In a letter to the Port Townsend City Council on May 2, 2022, I wrote:
“There is apparently a vision to eliminate or at least reduce use of the ‘personal automobile’ in our commercial districts… Those of you and others you know who are sold on this vision of a vibrant, car-free shopping/dining/recreating community experience have idealized a concept. You’ve seen it work in Europe or three blocks in Ithaca (where I recently learned a parking garage was built for every block closed to traffic) or during a festival…
A concept is one thing, Port Townsend’s reality quite another.”
My letter was one in a packet of 59 pages of submitted written comments—all negative—about making streateries permanent. At the city council meeting on May 2, following in-person and livestream public comments that with one exception also unanimously opposed the proposal, the notion of codifying streateries long-term was almost tabled. (Thank you, Ben Thomas and other council members who initially supported that motion.)
However, as reported in the Free Press on May 5th, the motion to table the initiative was withdrawn. Instead, what some have taken to calling “gutter dining” was extended in the downtown commercial district until December 31st as an ongoing temporary measure. An ordinance to allow permanent streateries uptown and in other business districts was put off for revisiting at the following council meeting on May 16.
So now, despite all the public backlash — talking about how toxic it is to eat in the street amid waves of exhaust fumes, how ugly and unused the tents are, how significant the loss of parking is, and how there is no longer an emergency threatening to put restaurants out of business — these temporary downtown installations are slated to remain for almost eight more months. And an ordinance to permit streateries permanently in other commercial areas is still on the table.
Do a search for streateries online and here are the kinds of images that come up:
These are streateries in Cincinnati, Ohio… Stamford, Connecticut… Bethesda, Maryland… Georgetown, DC. They embody the buzzwords we hear so often about the movement to eliminate personal vehicles in urban areas: friendly, walkable, bikeable, vibrant. What do these welcoming images all have in common? Shirtsleeve weather, roads closed off, no traffic.
What is the reality in Port Townsend? Weather is just one challenge. Safety is another. Not only has the long-lamented parking problem not been addressed for almost two decades, none of the kind of planning needed to reorient traffic patterns to make this kind of streetscape safe is in process. There is a complex set of factors that need to be considered.
But in service to an ideology, in a classic cart-before-the-horse move, the city council still appears intent on creating an ordinance to “just try” some permanent streateries in high-traffic zones. While permission for the downtown streateries is being extended—not eliminated—in temporary status pending the completion of a parking plan, there is a new version of the proposal to create permanent streateries uptown and in other commercial districts coming before council on May 16.
The uptown streatery on Lawrence outside the Seal Dog Coffee Bar appears to be driving this intent. When some of the councilors say “I love streateries,” beyond the ideology they are most often referencing that quaint, funky collection of tables uptown loosely contained by a picket fence where there used to be street parking that is pictured at top. It’s a place where regular patrons like to hang out on nice days, and they enjoy the community it creates.
But tables in the street? Though traffic is slowed coming to and from the corner of Tyler and Lawrence, the set-up along the road is still an accident waiting to happen. The exhaust pouring out of slow-traveling vehicles, often idling just feet away, is noxious. Will a permanent installation fix this?
And what will the visual impact actually be? As I wrote in my May 2nd letter:
“Has anyone actually looked at what a permanent structure would consist of at Seal Dog Coffee Bar uptown? If, as Steve King said, the width of the streatery would be limited to the tiny coffee house’s building frontage, that existing installation would be somewhere between a third and half the size it is now. Two tables if they are sufficiently distanced to pacify those now living in perpetual fear of a virus, three, possibly four small two-tops at a real squeeze. Is that worth a major investment for a small restaurateur?”
Here is that streatery on Thursday, May 12th, a cool, rainy spring afternoon. Empty. The coffee shop itself occupies the middle storefront with the lower neon OPEN sign. It’s 17 or 18 feet in width. While the 34-foot fenced streatery was vacant at about 12:30 pm, the warm and dry “tiny coffeehouse in uptown Port Townsend” with “welcoming cozy vibes” was hopping inside.
Of course customers will choose a cozy indoor space over sitting outside in the rain. To shelter customers from our weather nine months of the year, a tent or other structure will be necessary. We are told that granting permanent use of parking spots is incentive for the restaurant owner to invest in better structures than the open seating or tents. And we are to trust that because the permanent installations will go through HPC review, they will not detract from one of PT’s biggest draws, our nationally designated historic character.
Per the ordinance, a permanent streatery is to be no more than the width of the storefront unless neighboring businesses agree to encroachment. If a permanent streatery outside the Seal Dog consisted of a tent the width of the building frontage, here’s a facsimile of what that would look like (minus the picket fence):
It might have windows. It might not be a tent. But that is more or less the size it would be, intruding on our streetscape. Cars would be able to park on either end where the fence is.
If, as suggested at the meeting by Public Works Director Steve King, permission to encroach on the adjoining businesses was given, the streatery could expand to two allowable parking spaces. Here is what a 40-foot tent or other structure taking the maximum of two spaces might look like:
The window frontage of the Uptown Pub on the left and the Second Child Studio on the right is now obscured. And these sketches don’t depict the concrete barriers, industrial railing or other protective barricades around the tent or solid structure that will be critical to provide even a modicum of safety from vehicular traffic. A quaint picket fence is only a visual deterrent, not a long-term safeguard. The necessary barriers will add to the visual blight.
Are permanent streateries the right solution?
As previously reported, there are already more than forty outdoor dining areas in Port Townsend, nearly all in existence before the pandemic, that are not in the city streets, do not encroach on other businesses, and do not eliminate parking spaces. These include sidewalk cafes like The Old Whiskey Mill’s below, that have tables already allowed by existing city code.
Photo: Stephen Schumacher
At the May 2 council meeting, Ben Thomas pointed to these tables on the sidewalk as an example of other ways to achieve the same goal. Why not make it easier for restaurants to create sidewalk cafes?, he suggested.
But the council instead has an ordinance that was set in motion on March 14 before any public process, which staff and the council have put great time and effort into, offering restaurant owners the permanent use of public parking spaces for street dining installations within busy commercial roadways.
Permanent streateries not only require enclosed structures for all-weather use and high-impact safety barriers because of proximity to traffic, at the May 2 council meeting there was talk of wooden platforms to raise them off the street, and propane heaters to warm them. The whole construct then sits on the street alongside moving and idling traffic spewing toxic fumes. To snap that rainy day photo of the uptown streatery during the lunch hour, I had to wait for a break from a stream of cars and two buses that went by in those few minutes.
Over the course of three city council meetings where permanent streateries have been addressed, only one person has spoken or written in favor of them: restaurant owner Kris Nelson. The proprietor of both Sirens and The Old Whiskey Mill claimed in her public comment on May 2nd that her streatery on Water Street outside the Whiskey Mill had been used all but “approximately 27 days” last year. She acknowledged that the vaxx card requirements, no longer in place, likely accounted for most of that use. Still, we have to wonder what “used” means. Did her wait staff count people at the sidewalk tables which are not in the street and by definition not part of the streatery? Those are already a permitted use in the city code. Since indoor dining restrictions have been lifted, how many meals have been served in the street tent itself?
In the last few months, the tented streatery has been empty in every photo I’ve seen of it, every drive-by, regardless of time of day, level of traffic, rain or shine.
Here is the vacant Old Whiskey Mill streatery on the afternoon of March 30th:
Photo: Harvey WIndle
Again completely empty at 5:00 pm on April 29th:
Photo: Stephen Schumacher
On May 1st at 6:10 pm, the streatery and sidewalk seating looked like this:
That May Day evening, the dinner hour was relatively warm — no wind, no rain, pedestrians strolling the sidewalk. Stephen Schumacher, who sent the above photo to me just after he took it, wrote:
“There were a lot of folks walking around the sidewalk at that time… I had to cool my heels a minute then shoot quickly to avoid getting pedestrian faces in the photo. Strangely there was a guy eating a slice of pizza at the small round green table on the sidewalk NEAR the streatery but not IN the streatery.”
People certainly find al fresco sidewalk dining appealing on a beautiful summer day. They may even try a meal in a tent on the street with cars spewing exhaust just feet away when they have no other choice. But absent the restrictions that ban indoor dining, as I wrote in my letter:
“The streatery was being avoided. This is not a festival with streets blocked off… people do not want to dine in an active city street.”
With so many outdoor dining areas in Port Townsend already available, with sidewalk tables already allowed by existing city code, and with the possibility for our city council to encourage more sidewalk seating through easing of fees and/or regulations, why do we need to put diners in the streets?
At the May 2 meeting, Kris Nelson explained to council:
“My vision of our streatery would be a place… that you can sit outside and eat and drink that feels special and magical and different [her emphasis]… that adds to the fun experience of Port Townsend.”
This photo of a Washington, DC streatery during the pandemic is one of the few I could find that didn’t consist of open air tables in fine weather. It has a floor, propane heaters, draped walls and festive lighting… the kinds of amenities we can anticipate if streateries are allowed to be permanent here. And with heat radiating both down and beside the tables, still the diners are eating and drinking bundled up in their winter coats and hats, with cars driving by just beyond the veil. Is this the kind of special, magical, different dining experience we can look forward to?
Would the Seal Dog Coffee Bar want to invest in the kind of permanent structure pictured above? Would its neighbors permit encroachment of their storefronts? The Seal Dog’s existing tables with picket fence eliminate parking, but at least they do not obscure adjacent businesses.
There’s got to be a better solution than a streateries ordinance to allow modest places like the Seal Dog a few tables on the sidewalk where people can enjoy gathering outside in pleasant weather. Do we really need to gift public rights of way in perpetuity to select restaurants in order to achieve a few more outdoor drinking and dining spaces?
On Monday, May 16, the city council will discuss this proposal once again. Public comments can be given at the meeting or written in advance and emailed to publiccomment@cityofpt.us.
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Additional Streateries Reporting:
Strangulation by Streateries?, March 30, 2022
Public Streets and Public Process Subverted, April 17, 2022
Who is City Council Serving in Their Push for Streateries?, April 30, 2022
Council Backs Off From Downtown Streateries, Contrary to Leader Misreporting, May 5, 2022
Arriving in Port Townsend in 1975 in Sherpa, her Ford van, Ana Wolpin has watched a sweetly funky, diverse and tolerant community increasingly gentrify, polarize and lose its soul. After almost half a century engaged in local business, city politics, county organizations and community projects, she joined with fellow editors to revive the Free Press and bear witness to extraordinary times. For a short sketch of Ana’s history in Jefferson County, see “About the Free Press.”
There’s an important element that no one has been talking about, so I’m including a bit from my most recent public comment to the city:
Over the course of the streateries debate, the kernel that keeps the permanent streateries concept alive is the need for the spaces to provide shelter outdoors that offers dining in weather unsuitable for open-air dining, a phenomenon that undeniably dominates the business districts’ micro-climate.
This will require the structures to have sides and a roof (in addition to a solid substrate). These architectural elements will provide shelter from wind and rain, and the opportunity to seal the contents enough that portable propane heaters will improve ambient temperatures on cold or chilly days.
As Mayor Faber acknowledged, he loves using the streateries when it’s sunny and 70º. In lovely weather like that, most people would prefer open air with umbrellas (if anything) to shield the sun.
How many will want to sit inside a structure that just a month or two ago protected them from all the elements? What sort of structure will a streatery owner need to construct that has removable walls and ceilings? Even if the walls come off, I don’t want to sit under a tent or tent-like roof on a beautiful sunny day. Do you?
and then there is the matter of the 3-space Cellar Door unit that was indeed made permanent by the former owner back in February, 2021.
The Cellar Door is now a permanent streatery in the downtown district. It will have to be removed, either because the concept is denied downtown, or because the ‘fairness’ lottery will rotate it out of its temporary use permit. As it sits now (empty all day long, mostly) it has no walls or roof (does not fit the current weatherproof ‘solution’ proponents are so keen on) so the heat produced by the propane heaters is an utter waste of energy…
Regarding “permanent” solid structures designed for harsh weather, another reality check that I didn’t write about is the claustrophobic proportions of these. They have to mirror the footprint of parking spaces. I didn’t measure the depth of the parking outside the Seal Dog, but standard American parallel parking spaces are between 7’5” and 9 feet wide. Let’s say the structure can be 9 feet wide — so 9 x 20 or 9 x 40 if encroachment is permitted.
There will only be room for a single row of tables along the street edge, since entry will be on the sidewalk side and there needs to be an aisle for servers and patrons to maneuver. So, as in the case of the Washington, DC streatery above, you either have a narrow tunnel with no view out (as one friend wrote me, “dystopian”), or you add windows which might feel less claustrophobic, but also less safe. You are literally sandwiched between pedestrians walking by on the sidewalk and traffic driving just beyond your window on the other side. Sitting against that streetside wall, the vehicles are within feet of your window on the world — the special experience you have eating a meal is one watching moving cars, buses and delivery trucks just outside the window. That is your “view” in our charming Victorian seaport. You may even have the potentially nerve-wracking show of a car trying to parallel park in a tight spot at the end wall of the streatery without hitting it.
Libby Wennstrom spoke at the May 2 meeting of wanting to dine outdoors this summer with her mother who is afraid of Covid, who doesn’t feel safe eating inside a restaurant. She made the stunning statement that if the city doesn’t allow streateries, “We are essentially telling those residents and visitors that you are not welcome to eat in Port Townsend. As someone with an 82-year-old mother, I’m disappointed because I was hoping this summer she’d be allowed to eat outside.”
Will that windowless, narrow DC tunnel provide a pleasant dining experience for her family? How about a windowed 9-foot wide solid structure full of propane heaters where moving traffic is literally in your face? This new dining experience is not going to create a magical solution for those in fear of the virus and “vitalize” our commercial districts.
This comes back to the idealized vision of what streateries will offer, versus real-world scenarios in our parking strips. The streateries in lovely weather shown at the beginning of the article that feel open and expansive are not what we will get here. Those kinds of inviting outdoor dining options ALREADY exist in PT — at umbrella-covered tables on the waterfront… balcony patios… areas outside restaurants not adjacent to streets. If the weather is too cold or rainy to dine comfortably outside, well then you reschedule your special meal. Or order a meal to go from your favorite restaurant and have your family gathering in the comfort and safety of your own home.
How do businesses plan to pay for heating their tents? Is there a taxpayer funded grant for that? I wouldn’t be surprised if gutter dining has a Bigfoot size carbon footprint.
Excellent points, all.
The other thing I keep wondering about, are the missing voices of the servers in this situation. What are their concerns? How will this affect them? Why is no one asking them? Why are their voices not part of the “collaborative” decision making?
Imagine having to carry food across a busy sidewalk in good weather, when downtown is packed. Imagine having to carry drinks across that same busy sidewalk. Working in a restaurant is already extremely physically demanding. But now add into that, a job where one must move constantly from indoors to outdoors, throughout an entire shift. If the temperature in both places is relatively the same, not a big deal. But several months out of the year, it’s a big deal. Asking wait staff to do that, is a HUGE ask.
During some of the discussion about streateries, it was suggested that pedestrians should instead be routed around the outside of the streateries instead of across the sidewalk as usual. So now, besides taking public right of way and giving it to private interests for private profit, they are now routing foot traffic into the street around the streateries.
There are members of my family who deal with severe mobility issues. Coming downtown is already an issue for them because of the A-frame signs everywhere, along with trash cans and myriad other obstructions constantly on our sidewalks. Americans with disabilities have a rough time in downtown Port Townsend and it’s about to get a whole lot rougher. People who move through the world in wheelchairs and on prosthetic feet and legs, need flat smooth clearly visible and well-lit surfaces. They do not need a hodgepodge of sidewalks diverting around streateries.
When I looked at the photographs in this piece,
of all of those people and all those tables filling up streets for city blocks, I thought of all the people I know and love who work and who have worked as medics, and I shuddered. Imagine a health emergency or an event which causes multiple casualties. People and tables everywhere, and no way for ambulances or even medics on foot or bicycle, to easily get through. Downtown Port Townsend is in the flood zone for tsunamis after earthquakes. What an absolutely unnecessary and disastrous loss of life will take place if such an event unfolds in a downtown Port Townsend which is been rendered inaccessible to emergency vehicles and emergency personnel.
Furthermore, people walking alone downtown at night, getting out of bars and movies, passing these structures… Everything they teach us about keeping ourselves safe at night, these structures present the opposite of what is suggested. Once again, people who work in bars and restaurants will be disproportionally affected. People getting off of work late at night, pockets full of tips, walking alone down dark streets cluttered with A-frame signs, overflowing trashcans, and darkened streatery structures full of whatever sort of magic Kris Nelson was talking about. Then having to walk, after a long night’s work, up the poorly-lit hill on Washington St., because that’s where most of the Council seems to think employees of downtown businesses should park.
All of this is insanity. The Covid lockdowns are over. Even if we have a resurgence we are not going to have those kind of lockdowns again. Get rid of the tents and let’s get on with our lives.
“Think Local, Act Local.”
Streateries are not a local idea.
They do not fit our city.
Thanks to both Ana and Annette for their ongoing efforts and solid logic. Everyone should be logical.
This strange fixation with uglification and destabilization of the Historic District and placing people in harm’s way with a side order of fumes defies logic. An allegedly “green” community heating tents seems a bit odd.
A larger agenda is all that could explain what Appointed Mayor Faber admitted at the May 2 Council meeting was his “myopic” view on streateries. Not so magic most of the year, or actually any time of the year.
First and most important, and what will be challenged, is the questionable very limited public notice using Main Street and the questionable sorting of results, along with taking public assets for private for-profit use.
This is the vocal minority dragging the real community into the gutter. It doesn’t feel magic or special at all. It feels dirty.
What would actually be “special and magical and different” is neighboring businesses, or it seems one in particular, not declaring themselves “special and different” taking the limited and mis managed resource that is parking every business depends on for “vibrant sustainable recovery” for private gain. Got me some buzz words too!
Seems someone is earning themselves a negative reputation. Self-serving greed is not “magic”. A City Council making it happen against public outcry is not “special”.
No more “temporary” use extensions please. Be a good neighbor and break down the tents and move this circus out of town for good and quit clowning around with everyone’s future. Organized boycotts may be ahead.
Thanks again to Ana and Annette for the hours and hours of research and hard work. Hopefully the City Council can process common sense.
See y’all Monday May 16th when your elected Council shows who they represent, and possibly who not to vote for next election.
It should be “magic”. The best idea would be to hold the meeting in a “cityhallery”. I know where there are some unused mess tents that are available close by. Bring your own “green” heat source and watch out for cars.
It turns out, projecting coffee through one’s nose is a bit painful; however, in this case, totally worth it.
“Cityhalleries”
Good God, man! Don’t give them ideas!
Fire departmentaries? WSDOTeries?
Put everything in tents! In the street!
It will be green! And historical!
“But what about the buildings?”
The buildings are Wildlife Corridors!
The deer go in the buildings! You must
stay out of the buildings! The stakeholders
agreed through collaborative consensus
that sustainable human habitation is only
possible in tents. In the street. Therefore,
ordinance 2030.9€ states, “Only wildlife
are permitted in the buildings in the
Wildlife Corridor which runs from the
Cityhallery to the Sandoval-Faber Wildlife
Reseve on Cherry St.”
Great extrapolation of this insanity using all the correct terms EK. Don’t forget “hoveletts” and “slummeries” in parking spaces for the unhoused. Tents, cars, and moldy old RVs are welcome. Please no customer parking.
When City Hall is moved to a big top tent to highlight the revolving door circus and tight rope walking without a net wasting taxpayer money, and the current historic space is vacant you know who could open a theme eatery in the space.
Enter the City Hall Diner. “A magic night of uncomfortable seating with Roberts Rules of Order played in the background for just the right atmosphere.”
The Faberburger with a side order of asbestos and lead paint would cost over 2 million dollars but never be delivered to your table or bench. You can ask your server what happened to your money and toxic burger, but they don’t give interviews.
If your entree is delivered to your bench raw, remember unqualified Chef Mauro is “green” and uses carbon free methods. Raw talent.
Don’t forget to order the sabotage shake and fiduciary fries with your Faberburger..
Perhaps an update is in order for a favorite local bumper sticker?
PORT TOWNSEND…… WE’RE ALL HERE BECAUSE WE’RE DAMN RICH. SCREW YOU AND GO AWAY.
Apologies to the Free Press. We all understand the serious nature of what is going on and has been going on for years.
But seriously folks, I did forget to thank all the people commenting on this issue and other related destabilizing actions who are finally connecting all the dots from Fort Worden to Cherry Street to road decay to parking and on and on and on.
Boycott any eaterie with a streaterie. Has a ring to it.
Good luck with your Faberburger, chump. No refunds.
“Cityhallery”, hmm… not bad, Harvey. As EK says, be careful not to give us too many good ideas. After all, we wouldn’t need propane heaters; we could just heat it with our own hot air, amiright?
Ben-
A pleasure to watch you wade into this system. Please be well aware I really try to view everyone as an individual. All council is not full of hot air. At least a few have proven to be at times. Many times. Ok, many many many times.
So far you are a breath of fresh air. Seems you are really concerned for the world you leave your son with.
There was lock step when Council voted to proceed with streaterie planning details after purposeful insufficient public notice through Main Street. Taking public space for private use creating a class system of discrimination is an act of war to some. Thanks again to the Free Press, Ana, and Annette this time around.
Reputations are earned. Some staff and council are in danger of believing their own propaganda. Mauro and Faber come to mind.
I am wondering what to address Monday night the 16th in person to council.
Might be Libby’s claim we are not at war. I sure have felt attacked in several ways over the last 8 years for speaking up consistently. The war has also been against all visitors being discriminated against following 2-hour parking signage while insiders cost the city millions of dollars of lost business revenue combining numbers from the 2004 parking study and city staff take on illegal parking numbers.
Millions of dollars Ben.
It is malfeasance to cost the city and business millions of dollars over the last 8 years and destroy the culture of basic respect for each other in the process. The city actually could not afford not to deal with parking. Instead some individuals were able to get Council to lock step in killing off the volunteer parking staff and ignoring studies and Municipal Codes.
Laws are a form of treaty government makes with us all. I had a treaty in the form of a Municipal Code with this City to keep business access from being harmed. Just another broken treaty. City attorney looks on in silence.
City manager comes on board and ignores part of his job. Grounds for firing in the real world.
The “temporary” virtually unused streateries in place over the last many months total even more significant monetary loss, and divide community. No joke. Those must end immediately. Lets be a real neighborhood of equal folks.
I may ask Mr. Faber how many raccoons are housed at Cherry Street for the over 2 million spent. It is indeed a good start in returning buildings to nature and making sure some humans live in tents.
Council really should meet Monday in the unused streateries in front of Alchemy or Whiskey Mill. It could be “magic”.
I can think of a couple of things to suggest. I don’ know for sure but, Propane heaters under a canvas is a disaster looking for a place to happen. The Strange Brewfest has theirs out in the open which makes me wonder if the Fire Department approves of this. If you want to hurt the streeteries boycott them. Have diesel trucks take their time when they pass one. Handbill the people using them to the hazards. I consistently see people lining the streets coming into town with signs. Why not greet tourists with warning signs. That’s just a few of the things I’ve thought of. Wiser minds can probably come up with some better ones. In the meantime, I will only dine at the Roadhouse or other places above downtown or Hadlock and Chimcum.
Thank you Ana. I am so glad you got this out before the meeting tomorrow. I hope the city council listens to reason and rejects the streateries. Your points are right on and the addition of wasted resources is very important as well.
Since allegedly other local biznesses can apply for parking spaces to put out sales racks etc., couldn’t someone conceivably approach any local business and ask to fund a lottery attempt, for the purpose of paying the local business for private use of the parking space? Couldn’t such a person say, make a donation to the business if it happens to be a charitable organization? And then the charitable org provides the service of the parking space as a thank u 4 yr donation tchotchke! Isn’t that what Main Street basically does for Kris Nelson’s restaurants? How much has she donated to the Washington preservation trust??? The umbrella company for Main Street? It seems to me that if a person wanted to buy themselves an actual parking space downtown they could do it, through this program. 2k a year for a completely private heated/tented parking space on a public right of way! And then write the whole thing off on
federal taxes! Brilliant!
Who knew? — the PTFP also has sunday funnies! Yay!
Too many LOL moments to review & thank, but thanks, definitely needed that.
If it weren’t pathetic enough, all this BS is not merely local, it’s global… and, well, historical.
Apologies for shifting the atmospheric here, but if you will, a few larger contexts, with local ripples.
The PTB have always relied on two dynamics:
Their endless capacities to corrupt & deceive, generation after generation, over the centuries;
And the endless capacities of humans to be deceived, diverted, and distracted, with denial & self-deceit topping the list.
“The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn”. Voting & elections being the ultimate case in exclamation point. Well, ya know, maybe next year…
“Treaties” made with native americans are not dissimilar from elections & voting. Just another iteration of the historical trails-of-tears and broken promises, bait & switch shell games. When has an election, and/or another elected, ever changed or reversed anything? We think we’re voting for a person, and “real change” (of course), but nope — we’ve only granted the overall system our consent & complicity, while the PTB continue chugging along towards further mischief, mayhem & murder.
The indians who saw through, and refused the lies & treaties were systematically killed off, along with the buffalo; the ones who bought the illusions of “peace”, “civilization”, “democracy”, etc, and consequently ultimate dependency on “the system” — ended up prisoners of war on the reservations, amidst a loong slow spiritual starvation & death.
Their children stolen, abused, and worse.
https://www.activistpost.com/2022/05/tens-of-thousands-of-native-children-discovered-in-50-mass-grave-sites-at-govt-run-schools.html
What made the native peoples such a threat? They chose the right to be who they were. They also knew the difference between the reality of freedom, and the illusion of freedom.
“There’s a way to live with Earth, and a way not to live with Earth — we choose the way of Earth”. That’s about true power & inter-connectivity — not the abuse of power, the endless exploitation/rape, as well justifications for it, which always travel together. The classic — “It’s the economy, stupid”.
That “thieves’ road” became a major highway (robbery) system. Also known as “the company store”.
Frank Zappa — “The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”
And here we are, up against the wall, again, lined up along the back.
If anyone has yet to recognize the full-on devolutionary spiral, keep an eye on local bureaucrats, and the global idiocracy/technocracy unfolding before our eyes.
The definition of insanity, stated many ways overtime — “doing the same thing over & over, expecting different results”.
Not a moment for distractions, or incomplete perceptions.
It all has to stop. We humans either accommodate that, somehow, reinventing ourselves, somehow, or be swept away in multiple avalanches, now poised directly overhead.
Sometimes, reality is just a bad habit.
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/mount-baker-block-building-sold-for-6-8-million/
It’s a revelation to read everything that’s been said here in the last couple of months and then go back and read that news story. A lot more of it makes sense to me, now. Now that I understand the trusts and the foundations and the lingo and the buzzwords.
For another eye-opener, read this.
https://preservewa.org/excellence-on-main-awards/kris-nelson/
Trusts, foundations, and committees, oh my!
What a load of crap! I can smell it clear out to Chimacum. If you tell a lie long enough and loud enough people will believe it. Not this kid.
Faber is the king of word salad. He just described the idea of putting tables and chairs on the sidewalk, as “The prioritization of the disruption of foot traffic for the sake of keeping personal property in the street.”
First of all, the streetery is someone’s private property. So who is he to prioritize private property over a personal property in a public right of way?
Secondly, the streeteries disrupt the sidewalk as well, especially since it has been suggested foot traffic be diverted around the outside of the streateries.
These people are sick. There is something wrong with them. They listened to nothiing but negative comments from business people and citizens, and they still went forward with this. Something is terribly terribly wrong in this city.
Ben Thomas is the rand Paul of our city Council. Talks a good talk, then votes along with everybody else, anyway.
It’s a shameful thing, all of it. I am so embarrassed to be a citizen of this city right now.
P Callahan, I hate to see that you feel embarrassed to be a citizen in this city right now. Something’s obviously not working right if that’s how you feel about it. And I’m sorry if you feel I’ve let you down. Tonight we voted — unanimously — to NOT have permanent streateries downtown. I thought that was the main point of feedback from folks commenting here, the majority of downtown businesses and many of the residents who wrote Council directly and to public comment. What was it you were wanting us to do?
Ben, please see my comment further below.
P Callahan — thanks for the update.
It ain’t called the “theatre of politics” for nothing. Aka, organized crime/idiocy with a smiley face, and greek chorus line.
“Salad” a house specialty. Please reopen your orwell menu/workbook to page one.
“These people are sick” — native americans called ’em “wetikos”. Inane AND insane blackholes (BlackRock) that can never be filled — gotta have it All.
Not just this stinkin’ city, it’s the entire stinkin’ shootin’ match….. and if that wasn’t enough, we actually vote ’em in.
A healthy embarrassment for sure — the joke was always on us. About time that changed.
This may be another long one…………sorry for any typos etc
I attended the May 16 City Council meeting and did speak. Once out of turn to ask a question following what seemed to be a lie by the City Attorney. I was told abruptly there were no questions allowed. More on specifics later.
The gavel came down and Roberts Rules of Order fell over the room. I felt it almost physically. Anyone on the other side of the little fence separating power from truth to power was not allowed to interject if lies and or falsehoods were spoken. Even if those lies or falsehoods set courses that damage the City itself, and citizens.
That explains so many other bad decisions by Council.
First up was a proclamation by the Appointed Mayor, and presentation by a group of masked high school kids. They spoke to the masked Council asking for a City Ordinance to limit vehicle idling. Apparently plastic straws had been covered previously.
4 business people spoke after that to the streaterie issue including me. Oddly none wore masks and were showing faces and expressions.
I spoke last and had to point out that the poor kids were asking for an ordinance regarding vehicle idling, but for 8 years or more an ordinance, 10 10 00 regarding parking enforcement had been ignored. Ignored for years after I had regularly pointed out business losses and cultural changes from respectful to in your face rude.
The poor kids left before being able to see how the City Council and Roberts Rules of Order worked regarding parking spaces and “temporary” streateries now in place through December. There is a cold nasty winter ahead with the all-important holiday season ahead. There will be empty streateries and lost business. Hardly “resilient”.
That led to me re capping that the 2004 parking study, also ignored, showed that each lost parking space cost businesses some $300 per day. Times 30 days a month is $9,000 per month per space. I didn’t get to the fact that the tent at Alchemy takes at least 3 spaces, I do think 4. So that’s a minimum loss to everyone for a vacant eyesore tent of $27,000 per month. Or, $36,000. No one has refuted those numbers.
I pointed out that the virtually unused streaterie in front of Alchemy, a Kris Neslon installation recently sold to a new owner was costing the city and business needed “recovery” money. I wanted to be “resilient”, I wanted to “partner” with the city to see a problem. I wanted to “vibrantly” explain a major past and present problem. Within Roberts Rules of Order. Of course. There would be no back and forth. No give and take.
In the cramped for parking Historic District the losses of 3 spaces to Back Door, minimum 2 to Kris Nelson’s Old Whisky Mill, 3 or 4 to Kris Nelson’s sold Aclhemy, and 2 to Tommy Knockers totals 10 (or 11) spaces for little or no return for eaterie owners and a negative monthly total of $90,000 per month, or more. A minimum of 6 months for the unused place keepers is $540,000 lost to those attempting to “recover vibrantly and resiliently”.
Then there are the 50 or so illegally parked folk taking 2 hour spots all day. But that’s only $4,620,000 per year. Four million six hundred twenty thousand dollars per year. Times 8 years is Thirty-six million nine hundred sixty thousand dollars.
So, what’s the big deal about a few ugly divisive tents say those within the Roberts Rules of Order bubble? To me sitting outside the bubble its gross malfeasance.
This is important Ben Thomas, and I do thank you for your back and forth here. I asked that the damaging and divisive empty place keeping tents be removed immediately to let all recover equally.
EQUALLY.
I did proclaim in no uncertain terms that I AM NO ONE’S SECOND CLASS CITIZEN and turned to the peanut gallery and reminded them that they are not either. Of course, unless they allow it.
I went on to advise the Council that one eaterie owner in particular, and some Council have been the ‘loud vocal minority” Attorney and Appointed Mayor Faber had claimed the majority that are opposed to streateries and all that go with them are a loud vocal minority. That is called transference..
To end my 3 minute limited one way no back and forth presentation I had a sign and held it up that says BOYCOTT EATERIES with STREATERIES. I advised if Council did not change wording to remove those damaging and worn tents I would post that sign at my business and asked others there to do the same.
I fear the Roberts Rules of Order will follow some home and to work and they will complain but not organize.
So in the eyes of some Council I still had hopes for, everything is fine. They stopped beating myself and others about the head with the threat of permanent streateries in the cramped and spiritually broken Historic District, and “only” left our shins to take a beating. Apparently all but one on Council were good with that.
It must be noted that Amy Howard had missed previous meetings where details were hashed out. I was amazed that she was in favor of changing things to remove the divisive, ugly, costly to all territory markers ASAP.
Wow Amy. Was it just a show, knowing it would not happen? I hope not. Libby Wennstrom was absent, and didn’t have to go on the record with this vote. She might have traveled to Ithaca for a tented bite to eat with her mother.
Sorry, sometimes I can’t help myself. Roberts Rules of Order demand I have no personality at all. It felt like every year of school I ever attended, class quiet, LISTEN TO AUTHORITY. Pledge of Allegiance at start promising “liberty and justice for all”.
Ha. Ha Ha. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!! GRRRREEATTTTT!!!!
Seems all the rest of Council including 2 in particular I had hopes for couldn’t see a way to get rid of those tents that will negatively impact “recovery” for many.. Too much work had been put in so far, and more changes were not in the cards.
Time to move on and vote.
About Heidi the City Attorney and what seemed to me to be a lie. She claimed within the Roberts Rules of Order bubble that parking enforcement was not taking place because no one would volunteer to do it.
I am unaware of any effort to get word out that help is needed. I am unaware of any police supervisor that would be needed to manage the volunteers.
So I dared to speak into the Roberts Rules of Order abyss….”May I ask a question?’
NO!
I will stop here regarding Council.
It’s really now up to Kris Nelson, a vibrant, dynamic, successful past Council Member, Main Street President mover and shaker and member of so much more to stand down. And Tommy Knockers. And the new Alchemy owner becoming part of this community. and the Back Door led into a wink and nod “permanent” installation by City Manager John Mauro. That’s his signature on the permit.
Kris, I for one am truly glad for your massive success. At least on one level.
There are other levels. Time for all to strike the tents and be a caring and equal community.
Or not.
Get your BOYCOTT EATERIES with STREATERIES signs at Forest Gems. 807 Washington. Sidewalk chalk also available for those who want to be original and creative.
Or not.
Quick correction- sorry for my sense of who spoke from my vantage point and masked faces at the meeting.
In reviewing the meeting, it was not the City Attorney speaking to volunteer parking. It was Amy Howard. My take is that she misunderstood there was any program possibly planned now according to input by City Manager Mauro who should know there are no plans as I heard it on review. Amy incorrectly understands the demise of the program years ago. It was killed. It did not die a natural death and no attempts to revive the patient were made. Real estate interests on Council profited. Confusion massive monetary loss to community and cascading problems ensued.
Harvey,
I understand your frustration with the streateries being allowed to continue temporarily. It’s not how I would have done it if it were just up to me. I was frustrated last night because I thought we’d have another shot at adjusting the end date at least, but at the 5/2 meeting the temporary allowance was bundled in with the fee waiving for events. I didn’t realize at the time that meant it was already decided and completely separate from the ordinance being voted on last night.
That said, because we drug this out so long, it did seem fair — in one narrow sense — to let those businesses have one more season with them given that Covid case numbers are going up (more on this in a moment). You’re right though, that it still isn’t fair to the other businesses downtown without any semblance of a parking plan. I wish we had been doing this in January rather than at the beginning of the tourist season. Honestly I was so focused on the permanent part of this that I didn’t quite follow how it was going to work temporarily once the permanent option was removed.
As for the masks, I certainly don’t relish wearing them and I’m not alone, nor is there a policy that we all have to. Speaking for myself I’m doing it so that we don’t find ourselves in a situation where some people feel like we have to go back to remote meetings. I’ve really enjoyed having the meetings in person and having people like you, Harvey, come in to rake us over the coals in real time (I mean it!). But I do understand it makes us all look like expressionless drones up there. I hate that.
I’m not writing back in order to convince you of anything. You’ve been dealing with this situation longer than I, all while trying to keep a business going in the middle of it. I just want to continue to add whatever perspective I can as to why votes went this way or that way. I hope it’s a little useful for readers here.
bthomas@cityofpt.us
Ben- And once again thanks for some illegal (if we followed Roberts Rules of Order) logical back and forth.
Perhaps one day we will have the technology, with 2 attorneys present serving the public, I mean city interests, pull apart a legal document and re tailor details. Might take a few hours in this fantasy world I live in.
Wait!!!! It’s not a fantasy!!! It is possible. Motivation would be needed.
I’ve helped craft lots of docs. Not with the limitations of Roberts Rules of Order, perceived time limits, or guilt for making staff do more necessary work.
They do get paid, correct? To serve the majority correct?
Just sayin’ Ben.
When Monica said December would be here in no time at all so no big deal, she seems able to ignore losses to the wide majority of businesses while a few take advantage with mess tents. Losses also added to the some 38 million already lost due to illegal parking over 8 plus years.
Time flies. For some. My business will be in the difficult position of customers asking about enforcement and time limits as “regulars”, some of whom have cost fellow businesses and the city thousands of dollars, park all around and grin while streateries hog more space and hinder, don’t help, recovery..
No recourse. Some are officially second class.
Monica and others won’t notice. Seems to be the job to notice. What happened to Monica?
All eyes on Kris. How much is enough? Is this a community of equals some of whom should be grateful for what others have already sacrificed?
Empty tents blocking parking is gluttony. Full tents blocking parking is selfish.
Relative to another email Ben, hope you were entertained if not educated a bit.
Smiles though. You engaged. Telling the truth isn’t raking over coals.
Harvey, first off, I should acknowledge the legality of me weighing in here: It’s a public records thing. With every written record regarding city business — and some of my comments here would count — they must be available to a public records request. I make sure they are by copying them and emailing them to my city email. Such rules make most elected folks avoid commenting in a space like this.
Our public records system is a great check on corruption, but it’s a shame that it makes local politicians more inaccessible. Or rather, we’re just accessible in the more traditional ways such as public comment, direct email, engagept.com, phone or in line at the hardware store. I think that’s all great, but it’s a shame we can’t be more communicative in places like this. Well, we can, but we just have to keep the record.
I can see that collectively “we” might not appear as responsive to small business as we should. That was one of the reasons I ran for office. That’s not to say that past councilors haven’t cared about small businesses, but I could still see a gap. I hope we can improve our record on that matter because I keep hearing frustrations from local small-business owners.
As I’ve told you, Harvey, I’m still naive, but I think we can get some positive things done. I’m sorry it’s not perfect on this one, but I think the collective feedback from you downtown business owners made a big difference.
Why didn’t they just put the streateries in the Leader parking lot? Asking for a friend.
How was the Council’s decision on streateries
last night legal, in relation to this? Has that
question ever been answered?
“Washington State Constitution, ARTICLE 8, SECTION 7 CREDIT NOT TO BE LOANED. No county, city, town or other municipal corporation shall hereafter give any money, or property, or loan its money, or credit to or in aid of any individual, association, company or corporation, except for the necessary support of the poor and infirm…”
https://ballotpedia.org/Article_VIII,_Washington_State_Constitution
Perhaps those neighbors that make up the City of Port Townsend legal team know “we” won’t get it together to challenge. Just try to find a local attorney who wants to make enemies in high places.
I have considered and had talks about suing the City over the massively damaging manufactured parking problems.
“You can’t sue City Hall is usually the input. How deep are your pockets?
I need to speak regarding John Mauro who took and was offered a job he was expected not to fully do that damages so many. With a smiley face and sound bites in hand. He chose to be a cog in this wheel.
I STAND TO BE CORRECTED
This is not personal. As with Timmons he is a broken part that does not function. This is all.
During his time here he has cost the folks he is supposed to serve millions of dollars and fueled social friction and discrimination.
I have access to a person who was City Manager in 5 cities. He would tell you this. Upon coming into the job Mauro took it would be normal to review all aspects of city finance and funding.. If one had any actual experience and was not instructed to ignore a massive elephant in the room.one would know that one was bound to fund all departments and make sure laws and codes were followed, and funding was there to do so. So the Police Chief, 3 so far are dragged into this. He fires and hires that position.
Another option is to remove the law or code through the City Council.
City Manager Mauro was researched by the Free Press. This is who Sandoval and Stinson vetted and the City Council adopted. For all of us. His review found him “almost perfect” according to then appointed mayor Sandoval who brough him here for all of us.
https://www.porttownsendfreepress.com/2020/10/07/who-is-john-mauro-port-townsends-city-manager/
I also have access to a person who understands the dynamics of corruption first hand as a whistle blower who has tested the system. Compromised people are needed to do the dirty work and make no waves.
Another model is the FWPDA.
Here is how much money Mauro has cost us if we use a 3 year time line. It is accepted that each parking space generates an average of $300 per day according to the City. The person that used to run the volunteer parking program that was systematically eliminated estimated over 50 spots a day lost. That is $15,000 per day. If there are 308 enforceable days per year times $15,000 per day lost on average my math says $4,600,000. Four million six hundred thousand dollars per year lost. Times 3 years is thirteen million eight hundred sixty thousand dollars. Plus losses through Timmons of another 5 or so years.
Mauro as a qualified professional City Manager should be responsible to understand this. In a corporation he would be fired. No sound bites. No smiley face. No fake “engaging Port Townsend”. He is not a puppy Sandoval brough home for all of us to care and feed for life.
He does nothing. Now the overstep with streateries for a special interest with political ties pushes parking to the fore front. He still actually does nothing. There are assurances from Council, which also has real responsibility here. Of course, shifting players, and some shifty players.
Right now into peak season damages build. Through the holiday season damages build. Streateries and illegal parking combined.
Enough of that. Here is a kids tale simplified.
The Little Red Hen asks important questions about when we are obligated to help one another.
A red hen finds some seeds on the ground and decides to plant them to grow wheat for bread. For each of the steps required to make the bread, she asks the other farm animals—the pig, goose, cat, and duck—for assistance, but they all decline to help. The little red hen responds, “Then I will do it myself.” This cycle continues until the hen finishes baking the bread. When she finishes her bread, they all chime and agree to help her eat the bread,
Who will help sue the City? Deep pockets needed. Who will even organize a boycott of any business with a streaterie.
Sound of Crickets???????????
Harvey please reach out to
Marcia Kelbon. She is not a resident of
PT but she is a resident of Quilcene and
I’ll bet she’ll have some ideas for you.
https://electmarciakelbon.com/
This is a great place for Marcia to participate, don’t know if she can due to campaign rules. Treating neighbors as you would like to be treated and flat out breaking laws and avoiding doing the full job if a public employee is a bi partisan issue. Hopefully many will give some thoughts and suggest directions they will participate in right here. This little red hen has learned some lessons along the way and does not wish to be a solo act. This effort is more Paul Revere. The villagers have been alerted.
Keep the tactical organizing off the internet, though. Part of the passive surveillance of people in this area is reading forums such as this one, trying to figure out who’s who, and redlining them. Take that particular conversation underground. They’ll tell you it’s not war as they are dropping bombs into your life. Don’t think for one minute these people aren’t capable of working clandestinely to destroy someone. They’ve done it before, and they’ll do it again. I’m not saying be afraid of them because they’re not worth being afraid of. I’m just saying be very smart. You’re dealing with snakes wearing smiley faces. Never forget that.
This comment on the Free Press Facebook page from Mike Galmukoff:
“Well… Apparently the P.T. City Council does what they want, regardless of the overwhelming voices against the streateries. The council has given the streateries the green light.”
Ben, I remain grateful that you are engaging here. As Harvey said, it’s a breath of fresh air, as have been your efforts on council throughout this process. I believe you to be sincere, principled, and egalitarian—a rare commodity in elected office these days. But your statement in response to P Callahan that keeping the downtown streateries in temporary status “was the main point of feedback from folks commenting here” is disingenuous. Council did NOT listen to “the majority of downtown businesses and many of the residents who wrote Council directly and to public comment.”
Following the bogus survey—which despite the city and Main Street’s manipulations yielded HUNDREDS of negative comments—not a single comment over nearly two months that the council received in writing, in person, or through the livestream option asked for what was approved at Monday’s meeting. Just the opposite. All except Kris Nelson, who lobbied for permanent streateries downtown, said “We don’t want streateries — put an end to this program NOW.” It wasn’t just downtown business owners, it was, as you note, MANY residents.
No question that the downtown business community, upset not just about parking, but about gifting public rights of way to select proprietors, were the hardest voices to ignore. It was largely through your efforts that council threw them the bone of waiting until the parking plan was revisited before initiating a permanent program which the majority has been chomping at the bit to move forward. The choice to keep these in temporary use for the better part of a year was made at your PREVIOUS meeting. Monday night’s meeting was an opportunity to walk that back rather than solidify it, and even more importantly (in my view, given the overwhelming negative feedback) to kill the proposed ordinance for a permanent program uptown and in other commercial districts.
You and Harvey continue to have exchanges here about downtown parking, but that was just one of many issues raised in the tsunami of opposition council received. The other elephant in the room, which this article spoke to — permanent streateries for all other business districts — was approved. Full stop.
One of the most telling statements I heard in public comments came from Kris Nelson at the May 2 meeting. She said emphatically, sounding almost angry, that the same outcry happening against streateries occurred in opposition to every other downtown “improvement” we’ve had over recent years. But, and I am paraphrasing, the city (‘we”) did them anyway and profits went up as a result. SO THERE. We didn’t listen to the little people and we were right not to do so.
This speaks volumes to the hubris and elitism of a coterie of self-selected “visionaries” who are going to do what they want despite opposition from the people they are supposed to be serving. All the naysayers are misdirected while the masters of our little universe know what’s best. The masters’ judgment is superior, so stop complaining.
Tying an increase in profits to the changes in the streetscape isn’t possible without a complex analysis of myriad factors. Perhaps sales would have increased even MORE without all the monkey business which included loss of precious parking. I know many locals who have increasingly avoided the downtown as it has incrementally removed parking to add things like bulb-outs, not at all charmed by it’s evolution. Nice to have a few parklets along the waterfront, but the rest of the “improvements”, in the eyes of many, have degraded the downtown’s character, not made it more inviting. Streateries take that degradation to the next level.
And now we’re looking at not only the extension of “temporary” streateries downtown, but the permanent program everywhere else.
I remain grateful for your voice here, and on the council, Ben, and I don’t think that the “temporary” bone that was thrown to downtown businesses would have happened without you. And I know that navigating the world of policy-making is a big learning curve. But please don’t try to portray a bone as giving the people what they asked for. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I and others have repeatedly asked City Council to end the “temporary” streateries now. In person and emails. In this forum many times. My May 17 comment was all about how and why the “temporary” streateries extension could and should be ended. Ugly divisive streateries along with manufactured parking mayhem and associated costs to community need to end now.
My last comment contained this……
“Right now into peak season damages build. Through the holiday season damages build. Streateries and illegal parking combined.”
Wouldn’t it be great if Deputy Mayor Howard stepped up to propose changing some wording to end this now. She indicated that she was in favor of ending this now for the good of the greatest number of people at the May 16 meeting.
Unless I am misunderstanding what the council approved on May 16, or the Leader has misreported again, this is done, Harvey. A single council person cannot come back after the fact and try to “change some wording” without the majority of council agreeing that they want to reopen this process. Monday night was the time for changes, not after a unanimous vote to approve the ordinance. Amy Howard may have said she didn’t support it, but she voted to approve the ordinance with the rest of council. That they went through with this after yet another meeting with a packet full of written opposition (one person, this time, actually did write a two-sentence letter in support of streateries) as well as during public comments, speaks to the relevance in which the council holds the public that I described above. One of those letters was from the owner of Quimper Sound who has had his street visibility obscured now for two years, while Kris Nelson’s Whiskey Mill is allowed 100% inside occupancy plus the sidewalk tables plus the tent intruding on his frontage.
“I have no clear street frontage as a temporary white tarp sits in front of my business. I have had professional delivery drivers call unable to find our store until I explain we are behind the tarp. I imagine the amount of everyday people who miss us must be substantial. It is time to take this determent to my business out of our frontage.”
And as I stressed in the preceding comment, extending the temporary streateries downtown through the end of the year may not be council’s biggest slap in the community’s face. They have codified PERMANENT streateries in the rest of Port Townsend’s commercial districts.
Several layers here all tossed together. Thanks for your clarification that a majority of Council is needed to undo what they did.
I will post the BOYCOTT EATERIES WITH STREATERIES signage with a brief explanation and offer copies to those that want them in reaction to the streateries damaging most everyone’s “vibrant and magic” recovery in Historic District.
Thought this was tabled on the second of May meeting when I left. Then the bundling happened.
Many others and I would not recommend a restaurant that cares nothing about others and feel they are elite. I am asked regularly where to eat.
Would Kris Nelson ever see the damage she does to herself, of are a few bucks and little victories over the little people more important? Those following her lead help divide and damage.
Will this be pursued? Washington State Constitution, ARTICLE 8, SECTION 7 CREDIT NOT TO BE LOANED. No county, city, town or other municipal corporation shall hereafter give any money, or property, or loan its money, or credit to or in aid of any individual, association, company or corporation, except for the necessary support of the poor and infirm…”
Back to the Orwell quote regarding turning the other cheek and subsequent slaps getting harder and harder.
Hope the issue with Mauro and costing millions in lost business from parking gets traction.
Slap back. Or wait for the next one.
Ana, I tried reading my comment you reference to find what you found “disingenuous.” Perhaps the question I asked P Callahan sounded rhetorical. It was not. I might be guilty of not having read through the survey answers thoroughly enough though. I had heard directly from multiple business owners that them being up through the summer would be acceptable, given the circumstances.
Actually, I found the resolution to continue the temporary status a bit confusing. It was mixed in with sidewalk cafe, sidewalk retail and outdoor gatherings that would require permits. I was so fixated on tabling the permanent streatery ordinance that I honestly didn’t recognize what the vote on Resolution 22-021 would mean until it was already happening. I guess I saw the part that I wanted to see (fee waiving for sidewalk cafes) and didn’t parse the rest of it fully.
Here’s the text of the motion: “Resolution 22-021 Extending a Special Event for the COVID Reopening of the City of Port Townsend and Waiving Temporary Use Permit Fees as Part of That Event”. I don’t believe staff was trying to misrepresent the resolution, but that it may have been assumed that we were going to vote yes to the permanent streateries so this would have been academic. Obviously that didn’t pan out.
Underlying the conflict here is how much people feel it’s necessary to compensate/adjust/freak out because of the Covid virus. To many people, we’re still in a pandemic. I don’t see things that way, given the current low hospitalization rate, but I do hear from a lot of people who do. Through that lens anything the City can do to help with outdoor commerce as pandemic relief is a noble cause. I know most readers of this site do not feel that way, quite to the contrary. I find myself somewhere in the middle on this, which I suppose means, at the risk of sounding maudlin, that I’ll appear to be a monster to both sides.
Thank you for the in-depth discussion. I’ve gained a lot of perspective by reading the articles here and following the commentary.
Ben-
The fact you continue to explain your perspective, no matter how things so far have panned out makes you far from a monster. Attempts at more information and understanding are the noble path.
Don’t know if we should call anyone a monster. I do see some slimy, icky, nasty energy about. Fellow business owner, some on Council, and at least one staff.
The question remains who steps up to bring this to the attention to those who will unknowingly reward it with business to those who declare themselves special with streateries? What is done regarding a City Manager and some on Council who can be shown to cost millions to businesses over many years?
The Fort Worden link provided by someone below is a Letter to Editor from someone who has followed the FWPDA from the start. The new bosses are the architects of the old problems using a compromised tool Timmons now can admit the FWPDA blew Makers Place or Square or whatever and much more. The wreckage was salvaged, and the end result is what was always wanted by special interests.
If streateries and parking policies negative effects are too complicated for some to understand, the FWPDA mess will never be understood by most.
The public earns or loses respect. We enable and justifiy this kind of systematic plundering to those inclined to take. We should not ever stop “kicking at the darkness until it bleeds daylight”
Thanks as always to Ana, Annette, Stephen, Jim, and those fighting the good fight. And Ben for continuing to actually “engage”. You son should be proud of you when he grows up and understands things Ben.
The children of some others ………………..how sad.
Ben, what is disingenuous, as I said above, is characterizing the vote to approve permanent streateries everywhere except downtown (which received a nearly year-long extension) as having given the “folks commenting here, the majority of downtown businesses and many of the residents who wrote Council directly and to public comment” what they asked for. Except for those living in perpetual fear of a virus (and one streatery operator), the community asked for all streateries to end now.
I don’t know how you or other council members could have missed that they were approving permanent streateries in that ordinance. Staff again misrepresented feedback from the public in its recitals justifying the program, acknowledging the downtown parking issue only because of Monica’s input a few meetings ago, but painting public opinion on other permanent streateries with a rosy brush. Parking was far from the only objection as described in multiple articles here.
The “bundled” ordinance itself defined streateries, and delineated:
It then described the application process, the lottery, HPC review, etc. Nothing ambiguous about it.
It’s one thing to have been confused by the bundling staff did, another to say following a unanimous vote approving the program that by postponing permanence downtown, you followed the public’s will. THAT is disingenuous. Your comment to P Callahan ended with “What was it you were wanting us to do?” ALL input council received over the course of three meetings with the exception of Kris Nelson’s and one two-sentence “Hooray for the streeteries” note from a resident made it clear what the business community and the general public wanted you to do.
Again, my appreciation for your participation in this forum.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
https://ptleader.com/stories/leases-from-tenants-wont-cover-all-costs-letter-to-the-editor,82862?
It just never ends.
The mis leader quoted my letter as support for the streateries. The following is my full letter. They must have stopped reading. Although in the article they say I support them and then add some of my letter that says I do not. Very frustrating.
Hello,
I have always loved the quaint european outdoor pedestrian zones. I would love to see something in PT like that. However, this push to make streateries permanent has not been thoroughly researched.
I have heard from at least one overworked and stressed business owner downtown that they know nothing about this push for permanence. It is the duty of the city council to make sure all of the business owners downtown are aware of this push and listen to their concerns.
It is hard enough for business owners downtown to make their super high rents every month.
Why make it harder.
Please at least table the streateries. I would like to see them gone and work with businesses to do sidewalk cafes.
For more detailed information read this article:
https://www.porttownsendfreepress.com/2022/05/14/uptown-streateries-a-reality-check/
Please do not repeat the mistakes of the cherry street project.
Thank you.
Beth ONeal.
Thank you, Beth, for correcting the Leader’s mis-reporting (once again). Their article finally acknowledged the “continuing backlash” from the public, but had to provide “balance” by mischaracterizing your letter with “Beth ONeal offered her support.” You clearly state “I would like to see them [streateries] gone.” Equating a sentence about loving “quaint european outdoor pedestrian zones” which are closed off to traffic (like those pictured in the article above) with tables, tents and other installations literally in our busy high-traffic city streets shows either an effort to rationalize the city’s actions or just sloppy reporting. Which is worse?
Something has been really bothering me about a trope which was incessantly repeated during the process of forcing the streeteries onto the citizens of Port Townsend.
Over and over, city council members bemoaned the notion that all this work had gone into the planning of the streateries so they can’t not do it, or they waste all that work.
What a ridiculous notion.
Let’s say you live across the street from me and I think your front yard should look differently than it does. So I spend months and months drawing up plans for your front yard. I spend money and time and research drawing up all of my good ideas for your front yard. So then I bring my “administrative and legal authority” to bear on your front yard and you tell me “No, I don’t want you to do that with my front yard”. And then I start wailing, “But you must! You must! I spent so much time! I did so much work on this! Plus, my 82-year-old mother would really love my plans for your front yard! My plans to save the planet are all based on me doing this to your front yard! What is wrong with you, you LOUD MINORITY?!”
That’s exactly what the city council has done. When you are researching a project or visiting an idea you understand that the investigative work may not be used. That’s what professional adults understand about this kind of work. It would be nice if we could get some professional adults on the city council.
So, this story is replaced as the lead story by “Things that took less than 5 years to complete.” On average that means that comments here will pretty much end. The legacy of the bundled streaterie components being passed as yet another City Ordinance against overwhelming public input will live on and on.
The City Ordinance regarding parking will have to wait as many businesses I know of are on the edge of failure. Choke them out. Choke them out. Choke them out. Smile. Be Kind. Trust us, we’ll be fair with the streaterie ordinance. But we were not fair in passing it.
Bundle and save. Save dealing with individual details.
The official reason for streateries is that they are lots of fun and will help some specific individuals “recover” from covid monetary losses. Others not in this newly officially recognized elite group are on their own.
Some barely hanging on eateries I know of have had increased unfair competition for the eating dollar. That continues. Other neighboring businesses now have diminished historic atmosphere and visibility, as with Quimper Sound and Kris Nelson’s ugly tent at Old Whiskey Mill camouflaging its very existence.
Quck old man story. In Poulsbo my first attempt at a business outside the Pike market daystalls was at the old Olympic Inn. It was a great building and was to be shared like a mini mall. After paying up and running for a while the owner decided to get more money by letting an espresso stand set up n front of the entryway. Architecture leads people to entry ways. The stand blocked the entry way visually and physically.. Foot traffic fell. The espresso stand did well.
You win Kris Nelson and those who follow the lead of leaving up your mess tents. You win through December and are the winners of damaging the summer season and holiday shopping season. For most of your neighbors every damn parking spot no matter how squandered is crucial for “resilience, vitality, and bla bla bla bla”.
As the hoax of a City Manager Mauro would buzz word us to a stupor, I know that his and Council’s policies harmed my business. Yes, with illegal and ignored parking choking off access and special people taking more and more parking with streateries.
Mauro can cash paycheck, smile for the camera, and spew cliche’ sound bites some fall for. I was glad to attend 2 council meetings in person and look in the eye those who do so much damage, from the FWPDA to Cherry Street, to the 1,2 million dollar far overpriced plaza at the visitor center and much much more. No public input for the way overpriced visitor center uglification. Would it have mattered? Streateries say no.
Council showed they really don’t function as a critical thinking group and fell like a played out fish on a time line that didn’t need to be, against overwhelming public input that said “this is a terrible and not needed negative idea’.
What impacted me most that was not expected was watching the Award to and presentation by the local High School kids. What a show. They were in favor of a City Ordinance regarding limiting vehicle idling. It was full of lots of details no one will enforce.
They left without knowing laws and codes here are only a recipe idea that some make a living playing with and or ignoring. Actual serving up will not resemble package representation. They left not knowing that public input is not followed. The City Attorney has discretion. Obviously. The City Manager has discretion. Obviously. The City Council as a unit has no clue.
Obviously.
Here’s to being young and naive and innocent.
Here is to the realty of self serving fascism and corruption in your face close up and personal..
With smiley faces saying things like “please be kind”.
Will those stepped on make visitors aware, or send the message that there are no limits as the Orwellian boot stomps your face for eternity?
This test is complete……..next?
Just because PTFP has posted another entry on their site, the issue of streateries and any action taken to combat them by individual or collective businesses or by individuals or collective citizenry is dead in the water? Your frustration is 100 percent understandable and warranted but it isn’t PTFP’s responsibility to keep this issue front and center at city council meetings or with PT businesses, although if it weren’t for their awesome advocacy and truthseeking, who knows if the outcry would have been as great as it is, or happened at all. All props to you, Harvey, for keeping the issue alive, but this is bigger than PTFP and it shouldn’t rest on their shoulders to keep the active momentum moving forward. Muckrake, agitate, ask questions and press when lies, prevarication, condescension and sidestepping are used by local politicians and their patsy mouthpieces (i.e. The MisLeader), by all means, PTFP, but next steps are in the hands of the businesses affected. If I were the owner of Quimper Sound, I’d have my attorney on the phone and be calculating my losses since the tents went up in front of my business. Get your Boycott Streateries signs into as many businesses as possible so that tourists ask questions and you can advocate for your businesses. As long as the MisLeader continues to mangle the truth, even our local folks remain (willingly in most cases) clueless. Let PTFP do and be what it needs to be. This issue isn’t dead just because there’s a new headline.
For anyone interested in reading the full letter from Quimper Sound’s owner, it is on page 15 of the comments packet the council received:
https://cityofpt.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=2409&meta_id=201766
Wonder why the Leader misrepresented Beth ONeal’s letter in opposition as being “in support” of streateries while completely ignoring a letter in the same packet from Quimper Sound’s owner whose business is being demonstrably harmed?
Not my intent to in any way fault the PTFP. Massive thanks and credit. I was more poking and prodding “us” the business community. Sorry if that did not seem to be the case.
Still a major issue with notice and taking public space (parking) for private special interest use.
I will be at the next Council meeting and or write an email to Council asking for someone to motion to look at what was done in the “package”. Yes, this can be un done.
If you would like to organize off the record my email is parking20@forestgems.com
THANKS FREE PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To our friend Harvey Windle Collateral Damage — and the kickoff para —
No kidding.
Sooo, well, could be the FREE press may need the additional services of a traffic cop, so as to avoid future congestions when some might wander slightly off the street/reservation/etc…. informing of those lanes & parameters in advance.
It may be a surprise, though also perhaps the talk-on-the-street, that these local issues are all interrelated. Nonetheless, some do manage to attend to other, even larger issues.
I know you know the refrain:
“Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street
Chicago, New York, Detroit and it’s all on the same street
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings
…… What a long, strange trip it’s been”
The difference from 1970, is that currently all the dang streets and strange trips have become global avenues of affront.
But thank the graces there are always soundtracks to assist keeping smiles & things in perspective.
Thanks again, PTFP.
Yeah, and you know, I’d like to go buy some of those soundtracks. I’ve heard tell we have a record store somewhere in downtown Port Townsend. I can’t seem to find it. Blinded by all of Kris Nelson’s Shakedown Guttertent Magic™.
Ha! — great/savvy comment stream here, real as…. well, Shakedown Street™.
With another historical nod to the grateful dead:
“Nothin’ shakin’ on Shakedown Street. Used to be the heart of town
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart. You just gotta poke around”.
Turn it up, Quimper, we’ll find you.
Grateful for the PTFP.
Harvey, that “car idling” issue is another one of those symbolic smart growth, complete streets UN agenda things.
It’s a symbolic issue which ends up hurting two groups of people more than all others. Delivery trucks, (especially the ones with diesel engines,) and homeless people who need to idle their cars for warmth.
There have been plenty of studies which show that starting and stopping a vehicle constantly so as not to idle, ends up creating more emissions and wasting more fuel than idling does. Once again, a wrongheaded symbolic performanc based on an idealogical agenda, which makes no sense in the real world in which we live.
With symbolic issues such as these, Port Townsend city council is very likely to pass this with little to no discussion, and as they admit, there is no one to enforce it. They won’t pay anyone to enfoce the laws, so they snarkily try to shame the community by demanding volunteers. However, rest assured, Harvey, if one day you have to make some last-minute adjustments on a sale and your customer is idling near your store, there will be someone nearby to document it. THAT is how this stuff is used. THAT is how authoritarianism functions, here.
Ain’t it cute to have little kids delivering the
totalitarian fascism to us?
Faber Youth.
‘They gonna enforce those idling bans on the cruise ships? There’s no shore power at our wharf so they idle constantly to power the ship. That’s much worse for the marine environment than all the cars in Port Townsend.
Faber Youth (ha!) need to be checkin’ on that vibrant walkable brown foam the ships leave behind, as well…
Smiles to all. Is this the bridge too far?
THANKS PTFP
These 2 signs below will be available at Forest Gems. We can also probably email a word doc or similar and you can print one each for the whole family!!!
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
If you visit, don’t forget that there is limited all day parking if you can ace out the locals. Pick a sign. Don’t be shy.
BOYCOTT EATERIES
WITH
STREATERIES
and to represent the other point of view
FOOD TASTES MAGICALLY BETTER
IN A FASCIST MESS TENT
not available is
WHEN KRIS DOES BETTER
I DO BETTER
The PORT TOWNSEND FREE PRESS is not responsible for this content. In the big picture the City of Port Townsend is. And her.
http://bayimg.com/LAbPBaAHf
http://bayimg.com/MaBpBaAHF
http://bayimg.com/MAbPcaaHf
Looks like SmartGrowth™ to me.
Looks exactly like all the other
SmartGrowth™ cities, to me.
This could be in Tacoma, it could be
in Edmonds, it could really be anywhere
in Washington state. The architecture,
the planning, it all looks the same.
That’s because all these SmartGrowth™
cities are using the UN directives.
this particular city does not have to worry about
anyone not wanting to give up their land or cars for
their SmartGrowth™ vision, and they don’t have to
worry about people who have opposing viewpoints.
They could just go ahead and build the city and tell
everyone they have to move into it, with no problems.
This city is Pyongyang.
Pause and consider.
Editors please check out links. My malware screening prevents access due to trojan.
The links are to three photos on a Swedish “Free uncensored image hosting” website. They appear to be from China or some city in another Asian country, but the images are not identified.
I used to have to watch the North Korean news broadcasts for my job.
That little red flame up in the left-hand corner of the photos means they are official state photos from the DPRK. And yes, the banners are in Korean. Looks like it’s a new development as the OP alleged.
When I think about it more, (I have no way to verify if the North Koreans used smart growth directives to build this part of Pyongyang,) but it is interesting how few people live in rural areas there except specifically to farm, and everyone is moved to the cities. Which is pretty much what the UN directives are saying the United States must do in order to be “sustainable”. I’m guessing this isn’t gonna go over well with the American people once they realize it’s happening. Hopefully by then it won’t be too late. On the other hand, Ukraine is teaching us quite a bit about civil self-defense. ‘Hope everyone is paying attention.
I am now wondering who the original authors of the UN directives, were. I hear lots of people saying this is socialist and communist planning, and the more I’m looking at it, the more I’m thinking that might not be hyperbole.
Good question, speaking of “reality checks”. Who were “they”? Certainly nothing i would call human/e.
Same/similar manipulative forces through history. Here as well — a so-called “democracy” built on vast genocide & slavery. Somehow, the peeps still don’t get it, walking/motoring across Indian graveyards daily.
We’re all up next. More for the dystopian files —
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/05/no_author/yuval-noah-harari-what-to-do-with-all-of-these-useless-people/
https://www.conservativeglobe.com/articles/new-chilean-law-is-the-biggest-vaccine-confession-weve-seen-yet/
Ouch. Are we reliving yet another p.k. dick novel?
And here this world hovers, poised for another “great reset”…. with the patent-driven genetically “legal” ownership of those who’ve been jabbed.
Not forgetting the maritime/contractual/legal owner-ship placed on individuals at “berth”. Not to mention ALL government designations as corporations.
There’s also the loong history of significant portions of populations who were basically serfs & slaves — ownership of one form or another. The term “vassal” is very close to vessel. “Her majesty’s vessels”.
Wake-up calls abound, amidst 10 alarm blazes.
Reflexive Law:
Are you wondering why what the councilors and commissions are doing is feeling a bit like being slowly boiled? Does it feel a bit like bait and switch advertising?
There’s a reason for that.
From “The UN Agenda For Sustainable Development: A Critique”
by the American Coalition For Sustainable Communities
Remember this every time the SmileySneks™ roll their
eyes as they INFORM YOU that it’s “A NON-BINDING
AGREEMENT!”.
The text goes on to discuss a part of the 1992 NAFTA agreement which was a supplemental agreement called The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, which created The North American commission for environmental cooperation, aka, the CEC.
In the book “Greening NAFTA,” by Markell and Knox,
they write about how the CEC got involved in the San Pedro river basin of southern Arizona. The discussion takes place in the chapter titled, “Coordinating Land and Water Use in the San Pedro River Basin”.
Markell and Knox state that Article 13 could be understood as an example of post-modern “Soft” or “Reflexive” international law because it intends to influence public and private behavior minus the threat of the enforcement of traditional, sanction-based Rule of Law systems.
From “Towards a Theory of Law and Societal Development”,
by Håkan Hydén
“Greening NAFTA” further explains, “reflexive law tries to align systematically legal rules with norms that the relevant actors will internalize. It builds on the realization that the reasons why people actually obey law ultimately lie outside formal education and the power of the state to enforce rules.”
CREEPY.
The American Coalition for Sustainable Communities(ACSC), comments,
“Again, reflexive law starts out with desired outcomes, created by unelected and unaccountable actors, for which there are no laws. Yes, they could appeal to Congress to create legislation, as would be required by the Constitution. At the end of the reflexive process, described below, the actual outcomes depend on how well the stakeholders “internalize” what is proposed. In other words there is no actual legal process at all, but rather a jawboning process that cons actors into compliance.”
ACSC continues, “‘lnformation Disclosure’ is a principal policy instrument of Reflexive Law. That is, the analysis produced is presented with its “recommended outcomes”. Public meetings are then held to build consensus between individual citizens and other “actors”. In the case of the San Pedro River Basin study, the CEC in listed the University of Arizona’s Udall Center to hold these public meetings. In sum, there was zero consensus among actual citizens of the area, as the book simply notes, ‘Public comment was emotionally divided on the reduction of irrigated agriculture.’ Really? In fact, the farmers and ranchers in the area were beyond livid, but the real purpose of the public meetings had nothing to do with getting their voluntary consensus. Rather, the meetings were designed to publicly abuse them until they submitted.”<<
‘Feels familiar.
Parking isn’t being enforced because they want to SHAME
YOU out of your car. Listen to Mayor Faber and his vocal changes when he talks about parking automobiles as STORING PERSONAL PROPERTY IN
A PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY. He’s trying to shame you out of parking your car downtown. It’s cheaper than enforcement. Much less bother. And maybe even a little fun for the green fascists. Pass symbolic laws which will never be enforced, but if you break them, you will be publicly called out and shamed.
What’s next? Public stonings?
Be aware the JeffCo commissioners have a meeting unveiling their plan on homelessness this week. Would probably be a good idea to keep track of that one. More of the same, more of the same, more of the same…
https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/492/Board-of-County-Commissioners
There has always been the missing link to explain so many bad ideas and outcomes. And waste. Massive amounts of waste.
Owen Rowe at the last City Council meeting thanked the public for the input. He then made it clear he didn’t like the tone of some people.
We see what public input is worth no matter the “tone”.
Screw with my livelihood, disrespect my customers and absolutely everyone that visits or does business in Port Townsend with fake 2 hour parking signs.
As Council, be OK with purposefully limited public notice on the streaterie issue. Take very limited and mis managed public parking for private insider use with fascist mess tents. I will no longer use the word streaterie and play into the image. Do damage and claim its magic. Or let others do that for you.
Do not answer when I point out the fact over many years that the food co-op which Owen Rowe is associated with, and Appointed Mayor Sandoval’s Windermere Realty both have private parking. My customers, and everyone’s visitors can live in a discriminatory wild west where we don’t need no stinkin rules. This is the Port Townsend created by a group of specific individual’s work. Your smiling neighbors.
I really don’t like that tone. Or frequency. Or prime directive. Or whatever.
Parking always was just one symptom. In every ecosystem and every corrupt system all things and players are connected.
Kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.
Or not.
Blessed Memorial Day.
Gratitude for those who’ve died
defending our Constitution.
I renew my personal vows today
to align my work and my values
always
with freedom
for the human mind,
body and spirit.
May all those
who grieve
on this day
be comforted.
And to all veterans those who returned home, and those that did not thank you.
A WW2 veteran showed me when I was about 9 years old Fort Worden.
He explained the old concrete gun sites similar to those in the South Pacific where he served an ideal.
We live and serve the ideal imperfectly.
But we must try to honor huge sacrifices made by others before us.
Serve in your own way. Do not turn away.
Thanks, Dad, for lessons not understood at the time.
And gratitude to countless other men and women who served and serve the ideal.
Freedom is forever tied to responsibility.
Harvey, we should do this next week again when it’s actually Memorial Day. So hilarious. I’ve been thinking about it so much and it’s Sunday and it’s just on my mind so I guess I somehow just decided i’d have Memorial Day today; it’s actually next weekend. But you know what? We can celebrate it all week. I loved your story about your dad, and it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing that. I have always loved your suggestion that Fort Worden be turned into a sort of retreat and learning/healing center for veterans, instead of all this “makers/smart growth” stuff.
So, Happy Memorial Day WEEK everyone!
I will also just add for posterity that the reason this is so strongly on my mind, is that we are preparing to commemorate Memorial Day, which ultimately is the acknowledgement of and thankfulness for the millions of lives lost for the ideals articulated in our Constitution. And we are witnessing right now; our neighbors, our fellow citizens and countrymen, circumventing our Constitution on several levels. Including disallowing us to vote on projects and ordinances that profoundly effect our lives. I feel haunted by it. There are human beings buried in the cemeteries of this city, who fought against the very totalitarian creep which is being quietly, relentlessly forced into our lives by our local city councils and county commissioners.
Whatever political parties or ideals any person on this soil embraces, they must all be held up to the standard of our Constitution. That was never up for debate. People are allowed to believe whatever they want to believe in this country, and work toward whichever ideals best suit them. But ultimately no matter what, any legislation must be made in deference to our Constitution.
What the city council and county commissioners have been doing is wrong. When they work together to conspire against the citizens they are by oath sworn to represent, when they work around our clear directives for them in order to enforce an agenda devised by unelected officials, they are participating in the destruction of the very ideals people died to defend. The people we are commemorating through the next week. If people on our commissions and councils were participating in this without knowing what it was, that’s an honest mistake. But now they know. We see what they are doing and we are watching. Do any of them have a conscience? This is totalitarianism. It is not American democracy. It’s not any kind of democracy. It’s just totalitarianism.
“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe
while the legislature is in session.”
~Mark Twain
Happy Memorial week, month, year, decade……….. participate in issues you know, from local to larger.
From fascist tents to grand housing projects.
Specialists needed.
Thanks Free Press-
https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/492/Board-of-County-Commissioners
Tomorrow’s Commissioners meeting info:
MONDAY, MAY 23
Meeting begins at 9AM.
Workshop on a Draft Ordinance for “Temporary Housing Facilities” at 1:30 p.m.
(The meeting begins at 9 AM, but the workshop begins at 1:30 PM.)
The PUBLIC HEARING for the proposed ordinance is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. on Monday, June 13.
Citizens may attend the meeting in person. Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St. (Limited to 50 percent occupancy.)
To join via zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/93777841705.
To view live w/out participation:
http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us
Look for: “Quick Links: Videos of Meetings-Streaming Live.”
To listen only, call 1-253-215-8782
Access Code 937-7784-1705#.
Public comments: jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us
Public comments will be included in the minutes, but no longer read aloud during the meeting.
KEEP YER EYE ON THE MONEYBALL
On the consent agenda before the workshop is a resolution to use general funds to cover expenses associated with the “Caswell-Brown Village” project.
This is probably THE issue which awakened more people in the area than any other, previously. It has been pushed to the back burner somewhat by the mess tents in our streets discussions; but keep an eye on the details bundled in. (As we now understand is part of the tactics.) It’ll be interesting to see what all they’ll try to force through this time.
The link to the zoom interface needs to have the period removed from the end of it, I think. It just links to the zoom website, not to the county commissioner site.
If anybody wants to start making up flyers to pass out at these meetings, here are some examples of what others have done in the past:
https://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/uploads/4/4/6/6/4466371/onebayareaflyer.pdf
The Cali Brown Act assures they can’t
bully ppl w/Robert’s Rules:
“ Allow the public to address the covered board”
We def need that. Really tired of the bullying
and tone policing from people who are actively
subverting our will, right before our eyes.
HOW RUDE. HOW DEEPLY UN-CIVIL.
HOW DISRESPECTFUL.
When we finally get some council members and commissioners who take their oaths seriously, they need to be strongly encouraged to start reading public comments outloud, again. It’s repulsive they won’t read them outloud. They’re manipulative bullies and insufferable cowards. Terrified of the will of the populace; the will it is literally their sworn duty to uphold. They chip away at our democracy and give themselves a pay raise. Perfect. Welcome to Port Townsend, a Victorian Death-Row-Poplar & Mess-Tent Community.
Dick Gregory: I chose to be an agitator. And there’s one interesting thing about being an agitator — and I tell people — the next time you put your underwear in the washing machine, take the agitator out, and all you’re going to end up with is some dirty, wet drawers.
My wife and I were brainstorming. We discovered that if you go into Amazon and do a search for “custom auto sun shade”, you can make your own protest signs to put in your car windows for less than $20. Ain’t no Reflexive Laws against sun shades (yet).
Some ideas:
GET YOUR MESS TENTS
OFF OUR STREETS
THE PEOPLE SAID “NO”
THE TENTS MUST GO
DRUG CAMPS, MESS TENTS
AND CUT POPLARS, OH MY!
Going through the documents from the commissioners meeting I found this. I had to miss the meeting because of work, but I will attempt to catch up this evening.
Board and Commission Vacancies:
Jefferson County relys on community input to Our
Boards and Commissions, Please consider applying to
one of the boards/ commissions below. If you’d like more
information, please contact: 380-385-9100
Vacancies:
Board of Equalization (2)
Climate Action Committee (1)
• Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board (1)
• LEOFF | Retirement Disability Board (1)
Noxious Weed Control Board. (3 = District #3: District #4: District #5)
Parks & Recrcation Advisory Board (2 = District #1 & District #3)
Planning Commission (2 = District #2 ; District #3)
Peninsula Housing Authority. (1)
Public Infrastructure Fund (PIF) Board (2 = District #2 & District #3)
From:
https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/92258517-0ab2-482c-bc3a-05523a5d79e8
I personally think we can do all the protesting, flyering, etc. we want, but nothing is going to change until we start filling these seats, ourselves.
I think there are 2 separate things here.
First, great to get the ‘right” people on boards and commissions. There would be the same dynamics we see on the City Council through varied percentages of status quo and “right” thinking people. Boards and commissions are imperfect. They only advise those with more power. Non-binding. Please correct me if I am wrong.
In the situation with the mess tents, purposefully minimal notice, clearly taking a limited public resource, parking, for private for-profit interests and discriminating against businesses not of a certain type and favoring others didn’t stop City Council from proceeding with plans.
All stemming from that reality is fruit of the poison tree.
Council can revisit this. What are the odds of a few standing up and motioning to do so?
Never too late to learn and serve the broader public. Or circle the wagons around some folks with flawed reasoning. Nothing new there.
Eventually on May 2 there was a bundling of several aspects, temporary, uptown, fees etc in a manufactured hurry. We have a demonstrable damaging, costly, ($9,000 per lost parking space per month in revenue) and discriminatory plan moved through.
Every day it adds up and has been.
With other parking losses over 4 million dollars a year loss to business using the Cities own study and employee estimate of lost parking per day.
Thanks for the vibrant. partnered, resilient road to covid recovery City Manager Mauro. And Council.
Time to protest, Can we even? The Historical Commission and Planning Commission didn’t stop this. keep hammering with facts, and do not turn a cheek because the message sent in that mode is THERE ARE NO LIMITS. The next slap may be in your neighborhood.
2 Separate things going on here Mae.
1) Gross failure and malfeasance to protest to make it not acceptable to leave ugly mess tents up.
2) Getting better people on boards, commissions and councils.Sounds easy!
How come things never do change?
At least trying to move in a better direction has merit. Who steps up? Can they stand their ground? Will you keep track?
Not everyone wants to involve themselves in “direct action” protests. That ideology is the very source of the previously discussed “Reflexive Law”. It’s all about public shaming. Sadly it has passed as an acceptable replacement for actual political discourse in Port Townsend for far too long.
Those are the politics of emotion and coercion. I personally want nothing to do with that sort of spectacle. We can handle these problems in other ways. Quietly. Relentlessly. Legally. With the full force of the sovereign powers of our nation. What we won’t be doing, is discussing our specific plans and actions in public.
Do you not have an attorney for your business, sir? If you have been told you cannot sue City Hall, you simply have not talked to the right attorney, yet.
Meet and Greet Marcia Kelbon:
When:
Wednesday, May 25 2022,
10:00am – 11:00am PDT.
Where:
Port Ludlow Beach Club
121 Marina View Dr.
Port Ludlow, WA 98365
Marcia is running for County Commissioner.
From her campaign page:
https://electmarciakelbon.com/
I am Marcia Kelbon, I live in beautiful Quilcene, Washington, and I am running in the 2022 election cycle to represent District 3 as a Jefferson County Commissioner. I am running to help Jefferson County’s hard-working families and people that have worked hard to earn their retirement.
My Jefferson County neighbors are burdened by: ever-increasing property and sales taxes; regulations that exacerbate the shortage of reasonably priced housing and that pose unreasonable barriers to good-paying jobs through business creation; and governance that infringes the rights of individuals, including mandates that hinder the ability to operate businesses and earn a living.
Instead of lessening these burdens, the County is utilizing record high tax revenue and federal funding to advance a troubling socialist agenda, spending money on handouts to the few rather than hand ups, and giving short shrift to key functions such as infrastructure, roads and law enforcement.
This burdensome environment can be remedied by reducing taxes and wisely investing revenue to support what should be key local government functions such as infrastructure and public safety, easing the application of the County’s regulatory framework to permit smart residential development and nurture a thriving business environment while protecting our natural resources and retaining our rural character, and respecting the rights and responsibilities of individuals.
I believe that I can guide improving the situation for the hard-working people of Jefferson County through my background in engineering, law and business. This includes my experience as a senior executive and the top lawyer at a biotechnology company, growing that business over 19 years from a start-up to being a publicly traded, revenue-generating company, creating approximately 250 new jobs in the process. Earlier on in my career, I earned my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Chemical Engineering and worked for the U.S. Navy as a civilian engineer. Then, after earning my law degree from the University of Washington, I practiced as a patent attorney protecting the inventions of entrepreneurs and established companies. All of this has provided invaluable experience, which would serve the County well, in prioritizing limited resources, budgeting, policy making, shareholder accountability, operating in regulated environments, grants administration, job creation, hiring and supervision, team building, dispute resolution and technology.
Harvey, Do you honestly believe that having someone like her on our board of commissioners wouldn’t make a difference? I’m not a Republican. I’m voting for her. I think it’s necessary for the health of this community. I feel deeply grateful that someone with her energy and expertise is willing to spend much of her free time in retirement, serving our community in this way. We would all do well to support her campaign. There is not just one way to fight this internal rot. It must happen on all levels, at all times, without ceasing.
I am just glad to keep dialogue going. Ideas, responses, not letting things just fade into the memory hole. Good on those that are taking quiet action and connecting the dots.
Daily reminders with signage keep focus on individuals and issues.
Taking on the expense of a personal attorney to address everyone’s issue(s) no longer works for me. You can’t save the apathetic alone.
“Taking on the expense of a personal attorney to address everyone’s issue(s) no longer works for me. You can’t save the apathetic alone.”
Brother, you take on the attorney to address your own issues.
As do the other business owners affected. Individuals standing up for themselves still works in the United States of America. And yes, sometimes it does require paying for attorneys and working through the courts.
Considering the amount of potential revenue lost I would think the
expense would be an investment in recouping some of your lost earnings.
Or, you can do what we did and just get out. I think you would find your business absolutely blooming, elsewhere. We decided Port Townsend was a dead end, pulled up stakes, and have never been happier.
You cannot apply communitarianism to the problem
of communitarianism, and expect it to be a solution.
https://www.thoughtco.com/communitarianism-definition-and-theories-5070063
You kind of lose me here with the label communitarianism. Dozens of INDIVIDUALS are impacted by a special interest minority in Port Townsend with mess tent madness. AND SO MUCH MORE.
A newly created second class has been created and discriminated against by the City of Port Townsend due to mess tents. The aggregate of the INDIVIDUALS is the “community” in this situation.
Individuals with a common problem to solve.
It would seem a class action lawsuit would be a better avenue and share expenses and benefits among those individuals impacted that have the same or similar damages.
Is that really communitarianism as I read it in your link?
One individual’s voice is more easily ignored both by City Council and the courts compared to an organized and well represented and financed group.
In my humble opinion.
I recently spoke with someone who was retired from law practice due to their perception that judges buy seats according to the number of signs they can afford. This person thought some judges are influenced by those who help buy signs.
They know more than I do about this.
This is another aspect when deciding to self-fund legal action that may need to be heard by higher and higher courts.
Please correct any misconceptions that I may have.
The idea of leaving Port Townsend behind as you suggest is in motion. Another by appointment location in Port Hadlock for custom work I cannot keep up with is working out well. The business in Port Townsend has several aspects, things visitors find interesting is only one. Custom work and wood milling funds most of my net income. Port Townsend basically pays for the interesting to visitor aspect. I am in transition now.
I will be fine without PT and related manufactured problems. Some will miss a business with a 46-year tie to handcraft culture and this region. Port Townsend for 26 years now.
Some will be happier and better served if some kind of subsidized “nonprofit” takes the space.
Disneyland. Like Fort Worden. Same folks.
Glad to see so many ideas and voices. Hope some are taking action in their own ways.
Most will indeed be sitting back waiting for others to do the heavy lifting. At least they should have information about pooling resources.
Or not, according to some as I read it here.
Then again, the City Council could heal the wound they inflicted, and or special eatery interests could take down the divisive mess tents and treat neighbors as equals.
Or not.
They are not going to heal the wound they inflicted. They are going to keep on until American freedom is a corpse.
No one is sitting back waiting for others to do the heavy lifting. The point being missed is that they expect people to be in the streets and protesting and flyering, so everybody gets their face out there and their identity out there so they can be tagged and bagged politically and personally. You have to get at their roots. Their roots are based in elected officials who appoint people of like mind. If you do not fill those seats with people who know what’s going on and are working against it it’s a waste of everyone’s time. The heavy lifting that makes any difference with these issues happens at the ballot box. Scarantino is probably right that all the judges around here are well paid for. Stop electing smart growth clowns. That’s the way out of this.
A novel idea. ELECTED planners!!!
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/politics/former-planner-eyes-clallam-county-department-of-community-development/
For years I have been proposing an elected mayor and term limits on City Council.
This is based on looking at broken parts in a system. Parking got my attention first. It is just one symptom of larger problems.
Appointed Mayor Faber here in PT does not hold position due to his stellar record. It is a terrible record of wasted millions. And damage to many.
He holds the “weak” mayor position because he was next on the conveyor belt. New members of Council voted for him to not make enemies and play politics from the get-go. Who would dare stand up to this dysfunctional tradition as they begin terms that could last 2 decades as with Sandoval?
Sandoval was appointed Mayor from within Council 3 times. She was ignoring warning signs at Fort Worden, parking, planning, gave us Cherry Street along with Faber, and so much more.
It is a broken system that hired a compromised unqualified City Manager that by agreement does not do his full job.
Riding in on a bicycle with an agenda in hand. His, not ours.
Some would say elections are fixed so why bother? Some would say clean up obvious dysfunction and corruption here, there, and everywhere.
Elected planner. It’s a start. What made Clallam County so wise?
An elected Mayor system restored would create candidates that debate and bring out the dysfunction of opponents.
Voters decide who is full of deceit and corruption and who is not. Could Faber run and win?
Appointed mayors want police to keep weapons in trunks, causing some to leave. Appointed mayors take public property for private use. Appointed Mayors hire and keep on staff City Managers who cost this community millions from the start of employment.
Add to the list if you like.
Voters keep electing Council members that drink too much kool aid.
Elected Mayor. Term limits on Council. A long road ahead. Best to be on it even if you think a reset is just ahead.
Or not.
This **** is unreal.
And now we got commissioners giving block grants to churches.
http://www.agenda21course.com/lesson-6-grants-are-used-as-a-major-tool-to-implement-agenda-21/#more-131
Still nothing in our local newspapers about county commissioners arranging to give $32,000 of taxpayer money to a local church, for low-income babysitting.
You may think to yourself, I don’t mind that. But you should also think to yourself, what if it was the Church of Satan? Would you still be OK with it, then?
If it’s not OK, it’s not OK, no matter which church it is.
at least it’s not Bayside housing. But we all know
when money starts getting this loose and free,
Bayside ain’t far off. Sick of these effin grifters.
i cant find any vid of the commish mtg
They dont archive them?
James,
Here: https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/?customerGuid=3ed8575e-418b-477c-9d71-d1443ecc9589&target=foo&view=list&tabs=past%7Ctoday%7Cupcoming
Look for the icon which looks like a sheet of paper with a corner folded down, and an arrow pointing to the right, within it. Click it and you can
see the video of the meeting.
Brian C.
Those of you who haven’t watched or listened to that commissioners meeting, you really need to. Especially if you were affected by the camp at the fairgrounds. Especially if you live in Brinnon or Quil. Catch yourself up to speed now and get involved or you’re gonna get stuck with something disastrous. You may get stuck with something disastrous, anyway, as we have recently observed.
If you follow the link shared above, (thanks B!) the discussion specifically about the encampment begins at 2:49:30
Please note there will be a public hearing on this issue so they can listen to us and ignore what we have to say. But say it, anyway.
**The PUBLIC HEARING for the proposed ordinance is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. on Monday, June 13.
Citizens may attend the meeting in person. Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St. (Limited to 50 percent occupancy.)**
If you still don’t believe me that you absolutely need to get involved with this, if you know who Barbara Morey is, she is influencing this planning, and if you do know who she is, that should make you feel a little sick. FIGHT THIS INSANITY!!!
We can take care of one another without forcing their brainrot agenda on everyone including those who live without homes; for whatever reasons they live without homes. No one in the United States of America should be forced into encampments of any kind, for any reason. Nor should they be forced into treatment. Nor should citizens of any city or county have encampments forced upon them, either.
Squirrel !!!!! We begin with mess tents taking public property for private use and purposeful limited notice at the City level. We are now at the County level and encampments. And more.
Attention Deficit Disorder en masse.
Seems poplars have an organized fund raising effort. Good on those who pulled that together.
Seems unless one individual is willing to wade into the deep and costly swamp to contest the City doing what it does we are not organized and will not be. They have lawyers standing by to bleed any individual dry. Seen it before.
Of course as someone hinted there may be others who are wading into that costly swamp. Who knows?
Someone says don’t protest. Someone says don’t feed communitarianism. Someone says whatever and does nothing.
Posted this a while ago. Food for thought.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984 have a lot in common. Both depict a fruitless, empty dystopia in the future, both were written within twenty years (1931 and 1949 respectively) in the first half of the twentieth century, and thus both, in a fictional but nonetheless dark and even savage way, imagine what the world would be like today.
Fundamentally, however, they offer completely different accounts of what will enslave humanity in generations to come. In his Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Neil Postman points out some of the differences, and argues that one of them was far closer to the reality that ensued than the other. Thanks to Justin Taylor for the link:
Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing.
Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.
Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.
Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure.
In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.
Squirrell !!!!!!!!!! Months of damage to everyone ahead not in the elite mess tent brigade. Losses are known. Hundreds of thousands of dollars through Dec. Millions over the years.
Squirrell!!!!!! Whack a mole.
Wish I was a poplar sometimes.
What have we learned here today class?
Next week, herding cats..
This is the comment section for a newspaper. If you want an alliance as a legal entity to protect your business interests, you need to go out your front door and start talking to your fellow business owners. It seems like you want everyone here to create a protest on your behalf.
Also: go to and support the Poplar alliance. That’s how you build alliances.
J Perez-
Thaks for the input. It is what it is. We are who we are. We do what we each do individually. We each have the effects we each have.
Or not.
You (many) seem to miss that “my business interests” are your and everyone’s right to fair notice and not having public property taken for private interests.
I have spoken with many many business owners. Most are passive.
I observe the public much in the same way the powers that be do as they take and take. Do you act or not?
Is it really the other guy’s problem? It never was about just parking spaces. That’s just a symptom.
Thanks again for the advice. Thaks to the Free Press for covering a multitude of related problems.
in tide pools and petri dishes large and small.
On Memorial Day weekend thanks to those that have sacrificed for the ideal.
Good info from KAPO.
Watch it please.
https://youtu.be/EDwEnrDpJl0
Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Didn’t realize this was going down at Miller Peninsula. Anyone with more information, please share.
https://ptleader.com/stories/help-stop-the-expansion-and-development-of-state-park-letter-to-the-editor,83043?
https://www.parks.wa.gov/1187/Miller-Peninsula-Planning
Mike~ YEP, this fits the pattern.
Take a bunch of public comments
and then go on and do what they were
going to do, anyway.
https://www.parks.wa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16002/2020-10-31-Public-Comments
How long, Oh Lord, how long?!
Opportunities:
Police log:
***At 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, a caller in the 900 block of Washington Street asked for someone to be trespassed from their business.
A business owner in the same block had entered the caller’s business and started yelling at them about their streatery and how it was taking away parking spots.
The angry person was asked several times to leave, but refused. Officers arrived and served the angry business owner a trespass admonishment and told them that if they entered the property again, they would be arrested.***
Thank you PT city Council for absolutely destroying our community. How you all sleep at night, is beyond me. The people we are remembering today who fought for our rights in this nation are rolling in their graves at what you are doing. Every single one of you should be deeply ashamed of yourselves.
To the person who had the courage to do what needed to be done and say what needed to be said, if you need any help with legal fees, get the word out. You have more support than you know.
I just received an email asking if I was the person trespassed. I was not.
Thanks to David Harquist for highlighting this and the destruction of true community by the City Council.
No one sacrificed in the military to see a class system officially set up under Roberts Rules of Order, and discrimination openly practiced for years on end with all day parking for insiders documented to cost the community millions and millions of dollars over more than 8 years now.
For personal greed and an agenda.
Is this all really just business owners’ issue? Of all the mayhem created in both County and City this is one that seems to me to be exceptionally well documented (thanks Ana, Annette and Free Press) and actionable.
John Mauro, City Manager will spout sound bites about recovery, resilience, partners, and community. City Council OK’s damages to continue through the most important time to recover, now through the first of the year.
No one can do it alone. Time for a go fund me. This touches everyone. The circle is complete when absolutely everyone disrespects absolutely everyone.
These are your neighbors orchestrating this. They are “The City of Port Townsend” Do look behind the very thin curtain.
Remove all mess tents now.
Money where mouth is- I pledge the first $500 towards legal action against the City. I know there are many out there who know how to proceed to set this up.
There is a Poplar Alliance. Why not the Memorial Day Alliance? Mess tents are for times of war. This is a quiet but real one.
Is it true “You have more support than you know.?”.
AAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA
ITHACA!!!!!
https://ithacavoice.com/2021/12/permanent-streatery-idea-shelved-police-staffing-needs-scrutinized-at-busy-common-council-meeting/
Even funnier? Faber accused Scarantino of criticizing
Faber “for clicks”. Welluh, 90+ comments later,
howyalikeusnow, big boy?
Word Up:
Find the person who got trespassed.
Begin the Alliance, with that person.
Then you will be cooking with fire.
Just, thankfully, not in a mess tent
in the street.
A victory, friends. They are capable of doing the right thing.
https://ptleader.com/stories/jefferson-county-commissioners-pull-support-for-grant-request-by-local-church,83268
… and the city council could do the same thing with the mess tents fiasco. But, will they? Or will they continue to cater to a VERY magical select few, in the name of an international organization whose mission statement includes creating a world where the collective holds more weight in society than the individual. Oh, the irony.
This is a link to the City Council calendar. The business meeting is Monday June 6 starting at 6 30.
https://cityofpt.us/calendar/month?field_microsite_tid=27
This is a link to the City Council home page
https://cityofpt.us/citycouncil
You can scroll down to see contact info and some information regarding each individual Council member. Email addresses are provided.
This link sends your email to all at once and goes on the public record. https://cityofpt.us/citycouncil
You can easily send an email before the Monday June 6 business meeting asking each and every Council member to put forth and support a resolution to reverse and end now the taking of public property, parking spaces, for private interests.
Streeteries, or mess tents, as those with a foot in reality call them, if allowed to stay in place through the end of the year create hardship on businesses needing as much parking access and unobstructed visibility as possible. To “recover”.
The system managed into existence creates a class system and discriminates against the majority of businesses. Using Main Street.
According to the 2004 parking study each parking spot converted to mess tent use costs businesses $300 per day adjusted for inflation. There is a minimum of 12 lost spaces at this time. That is $3600 daily lost to businesses. Six days a week is $21,600 per week.
There are 7 months until the end of the year. That makes $1,512,000 lost to struggling businesses by this favoritism.
In addition, no parking plan or enforcement, by a city employee estimate, is 50 spots per day lost. 50 x $300 per day per spot is $15,000 per day lost to business as resilience and recovery in dynamic partnership is claimed to be happening.
About 308 days per year after Sundays and Holidays is $4,620,000. Four million six hundred twenty thousand dollars per year times 8 years..
Lost. Blown away. Like so many other “problems” around. As the opposite is claimed.
At hand now are mess tents. Paste what facts you like from here, or as simple as “please no mess tents” send an email to
https://cityofpt.us/citycouncil ASAP
Monday June 6. 6 30. If there are no brakes or reverse on this machine, and most don’t really do anything. We all get the government some deserve.
Correction– the link to send comments to full council is publiccomment@cityofpt.us
Oh, that we all could admit mistakes and correct them.
That’s publiccomment@cityofpt.us
Harvey, to confirm: yes, that is the best address (publiccomment@cityofpt.us) to submit comment to the record. Just make sure it’s more than two hours before a meeting.
I also read someone above wishing that public comments were read out loud. The best way for that to happen is for people to both write AND come down (or beam in remotely) to read their letter into the microphone. I know it’s a hassle, but it’s a strong demonstration of commitment and certainly amplifies your message.
Please do attend the meeting June 6th and send comments to publiccomment@cityofpt.us. You can show support even if you choose not to speak. Yes, there are many issues at hand other than the mess tents crammed down the community’s throats.
You can choose to begin sending the message that enough is enough Monday the 6th. City Council has a broad range of duties. First seems to be avoiding financial malfeasance, not taking public parking for private use, and providing fair notice. Every time. Consistently.
There are some good people on Council. They need all the help they can get. In person. SHHHHH. Roberts Rules of Order will be in effect.
‘Think some of you would enjoy this reading:
http://trojanheron.blogspot.com/p/why-this-blog.html
Interesting to note: San Juan County = ICLEI member.
That link is mindblowing:
Well then you might have the San Juan Islands as they are today, and someone has to tell the story.<<
We are living it. Right now. Wow.
It’s all over the state, and all over the country.
Same tactics. Happyface Rainbow Fascism.
HAVE A NICE DAY!
https://youtu.be/PwtoEN6nstA
Posting for the record-
Write and send yours today and post a copy here. Please pretend the next Council meeting is a Netflix movie about small town corruption and bring popcorn if that’s what it takes to get attendence up.
City Council-
This is the reality of magic mess tents. To clarify I had nothing to do with this. It reveals a simmering anger you have created by not following public input. From the police blotter
“At 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, a caller in the 900 block of Washington Street asked for someone to be trespassed from their business.
A business owner in the same block had entered the caller’s business and started yelling at them about their streatery and how it was taking away parking spots.
The angry person was asked several times to leave but refused. Officers arrived and served the angry business owner a trespass admonishment and told them that if they entered the property again, they would be arrested.”
Also your first priority is to manage the City in a financially and socially responsible way.
The system managed into existence creates a class system and discriminates against the majority of businesses. Using Main Street.
According to the 2004 parking study each parking spot converted to mess tent use costs businesses $300 per day adjusted for inflation. There is a minimum of 12 lost spaces at this time. That is $3600 daily lost to businesses. Six days a week is $21,600 per week.
There are 7 months until the end of the year. That makes $1,512,000 lost to struggling businesses by this favoritism.
In addition, no parking plan or enforcement, by a city employee estimate, is 50 spots per day lost. 50 x $300 per day per spot is $15,000 per day lost to business as resilience and recovery in dynamic partnership is claimed to be happening.
About 308 days per year after Sundays and Holidays is $4,620,000. Four million six hundred twenty thousand dollars per year times 8 years..
When Mr. Mauro came on board as City Manager a council person was quoted as saying she hoped he found new “revenue streams”.
City B&O taxes have taken a hit for years due to the manufactured parking tolerance policy. The business community has lost millions. Visitors are treated as fools who obey fake 2 hour signs. Mr. Mauro as a competent professional City Manager should have reviewed all under his management and set a more professional, financially sound, and legal course.
We have sound bites of resilience, community building, dynamic partnership, bla bla bla bla. Damage is done and sound bites are offered.
He would be fired in the corporate world. Time to manage the city finances as the business that it actually is.
Please move to rectify the mistake you made bundling all mess tent aspects at the end of your last meeting. You can correct mistakes. To not do so is continuing malfeasance. That demonstrably damages community in many ways.
To Council member Rowe in response to a comment you made at the last Council meeting. Your inaction and lack of response over many months regarding damages incurred due to ignoring all aspects of parking along with other Council, as the Food Co Op and Windermere both have private parking does not warrant a polite and respectful “tone”.
That which is projected reflects back. Time to act in a positive way. Everyone. REMOVE ALL “TEMPORARY” MESS TENTS NOW.
You impede and do not help “recovery”. You divide community. End it now.
Harvey Windl
Meanwhile…
https://ptleader.com/stories/glamping-project-may-need-15-million,83540?
My wife and I were curious about how many of these nonprofits actually exist in Port Townsend and who they are actually profiting. Just off the top of our heads we did a search putting in the words “Alliance” and “Port Townsend”. The grift becomes clear. We had wondered why there were so many nonprofits in this city and why, when we met people, they would inevitably tell us they ran, directed, or were on the board of a local nonprofit.
Many of these people would make a big show of saying they weren’t very wealthy etc. etc. and yet they all seemed to go on rather expensive vacations quite regularly. It was perplexing. It’s not perplexing, anymore.
Now we understand all the festivals and the demand for a constant rise in tourism. Every festival is a nonprofit grift. They need tourists in a constant fresh supply. They will destroy this city for the love of money.
Furthermore, most of these nonprofit grifters are pushing the United Nations Agenda for the 21st-Century.
From the CARA mission statement:
Didja see this bit?
We are collectively engaged in transforming the local and regional culture so that bicycles are embraced as the preferred form of transportation.
The part they didn’t say out loud: WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
We think it’s wonderful that folks who are getting together to combat the effects of these agenda 21 alliances are putting together wonderful names such as “the popular alliance”, which would camouflage nicely, amongst the grifters.
Just like the mess tents and the moss tents, many of these nonprofits need to be dismantled and destroyed.
DEFUND ICLEI
DEFUND MAIN STREET
Just sharing info on JeffCo BOCC so we can
keep an eye on em.
From PDN:
<<Jefferson commissioners
The three Jefferson County commissioners will conduct a workshop on burn bans at a meeting that will begin at 9 a.m. Monday.
To view the online meeting visit http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us and follow the links under “Quick Links: Videos of Meetings-Streaming Live.” To join the meeting online go to https://zoom.us/j/93777841705. To listen only, call 1-253-215-8782 then enter access code 937-7784-1705#.
Public comments emailed to jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us will be included in the minutes, but no longer read aloud during the meeting; comments still can be made via Zoom or telephone.
The commissioners will hear an update on COVID-19 from Dr. Allison Berry, health officer for Jefferson and Clallam counties, at 9:45 a.m.; consider a resolution to legally bind the county to the Hoh River Resiliency-Linder Complex Reach project; conduct a workshop on courthouse security; and conduct a workshop on JeffCom911.
Items on the consent agenda include a notice of public hearing regarding the Cape George Colony no-shooting area set for 10:30 a.m. June 21, a resolution regarding a new policy to preserve survey monuments on county rights-of-way, a agreement regarding state and federal funding of the county Marine Resources Committee, an agreement regarding the environmental assessment of the Chimacum Confluence project, an agreement for $45,000 for a COVID-19 vaccine confidence project, an agreement with USAWA Consulting for $9,999 for an anti-racist literacy workshop, an agreement with Pacific Ace Surfacing Solutions LLC to repair the basketball courts at H.J. Carroll Park and an agreement with KPFF Consulting Engineers for $29,725 to provide construction support for the Thorndyke Road culvert replacement project.>>
Of note–
an agreement for $45,000 for a COVID-19 vaccine confidence project
USAWA Consulting for $9,999 for an anti-racist literacy workshop
Had to go look that up.
https://usawaconsulting.com/
So, ten thousand bucks for that, huh? Interesting.
These people spend money almost like it’s
not their money or something.
Wow some interesting biographies in that company they want to give one dollar less than $10,000 to, to teach them what racism is. (because if they give them $10,000 it triggers some sort of new reporting requirements?)
“At the time of this writing (March 2021) I am 32 years old. I am transgender, 2Spirit, queer, polyamorous (relationship anarchist), kinky (switchy), and sex positive. I have pretty privilege, thin privilege, and white privilege. I am neuroqueer and chronically ill though mostly able bodied. I am a (medically) retired officer from the u.s. army (never deployed), and I am a radical who is passionate about decolonization, anti-racism, abolition, and land back.”
I can care less what people do on their own time, but I am not down with our commissioners using taxpayer money for vanity projects they don’t need, to give to people at vanity non-profits (and for-profits) who write professional biographies like the one above. When they are writing biographies like the one above for professional work, this tells me they don’t understand what “professional” means and I don’t want them with their hands in the taxpayer till. If the board of commissioners actually give these people “one dollar less than $10,000”, for the ridiculous vanity project of teaching three commissioners what “racism” is, (as if they don’t know,) it should cost every single one of them their seat. If you thought mess tents in the street were bad, it’s about to get a whole lot worse. Friends, please wake up. Please, please, wake up. This is not a conspiracy theory. It’s a conspiracy unfolding right in front of your eyes. If we lived in a country which was healthy, all of these people would be facing RICO charges.
I caught some major heat yesterday from a person who accuses me of being stuck on the “parking” issue when there are far greater issues afoot. A personal attack from a person I do respect. I do respect the Free Press and those sticking their heads above the fox hole with well prepared and documented articles.
I also respect the majority of commenters, far different folk than most Leader commenters. Perhaps it is the quality of food for thought.
Parking is now brought into focus due to the lack of notice and the taking of public property for private use for mess tents. The two aspects are intertwined. They cannot logically be separated. Monetary and sociological damages are well documented in these comments.
They grow daily.
This Comment by C Bradley mentions mess tents. And more. Mess tents are just one symptom of detached people managing real people into hardship of many kinds. I have no real option but to follow through on this. Finish your vegetables before you move on to other things.
We all understand there are many many other things.
Tonight, June 6th in person at the City Council meeting, on the anniversary of D Day, will be my last attempt to “educate” City Council and City Manager that they are part of something that damages all. The dilemma is that either they know full well what they do, or they are not capable of understanding what they do and the precedents they set.
I will simply ask for any Council Member to move to reexamine the bundled mess tent ordinance they approved.
It is in no way like storming the beaches at Normandy. It is in comparison to that and other pressing issues a tiny thing.
It is a very telling thing.
I do sometimes stick foot in mouth. I do admit mistakes. t it isn’t about me, the messenger, it is about the message.
Our neighbors seated to the left on Council all seem to be habitual board members from numerous nonprofits, city entities, and the like. Those to the right seem to be cut from different cloth. Still making mistakes, but not making careers out of it.
At the center, elevated, is a 7-year council member, attorney, and appointed mayor. who has been part of tens of millions of dollars of losses to this community.
To his left is a well documented unqualified City Manager who was hired to make no waves for the status quo powers that be, who arrived with an agenda that has come to light. To the right is the City Attorney who oversees it all.
We all have a 3 minute Roberts Rules of Order controlled place reserved in the middle of it all. Please use it this evening in remembrance of the ideal. Or just attend to show that we are not all sleep walking. Or email a comment to publiccomment@cityofpt.us
The flawed and misused and mistreated ideal that many died, and will continue to die for is needs al little help. Its the least any of us can do.
After that I would like to hear comments here regarding this that was shared with me along with a dressing down.
Me personally brother I think videos like that are a distraction from the actual work we need to be doing. A lot of that stuff is not provable. But what we are seeing happen right in front of us right now is absolutely provable. It’s documented. There is evidence. The stuff in that video just gets people wound up. And sadly, once they get down that rabbit hole, then they are no more useful in taking care of the problems we can handle, which are right in front of us.
Anyway, who cares if people dress you down. You’re a grown man. You know what’s right for you. Why are they even commenting on how you live your life? They must not have a life of their own?
I don’t know why everything has to be either/or with some people. Like we can only work on one thing at a time. These jerks ruining our citycountycountry aren’t working on one thing at a time. They’ve got their fingers in every single pie. Why shouldn’t we do the same?
Thanks Milo-
Last update on mess tents from me. I did attend the Council meeting and did my 3 minutes. No one showed up in support. There will be no changes.
The city manager at the end of all commenting said he wanted to show he was listening.
What I covered was documented damage to business recovery income, lack of notice, not following public input, and being out of compliance with state law preventing gifting of public property. I covered last Saturday when close to my business there were at least 5 regular all day parkers. Many more all around town, and average of 50 or so. Customers complained about driving around looking for a place to park. I don’t know how many simply didn’t come in. Happens many days of the week to everyone in town. It is a manufactured culture.
In his mind and fine with council to show he was “engaged” city manager Mauro said they would look at an overall parking plan next year. This was his answer to 8 years of ongoing damages totaling over 30 million dollars. To quote Paul Simon “a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises”. Roberts Rules of Order prevented me saying that out loud.
Appointed mayor Faber presented his review of the city manager. Grade A. Roberts Rules of Order prevented any questioning of that in real time.
They swore in a new police officer. He swore to uphold laws and codes. Roberts Rules of Order…….you know.
Of course, there was city business such as check valves in water lines processed. And more.
For the record last year my business was way up due to website enhancements and custom work now done mostly through my by appointment location in Port Hadlock and website. It is a 7 day a week job. I can stop any time and be fine.
I know others are struggling. I saw a for rent space in PT as I left the council meeting.
There is a kind of peace knowing one did all they could., looking smiley faced fascism in the eye and calling it out in detail..
This comment forum has covered lots of other things. I hope it continues to and is refined.
Deal with what calls to you. Don’t just be a keyboard jockey. Definition-
keyboard jockey (perjorative) Somebody who talks big about a subject on Internet forums, but can’t back their words up with real life accomplishments.
Thanks, Free Press. I am taking some time away.
Uhhhhhhh WOW. That whole USAWA website is a revelation.
“Rates:
Rates are informed by the Anti Oppression Resource Training Alliance.
These rates are guidelines. We understand that some organizations don’t have lots of money available for training and consulting. If you are unable to pay within the range suggested for your organization but still feel that you are a good fit for our services, let us know and we will negotiate if possible. For contracts that include over 25 hours of consulting, a lower hourly rate may be negotiated.
We are willing to provide up to half an hour of our time at no cost to determine if our services are appropriate for you. After that half-hour, we will begin charging the appropriate hourly rate. For example, if your organization’s annual budget is $400,000 to $2 million the first hour would be between $87.50 – 137.50. Each hour after would be $175 – 275.”
So how the heck do they come up with a $9,999 fee for the board of county commissioners? Does this seem problematic to anyone else???
For anyone who has become aware of illegal activity by a local nonprofit, here’s some information you might find useful.
IRS form 13909
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/irs-complaint-process-tax-exempt-organizations
PDF: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf
Conflict of interest alone is a huge issue with much of the goings-on downtown, as well as all over the city, frankly. But when you’ve got business owners sitting on foundations which are giving money and subsidizing the colonization of public right of way in the interests of and for the profit of same said business owner… there are many reasons to print and fill out several of those forms.
Fraud is fraud. It’s our taxpayer money. Tie them up with lawsuits and make them use our money instead of using it to destroy our city.
To report nonprofit fraud with the State of Washington:
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/washington
Pretty much everything you need to know about things like people granting permission to put mess tents in historical districts, and those same ppl giving large donations to the very same foundation seeking the mess tents… is all documented in this treasure trove of info, above.
You know what to do…