In today’s Cascadia Weekly, Tim Johnson writes in The Gristle about the stumbles of our Bellingham City Council during three meetings in August. It is a good overview, while he avoids specifics of the horrible behavior by the council. Much ADU about nothing - an informative piece. And here on NW Citizen, Anne Mackie gives her perspective of the same issues and the council with A Big “Never Mind”.

The four new members of the City Council tried to illegally - and unethically - change the comprehensive city plan as it relates to accessory rentals in single family neighborhoods. These are called ADUs - accessory dwelling units. The new members ignored the cautionary warnings of the three experienced members. And citizens caught them with, you might say, their hand in the cookie jar. The new members reacted in disappointing, but not surprising ways, to being caught violating the law. In different actions they: scolded the public, stated the public was too dumb to understand enlightened policy, and said they would return to the issue once the public had lost interest. In The Gristle, Johnson tries to gently coach the new council members to be more the representatives and less the enlightened masters.

What was telling at the Aug 29, Monday evening meeting, was the total lack of any apology from either Pinky Vargas or April Barker, and their condescending explanations to citizens. Even Johnson was moved to write, “But there’s an additional layer at work here, a weakness in respect for process and democratic action.”

Also in the Weekly, next to The Gristle, is a self-serving guest article by new council representative Dan Hammill, who is full of platitudes but seems unable to go beyond them and grapple with the reality and basics of housing.