Brad Collins Appointed to City Council
The six Port Angeles City Council members have voted unanimously to appoint Brad Collins to the seventh seat.
Brad Collins retired as community development director in 2005, and he's a deputy director of Serenity House of Clallam County. If he wants to complete the second two years of this City Council term, he will need to run for re-election in the Fall of 2011.
Brad Collins retired as community development director in 2005, and he's a deputy director of Serenity House of Clallam County. If he wants to complete the second two years of this City Council term, he will need to run for re-election in the Fall of 2011.
posted by Tom Harper at 9:57 PM
57 Comments:
This is potentially a very good development for Port Angeles.
Besides knowing all the players, and knowing city hall, Brad knows the community as a public planning professional, and as a director for a charity. All good things.
But, it gets better. Folks may remember that Brad got "fired" from his position in planning at Port Angeles city hall in a "re-organization" orchestrated by Glenn Cutler, Karen Rogers and that crew. It was "power politics", and power was being consolidated.
He was not impressed with their actions, to put it nicely.
So, Port Angeles may finally have a majority of "good" folks on the council for the first time in many years.
Thank you, current council members, for your choice today.
The Collins-Cutler smackdowm potential is indeed most delightful to consider. With Madsen and Rogers and Williams gone, Cutler is the last of the big power players left to go.
This was a very good choice for many reasons. This Council has a great deal of potential.
Excellent choice.
During that same "re-organization" the City also lost another good man, Scott Brodhun, who had been the Director of Parks & Recreation. After being demoted to Parks & Rec Manager, under Glenn Cutler, he resigned. Recreation programs throughout the City have still not recovered.
well done city council
Thank you to all six who applied and were prepared to go through the public vetting and interviewing process. It appears that the council made a reasoned choice in selecting Collins. Best wishes to all.
Congratulations BRAD!
Well, I don't expect things to improve much until the economy improves, and I don't see it improving for some time.
So I hope they tighten their belts and spend your dollars wisely.
I MADE SOMETHING FOR A FRIEND
Ya know, that is the problem with you guys. All you ever do is whine and complain. Can't you ever say anything positive?
Kidding aside, it IS good to see hope for this community. Where as I agree with Billy about the economic stuff, it sure doesn't hurt not to have the self serving leeches that we USED to have at city hall.
With any luck, Glenn Cutler will feel "motivated" to retire this year.
I heard on the Canadian radio this morning that our mayor DanDi was in Victoria earlier this week, and met with the mayor there.
DanDi didn't lose much time getting across the water to promote Port Angeles. The radio clip said they talked about the Coho, the terminal issues, and the proposed redevelopment of the terminal site in Victoria.
And, about how to improve tourism between the two communities. The Victoria mayor was talking about the "increased security" in the US as being an cause for dropping visitorship and travel. No kidding!
the increased security, and the threat of being harassed by the "border patrol" on 101 have not helped our community at all.
The lovely paper had to do a big feature focusing on the border patrol and "are you going to continue to do checkpoints on 101" (picked up by the Victoria paper, by the way, and on several Victoria news stations). Meanwhile, in July the Seattle Times did a big feature on the stepped up State Patrol enforcement action in Jefferson/Clallam counties. (This was also picked up on some Victoria radio stations.)
Yep, we scared them away, and scared people in Seattle from coming out here. Who needs another traffic citation, and who needs to worry about a border patrol checkpoint!
Meanwhile, no damage control from our various bonehead associations or business groups. Dimwits.
Did anyone else notice the Chamber insert in today's paper? Specifically, the newest hire by the Chamber, their new "Visitor Center and Marketing Assistant," Lindsey Veenema. If that last name sounds familiar to you, it might be because her uncle Russ is the Chamber's Executive Director.
Now, some might say she only got the job because "Uncle Russ" is in charge. But when you look at her credentials - she's worked retail! and at a ski resort! - you can see she's deeply, deeply qualified for the position.
GOOD LORD...Where will this nepotism end? It's no wonder this town is in such sad shape, being that, historically, the only requirement for getting a job has been being related to "someone." It's not who you are...Or what you know...It very much is WHO YOU KNOW. Needless to say, this generally eliminates anyone with skills, experience, etc.
We've FINALLY got some new, good people on the City Council. Can we now get some new blood in at the Chamber? And can we please make sure that the Executive Director of the Port Angeles Chamber actually lives in Port Angeles? (Russ Veenema lives in Sequim, folks...Think about that for a bit.)
Can't you ever say anything positive?
You bet, I saw this mess coming and learned how to live on very little, less than a grand a month.
Everyone may as well learn to live with the security issues, they are not going to go away soon. I haven't had any trouble the few times I've been to Victoria, you just have to play by the rules.
I got an enhanced drivers license to make it a bit easier.
And can we please make sure that the Executive Director of the Port Angeles Chamber actually lives in Port Angeles?
I don't think it matters where someone actually lives as long as they have the interests of the people at heart.
There are folks that live outside of the city limits here that would make great council members, and even a mayor, but they can't run for those offices even though they think of PA as their city.
I didn't do much of a post today, mostly just camping pictures.
For example, Jackson Smart couldn't run for a city office, he lives outside of the city limits on my side of town. Not that I would vote for him if I could, ha ha ha
What I would like to know is what Russ Veenema makes. If you love a town shouldn't you be willing to serve it for something like 24 grand a year?
If not, it's just about making all the money you can, we all know how greed works.
When I was helping a small town in Utah get things together I never, and didn't expect, to get a penny of pay for it. I just wanted it to be a better town.
I said a better town, not a bigger one, and it did become a better town.
" ....the newest hire by the Chamber, their new "Visitor Center and Marketing Assistant," Lindsey Veenema. If that last name sounds familiar to you, it might be because her uncle Russ is the Chamber's Executive Director."
I guess I spoke too soon about the "self serving leeches" inour community.
" Where will this nepotism end? It's no wonder this town is in such sad shape.."
No kidding. The Port Angeles associations and civic groups are just wasting everyone's time, as long as this system of nepotism is allowed to continue.
"If you love a town shouldn't you be willing to serve it for something like 24 grand a year?"
The PADA director, Barb Fredericks, gets 50 grand a year for overseeing that ridiculous monthly newsletter, sending out bulk emails and sitting in her office all day dreaming up essay writing contests or dress up days.
This is a grossly overpaid salary considering downtown is such a disaster. Cut her salary down to 20 grand a year and demand results.
Fewer "business associations" means more streamlined operations...Less duplication of "services"...And it will be easier for those on the outside to judge whether or not those associations are, in fact, actually doing anything.
Right now we've got the Chamber, the PADA, the PABA, the EDC, the Incubator, various tourism groups...We need to eliminate all but the most essential and effective of these groups. If we can get that done, in combination with some new elected leaders, we're halfway there.
As is, we're just half-baked...Russ, are you listening???
Ah, yes. And Lincoln is asking for support for buying this piece of property? As we see here, Rayonier continues to drag out the clean up attempts and processes. 10 years later, and they continue to as for extensions in the process.
" Partial clean up"?? How is the rest going to get cleaned up?
(edited for bevity) PDN:
"OLYMPIA — The state Department of Ecology said today that Rayonier Inc. has signed a draft agreement for a study and partial cleanup of the 75-acre site of the old Rayonier pulp mill on the Port Angeles waterfront.
No comment from Rayonier was available this morning.
Ecology plans an open house from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Port Angeles Senior Center, at 328 E. Seventh St. Ecology staff members will answer questions and collect comments.
The new accord replaces two older agreements and defines a “study area” where Rayonier will conduct additional groundwater and soil investigations, ultimately resulting in a plan for cleanup of the site at the end of Ennis Street, Ecology said.
The state added that the agreed order incorporates Rayonier’s previous work and requires additional data collection for a full understanding of the cleanup work needed in the study area, and includes an enforceable schedule of tasks to keep Ecology and Rayonier on track.
Pockets of PCBs, dioxin, arsenic and other toxins were found on the site after it closed in 1997 after 68 years of pulp mill operation.
It has been an Ecology cleanup project since 2000.
In December, both sides had agreed to extend the negotiations on the legal agreement to this month. Ecology proposed a draft legal agreement on Sept. 28.
At that time, the draft agreed order required Rayonier to finish soil sampling to fill data gaps on the property at the foot of Ennis Street.
It also required Rayonier to develop a plan to clean up the study area, which includes the mill site and a portion of Port Angeles Harbor extending one mile to the northeast.
Ecology maintains that the study area does not define the extent of the cleanup area, which could be expanded if Rayonier is found responsible for further contamination.
Rayonier will still be accountable for cleaning up any contamination outside the study area that can be linked to the mill’s 68 years of operation.
"We need to eliminate all but the most essential and effective of these groups."
How do you figure this is going to be accomplished?
BTW, you left out a wack of other civic groups in town that also try to do tourism/town improvement projects. The Soroptomists (sp?) come to mind.
I was a member of the business association here ten years ago. And I was stupid enough to be a member for two years before I bailed out because I couldn't make any difference there.
They have more goddamn self centered agendas there than you can shake a stick at.
The Chamber is packed to the rafters with dead-enders and lesser members of the Cabal who were all for Edna in the last election.
It's time to open up the windows of that den of iniquity and corruption and let the foul air out.
What amazes me is that these people at the Chamber KNOW that Russ Veenema is doing stupid, stupid things like hiring his unqualified niece to work at promoting businesses here...THEIR businesses. Wasting THEIR money to pay her. And hurting THEIR OWN chances of success in the long and short term.
And yet they do nothing. Say nothing. Are they cowards? Morons? Both?
Also please note: The people running what are the more successful businesses downtown (the Blue Dolphin, Country Aire, Port Book and News) are NOT involved with the Chamber or the PADA or the PABA. They simply use their time, and money, wisely - minding their own business.
Also: What was Karen Rogers doing going into a gun shop (on 8th) yesterday afternoon? Is she going to retake City Hall by force?
Anonymous, 12:04 a.m. 1/24: Sorry, but for CYA purposes I can't publish your comment. The person you were talking about has threatened to take legal action against some of the commenters here. So just to play it safe, I can't publish comments here that could possibly be actionable.
Yes, this is consistent with city hall here in Port Angeles. Intimidate and attempt to silence anyone that doesn't go along with their goals.
We saw that again, recently, with what Jeff Lincoln, Kent Myers and others did, in using public funds and lawyer time to investigate Darlene Schadfeld, and to repeatedly contact the Dept of Ecology to try and silence her efforts to simply provide the public with another view of project options. How horrible!
Same tactics, here.
Also: What was Karen Rogers doing going into a gun shop (on 8th) yesterday afternoon? Is she going to retake City Hall by force?
Watcher, you pretend to know so much, Roger's husband owns the gun shop.
You need to get your head out of the sand.
Tom,
"Publish and be damned"
Don't let some weak ass "threat" stop you from publishing.
People that threaten that nonsense are ALWAYS bluffing,call them out.
Thanks.
O.K., who's got their knickers in twist now? And who are they going to take legal action against ... the majority of people who post as "Anonymous" or the few who use assumed names.
Let's have a reality check, please. Whoever is having a hissy fit has not got a legal leg to stand on. It's called free speech and so long as the comment is not libelous, the crybaby can go jump in a lake.
You might want to talk with the ACLU and find out where you stand.
Russ and Barb both need to GO, and go now. They are useless, and getting more useless. We need fresh blood in both those positions (and both need to have the salaries cut to $30k, and then get a bonus IF measurable results are obtained). The problem is, business owners have their hands full trying to stay IN business, keeping the various taxing agencies forms filled out, paying fees, permits, fines, and whatever other nonsense devised to suck their dwindling cash. Who has time to deal with two incompetent jerks who are arrogant, mean spirited, and self-serving?
This town is too full of egos who move into positions that they entrench themselves into, barricade themselves from any criticism, and do whatever they can to get more money, more power, more influence. The problem is, these people feel that they must answer to NO ONE, and threaten to destroy, damage, or sue anyone who questions their power.
Barb flat out ignores new businesses, and those who do not kiss her ample ass. Russ couldn't be ruder to people who don't jump right up and JOIN his club. If you ask him what benefits....he'll bristle and bluster!
Neither of them ever show up INSIDE a business -- during business hours. Neither are friendly, both are insincere, rather rude, and very, very snobby. Screw them both!
They do not serve anyone's interests but their own. Never have, never will. And, if Russ "hiring" his niece is any indication, he doesn't care what anyone thinks. He's the master of his chamber -- monarchy.
Oh! This blog is so, so - full of poison.
Might I suggest that some of that poison please be directed into letters to the editor AND letters to elected officials, so that more people know of the dissatisfaction with these morons in charge.
Thanks everyone! As Dorothy Parker once said: "If you can't say anything nice, come over and sit by me."
Maybe Russ is the master of his chamber -- pot.
Re: Karen Rogers in a gun shop
Her husband operates Doc Neeley's Guns.
WA UBI: 601 745 572
Anonymous @ 12:08pm said:
"...Barb flat out ignores new businesses, and those who do not kiss her ample ass...."
Heh,heh,heh,sue me witches,hahaha...
"Might I suggest that some of that poison please be directed into letters to the editor"
Which paper? The PDN only prints letters it approves of. Who is going to see letters in the waste paper bin?
Anontmous @ 12:04,
Send your 'unpublishable' comments to BBC,he'll publish anything...
Hahaha,fuck the shysters.
I am disappointed in how low we all are stooping to object to the hiring of Russ Veenema's niece to what is little more than a minimum wage job at the Chamber (which by the way, was done with the full knowledge and approval of the Chamber Board of Directors). Lets get back to legitimate discussion about something that matters.
Send letters in, then follow up with them if they don't call you. I know that Paul Gottlieb can be a HUGE pain in the ass, but, even if he is, go over his head. I've done it before, and it works.
(But Gottlieb really is a pain. I love that this incredibly ethically challenged person is set up to decide what can, or cannot, be published. Put him on the list of people who have to go in order to help move Port Angeles ahead.)
The editor of the PDN won't print my letters, but maybe by now he has forgotten that I told him he was a idiot. I guess that pissed him off.
The Chamber Board has no backbone.
The unprofessionalism I've seen by Mr Veenema is down right disgusting and the board just lets him get away with it. Of course we know who is in charge, I thought it was the other way around.
"Myers said that the group also met with the editor of the Victoria Times-Colonist; members of the Downtown Victoria Business Association; the CEO of Black Ball Ferry Line, Ryan Burles; and Victoria Mayor Dean Fontin."
Ah, yes. No better way to impress the Mayor of the community you're courting, than to not know how to spell his name correctly! Way to go, PDN.
""I am disappointed in how low we all are stooping to object to the hiring of Russ Veenema's niece to what is little more than a minimum wage job at the Chamber""
Yeah, how many unemployed parents would have jumped for joy at the chance to have a minimum wage job at the Chamber?
We're at about 30% unemployment (counting those who've used up their unemployment, those who never qualified, and those who are getting it) maybe higher, around here. Any job should go to someone supporting family..not to some niece of some egomaniac.
I DO write letters to the PDN, which are not published. I DO write to people, including the morons who are employed as "reporters" for the PDN.
They all get ignored. No one has any amount of manners any more. No reply, not acknowledgement, and certainly not run in the newspaper. They only want happy horse poopie and someone to blow smoke up their exhaust pipes.
Hiring people in P.A. is difficult, most can't fill out an application correctly, or have no skills whatsoever, and cannot even follow directions. Way to go Russ, you likely got one of the few that has these qualifications. Don't listen to all these whinners.
"Hiring people in P.A. is difficult, most can't fill out an application correctly, or have no skills whatsoever, and cannot even follow directions. Way to go Russ, you likely got one of the few that has these qualifications. Don't listen to all these whinners."
Who says we don't have standards here?
capitalist, you are obviously trying to hire for the lowest of the low minimum wagers. There are lots of people in this town who CAN fill out an application. And, who says that Mr. V can fill out anything, spell correctly, and his family is educated. Way to go, Mr. V, didn't know you frequented the blog. Capitalist my ass, "ooopertunist" you mean.
"I DO write letters to the PDN, which are not published. I DO write to people, including the morons who are employed as "reporters" for the PDN.
They all get ignored. No one has any amount of manners any more. No reply, not acknowledgement, and certainly not run in the newspaper. They only want happy horse poopie and someone to blow smoke up their exhaust pipes."
Absolutely CORRECT! I also know this from years of similar experiences. No basic manners, any more.
I read in another thread people talking about moving away from here. Count me as another. This town is such a sad, pointless excuse for a community.
"capitalist, you are obviously trying to hire for the lowest of the low minimum wagers".
You clearly have not tried to hire anyone lately, minimum wage? I'm talking $11.00 to $20.00 per hour....the labor pool is terrible.
Oh wait a minute... you're on unemployment and think you're god's gift to the work force, and no one pays enough because they're greedy.
Yet you can't hold a job because you have an attitude, you only know how to communicate by txting, and the only problem you can solve is what time to get out of bed, which is usually late for work....but you are entitled right???
A perfect example of what's available out there.
Well then, IF, as you say, the PDN will not run your letters...Send them straight to the City Manager, City Council members, County Commissioners, etc., etc. If your voice is blocked one way, go another. Anything less is a cop out.
Also, given some of the grammatically-challenged postings here...And some of the rambling postings here...If the PDN got letters of similar "quality" then I could understand why they wouldn't jump at the chance to publish them. (And make the authors look foolish...)
Watcher,
I can write. I can write coherent sentences. I can write "fancy" sentences. I can get my point across. The reality is, doesn't matter to whom you write, might as well throw it into an empty pit and shovel some sh*t on it. You'd get the same response, the same reply.
Ever try writing or speaking with Barb? She ignores you, or sends an email reply full of platitudes. Ever try writing Russ (hard copy?). Bupkis! Try writing the newspaper letters to the editor. Silence. Try writing any one of the various reporters (term used loosely) at the PDN, aside from the two youngest, who are sweet (but they only agree, and shrug their shoulders), nothing.
Don't know about the new city council members, haven't tried yet.
Have you tried writing any congressmen or senators? No reply. If you try and call them, takes about 14 or 15 tries before you get an intern who has no clue how to take a message. Write an email, form letter comes back.
Try writing ANYONE in the state legislature. Doesn't matter to whom you attempt to communicate -- phone, email OR snailmissive -- you get back a form letter that has abso-f*cking-lutely nothing with any intelligence behind it (FORM LETTER REPLIES). Try complaining to our State AG's office. They send form letters upon form letters then tell you how you can go to small claims court.
Try complaining to any corporation... first you have to find one, then find the right number, then get a phone number that actually is answered, and THEN good luck. Write a letter...nothing. Email, an auto-response.
Try calling the IRS....(they admit) 6 out of ever 10 calls may not go through. You get lost in push this button, push that button...and then you go around again. After a 30 minute hold you might be disconnected **by accident**.
What world are you living in? Are you a time traveler? Because, I can tell you that the only real communication is shouting in a bucket (or posting on a blog!)
The joke of it is...this blog is read by more of the people we are trying to get the attention of. Irony.
I've had numerous letters to the editor published. Submit it. Wait. If they don't call you in three days to confirm it, call them. If they give you grief, give them grief back. If need be, go to John Brewer. SHAME THEM INTO PRINTING YOUR LETTER. It really and truly can be done. If they make you work, make them work harder. The jerk who "checks" letters is only doing that job because he was demoted, so he's hardly a powerhouse at the PDN. Roll right over him with a smile on your face.
"Well then, IF, as you say, the PDN will not run your letters...Send them straight to the City Manager, City Council members, County Commissioners, etc., etc. If your voice is blocked one way, go another. Anything less is a cop out."
Watcher, I know you mean well, but that IS insulting to the folks you're trying to encourage and help. "IF" seems to say you doubt what fellow posters you're responding to, are saying. You know as well as the rest of us that the PDN has long had a tight rein on anything published in their paper. And that most all of the elected folks rarely reply. IF they do, it is some non committal crap.
I DO hope things will improve in this community, but as recent events with Schandfeld and the City Manager have shown, it doesn't look hopeful.
( Are you holding your breath that the new city council will direct Kent Myers and Jeff Lincoln to apologize to Schandfeld, and repudiate any efforts to overtly silence the public?)
Capitalist said...
"You clearly have not tried to hire anyone lately, minimum wage? I'm talking $11.00 to $20.00 per hour....the labor pool is terrible."
What? After all the work Karen Rogers, and Jim Haugewood have done at the Skill Center and Incubator? The labor pool is terrible in Port Angeles?
We need to attract more businesses here, obviously.
LOL. Have you ever seen how Gottleib dresses?
Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool with yo pants on the ground!
I'm assuming there's a bit more to a $20 an hour job than just being able to fill out an application correctly. Probably a real specialized skill set.
$20 an hour though. Wow. I'm not saying I disbelieve you, but my experience with Port Angeles employers has been less than favorable. Generally they've hired at extremely low rates with no extra compensation for workload or quality of job done, and been unwilling to get their own hands dirty. Then when customers start leaving due to bad service, they sit around complaining about Walmart or liberals or anyone else to blame but themselves.
My last job in P.A. was half of $20 an hour. I didn't get a raise for three years, even though I was doing the work of three people and working 50 hours a week at the end (10 unpaid). If feeling bitter about that means I "think I'm god's gift to the work force, and no one pays enough because they're greedy" then so be it. Personally I think I was just being stupid for sticking with them for so long, and I'm being stupid now expecting there to be any different sort of employer in Port Angeles.
Let's hear it for Brad Collins. Tonight he did very well at his first council meeting. Though Glenn Cutler may have a different opinion...HA!
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