City of Newcastle, WA -- Council Meeting of 11/6/12
Northern Pacific Report covered the first hour of the Council Meeting, but left early to watch election results on TV. The first hour basically concerned Reports and Comments from council members, city officials, and the public. City Manager Rob Wyman announced that Tim McHarg will be the new Community Development Director of Newcastle. McHarg, who has experience in city operations as a Planning Director in Bozeman, Montana, was selected over two other candidates. Wyman also praised Newcastle Police Chief, Melinda Irvine, for a job well done in handling some cases recently.
Mayor Rich Crispo is concerned about attendance by Park Commissioners, implying that attendance was shoddy and that the issue needed to be addressed. Park and Planning Commissioners in Newcastle are all volunteers.
Councilman Steve Buri expects there to be a significant increase in auto traffic on Coal Creek Parkway because of traffic tolling on I-405. Presently, it is estimated that somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles use Coal Creek on a regular business day, and this could be exacerbated in the future as Coal Creek is used as a bypass from I-405. Buri brought up the issue of tolling Coal Creek, presumably as a source of city revenue. Going by the Council's general discussion of this issue, which wasn't a whole lot in the first hour, any actual proposal about tolling, were it to come to that, would have significant hoops to jump through in getting the necessary approval from other state and local government entities. Councilman Gordon Bisset implied that tolling would be very unpopular and that he opposes it.
There was also a discussion about transferring some public parks to private entities, but no reason was given for such a possibility in the first hour of the meeting. Presumably this would be a cost-saving measure for the city, but what would be the downside? This was another subject that was only briefly discussed as ordinarily would be the case for the Reports and Comments part of Council Meetings. It was announced, however, that there would be a further evaluation of this issue by the Council. Expected council candidate for 2013, Mark Greene, does not favor transferring any public park to private hands unless there is some extraordinary reason for it.
Regional Update: the King County Executive, Dow Constantine: anti-commoner, anti-democracy, anti-poor and anti-homeless.
On Commoner: "Constantine and the Seattle Authoritarians"
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[revised on 11/10/12]
Nov 7, 2012
Nov 3, 2012
Greene's Announcement Postponed Until December
Update: the expected announcement for council by Mark Greene, previously set to be announced on Nov. 12th, has been delayed again (see revised post, below). Greene decided that probable local media coverage in January, a few weeks after the official announcement, would better be focused on the campaign then than in November and December.
Mark Greene has decided to postpone an expected decision to run for the Newcastle City Council, Pos. 6, until later on this year.
The Public Disclosure Commission has reviewed Greene's disclosure papers recently and they're presently presumed to be in proper order. Greene has decided to delay an official announcement until the 10th of December.
[revised on 11/6/12]
Mark Greene has decided to postpone an expected decision to run for the Newcastle City Council, Pos. 6, until later on this year.
The Public Disclosure Commission has reviewed Greene's disclosure papers recently and they're presently presumed to be in proper order. Greene has decided to delay an official announcement until the 10th of December.
[revised on 11/6/12]
Oct 30, 2012
Newcastle Library to Open on December 8th
King County has announced that Newcastle's new county-operated library will open on December 8th, 2012 A.D., 9:30 A.M. The public is invited to attend the Grand Opening.
In other news, Mark Greene has been considering whether or not to throw his hat in the ring for the Newcastle City Council in 2013, but there's no decision, yet. A decision will be made by November 6th and will be posted on Northern Pacific Report on either the 5th or the 6th of November. If Mark runs, he would definitely be the most fervent anti-annexation candidate of the entire field of council candidates and most likely would choose to run for Position No. 6.
Unlike other candidates in past years who changed the Position number they ran for, presumably
because of political calculations, if Greene decides to run for council, he would not change the Position number for any reason whatsoever, regardless of whether there is an "open seat" or not.
Post-script: The term "open-seat" in American political lexicon means that an incumbent is not one of the candidates for office, but of course the term is a misnomer since any office that is up for election is, in fact, open.
[revised on 11/3/12]
Mark Greene's Book on Elections: Elections: Reform & Administration
Party of Commons
Mark Greene for Secretary of State (write-in candidacy)
Commons on Twitter
"Commoner" Blog
In other news, Mark Greene has been considering whether or not to throw his hat in the ring for the Newcastle City Council in 2013, but there's no decision, yet. A decision will be made by November 6th and will be posted on Northern Pacific Report on either the 5th or the 6th of November. If Mark runs, he would definitely be the most fervent anti-annexation candidate of the entire field of council candidates and most likely would choose to run for Position No. 6.
Unlike other candidates in past years who changed the Position number they ran for, presumably
because of political calculations, if Greene decides to run for council, he would not change the Position number for any reason whatsoever, regardless of whether there is an "open seat" or not.
Post-script: The term "open-seat" in American political lexicon means that an incumbent is not one of the candidates for office, but of course the term is a misnomer since any office that is up for election is, in fact, open.
[revised on 11/3/12]
Mark Greene's Book on Elections: Elections: Reform & Administration
Party of Commons
Mark Greene for Secretary of State (write-in candidacy)
Commons on Twitter
"Commoner" Blog
Oct 19, 2012
New Commission Head
City of Newcastle, WA -- Planning Commission Meeting of
10/17/12
John Drescher was sworn in as the new Planning Commission chairman at the September 27th, 2012 Planning Commission meeting, taking over from Rob Lemmon (who is still on the Commission), as he transitioned into presiding over his first full meeting last Wednesday, October 17th. The meeting, similar to the last one, focused on setting the 2015 Comprehensive Plan (see Sept. 28th post: Paraphrasing Lee: "I Make the Recommendations, the Council Gives Guidance"). Much of the meeting, if not entirely, was about process rather than the actual specifics regarding the Plan. Associate Planner David Lee said that the Department of Commerce checklist included 82 regulatory items for the various cities and municipalities in Washington, and that 25 of those were statutory requirements, and of those 25, Newcastle has thus far fulfilled about half of them. Rob Lemmon said that there were three main considerations, and that meeting the remaining statutory requirements should be the city's priority as relating to the Comprehensive Plan, and money considerations and Council direction were the next priorities. It was not clear whether he meant the latter two focus points or considerations as being together as one (with presumably the third focus point not mentioned in his list) or as respective categories.
Apparently, wanting to counteract high-priced consultants with the spirit of local volunteerism or cut-rate salaries and stipends for the best interests of the city, Vice-Chairman Allen Dauterman said that the city should reach out to Newcastle's own residents for the expertise needed to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. Lemmon, who played, in a round about way, the David Letterman role at this meeting, chipped in that the University of Washington would also be a good resource to get some of that low-pay or no-pay energy. Drescher took the conventional viewpoint in this discussion about personnel, stressing the need for expert consultants ($$$).
Attendance: all Planning Commissioners were at this meeting except Elizabeth Thompson.
Previous post: there was a corrective update in the previous post, "Chastening at City Hall."
[revised on 4/27/13]
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
John Drescher was sworn in as the new Planning Commission chairman at the September 27th, 2012 Planning Commission meeting, taking over from Rob Lemmon (who is still on the Commission), as he transitioned into presiding over his first full meeting last Wednesday, October 17th. The meeting, similar to the last one, focused on setting the 2015 Comprehensive Plan (see Sept. 28th post: Paraphrasing Lee: "I Make the Recommendations, the Council Gives Guidance"). Much of the meeting, if not entirely, was about process rather than the actual specifics regarding the Plan. Associate Planner David Lee said that the Department of Commerce checklist included 82 regulatory items for the various cities and municipalities in Washington, and that 25 of those were statutory requirements, and of those 25, Newcastle has thus far fulfilled about half of them. Rob Lemmon said that there were three main considerations, and that meeting the remaining statutory requirements should be the city's priority as relating to the Comprehensive Plan, and money considerations and Council direction were the next priorities. It was not clear whether he meant the latter two focus points or considerations as being together as one (with presumably the third focus point not mentioned in his list) or as respective categories.
Apparently, wanting to counteract high-priced consultants with the spirit of local volunteerism or cut-rate salaries and stipends for the best interests of the city, Vice-Chairman Allen Dauterman said that the city should reach out to Newcastle's own residents for the expertise needed to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. Lemmon, who played, in a round about way, the David Letterman role at this meeting, chipped in that the University of Washington would also be a good resource to get some of that low-pay or no-pay energy. Drescher took the conventional viewpoint in this discussion about personnel, stressing the need for expert consultants ($$$).
Attendance: all Planning Commissioners were at this meeting except Elizabeth Thompson.
Previous post: there was a corrective update in the previous post, "Chastening at City Hall."
[revised on 4/27/13]
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
Oct 17, 2012
Chastening at City Hall
UPDATED FURTHER BELOW ON 10/18/12
City of Newcastle, WA -- Council Meeting of 10/16/12
Alpha male, Councilmember Ben Erxleben, who always seems to dominate Newcastle City Council meetings, was chastened a bit by fellow Councilmember John Dulcich, who seemed perturbed by Erxleben's annexation talk of recent weeks (see previous post: Annexation of Newcastle: "Never"). Dulcich gave complimentary though desultory comments about Erxleben's accomplishments and efficiencies before making one exception, essentially saying that Erxleben didn't know how to read a budget, and asking, rhetorically, why Erxleben didn't resign his seat and move to Bellevue. Erxleben, obviously upset by Dulcich's chiding, suggested that it was a personal attack on him and called on (Point of Order) Mayor Rich Crispo to rule out of order the comment by Dulcich, if not all "personal attacks" in general by one councilmember against another. Crispo eventually responded by saying that members can say pretty much what they want during Council Comments, but there should be a modicum of respect for one another (it was unclear as to whether Crispo actually ruled on Erxleben's Point of Order one way or the order).
The meeting was relatively short, with the main business being the Preliminary 2013 Budget and Public Hearings. No one from the audience at the sparsely attended meeting (about eight-or-so people overall, including this writer and the Newcastle News reporter) decided to speak on the budget. Finance Director Chris Olson gave a 25-minute-or-so presentation, with various charts, about the official budget proposal. It appeared to be, basically, a status quo budget, and was presented as being balanced. City Manager, Rob Wyman, who along with Olson and the Council plays a major role in shaping the budget, said that basic city services and functions could be provided for under this budget, but there was little room for error within the budgetary guidelines and that the budget would be tight barring no revenue increases. Wyman also announced that three candidates would be considered for the new Community Development Director at an October 24th informal session at Sweet Decadence, a pastry shop which is in the same building as City Hall.
[revised on 10/19/12]
Update (10/18/12): It appears that before this post was updated today, that the matter about a Point of Order was in error, as Erxleben apparently made a Point of Order and it was to be ruled on by the presider of the meeting, which in this case was Mayor Crispo.
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
City of Newcastle, WA -- Council Meeting of 10/16/12
Alpha male, Councilmember Ben Erxleben, who always seems to dominate Newcastle City Council meetings, was chastened a bit by fellow Councilmember John Dulcich, who seemed perturbed by Erxleben's annexation talk of recent weeks (see previous post: Annexation of Newcastle: "Never"). Dulcich gave complimentary though desultory comments about Erxleben's accomplishments and efficiencies before making one exception, essentially saying that Erxleben didn't know how to read a budget, and asking, rhetorically, why Erxleben didn't resign his seat and move to Bellevue. Erxleben, obviously upset by Dulcich's chiding, suggested that it was a personal attack on him and called on (Point of Order) Mayor Rich Crispo to rule out of order the comment by Dulcich, if not all "personal attacks" in general by one councilmember against another. Crispo eventually responded by saying that members can say pretty much what they want during Council Comments, but there should be a modicum of respect for one another (it was unclear as to whether Crispo actually ruled on Erxleben's Point of Order one way or the order).
The meeting was relatively short, with the main business being the Preliminary 2013 Budget and Public Hearings. No one from the audience at the sparsely attended meeting (about eight-or-so people overall, including this writer and the Newcastle News reporter) decided to speak on the budget. Finance Director Chris Olson gave a 25-minute-or-so presentation, with various charts, about the official budget proposal. It appeared to be, basically, a status quo budget, and was presented as being balanced. City Manager, Rob Wyman, who along with Olson and the Council plays a major role in shaping the budget, said that basic city services and functions could be provided for under this budget, but there was little room for error within the budgetary guidelines and that the budget would be tight barring no revenue increases. Wyman also announced that three candidates would be considered for the new Community Development Director at an October 24th informal session at Sweet Decadence, a pastry shop which is in the same building as City Hall.
[revised on 10/19/12]
Update (10/18/12): It appears that before this post was updated today, that the matter about a Point of Order was in error, as Erxleben apparently made a Point of Order and it was to be ruled on by the presider of the meeting, which in this case was Mayor Crispo.
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
Oct 14, 2012
Annexation of Newcastle: "Never"
It's hard to believe that someone who was just elected to the Newcastle City Council last year, reportedly voted in favor of "discussion" about making Newcastle a part of Bellevue, but that's what the Newcastle News reported that Gordon Bissett did. It would be interesting to know if Bisset would have been elected in '11 if he had made "discussion" of annexation a part of his election platform then. I doubt it. Councilman Bill Erxleben, who started this whole kerfuffle about the annexation of Newcastle at the September 4th council meeting (which I unfortunately missed), also voted for "discussion" about annexation, of course. The majority, the other five councilmembers, to their credit, voted against it, although some of them, according to the News report, seemed a little wobbly about keeping Newcastle as it own city. At least, Erxleben made sure that this issue will be front and center in next year's council elections for 3 council seats in which Erxleben, himself, is up for re-election in one of them. I'm not sure what historical analogy this would be comparable to or somewhat comparable to if there were any real moves by the council on this issue; perhaps, Hawaii becoming a territory of the United States in the late 19th century, but I don't believe there was a plebiscite by the natives of Hawaii for approval of annexation as would probably occur in this case if this issue was escalated, although I'm not sure at this time whether the Washington Constitution demands plebiscites for annexation. I will answer that question in a future essay on Northern Pacific Report, but I also welcome comments on this blog about pertinent information or your opinions about local and national matters.
I am against annexation to any city, and my opposition to annexation is not the least bit uncertain. As far as I'm concerned, Newcastle should always remain Newcastle, period. I read Erxleben's explanatory letter about annexation in the News (in the same October 4th - 5th issue that the report about it came out), however, believe it or not, everything about life is not about money, and as far as I'm concerned, money doesn't take precedence over certain principles. Moreover, just like practically any city in the nation these days, Newcastle has financial problems, and we will manage to get through them one way or the other. Ever since I ran for the council in '07, I have proposed expanding businesses in Newcastle by proposing that the city become a center of clean, renewable and green energy production, which would in turn expand the retail market and the overall tax base, thereby greatly enhancing Newcastle's revenue outlook. Even if this plan doesn't happen, there are other ways to keep the city financially afloat without surrendering to the money god. Bellevue is a great city, and the residents there have been of critical importance in making sure that my petitions succeed, but that doesn't mean that Newcastle should be annexed to them. I will never support annexation under any circumstances whatsoever.
- by Mark Greene
[revised on 10/14/12]
Mark Greene's Book on Elections: Elections: Reform & Administration
Party of Commons
Mark Greene for Secretary of State (write-in candidacy)
Commons on Twitter
"Commoner" Blog
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
I am against annexation to any city, and my opposition to annexation is not the least bit uncertain. As far as I'm concerned, Newcastle should always remain Newcastle, period. I read Erxleben's explanatory letter about annexation in the News (in the same October 4th - 5th issue that the report about it came out), however, believe it or not, everything about life is not about money, and as far as I'm concerned, money doesn't take precedence over certain principles. Moreover, just like practically any city in the nation these days, Newcastle has financial problems, and we will manage to get through them one way or the other. Ever since I ran for the council in '07, I have proposed expanding businesses in Newcastle by proposing that the city become a center of clean, renewable and green energy production, which would in turn expand the retail market and the overall tax base, thereby greatly enhancing Newcastle's revenue outlook. Even if this plan doesn't happen, there are other ways to keep the city financially afloat without surrendering to the money god. Bellevue is a great city, and the residents there have been of critical importance in making sure that my petitions succeed, but that doesn't mean that Newcastle should be annexed to them. I will never support annexation under any circumstances whatsoever.
- by Mark Greene
[revised on 10/14/12]
Mark Greene's Book on Elections: Elections: Reform & Administration
Party of Commons
Mark Greene for Secretary of State (write-in candidacy)
Commons on Twitter
"Commoner" Blog
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
Oct 8, 2012
Lowering Salaries: The Council Was Right
The Newcastle City Council did the right thing in this era of the Great Recession (or depression) and tight local budgets by lowering their "own" salaries, even though it may be a little on the cynical side if none or only some of the ones who voted for the decrease run for re-election, because then the decrease may not effect them at all.
Sherril Huff, the sitting Director of Elections, is on a pace to collect a million dollars in salary, soon (if she hasn't already exceeded that), for a few year's work. Huff and the overpaid King County Council could learn something from the Newcastle City Council, like exploring the word sacrifice, even if "sacrifice" has cynical quotation marks around it. At least it's a start. When I ran for Director of Elections last year, I proposed that the elected director's salary be reduced by 50%, but of course the reliably corrupt Mainstream Media did not report that or anything else about the Director's election of '11. As a man of the people, if I had been elected, I was prepared to make this sacrifice, because I realize that public officials should be equal amongst the people in all matters, generally speaking, including in regards to general compensation for work done. Luxurious Congressional salaries in D.C. (around 180K annually) should also be reduced significantly.
- by Mark Greene
[revised on 10/12/12]
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
Sherril Huff, the sitting Director of Elections, is on a pace to collect a million dollars in salary, soon (if she hasn't already exceeded that), for a few year's work. Huff and the overpaid King County Council could learn something from the Newcastle City Council, like exploring the word sacrifice, even if "sacrifice" has cynical quotation marks around it. At least it's a start. When I ran for Director of Elections last year, I proposed that the elected director's salary be reduced by 50%, but of course the reliably corrupt Mainstream Media did not report that or anything else about the Director's election of '11. As a man of the people, if I had been elected, I was prepared to make this sacrifice, because I realize that public officials should be equal amongst the people in all matters, generally speaking, including in regards to general compensation for work done. Luxurious Congressional salaries in D.C. (around 180K annually) should also be reduced significantly.
- by Mark Greene
[revised on 10/12/12]
Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM
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