by Jim Scarantino | Nov 2, 2018 | Politics
I-1631 should look familiar to Jefferson County voters. It is the misleadingly labeled “carbon fee” plan that is actually exactly like the carbon tax scheme soundly rejected by voters just two years ago. Indeed, it imposes the very same tax on energy, but now attempts to misleads consumers by deceptively trying to persuade people it is nothing but a “fee on major polluters.”
Baloney. It is primarily a tax on gasoline. It will take $2.3 billion from consumers in just the first five years, according to the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
And it keeps going up. Every year, with no end in sight.
Here’s where Jefferson County voters will see Prop 1 loom its ugly head: All that money gets divvied up by a panel of unelected insiders, with no accountability for failing to produce results that make much of a difference. It is similar to Prop 1’s scheme to pass around the money, giving that power to people from organizations that stood to benefit by making life more expensive for taxpayers.
And like Prop 1, I-1631 is coldly regressive. It hits the most economically disadvantaged among us the hardest. Sure, there are vague provisions in the initiative that include job retraining for workers who will lose their jobs and families that need financial help as I-1631 makes everything more expensive. But it is a scheme of forced dependency: people who once were independent will be forced to rely on handouts from the friends of politicians.
Newspapers from every corner of the state are opposed to I-1631, including those who can reliably be counted as liberal and progressive in their editorial leanings. Scores of union groups, whose workers know they will be the first casualties of the energy tax, stand in opposition.
And noted University of Washington atmospheric scientist Cliff Mass has criticized I-1631 from its inception. He is not a “climate denier.” He knows his stuff and wants action on carbon emissions. But he knows I-1631 is a scam.
We can’t say it better than someone with the technical knowledge of Dr. Mass. His blog is one of the most widely read sources of opinion and information on climate. Here is his entire post from October 14:
Initiative 1631: Bad for the Environment and Washington State
I-1631 is poorly written, will do little to reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, gives control of billions of dollars to an unelected board, is regressive, so it hurts low-income folks the most, has no concrete plan for spending vast sums of money, is highly partisan, and is odds with our basic democratic principles. I have written three blogs describing its problems:
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/10/initiative-i-1631-at-odds-with.html
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/10/if-worry-about-climate-change-and-care.html
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-carbon-fee-initiative-1631-has.html
The pro-side has been highly deceptive, saying things that are demonstrably not true. Their mailers are telling folks that big polluters and oil companies will pay: this is a total falsehood. Everyone will pay.
Avista Utilities, which covers the eastern third of Washington State, yesterday released the numbers of how utility costs would increase under 1631 (see below). Roughly $ 400. per year in the fifteenth year. Amazingly, the Yes campaign denies this.
If you want to find out how much 1631 will cost you, check out this handy app. For most working adults, the 1631 fee will run between 150 and 300 dollars the first year (depending on your transportation choices, living arrangements, etc.).
The Yes side suggests that the initiative will have a significant impact on greenhouse warming. Simply not true. Let’s assume that the initiative produces the promised reductions in emissions (down by 20 million metric tons in 2035 and by at least 50 million metric tons by 2050). If one plugs this into a climate model, one gets a global cooling of about .0001 degree C. Washington represents a very, very small part of global emissions and we are already quite green.
Today, the Yes on 1631 side has gone even further in its false stories. They accused the No folks of adding names to their endorsement list without permission. This has gotten a lot of press….but is inconsistent with the facts. The No side has SIGNED endorsement sheets from everyone noted as endorsing (and these signed endorsement sheets were shared with the Seattle Times).
And with all the tall tales provided by the YES on 1631 side, their advertisements accuse the No side of lying.
Truth and ethics matter. It is ironic that the Yes side is following the approaches of the President they despise, with false stories, inaccurate information, wild claims, and name calling become stock and trade of the Yes on 1631 side.
There is a religious fervor by some 1631 supporters to do something RIGHT NOW or the world will end. The truth is the best science does NOT suggest a sudden tipping point, and doing something of little value is both wasteful and prevents more effective actions. American’s has rushed into “doing something” without a real plan and it has gotten us into trouble before (e.g., Iraq, Vietnam). 1631 would be a similar error, but for our state.
Global warming is too serious and the impact on our state too significant to throw away our ability to do something meaningful. 1631 is hyperpartisan, hardwired to a support a certain agenda, and will not work in a meaningful way to reduce our fires, prepare the region for climate change, or reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
by Jim Scarantino | Nov 1, 2018 | General
On October 22, 2018, I wrote an editorial, “Sheriff Stanko, Please Stand Down,” about why I believe Dave Stanko should not get another term as Jefferson County Sheriff. In it, I asked “What’s with Republicans?” Though not endorsed by the party, many prominent Republicans are backing the Sheriff’s re-election. Here is a response from Gene Farr, a well-known leader of the Jeffco GOP, who is one of Stanko’s supporters and financial backers. This is his personal opinion and not a statement from the county party organization.
Change is hard. It’s even harder when your Undersheriff gets in the way.
Despite being undermined every step of the way by his former Undersheriff, Sheriff Dave Stanko has made remarkable progress reforming the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Upon election in late 2014, Sheriff Stanko asked Joe Nole to be his Undersheriff. Stanko trusted that Nole’s long tenure as a detective at the JCSO provided ample experience to help the Sheriff bring the department into the 21st Century. His trust could not have been more misplaced.
In public comments made recently during candidate’s forums in Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and most recently Port Ludlow, former Undersheriff Joe Nole admitted to insubordination and dragging his feet when it came to following Sheriff Dave Stanko’s orders. After a period of underperformance, on July 21, 2016, Sheriff Dave Stanko asked Joe Nole for a timeline to improve his performance, promising him “You should no longer be under water. support you and will help you continue to be successful as Undersheriff.” Instead of modifying his work habits—a trait well documented since his first performance evaluations in 1995—Joe Nole had this to say about the Sheriff’s orders: “He was asking me to do things that I didn’t believe in… And I drug my feet and I didn’t do those things.” Joe Nole, Port Ludlow League of Women Voters, Candidates Forum, October 11, 2018
Disappointed with his performance, on July 25, 2016, Sheriff Stanko relieved Joe Nole of investigation oversight, reducing his core job responsibilities to three important projects: 1. Lexipol update; 2. Accreditation; and 3. Grant management. Joe Nole has this to say about the period in question: “We started going separate ways and I wasn’t getting done the things he wanted to get done. I was helping other deputies, helping detectives that needed help on cases.” Joe Nole, Quilcene Candidates Forum, August 16, 2018.
If you were Dave Stanko, how would you have reacted to your Undersheriff openly disregarding your direction and helping detectives that needed help on cases after he’d been formally relieved of investigation oversight? Sheriff Stanko did the only responsible thing. In January of 2017, Stanko demoted Nole based on underperformance, inability to multi-task, and manage his time effectively, deficiencies that were previously referenced by two JCSO sheriffs since 1998. Here is how Nole characterized his performance: “I never felt I was given an order by the Sheriff to do things. He asked me things he wanted me to do. I would say that it was borderline insubordination.” Joe Nole, Port Ludlow League of Women Voters, Candidates Forum, October 11, 2018.
If Nole had a problem with Sheriff Stanko’s orders, he could have gone directly to him, or to the County Commissioners, or to the County Administrator, Philip Morley with his concerns and complaints. He did none of these.
Who do you want as your Sheriff? A man who expects his chosen management team to follow direction? Or someone who failed as number two? Joe Nole cannot be expected to lead deputies who’ve witnessed him going his separate way. Dave Stanko is the true change agent in this race. He has an opponent because he holds his employees accountable. That he has been able to accomplish so much in the face of stiff resistance is reason enough to re-elect him.
Stanko has a great record of Community Service
With a decade of serious community service, David Stanko was named “Citizen of the Year.” He served as president of the Homeowners Association in Cape George, president of PT Rotary, drove seniors for ECHHO, and serves on the board of Dove House. It is with this background, plus his 30 years in law enforcement, that he ran and won in the 2014 sheriff’s race.
Stanko has brought to this office professional policing built on the community model recommended by the Obama Task Force. This includes the first ever Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Guided by the LEMAP management program, he’s made operational changes to IMPROVE services to our community. Most important has been his de-militarization of the department–-getting rid of the Hummer and military equipment of a previous administration.
by Jim Scarantino | Oct 25, 2018 | General
How cool is this?
We received this press release from Windward School, one of the excellent enrichment programs run privately in Jefferson County for children and families wanting more than our public schools offer. Here’s the story, then more on Windward School:
Smiles, shovels, and lots of mud were on this week’s learning agenda as students of both the Port Townsend and Sequim locations of Windward School spent the week digging for mastodon bones on a Chimacum farm. Led by teacher Elisa Weiss, the students spent the week before the field trip learning about geology and fossils, and gathered to further their education by searching for real life treasures at the farm of a friend of the school.
Rudy Groussman, Yemma Kubica and Matilda Shaw search the mud for bones
The bones were discovered over the summer when the landowner began excavation for a pond. He kindly gave permission for Windward students to access the dig and put in a few hours making their own discoveries. “One of the great things about these being mastodon bones is that they’re relatively young,” said Weiss, a lead teacher with Windward School. “So we can have young kids digging for them without worrying too much about how delicate they are, unlike if they were dinosaur fossils, millions of years old.” The bones are estimated to be as young as 10,000 years old. Weiss plans to integrate the students’ discoveries into class discussions next week that focus on what life was like for animals and people in our region 10,000 years ago, and how humans can affect species’ existence over time.
Teacher Elisa Weiss talks to students about bones they unearthed. Zeke Banks listens.
“I had a lot of fun digging up the mastodon bones!” said Zeke Banks, age 9. “We found a lot of bones and I hope we get to do it again. Next I want to find out where I can go dig some dinosaur fossils.” In addition to many small bones, the students excavated a tusk, vertebrae, teeth, and several large, still unidentified bones.
Windward originated as an unnamed pilot program at the NW Discovery Lab. NW Discovery Lab is a Port Townsend-based non-profit dedicated to STEM education on the Olympic Peninsula.
Windward formally began operations at Fort Worden in September 2017 and has quickly grown to 80 students, roughly 50 from Port Townsend and 30 from Sequim. The school has two lead teachers, two assistants and project teachers offering afternoon classes in focused subjects such as poetry, science, biology and drama.
The cost is $75 per class day attended. Windward is open to all students regardless of age, gender, or religion. Students range in age from 5 to 12 and in achievement from those still learning to read to college-level readers. In other words, they have some kids at those young ages reading at the level of college students.
Windward is a secular program that partners with 4-H. Port Townsend Free Press previously reported on some of their kids’ helping bees with a project at the Jefferson County Fair. You can read that story by clicking here.
For more information on Windward School contact Danell Swim-Mackey, danell@nwdiscoverylab.org
For more on the cool dig, visit the website for Windward and the NW Discovery Lab: https://news.nwdiscoverylab.org/category/news/windward/
That is Evan Mackey in the lead photo showing the size of a mastodon molar the kids found.
by Jim Scarantino | Oct 22, 2018 | Politics
I have been working my way through a long list of deputies and civilian employees of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. They volunteered to speak with a journalist, something I don’t get much when I am trying to pry information out of law enforcement. I should be happy about this. But the calls are making me depressed and have led me to write this editorial.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is in crisis.
Morale is worse than abysmal. It is destructive. One after another deputy, most of whom have ably been serving Jefferson County for many years, are ready to leave if Sheriff David Stanko is re-elected.
Some are ready to go now. Working conditions are so bad they would rather give up a job they love than continue to work for a man they see as a dishonest, adversarial boss rather than a leader who helps them do their very difficult jobs. They have each other to get through these next weeks. But when they start losing their brothers, what the community knows as a team of dedicated, skilled, professional and compassionate men in uniform is fast going to fall apart.
We will lose the huge investment we have made in these people. We will lose their institutional knowledge and the trust and rapport they have built up over tens of thousands of hours of patrolling our community.
Weeks ago, one deputy in confidence told me he was quitting because of Sheriff Stanko. A 14-year veteran of this department, with another five years before that, Deputy Scott Boyd has since announced he is taking a cut in pay and leaving for Las Vegas. A long interview with Boyd, in which he shares his observations about the turmoil in the Sheriff’s Office, was published by Patrick Sullivan on the Jefferson County Washington Facebook page (the unofficial, private FB page that provides news coverage for Jefferson County).
Every deputy with whom I have spoken says they are ready to follow Boyd if Stanko gets another term. These are good people, the people who do the hard, dangerous, degrading work of law enforcement. They are more valuable than any administrator or politician.
The prospect of losing every deputy and detective is a very real possibility. Ninety percent of the office, according to Boyd, stands against Stanko. My calls have confirmed that estimate to be accurate.
No organization can do its job if the troops have lost faith and trust in their general. The cumulative effect of Stanko’s years in office is clear. The Sheriff’s Office is in crisis. As the man in charge, he is responsible.
What is with Republicans?
Law enforcement is opposing Stanko’s re-election. That is true not only of deputies, but also of the Port Townsend police. They do not respect or trust Stanko. I have been told they avoid working with him because of concerns about his competence and professionalism.
Firefighters Endorsement of Nole
Jefferson County’s first responders also oppose Stanko’s re-election. Our local firefighters have taken the unprecedented step of issuing endorsements for Stanko’s opponent, Detective Joe Nole.
The lawyers and judges in the courthouse who see Stanko’s work up close, as well as the discord he has sown among his team, have rated his management and leadership as unacceptable. See the recent Bar Association poll.
But Stanko is finding support from strange bedmates.
He has backers from the far Left of the Democratic Party. These are activists aligned with anti-cop movements like Black Lives Matters.
At the same time, Stanko is being funded by rock-ribbed Republicans, including Gene Farr, John Shold, Richard Hild and the Republican Women of Jefferson County.
A recent mailer from the Stanko camp warned of a “grave threat” to Jefferson County from militarization of local law enforcement. It showed a SWAT team in full gear, automatic weapons at the ready, threatening imminent lethal action.
Jefferson County does not have a SWAT team. That photo was cribbed from the Internet. Here is where it came from. It was clearly selected for its fear-mongering impact.
The mailer appeals to anti-law enforcement sentiments, the kind of people who see the Humvee deputies once used for search and rescue as the equivalent of an Abrams tank. These are people who seriously talk about disarming law enforcement and subjecting them to impossibly onerous, constant, vindictive oversight, with a prison cell guaranteed if they ever make a mistake. This is the Kshama Sawant crowd that is doing such damage to Seattle’s public safety and police department.
Such demagoguery should not be embraced by someone who must have the backs of his men. They face increasing irrational ideological attacks that hamper their ability to do their job. They need a Sheriff who stands with them. But Stanko has allied himself with the enemies of those who put their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe.
The “grave threat” to Jefferson County is not from law enforcement having the proper tools to do their jobs. It is from the people to whom Stanko is appealing.
Republican dollars have been helping fund this nonsense. Stanko tells Republicans in private he is one of them. But nothing he has done in office or on the campaign trail aligns him with what one would think were Republican values.
Stanko is one thing to one group, something else to another. Whatever it takes to cobble a few votes in the face of a clear message from voters he should move on.
The primary results—Nole crushed Stanko—showed voters don’t want Stanko back in office any more than his deputies. What is the point, Mr. Stanko, of pressing forward with increasingly desperate and divisive messages? Why would you want to lead an organization that does not want you? Why do you want to prolong this agony for an office that was not in crisis before you took over?
Sheriff Stanko, you are hurting law enforcement in this county. Please stand down before you do any more damage.
by Jim Scarantino | Oct 20, 2018 | Politics
Our four-part series, “Dumping a Rape Case, and its Victim,” examined how Jefferson County Prosecutor Michael Haas mishandled the rape case against Patrick McAllister and mistreated the victim. Haas refused to meet her, a young Filipino woman with the initials SL, and avoided telephone calls from her and her family. He did nothing to prepare the case for trial. He ultimately sent her an email that he was dropping all charges against a man previously convicted of raping and assaulting her over a six-week period.
Our investigation revealed how Haas agreed to the no-bail release of McAllister and misrepresented to the court that the victim consented–when he had never spoken with her.
The investigation showed how Haas put her through the ordeal of a gruleing, no-holds barred interrogation by McAllister’s investigator and attorney, and then agreed to give them a second shot at her. It was such an improper procedure that Haas’ own chief deputy criminal prosecutor went to court to stop it.
Our investigation revealed much more about Haas’ mistreatment of a rape victim and his mishandling of a case against a man with a long history of sexually assaulting women. SL has completed a formal complaint to the Washington State Bar Association which we have been told will be filed when SL returns from visiting family in the Philippines.
SL describes Temur Perkins as her brother. In America we would call him a brother-in-law. But as they explain it, for Filipinos, who value family so highly, that is the same as being a sibling. He was there helping SL get out of McAllister’s house as a Jefferson County Sheriff’s sergeant held McAllister at bay. He was closely involved with the first prosecution and testified at trial. He conducted his own investigation which uncovered sexual assaults by McAllister of other women. Throughout SL’s ordeal he has been at her side.
On behalf of SL, he submitted a letter to the Port Townsend Leader about Haas’ conduct. The Leader has had that letter for weeks. Weeks ago we asked the editor if they were going to publish the letter. They have been running letters praising Haas, including one praising his handling of sexual assault cases. That letter was not from a sexual assault survivor. We had hoped they would run a letter from someone who had personal experience with Haas’ handling of a sexual assault case. The editor said she would be discussing Mr. Perkins’ letter with the publisher.
We encouraged The Leader to run Mr. Perkins’ letter because of the harm they had inflicted on SL by their one-sided, superficial coverage of the dismissal of the charges against McAllister. They ran a story that was little more than a press release for the defense. It repeated McAllister’s fabricated claim that he was physically incapable of having raped SL, due to the implant of an artificial knee that limited his range of motion so severely he argued he could not get into a bathtub unassisted (SL said he had raped her against the wall in a bathtub, among other instances of assault). Our investigation revealed this defense to be a complete lie–the knee surgery did not take place until a year after SL said McAllister had raped and beaten her.
The Leader’s reporter made no effort to contact SL, anyone who investigated the case or the prosecutor who had previously won the conviction of McAllister.
In our first conversation with SL she told us how The Leader had made her look like a liar and had hurt her deeply. We heard the same from Mr. Perkins. In drive-by reporting The Leader merely repeated the lies of a rapist and retraumatized a rape victim.
It is clear by now that The Leader wishes to ignore the injustice it has done and will not publish the letter of behalf of a rape victim. Her side needs to be heard by this community. Her voice deserves to be heard. Mr. Perkins worked hard to cram what he had to say into the paper’s 300-word limit for letters to the editor, though he and SL have much more to say about Mr. Haas and what he did to them and their family.
Here, with Mr. Perkins’ permission, is the letter The Leader will not publish:
I am the brother-in-law of rape victim SL. I am knowledgeable about the facts of the crime and my wife and I were witnesses at the first trial. The previous prosecutor Rosekrans treated my sister with utmost dignity and respect. We knew whose side he was on. He fought for justice for my sister. The people of Jefferson County need to know how disrespectful, abusive, evasive and dishonest the current Prosecutor Michael Haas has been towards SL.
Her rapist was released on appeal and SL courageously sought a new trial. Haas refused to meet SL in person, and when SL was finally able to catch him on the phone, he scheduled a phone appointment with her. He dodged her yet again, he didn’t answer at the appointed time. Haas then dropped the charges without consulting her and lied to the judge.
His abuse goes beyond inaccessibility, laziness, and callous indifference. Haas secretly distributed photographs taken during her Sexual Assault Nurse Exam (SANE) to the defense team. These close-up photographs of victims in an injured and degraded state cannot be released without a court review and order. Because Haas broke the law, her rapist may now possess theses photos as a trophy. Haas re-victimized my sister and gave her rapist leverage to silence her testimony out of fear that he will publicize the photos. Haas also secretly gave the defense team unrestricted access to all of SL’s email and social media accounts. Those accounts reveal where her and her family members live, and contain numerous private photos of them and their children. Possession of SANE photos and contact information for everyone give her rapist considerable power. Haas’ secret, malicious, and illegal actions have been emotionally devastating to my sister. Haas has endangered her safety, our safety, and your safety.
Our four-part investigation, “Dumping A Rape Case, and Its Victim” can be read at these links:
Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 A One-Way Street to Dismissal
Part 3 Alone and Unprotected
Part 4 The Conclusion: Setting the Guilty Free
and, “The Questions Michael Haas Won’t Answer”
