Fleetwood Back ?
Fleetwood Back ?
At large member Seth Fleetwood is contemplating running for reelection to the the county council. Which may mean deciding, running for what.
The two most important rules in politics
The two most important rules in politics
At large member Seth Fleetwood is contemplating running for reelection to the the county council. Which may mean deciding, running for what.
The two most important rules in politics are make as many friends as you can, and make as few enemies as possible.
The art of politics is always knowing which rule to use.
That's because, while you can't pick your friends, you can pick your enemies. And in politics having the right enemies can win you a lot of friends.
This is a good time for all of us to open up about what has pleased and frustrated us during Seth's tenure in the public position he's been given. I feel it's most appropriate in this instance because, more than any other local political figure, Seth is truly a son of this community.
From his parents he received a thoughtful outlook and love of wisdom; and a strong sense of fraternity, community and sincerity. The experiences of his youth, witnessing the commitment of those parents, certainly disposed him to similarly offer himself to his community. So, these years later, how is he doing?
Fleetwood is a favorite of that genus of the environmentalist specie environmentalus urbani; those who see the end of conservation and the management of growth to be the creation of pleasant cities surrounded by a countryside suited to the aesthetic appreciation and recreational needs of town folks.
In spite of his commitment to their program, during the last mayoral election they would not give him their endorsement. Taken together, pretty fickle friends.
To his credit, Seth fully understands the importance of preserving and protecting agricultural lands. Which of course gains him few friends with property rightswingers outside of Bellingham who put the opportunity to subdivide their farmland above protecting it from residential development.
I always hope his position rests on the imperative to preserve the businesses and industries that rely on those farmlands for the generations to come; not on some preference for bicycling down country roads bordered by pastures and fields.
And I wish his outlook would extend to forest lands, critical areas and the associated resources they contain and protect. Would that Fleetwood grasped the significance of preserving forestry, farming and fishing per se, and their part in a healthy well managed environment.
I wish he had a more utilitarian and less aesthetic philosophy. It is not so much that these activities are beautiful, or the labor noble, as it is necessary.
According to Ward Nelson, Fleetwood stands in the way of changing our laws that now allow “innovative development" in the rural forest zone. This is code talk for permitting dense residential development that reserves larger open spaces for future development; sort of phased, piecemeal subdivisions. This is not consistent with these lands supporting forestry, or buffering even more intense uses of the forest from conflicts with new residents.
And, unfortunately, most of these rural forests presently play a central role in protecting our watersheds which are critical to preserving a suitable habitat for salmon regeneration as well as protecting our water supplies.
For Seth to push for an end to clustering on all resource lands is too much to expect. It will be interesting to see, while he serves as council chair, if he even supports the resolution to protect these forestlands from development and helps make the emergency moratorium on clustering in the RF zone permanent, or sacrifices them to re-election.
If all he's going to bring to the fight are platitudes about civility while he keeps orchestrating compromises that allow him to hide safely in office, we should send him on his way.
Seth has voted with the majority, and been in sync with the community's recognition that putting an end to sprawl means infill before designating more area for urban growth. But even on this issue he could not resist compromising, apparently swayed again by that cosmopolitan ethic. When a developer waved the promise of a park and a few trails under his nose, he couldn't resist sacrificing King Mountain to the cul-de-sac.
For his votes with what right wingers call the “gang of four,” Seth in particular is vilified and connected to their most despised council member, Laurie Caskey-Schreiber. The latter has recognized the improbability of ever prevailing in her district and is not seeking re-election.
They say politics makes for strange bedfellows, but a pairing of Seth with Laurie is really hilarious. Please excuse the image. That two with so much disdain for each other can be tarred with the same brush is just too funny. In all candor, it shows how heartfelt is his belief in certain policies.
During his last campaign, Fleetwood relied heavily on Lisa McShane. His challenger came within some 900 votes of defeating him. Some say the experience altered him, he became cautious, became more interested in compromise and fearful of raising negatives for such initiatives as banning motor boats from the city's water supply, restricting development in its watershed and standing up to the growth machine.
Perhaps this is the explanation for his otherwise inexplicable compromise with Kremen, Crawford and Nelson that facilitated the county executive and prosecutor receiving huge salary increases, originally opposed by a majority of the council, even in the face of the most devastating economic downturn since the Great Depression and in spite of the two abusing their offices to accomplish the same.
Or maybe Seth has convinced himself he just can't win re-election in a county wide race without the support of those he should oppose.
Similarly frustrating was Seth's unwillingness to oppose county policies that conflicted with our Comprehensive Plan and his refusal to support a ban on expansion of urban water systems and other urban services into rural lands. His failure to make the connection between those services and sprawl is disappointing.
At one point he was said to exclaim, he could care less if they ran an eight foot diameter pipe into the county, zoning would prevent development from following. As an attorney, his remarks were a great disappointment, given state legislation and strong direction from our Supreme Court to the contrary.
Nor has he been willing to face the over appropriation of water in rural areas from un-permitted wells and their impact on agriculture and the promotion of sprawl on agricultural soils. As a long time resident how can he miss the connection?
Preceding the recent decision to make a small increase to property taxes in order to begin funding numerous long ignored water and flood issues, Seth turned to a colleague and asked if he thought this was a wise action so near re-election.
One wonders, has he lost his nerve, changed direction and forgotten how he came to be here? He was supported because he would take tough positions, the right positions. His new found timidity leaves one to wonder if he can grasp the immortal words of e.e. cummings, "there's some shit I will not eat."
Will our enemies become his new constituency? Will his friends turn their back on him again? Do the McShanes see his seat as the logical spot for Dan to start his campaign to replace Pete Kremen, having missed in their reach for the brass ring last time 'round?
Indeed, our most contemplative councilman has much to contemplate. And his real friends need to talk to him now. And that means showing him and challengers he has plenty of support.
For my part I hope Seth runs for the council, but runs in the first district where the old Seth would run well.
If Dan McShane wants to be county executive, the first test should be whether he can win a county wide election for the at large seat.
Notwithstanding vacillations, and mistakes, Seth Fleetwood remains one of a small number of authentic individuals in county government. Let's hope he gets his mojo working again!
Art class is dismissed.
The two most important rules in politics are make as many friends as you can, and make as few enemies as possible.
The art of politics is always knowing which rule to use.
That's because, while you can't pick your friends, you can pick your enemies. And in politics having the right enemies can win you a lot of friends.
This is a good time for all of us to open up about what has pleased and frustrated us during Seth's tenure in the public position he's been given. I feel it's most appropriate in this instance because, more than any other local political figure, Seth is truly a son of this community.
From his parents he received a thoughtful outlook and love of wisdom; and a strong sense of fraternity, community and sincerity. The experiences of his youth, witnessing the commitment of those parents, certainly disposed him to similarly offer himself to his community. So, these years later, how is he doing?
Fleetwood is a favorite of that genus of the environmentalist specie environmentalus urbani; those who see the end of conservation and the management of growth to be the creation of pleasant cities surrounded by a countryside suited to the aesthetic appreciation and recreational needs of town folks.
In spite of his commitment to their program, during the last mayoral election they would not give him their endorsement. Taken together, pretty fickle friends.
To his credit, Seth fully understands the importance of preserving and protecting agricultural lands. Which of course gains him few friends with property rightswingers outside of Bellingham who put the opportunity to subdivide their farmland above protecting it from residential development.
I always hope his position rests on the imperative to preserve the businesses and industries that rely on those farmlands for the generations to come; not on some preference for bicycling down country roads bordered by pastures and fields.
And I wish his outlook would extend to forest lands, critical areas and the associated resources they contain and protect. Would that Fleetwood grasped the significance of preserving forestry, farming and fishing per se, and their part in a healthy well managed environment.
I wish he had a more utilitarian and less aesthetic philosophy. It is not so much that these activities are beautiful, or the labor noble, as it is necessary.
According to Ward Nelson, Fleetwood stands in the way of changing our laws that now allow “innovative development" in the rural forest zone. This is code talk for permitting dense residential development that reserves larger open spaces for future development; sort of phased, piecemeal subdivisions. This is not consistent with these lands supporting forestry, or buffering even more intense uses of the forest from conflicts with new residents.
And, unfortunately, most of these rural forests presently play a central role in protecting our watersheds which are critical to preserving a suitable habitat for salmon regeneration as well as protecting our water supplies.
For Seth to push for an end to clustering on all resource lands is too much to expect. It will be interesting to see, while he serves as council chair, if he even supports the resolution to protect these forestlands from development and helps make the emergency moratorium on clustering in the RF zone permanent, or sacrifices them to re-election.
If all he's going to bring to the fight are platitudes about civility while he keeps orchestrating compromises that allow him to hide safely in office, we should send him on his way.
Seth has voted with the majority, and been in sync with the community's recognition that putting an end to sprawl means infill before designating more area for urban growth. But even on this issue he could not resist compromising, apparently swayed again by that cosmopolitan ethic. When a developer waved the promise of a park and a few trails under his nose, he couldn't resist sacrificing King Mountain to the cul-de-sac.
For his votes with what right wingers call the “gang of four,” Seth in particular is vilified and connected to their most despised council member, Laurie Caskey-Schreiber. The latter has recognized the improbability of ever prevailing in her district and is not seeking re-election. They say politics makes for strange bedfellows, but a pairing of Seth with Laurie is really hilarious. Please excuse the image. That two with so much disdain for each other can be tarred with the same brush is just too funny. In all candor, it shows how heartfelt is his belief in certain policies.
During his last campaign, Fleetwood relied heavily on Lisa McShane. His challenger came within some 900 votes of defeating him. Some say the experience altered him, he became cautious, became more interested in compromise and fearful of raising negatives for such initiatives as banning motor boats from the city's water supply, restricting development in its watershed and standing up to the growth machine.
Perhaps this is the explanation for his otherwise inexplicable compromise with Kremen, Crawford and Nelson that facilitated the county executive and prosecutor receiving huge salary increases, originally opposed by a majority of the council, even in the face of the most devastating economic downturn since the Great Depression and in spite of the two abusing their offices to accomplish the same.
Or maybe Seth has convinced himself he just can't win re-election in a county wide race without the support of those he should oppose.
Similarly frustrating was Seth's unwillingness to oppose county policies that conflicted with our Comprehensive Plan and his refusal to support a ban on expansion of urban water systems and other urban services into rural lands. His failure to make the connection between those services and sprawl is disappointing.
At one point he was said to exclaim, he could care less if they ran an eight foot diameter pipe into the county, zoning would prevent development from following. As an attorney, his remarks were a great disappointment, given state legislation and strong direction from our Supreme Court to the contrary.
Nor has he been willing to face the over appropriation of water in rural areas from un-permitted wells and their impact on agriculture and the promotion of sprawl on agricultural soils. As a long time resident how can he miss the connection?
Preceding the recent decision to make a small increase to property taxes in order to begin funding numerous long ignored water and flood issues, Seth turned to a colleague and asked if he thought this was a wise action so near re-election.
One wonders, has he lost his nerve, changed direction and forgotten how he came to be here? He was supported because he would take tough positions, the right positions. His new found timidity leaves one to wonder if he can grasp the immortal words of e.e. cummings, "there's some shit I will not eat."
Will our enemies become his new constituency? Will his friends turn their back on him again? Do the McShanes see his seat as the logical spot for Dan to start his campaign to replace Pete Kremen, having missed in their reach for the brass ring last time 'round?
Indeed, our most contemplative councilman has much to contemplate. And his real friends need to talk to him now. And that means showing him and challengers he has plenty of support. For my part I hope Seth runs for the council, but runs in the first district where the old Seth would run well.
If Dan McShane wants to be county executive, the first test should be whether he can win a county wide election for the at large seat.
Notwithstanding vacillations, and mistakes, Seth Fleetwood remains one of a small number of authentic individuals in county government. Let's hope he gets his mojo working again!
Art class is dismissed.
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