Well, the blog activity sure did drop off after the election. Other blogs are quiet or short - and I also find a lack of energy to put the needed couple hours into a post. Plus some personal issues need attention they missed these past few weeks. We do have some unfinished business regarding the campaigns - and that will get posted before long. So, if there is little posted here for a few days, please know that things will pick up again.

I want to weigh in on the neighborhood-planning wars. We went through a long but successful plan update for my Happy Valley neighborhood seven years ago. That was the last neighborhood plan that was updated. I've watched but not participated in the Fairhaven process which seems headed for a brick wall. We have all read of the Silver Beach meltdown. And other neighborhoods are dealing with confusion.

The short answer to 'why' is the dysfunctional and illegal planning process that former mayor Mark and his Planning guru George Vega concocted. What is needed, imho, is an adjustment to some neighborhood boundaries and a method for allowing all stakeholders in a neighborhood to be involved. The Growth Management Act is very clear on this idea of inclusive involvement - but our Planning Department has given the neighborhoods a process that consciously excludes many people. Tweaking the process may fix it - but I doubt it.

But I digress - although I wish I had more time to pursue that neighborhood thread just now. More later. Gotta go.

One last thing. It seems that BIAW legal news - posted yesterday - is old news from Nov 1. I will try and learn what has happened to it.