefore, truth cannot come out as effectively.

Like a judge in a jury trial, Al Hooper also does not endorse candidates. He sees his job as getting the truth out. He let’s the public (the jury) make the decision. He also keeps his credibility that way.

The Herald editorial staff likes to play the role of jury not judge. They like to tell us who to vote for. And they put a whole lot of time into thinking about it too, NOT! Basically, they put all the candidates in one room, and then ask us a bunch of general questions. They detest challenge, which they brand as being “negative”, and they don’t investigate whether what is said by the candidate is actually true or not.

Fortunately, the Herald editorial staff has come out looking like fools for doing this. They have not picked a winner in a seriously contested race in the last two Edmonds City Council elections. If I were a candidate for council, I would do whatever I could to get the Herald to endorse my opponent.

Al Hooper has decided to buck the trends in journalism by staying out of the endorsement business and allowing criticism of candidates to be challenged. By playing the role of impartial judge in a jury trial, he makes the Edmonds Beacon truly shine for truth.

Correction: Presidential Primary Participation

In my last entry, I stated several candidates did not cast ballots in the Presidential Primary. Alas, I misread the auditor's data. I called the auditor yesterday and it turns out that ballots where folks did not specify a party preference weren't counted. So in fact, even you submitted a ballot, there would be no record that you voted if you did not specify a party preference on the outside the envelope.

This just goes to show you how screwed up the presidential primary is in Washington. The election is essentially a tax subsidized poll for the parties. I look forward to the day when the party's wake up and allow the voter's to choose all (or most) of their delegates to the conventions.

Fortunately, non of this affects the conclusion of the last entry.

Does Priya Cloutier REALLY "love" Edmonds?

Priya Cloutier emerged this year to challenge incumbent council member Michael Plunkett. Why? She says: "I love Edmonds."

As seasoned voters, we know that any political figure can say "I love Edmonds!" especially during their election. So how do we know Priya REALLY loves Edmonds?

Well, we can look at how she participates in Edmonds elections. The auditor provides a clear public record of when folks cast ballots. In fact, we can compare Priya's participation in local elections to all the other council candidates that are running and presumeably love Edmonds too.

Here are the results:

Priya failed to cast votes in five elections in her three years living in Edmonds.
Priya did not cast a ballot in the Emergency Medical Services Election on May 20, 2008. This ballot also included a school levy.
Priya did not cast a ballot in the Edmonds school levy election on February 7, 2006.
Priya did not cast ballots in two primary elections and one general election.

So how did the other candidates for city council fair during the same period:
Michael Plunkett and Al Rutledge have perfect voting records.
Diane Buckshnis, Ron Wambolt, Lora Petso, and Adrienne Fraley-Monillas missed the presidential primary. No doubt they were protesting how state parties refuse to allow all of their delegates to be selected by the citizens. I fault nobody for missing this so called election.
Strom Peterson and Lora Petso missed the school levy election on February 7, 2006.

As you can see, Priya Cloutier's voting record is the absolute worst. No other candidate for any position missed 5 elections! Priya Cloutier is also the only candidate for any position that blew off the election to fund our emergency medical services.

I believe Priya has decided to love Edmonds because she is running for city council, not because she REALLY loves Edmonds. I mean, how can you say you love "Edmonds" when you can't make the time to check a box for paramedics and EMT's? How can you say you love Edmonds when you won't cast a ballot for the schools that our kids need? How can you say you know what's good for Edmonds, when you blow off a primary to elect Edmonds officials? If this is her idea of love, wait until she gets on the council.