Sixteen Clallam County Jobs Saved

During an emergency meeting of Teamsters Local Union No. 589, members voted to accept wage concessions in order to save jobs.  As a result, sixteen Clallam County employees who were scheduled to be laid off will keep their jobs after all.

Port of Port Angeles Approves 2012 Budget

Port of Port Angeles commissioners have unanimously approved an $8.2 million budget for next year.  This budget includes a half million dollar surplus and a 2% pay raise for Executive Director Jeff Robb.

The pay raise is retroactive to August and will bring his yearly salary to $123,165.

Monday Deadline for Chinook Motel Owners

The City of Port Angeles has given the owners of the (closed) Chinook Motel until tomorrow to comply with a condemnation order that was issued in 2009.  The City Planning Manager said the owners have not complied with the order to bring their property up to code.  She said if the owners have not produced a plan for compliance by Monday, the city would "consider another approach," including the possibility of placing a lien on the property.

Peninsula Plywood Closed

Josh Renshaw, president of the mill, said he hopes to reopen.  The company is working on debt restructuring.

Josh Renshaw said "We're in an uphill battle for sure."

Grant Munro said:  “There’s still hope, and I’ll just leave it at that.  We’re still trying some things.”

McCrorie Home Furnishings Closing

After 53 years in downtown Port Angeles, McCrorie Home Furnishings will close. Bob McCrorie, the owner, is retiring and plans to close the store rather than sell it.

There will be a liquidation sale beginning at noon this Friday.

Possible Elimination of Weekend Snow Plowing

Local budget cuts might eliminate snow plowing on weekends and holidays in Clallam County.  County Engineer Ross Tyler said the fiscal crisis will force his department to cut overtime costs.  Plowing, sanding and debris removal would be consolidated to weekdays only.

Kent Myers to Speak at PABA meeting

At this Tuesday's meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association, City Manager Kent Myers will be the guest speaker.  He will be giving a "state of the city" report.

Just Letters No Filters: The Sequel

I received this comment (through my e-mail notification) from Larry Williams.  The comment didn't appear on the blog, but I'm assuming that he wanted me to publish this.  If I misunderstood, my bad:

Tom -

While I do not condone anonymous blog sites, I want to at least commend you for using your name when you post items to PA Online.

I find many of the comments on the site generally offensive - but then again I feel the same way when I see a tabloid at the check out stand.

Of course I'm assuming that you are not the perpetrator who started the "Just Letters No Filters" site.

It is a sham of a kind that I've never encountered before and it leaves me little choice than to comment on "Just Letters" comment of 11/14/11 at 8:31AM.

I originally looked at the site when I noticed a post under the "Commenting at PDN Site? Facebook Account Require" post you put up on your site on 11/9. "Just Letters" said a new site was being formed in a comment on 11/10 at 10:17AM. I followed the site for a week, and when a couple of comments by Ed Chad went in under the Moderators opening post I thought I'd try to get some clarification about the entire site and what the Moderator was attempting to accomplish.

What follows is what the current post looks like on "Just Letters No Filters" site - there is only 1 posting as of 8:45 PM 11/16/11- all other material has been removed:

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
SUCCESS!!!
When I started this blog, it was a kind of experiment...An experiment to see how long it would take a certain obsessive former Port Angeles City Council member who has left the area to find it. Well, now we know. It took less than a week. Some people can't spot a fake, and some people obviously just can't let go...

And for the record, my favorite part of the message from this famously peevish and unpleasant person is when they complained that one letter was written in a "bitterly disrespectful manner." Now let me see...Who can I think of that's written letters to the PDN in a "bitterly disrespectful manner"...Hmmm...

In any case...Experiment: Successful! Thank you, and good night!


That is what I found tonight….the post is in response to a message I sent to the Just Letters moderator via the comment section seeking both information and expressing my disappointment that the site was not what I had expected given what was promised.

(end part 1 of a 3 part post - continued in part 2)


So your readers can see what prompted the above, the following message is what I sent to the Just Letters moderator - it is quoted below in full:


Moderator - the following is not for publication. I know of no other means of communicating with you and you are not authorized to publish this with my name. If you wish to re-word both the questions and answers in an attempt to explain your site to others under on your own, that's fine with me…as long as my name or writing style isn't attached in any way.

First - I agree that the PDN has made it increasingly difficult to express an opinion. I was hoping that this new blog would offer a forum for open and respectful expression that identifies all writers to better ensure accountability.

But I'm puzzled with what I see compared to what I thought was intended.

The first post by Patrick Miller regarding Rich Sill sinks into name calling about half way through. It then delves into unreferenced and unsupported accusations.

The second post by Chris Nelson berates both Linda Barnfather and Jim McEntire in a bitterly disrespectful manner.

The third post by Tom Davis starts off with swearing and berates people for parking their cars on their own property - when sometimes such is a necessity due to street widths or new storm water regulations.

Then there is the post in which a former - terminated - Clallam employee signed a non-disclosure agreement…which you apparently saw…and expects anonymity while continuing the name calling and unsupported allegations. It will take someone at the County about a fraction of a second to figure out who the person is, and it makes you a party to violating the agreement….a non-disclosure agreement usually means not talking about the entire incident and surrounding information, not blabbing about a problem without signing your name.

For the record, I don't know Sill and have no ax to grind regarding him either way.

Having noted those specific inconsistencies, all of this takes place against a backdrop of apparently allowing anonymous comments about any letters published…which, in my mind, make the site no better than the stuff that goes on with the PA Online site.

I'd be happy to listen to your perspective, but at the moment I'm disappointed with what I see so far.

Larry G. Williams, Omak, WA

It was an honest inquiry seeking to determine what the new forum intended

(End part 2 of 3 posts, continued - HTML limits a post to 4096 characters)



(Beginning part 3 of a 3 part post - continued HTML limits a post to 4096 characters)

Regarding Port Angeles Online….months ago I attempted to clarify through a single comment I made on your blog site. I didn't use my name at the time - though I felt the factual information I provided was important. But since I didn't use my name, it didn't feel quite right for me then, and it has bugged me ever since. This will be my last and final post on Port Angeles Online. This settles the score for me.

I will continue to express my opinion through the PDN…it's a printed format with a readership that I can generally relate with. Sometimes my opinions are strong, and at times I toss in the occasional catch phrase to try and stimulate some dialogue about a topic. While using the phrase "cream of the crap" was a little over the top, it reflected my opinion of what has been happening in City Government, and was the beginning of a series of comments I had about the election and what will likely transpire in the future.

What is unfortunate, in my opinion, is the level is angst in online and anonymous post forums without writers feeling the need to take ownership by including their name. When I've commented in the PDN - even if it is a forceful comment, at least people know who is talking. For anyone interested in moving to Port Angeles, and who looks at the town through the lens of your blog site, it seems the town is torn apart and has diminishing opportunities for recovery.

What I find most disturbing is this - "Just Letters" says at 11/14/11 @ 8:31AM above, the following: "No one is going to try to expose you to ridicule." As the current post on Just Letters Not Filters shows, that is not the case. Someone has had a good laugh, and I have no doubt others will cheer with glee as well. Fooled once, shame on you. Fooled twice, shame on me.

Yes, I'm pretty naive about some things, and no it never crossed my mind that the site was a fake. Yes, I will continue to monitor PA Online from time to time…after all, it does reflect a segment of the town even if I don't necessarily agree with it, and don't relate positively to how the media is used in the dissemination. Yes, the hateful comments pointed directly me by unknowns do sting…I'm only human too.

No, I won't be making additional posts, by name or otherwise.

But, Tom, what has happened is an offshoot of your site…and you expressed your support for it beginning. For the sake of anyone wishing to consider trusting or using your site in the future, I'd appreciate you commenting on what has transpired.

Larry G. Williams, Omak, WA (End part 3 of 3)

Clallam County Layoffs

A Clallam County budget proposal will include laying off fifteen employees, reducing six other full-time positions to part-time, and closing the Clallam County Courthouse for sixteen days next year.

There will be two public hearings on December 6th concerning the budget plan.  They will be in Room 160 of the Clallam County Courthouse, 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Possible Law and Justice Sales Tax Increase

The three county commissioners are considering whether to ask voters to approve a one tenth of one percent sales tax.  This tax would support law and justice services.

County Administrator Jim Jones said the juvenile services department is losing money; costs are rising at three times the inflation rate.

Local Impact of 1183

This article quotes some of the people who will be out of work because of I-1183.  I was against I-1183 for that exact reason.  I have no personal preference whether booze is available at grocery stores and supermarkets or only at state-run liquor stores.  But either way, Washington's state liquor stores didn't seem to be broken, but Costco found it necessary to spend $22.5 million "fixing" the "problem."

Several commenters at the PDN article are talking about boycotting Costco.  I'm not necessarily agreeing with them, but the Costco in Sequim just happens to be next door to a Grocery Outlet.  I'm just saying...

Just Letters No Filters

That's the name of a new site where people can send letters regarding issues of interest to Clallam County citizens.

Here's the link.

I haven't sent anything yet, but it sounds like you won't have to spend two weeks jumping through hoops while you're waiting for your letter to maybe get published.

Commenting at PDN Site? Facebook Account Required

If you want to leave a comment at the end of a PDN article, you'll need a Facebook account.  According to today's online survey at the PDN, just under half of the respondents don't have a Facebook account.

I guess that's one way of cutting down on the number of comments.

Five Port Angeles Businesses Closing

Rick's Place and Thai Peppers closed last month, along with United Rentals, located near the old Wal-Mart store.    Tiger Lily has moved to Port Orchard and expects to reopen in mid-November.

Waste Not Want Not, 724 East First Street, will be closing at the end of this month.

Meetings to Discuss Lincoln Park Tree Removal

On November 30th there will be a meeting to discuss the Lincoln Park Master Plan, including the removal of trees which are blocking the approach to Fairchild International Airport.  The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 321 East Fifth Street.

This will be the first of several meetings to discuss this issue.