Sissi Bruch and Bill Peach to Debate at PABA meeting

Two weeks after their debate at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Clallam County commissioner candidates Sissi Bruch and Bill Peach will be squaring off again at this Tuesday's meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association.

Sequim Anti-Labor Initiatives Will Not Be On November Ballot

Two proposed Sequim union-busting initiatives will not be on the ballot this November.  The proponents of these initiatives — a deep-pocketed rightwing think tank and its local tools — had filed a lawsuit demanding that the initiatives either be enacted by the Sequim City Council or placed on the November ballot.

But Clallam County Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer has ruled that “genuine issues of material fact” need to be “resolved at trial.”  A trial date will be set during a hearing this Friday in Clallam County Superior Court.  In addition to the City of Sequim, Teamsters Local 589, which represents 50 of the city's 73 employees, will be added as a defendant in the upcoming lawsuit.

Salmon Restoration on the North Olympic Peninsula

Today's online PDN poll question is:

Do you think the millions spent on salmon restoration on the North Olympic Peninsula is helping to bring back salmon?

Number of votes cast: 816



 

Clallam County Auditor Candidates to debate at PABA meeting

At this Tuesday's meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association, the guests will be the candidates for County Auditor:  Shoona Riggs and Kim Yacklin.

Sissi Bruch and Bill Peach to Debate at Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

Tomorrow's Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce Luncheon will feature a debate between the candidates for District 3 Clallam County commissioner:  Sissi Bruch and Bill Peach.

Sequim City Council Nixes Anti-Union Initiatives

The Sequim City Council has voted unanimously to not act on two anti-union initiatives that were presented to the Council in late July.  Personally I wouldn't have a problem with placing these two ALEC-financed “We're taking our country back!  To 1850” initiatives on the ballot.  Presumably, a majority of Sequim residents would be smart enough not to be conned into voting against their own interests.  And if not, well, like they say, we get the government we deserve.

But according to the City Council and the Sequim City Attorney, these initiatives would be in violation of certain state laws and court rulings and would open up the city to unfair-labor-practice lawsuits.  Councilman Ted Miller said:

“It would be hard for any proponents to come up with initiatives that violate more statutes and more court decisions than this one.  It's a total waste of taxpayer money to vote on a totally meaningless election.” 

City Attorney Craig Ritchie said:

“These initiatives, if passed, would put the city at some risk of being forced to commit unfair labor practices if they were complied with or not committing unfair labor practices and then not complying with them.”

Prosecuting Attorney Candidates to speak at next PABA meeting

Clallam County prosecuting attorney candidates Mark Nichols and William Payne will be the guest speakers at this Tuesday's meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association.

City of Sequim Sued for Delaying Action on Koch Brothers/ALEC initiatives

Susan Brautigam, a member of the Freedom Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Sequim for delaying their decision on Propositions 1 and 2.  In a written statement issued by the Freedom Foundation, she said:

“It's clear the city is just looking for a way to sweep this under the rug, but we're not going to just go away quietly.” 

Susan Brautigam's attorney, Shawn Newman, said:

“The council has two choices under the law: pass the citizen initiative as is or refer to the general election.”

But according to Sequim City Attorney Craig Ritchie, Propositions 1 and 2 are in violation of several state and city laws and hence should not be passed or placed on the ballot.  He wrote:

“The City of Sequim has various obligations to its citizens, including compliance with state and federal laws regulating collective bargaining.  'Prop 1' and 'Prop 2' attempt to usurp or infringe upon a power granted to the governing body of the City of Sequim.  They interfere with and coerce administrative action. They interfere with and conflict with state law.  They attempt to do indirectly what they cannot do directly; collectively bargain through initiative.  They put the Sequim taxpayers in jeopardy of paying for potential unfair labor practices.”

One of the Freedom Foundation's favorite soundbites is “transparency.”  If this Far Right gang of teabaggers actually believed in transparency, they'd reveal where their massive funding comes from.  They haven't.  They claim they aren't receiving any money from the Koch Brothers or any of the ubiquitous Koch front groups, but since they're keeping their donors' identities a secret, how do we know?

“Treated But Not Chlorinated” Sewage Released into Strait of Juan de Fuca

About one million gallons of “insufficiently disinfected effluent” was released by the Port Angeles sewage treatment plant into the Strait during a 20-hour period beginning Tuesday afternoon.  The discharge was caused by a failed chlorine pump.

County health officials are advising the public to avoid “recreational water contact” in Port Angeles Harbor through next Wednesday.

Record Tourism Year for Port Angeles

Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director Russ Veenema said the City will get $504,000 in room tax collections by the end of the year, which would set a record.  During August, lodging rates averaged about 90%.

According to Russ Veenema's calculations, tourism traffic this year generated roughly $44 million in economic impact from guests staying overnight inside the Port Angeles city limits. These numbers do not include visitors who came to Port Angeles for a day trip and didn't stay overnight.