Yep, as predicted, the Bellingham Port Commission has officially rescinded their earlier approval of a ballot initiative.  They admitted they planned to do this without adequate public notice.  They have precisely exemplified why the iniative is needed.

They ginned up a classic straw man - out of whole cloth.  Commissioner Scott Walker and the port attorney, Frank Chmelik, managed to create the illusion that a more complicated ballot measure was needed, even though it creates more problems than it solves.  They badgered a young county prosecutor into inadvertently supporting their concern and abused the new county auditor by inferring that her silence constituted consent.  

According to Walker's Chmelikian logic, the question of whether the commission should be expanded by two at-large (county-wide) positions would be better addressed by two questions. 1) Should the commission be expanded? If so, then 2) by either A) Adding two at-large positions, or, B) Redistricting the Port into five districts.  This plan is fraught with problems.

For starters, it is subject to accidental failure, which is no way to run a ballot initiative.  Under their scheme, voters might approve the commission expansion, but the question of districts versus county-wide positions could deadlock.  Does the issue then fail even though it passed?  Can the port add qualification upon qualification until there's no way for the measure to pass? How about a three part, or four part ballot measure?  It's absurd!  Voters could approve the commission expansion and the commission might simply fail to redistrict.  Redistricting is notoriously contentious and difficult.  It could take forever. Ballot measures are meant to take effect quickly, not maybe never.

County prosecutor Royce Buckingham, bless him, tried to say he was simply charged with phrasing the applicant's intent as cogently as possible within 75 words - exactly what he did with the ballot measure he approved for our petition - exactly the language earlier approved by the port…exactly what the port rescinded without adequate notice.  Get it? The port used him badly as they ramrodded their shoddy process through.  

The fact remains that on May 14th the port commission adopted a resolution asking voters to decide whether to add two additional at-large commission positions this November. Now they have rescinded that approval, absent any agenda item or public notice. Their alternative is untenable and unworkable.  Not even our new hope, Mike McAuley, was any help.  All agreed to do important, controversial work - and made a botch of it - without public notice.

I shared my indignation as a voter and long-time advocate of good government. Walker and Chmelik have confused things masterfully - your tax dollars at work! Keep an eye on NWCitizen.com and here's John Stark's take in the Bellingham Herald today.

It's time we all shared our indignation toward steadfastly unacceptable public process with the port.