Plenty more to flush
Plenty more to flush
Bellingham’s new, old mayor, Tim Douglas, got off to a great running start at his new job by dealing quickly and firmly with an important issue that threatened to embarrass the City forever - the form
Bellingham's new, old mayor, Tim Douglas, got off to a great running start at his new job by dealing quickly and firmly with an important issue that threatened to embarrass the City forever - the former mayor's ridiculous, swirling logo.
As previously suggested (see Swirling Logo below), Mr. Douglas could now show he is serious about good government by assigning someone to look into how the contract for that logo came to be. Several local, lower-bid applicants were overlooked in favor of a Seattle firm with little ostensible reputation that made an exceedingly amaturish botch of it. The process was strictly administrative and the administration's attitude was unacceptably arrogant.
That usually indicates dirt, and the key to good government is making sure all that dirt sees daylight. If the honorable Mr. Douglas is serious about good government, there is plenty of the former mayor's legacy that can be similarly treated.
First and foremost, let's undo the planning travesty orchestrated by the former mayor through the ministrations of former Planning Director, Jorge Vega. Even though the Bellingham Municipal Code (20.04.030 - C) states that planning will be neighborhood-based, the City abandoned neighborhoods in the planning process when it became apparent that they would never meet compliance deadlines - or their administrative planning objectives - if neighbors were included in the process. Mayor Douglas could make a lasting difference in Bellingham's future by making it clear that the basis of planning henceforth will prioritize those living and building community in neighborhoods over those simply trying to make a buck.
The City's legal empire is another area that could use wholesale reconsideration. Just after the former mayor's first election, he appointed a Police Chief that lacked the minimum academic qualifications for the job. He was appointed without a search and over the seniority of several well-qualified individuals. That seemed a little too cozy.
Immediately following, the former mayor initiated a plan that would spend untold millions establishing a Municipal Court system. It was even run illegally for a year while the judges and commissioners of his choice were installed. Organizing your own cops, court and judges is way too cozy. Since the establishment of this system, over fifty people have been arrested, many of them violently, and vigorously prosecuted for expressing their political opinions in ways that had formerly been merely supervised - not punished.
Let's take a serious look at the cost and function of this bloated system. Discussions with county personnel suggest that all of the Municipal Court's business could be accomplished for about half the price if the City were willing to cooperate in the Whatcom County District Court.
And it doesn't end there. The City might also review the inequitable Public Facilities District which saps sales tax revenues for twenty years but benefits the county only slightly and does nothing to integrate with the Central Business District - long in need of revitalization.
The City's passive posture in the lopsided deal with the Port of Bellingham on the Central Waterfront redevelopment should also be reexamined. Other waterfront deals that have been managed in this fashion have ended up suffering years of delays while indictments were prosecuted. Besides, does anyone really believe that selling the waterfront off to benefit the private housing developments of their buddies makes sense?
A new mayor is a fresh opportunity for citizens to have a say in the shape of their community's future. But it won't happen by wishing. Citizens at least now have a chance to be heard.
But they will first need to speak their minds.
Oh yeah, one other thing...
One of the best ways we can assure that the City gets back on track is to facilitate a much-needed Charter Review. Only elected freeholders can warrant that all those little changes the last administration squeaked through on a piecemeal basis - those changes to how we initiate and challenge legislation, and the change to an appointed Finance Director - only freeholders can warrant that those changes fit within a comprehensive framework for governance the citizens themselves affirm and embrace.
As previously suggested (see Swirling Logo below), Mr. Douglas could now show he is serious about good government by assigning someone to look into how the contract for that logo came to be. Several local, lower-bid applicants were overlooked in favor of a Seattle firm with little ostensible reputation that made an exceedingly amaturish botch of it. The process was strictly administrative and the administration's attitude was unacceptably arrogant.
That usually indicates dirt, and the key to good government is making sure all that dirt sees daylight. If the honorable Mr. Douglas is serious about good government, there is plenty of the former mayor's legacy that can be similarly treated.
First and foremost, let's undo the planning travesty orchestrated by the former mayor through the ministrations of former Planning Director, Jorge Vega. Even though the Bellingham Municipal Code (20.04.030 - C) states that planning will be neighborhood-based, the City abandoned neighborhoods in the planning process when it became apparent that they would never meet compliance deadlines - or their administrative planning objectives - if neighbors were included in the process. Mayor Douglas could make a lasting difference in Bellingham's future by making it clear that the basis of planning henceforth will prioritize those living and building community in neighborhoods over those simply trying to make a buck.
The City's legal empire is another area that could use wholesale reconsideration. Just after the former mayor's first election, he appointed a Police Chief that lacked the minimum academic qualifications for the job. He was appointed without a search and over the seniority of several well-qualified individuals. That seemed a little too cozy.
Immediately following, the former mayor initiated a plan that would spend untold millions establishing a Municipal Court system. It was even run illegally for a year while the judges and commissioners of his choice were installed. Organizing your own cops, court and judges is way too cozy. Since the establishment of this system, over fifty people have been arrested, many of them violently, and vigorously prosecuted for expressing their political opinions in ways that had formerly been merely supervised - not punished.
Let's take a serious look at the cost and function of this bloated system. Discussions with county personnel suggest that all of the Municipal Court's business could be accomplished for about half the price if the City were willing to cooperate in the Whatcom County District Court.
And it doesn't end there. The City might also review the inequitable Public Facilities District which saps sales tax revenues for twenty years but benefits the county only slightly and does nothing to integrate with the Central Business District - long in need of revitalization.
The City's passive posture in the lopsided deal with the Port of Bellingham on the Central Waterfront redevelopment should also be reexamined. Other waterfront deals that have been managed in this fashion have ended up suffering years of delays while indictments were prosecuted. Besides, does anyone really believe that selling the waterfront off to benefit the private housing developments of their buddies makes sense?
A new mayor is a fresh opportunity for citizens to have a say in the shape of their community's future. But it won't happen by wishing. Citizens at least now have a chance to be heard.
But they will first need to speak their minds.
Oh yeah, one other thing...
One of the best ways we can assure that the City gets back on track is to facilitate a much-needed Charter Review. Only elected freeholders can warrant that all those little changes the last administration squeaked through on a piecemeal basis - those changes to how we initiate and challenge legislation, and the change to an appointed Finance Director - only freeholders can warrant that those changes fit within a comprehensive framework for governance the citizens themselves affirm and embrace.
