Recent NWCitizen Articles

An Eight Inch Loophole?
By g.h.kirsch · Sun Mar 9, 2008
We will soon see our county government’s true colors flying. Will it be appropriate growth management, or them managing to get around it? Just how far will they push sprawl?

On March 19th a
1 comment
Police favoring city hall friends
By John Servais · Sat Mar 8, 2008
This week’s issue of the Whatcom Independent has a front page story on the Bellingham Police targeting WWU students who park their cars overnight - or technically 24 hours - at the curb on city
4 comments
A Southside Grange?
By Tip Johnson · Thu Mar 6, 2008
I recently met with local and state officers from the Washington State Grange. These remarkably grass-rooted, family-oriented organizations can be formed with as few as 13 members. At least f
A Tale of Two Cities
By Craig Mayberry · Sat Mar 1, 2008
A few decades ago two governments pursued vastly different strategies to manage transportation. Seattle invested huge money in new highways, spending billions of dollars. Vancouver, BC invested in a
More government waste on the Horizon?
By Larry Horowitz · Sat Mar 1, 2008
You don’t need to be Nostradamus to make this prediction: Bellingham city officials are about to waste precious staff time and taxpayer resources preparing an environmental impact statem
6 comments
Transportation Economics
By Craig Mayberry · Wed Feb 27, 2008
It looks like another legislative session and another missed opportunity to deal with transportation problems in the state, especially around Seattle. Both political parties seem to ignore some of th
1 comment
First thoughts on library bond issue end
By John Servais · Tue Feb 26, 2008
Yesterday the city council tabled the library bond issue. In its present form, it is probably permanently gone. The project was a concoction from former mayor Mark and was intended to provide a park
When Negativity Might Just Pull You Through
By g.h.kirsch · Sat Feb 23, 2008
Unlike graffiti, it’s easy to avoid the unclaimed posts on what serves as the Herald’s exchange of political thought, and even more anonymous sites passing themselves off as political commentary. Tha
2 comments
What you can’t see, won’t kill ya - a lesson in TBL
By Ham Hayes · Fri Feb 22, 2008
TBL, or Triple Bottom Line, is a nifty concept that says we want to be evaluating and measuring projects on the basis not only of economic, but environmental and societal values as well. TBL i
5 comments
The Impact of Taxes on Planning
By Craig Mayberry · Fri Feb 22, 2008
In the ongoing discussion over land use, no one has brought up what potential impact the financing of city and county government has in the land use decision making process. The fact is that tax reve
2 comments
Let’s Drink to Pete and Jay!
By g.h.kirsch · Thu Feb 21, 2008
With all due reverence for Messrs Jefferson and Reagan, a government that governs less is not always a government that governs best. Consider Ecology’s performance the last twenty some years. And loo
2 comments
Gas(p) Gulping to Oregon
By Ham Hayes · Tue Feb 19, 2008
What are we thinking? Or do we think at all? I drove to Portland this weekend to visit my daughter. Now I admit to being one of those hyper-mileage nuts. I own a hybrid and averaged 47 mpg. That’
1 comment
To vest or not to vest: Chuckanut Ridge & the CAO
By Larry Horowitz · Fri Feb 15, 2008
After an extended hiatus, the battle over Chuckanut Ridge has begun to heat up again. In one corner: landowners Horizon Bank and David Edelstein. In the other corner: thousands of local resid
2 comments
The Predatory Universe of Non-Profits in Happy Valley
By Tip Johnson · Mon Feb 11, 2008
Something about Bellingham’s poverty brings out the worst, even in the best of us.

The Kulshan Land Trust ushered it’s presence into Happy Valley with the development
1 comment
Where There’s Smoke and No One’s Fired
By g.h.kirsch · Sun Feb 10, 2008
Karen Frakes is legal advisor to the Whatcom County Council,.though I will leave it to you to decide who she really represents. She’s a deputy in Dave McEachran’s office.

Professor Bentham o
1 comment
Congrats to Obama and “Other”
By Craig Mayberry · Sun Feb 10, 2008
I have to laugh, although in no way does it mean I am laughing at the state and county Republican Party, who I do respect and support. At a national level, however, the Republican Party has lost all
5 comments
Turning Straw Into Gold
By g.h.kirsch · Fri Feb 8, 2008
Allowing residential development on farmlands is turning straw into gold. Like most land use decisions, it is distributing wealth. So it is very much of interest who is granted this power, and how t
Kudos: The Big Kahuna’s Big Cojones
By Tip Johnson · Thu Feb 7, 2008
Today’s Herald features a local story entitled, “Mayor taking tougher stance with Port on waterfront”. It’s high time someone started considering the City’s interests in this fiasco!<br
1 comment
Stimulating the Economy
By Tip Johnson · Tue Feb 5, 2008
I’m amazed at the response our Administration and Congress have taken toward news that the economy might be in trouble. Their idea is to write a bunch of checks to spur consumer spending. Tha
1 comment
City Council Flip Flop on Public Comment - UPDATE
By Ham Hayes · Tue Feb 5, 2008
Isn’t it fair to ask the city council to establish and consistently follow a procedure for when public comment will be allowed? Is it good open government to say beforehand that no public commen

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