When a government - whether city or port - hides a document online, then we know they are trying to sneak it through and avoid citizens even knowing about it. 

When they slow walk it for weeks then they are hoping to drop it when the alert citizens, such as Jon Humphrey, will slow down in their alertness - and miss it.  

When the Public Works newsletter on Friday makes no mention of such an important contract, such an important vote - then we know Public Works wants us to think nothing is happening.  They are sneaks and hiding public information.  

Why have a highly paid communications person when the intent is to hide information from the citizens  - from the residents - from the people?  Thank you Jon. I am sending emails tonight. 

If the Telecom contract is so good for us, the residents of Bellingham, then the council should be proud to approve it with our full knowledge of what they are doing. When it is bad - when Greed is in play - then they are sneaky and hide things.  

Richard, thanks for commenting.  Your thoughts are representative of many people I know who live in this area. And I do not think you are trolling.  So I want to address your points.  From the top.

There is no need to dig trenches for fiber cable to rural areas.  It goes on power poles just the same as telephone wires.  Low cost and no carbon foot print.  

Regards Bill Gates, I think very little of him as he basically stole things from others and sold things he did not own.  I think very highly of Elon Musk and have been a fan boy of him for many years.  He single handedly saved the U.S. space program.  With Tesla he has forced the world’s automakers to start building electic cars.  A best friend has a Tesla and we have enjoyed road trips in it.  An incredible vehicle and the safest car made in the world.  My son owns a Cybertruck and loves it.  I do think Musk has made a mess of Twitter - X - and his politics are for shit.  He is a South African immigrant who grew up with Apartheid and has a bigoted view of people and a huge entitlement concept about big white men like himself.

Starlink is a great program and is invaluable where fiber cable cannot go, and for ships, planes and many other special needs.   Like all new things, there are challenges with Starlink such as the reflections that hinder astronomers and the cost of having to constantly renew them. Where fiber cable can be strung to it is the superior solution in terms of cost, ease of use, speed, reliability and permanence.  

Smart phones do not work without celluar towers near by, so giving them to really rural residents is not a solution.  Just as getting electricity to rural areas was important in the 1930s, and getting phone service to rural areas was important afte WWII, so now it is important to get broadband Internet access via reliable fiber cable to rural areas.  Folks there should have the services that allow civilizd living just as much as we city folks.  For that, internet access is a necessity.  

As the founder of NW Citizen and now a co-owner, I am very appreciative of the articles Jon Humphrey has written for posting here.  In the drop down menu of ‘Citizen Journalists’ you can click his name and see the 85 articles by him - virtually all of them focused on public owned broadband access to the Internet via fiber cable for all residents of Whatcom County.  He is a valuable public voice in our community.

Please, let us not turn this thread towards a ‘what to do’ one. Give me a till this evening and I think we will have an article posted on that subject and those comments will be appropriate. I hope this thread can stay on the subject of ‘why’ did this happen.  Thank you. 

I especially want to note Satpal’s comment above.  He cites the immigrant bashing that Trump used to gain his election victory. That bashing is so counter to what this country is all about. This also is a subject that requires its own article.

Pearl, I agree with each of your points as to why different individuals probably voted for Trump. I most agree sith the lack of critical thinking and, yes, that goes to our education system.  If Trump eliminates the Department of Education then each state will be on its own and we may see an improvement in public education in Washington state. 

However, I do not think a majority of voters fit into the four points you make.  The ones I know - both close relatives and good friends - do not.  They are functioning, successful and level headed in all regards.  They voted for Trump.

The turn to Neoliberalism by the Democratic party was a betrayal of the small business owners and the working folks all over America.  It has come home to bite them. I think that is the major factor.

There are more reasons than those you and I have noted.  No doubt.  Trump may have lost if the Democratic Party candidate had been a tall white man, or if inflation had not been so high for so long or if U.S. Attorney General Garland had not sat on his thumbs for two years before beginning to take action against Trump.  Just to name a few other factors.  All in all, a self inflicted defeat. IMO