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

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

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]

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Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM

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

Erxleben Versus Bisset

City of Newcastle, WA -- Council Meeting of 10/2/12

By a vote of 6 - 1, with Bill Erxleben dissenting, the Newcastle City Council voted to hire a police detective for the city, with some councilmembers noting Newcastle's burglary problem as a reason.  Erxleben, the council's foremost budget hawk (at least in terms of speechmaking), said he opposed the motion by Gordon Bisset for a detective, because it was premature prior to the preliminary 2013 budget, not on its merits.  In support of the motion, John Dulcich said, basically, that security concerns were too important and that the budget could be worked out or adapted to provide for a detective.

Later on in the meeting, the council was in a tizzy for 15 minutes-or-so over a motion by Erxleben to essentially upgrade proposals regarding the 116th Street pedestrian improvements in the overall economic plans of the city.  The motion, which failed on a 4 - 3 vote, caused verbal brickbats between Erxleben and Bisset, who accused Erxleben of budgetary inconsistency as general disarray reigned throughout this segment of the council meeting until the city manager, Rob Wyman, and Mayor Rich Crispo brought about order by chiding members and closing out the motion proceedings.  Erxleben supported Bisset's election to the council in 2011, and wrote a letter on his behalf in the Newcastle News prior to the general election, essentially, requesting citizens of Newcastle to vote for Bisset.  Bisset had been on the council several years ago before taking office, again, in January of '12.  There seemed to be general agreement that Erxleben's motion was not that crucial in deciding how all of this would play out; apparently, because of the preliminary nature of the budget and more decisive votes to come.

Votes regarding Councilmember Erxleben's Motion about 116th St.:

Yes (Approving Motion): Erxleben, Crispo and Dulcich.

No (Disapproving Motion): Buri, Simpson, Bisset and Jensen.

[revised on 10/4/12]

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Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM

Paraphrasing Lee: "I Make the Recommendations, the Council Gives Guidance."

City of Newcastle, WA -- Planning Commission Meeting of 9/27/12

Newcastle Associate Planner, David Lee, gave a studious 20-minute-or-so presentation about the Comprehensive Plan, which was named, officially, the City of Newcastle Comprehensive Plan Update,  and seeks, in accordance with state law, to set the city's policies regarding physical and economic development, thereby providing a focus point and educational guide for the Council, town residents and other stakeholders.   Comprehensive plans, made every eight years by various towns and municipalities in Washington, are coordinated with the Growth Management Act, a state law.  At one point, a commissioner asked Lee about the manner of guidance, if any, that the Commission would get from the Council about how to proceed.  Lee responded, basically, that he makes recommendations to the Council, but it's up to the Council to communicate with the Commission about guidance.  A clear delineation of his responsibilities and the council's.  Further updates on Northern Pacific Report will be given later on about the specifics of the Comprehensive Plan as the initial proceedings set the groundwork for how it should develop.

Commissioners in attendance:  Rob Lemmon (Chairman), John Drescher (Vice-Chairman), Tom Magers, Jon Simpson, Elizabeth Thompson, Allen Dauterman, and Karin Blakley.

[revised on 9/29/12]

Copyright 2009 - 2012, Party of Commons TM

Donations Sought For This Blog

Northern Pacific Report hopes to report on council meetings, and possibly some interesting court hearings and trials, around the Puget Sound Area on a regular basis.  This blog will focus on Newcastle, particularly, but may also go to places like Mercer Island, Bellevue, Seattle and Federal Way on an occasional basis.  To help me with this work, particularly for time spent and travel expenses, I'm asking for any kind of donations to extend this journalistic work.  I expect to report on Newcastle on a regular basis, including some commission meetings as well as almost all council meetings.  In order to get the word out about Northern Pacific Report, I'll be passing out fliers and posting on social media sites, but readers' word-of-mouth or social media communications would also be appreciated. Thanks!

Previous post: "Town Council Decreases Own Salaries"

- Mark Greene, chairman of the Party of Commons

[revised on 9/21/12]

Name and Address for donations: (prefer checks or money orders)

(Mark Greene/Party of Commons), P.O. Box 612, Bellevue, WA 98009