Vol. 3 #31

In an age of political bellicosity in which the charge of flip-flopping has taken on curious yet understandable resonance, it was refreshing to read of Mayor Dan Pike’s change of mind regarding the City Administration Officer position.  Originally close to outright rejection of filling the job, the mayor switched his thinking when he realized his plate is beginning to pile up  with help needed.   When did we get to the point that a change of mind is often ridiculed while refusal to abandon a highly questionable stance is hailed as rigidity to be applauded?   
The mayor’s switch involved David Webster, Executive Director of Northwest Youth Services, who will move into City Hall in August.  Perhaps the most significant achievement of the mayor’s first 100 days has been his streamlining of the permitting process.  Although Mayor Pike was unable to appear before our Neighborhood Association last month due to flu in his family, he will honor his commitment Tuesday, April 8, at 7 p.m., in the Birchwood Presbyterian Church Chapel.  His topic: “The First 130 Days.”
Our grateful thanks go to developer Ralph Black who filled in at the last moment last month for Mayor Pike.  Originally scheduled to speak at the April meeting, Black agreed to the switch in plans just 75 minutes before show time and arrived from his Blaine home.   
Cordata Park Planning, having been kicked off March 13, picks up additional steam Thursday, April 10 when the second of six sessions is held at 7 p.m. at Birchwood Presbyterian Church Chapel.  While Parks & Recreation Project Engineer Gina Gobo indicates a professional planner will be brought into play as “do-ables” are plucked from last month’s neighborhood wish list, a further suggestion has been made.  Because so many of us are travel-prone and camera-ready, the thought is that we bring back pictures of interesting park features taken on our travels.  Under the guidance of that old verity: Never assume, let’s not necessarily believe that City Hall employees have all the answers.  With many of us of a certain age and inclined to have a lot of free time as we run, walk, lurch, roll and crawl to life’s finish line, we can take those photos and show them to Parks & Recreation as we make Cordata Park one of Bellingham’s best.          
Speaking of photos, the Mayor’s Office and Whatcom Museum have announced a third annual “Essence of Bellingham.”  The competition, open to amateur and professional photographers of all ages, seeks to encourage photographers to share what they believe captures the city’s vitality including its rich history, spectacular surroundings and vibrant neighborhoods.  Contest details and entry form are available at www.cob.org/eob on the City of Bellingham website.  Deadline for entries is May 15.
Boundless blogging begets beggarly blather but not always as evidenced by local websites including the worthy NorthWest Citizen and the decidedly to the right Latte Republic.   One of the attractions of each are sidebar listings of more than 100 “information” web pages (many national) plus local touches ranging all the way from the North Cascades Audubon Society to Poindexter P. Parkenfarker whose depth of observation is rarely as impressive as his name.  NorthWest Citizen’s site is that of John Servais, at it since 1995 and a one-time publisher of the Whatcom Independent, while Latte Republic’s  observations are those of Elisabeth Britt, a WWU political science grad who covers an impressive amount of ground.  Also weighing in is former Bellingham Councilman  John Watts whose hamstertalk  is very much at odds with Servais regarding library matters, now in tatters.   Watts, also warring with the Zonemaven (Richard Conoboy) whose one note messages concern rooming houses and related zoning codes, is startlingly fierce in print—an edgy contrast to his reasoned City Council self.  Hey, retirement is when the wraps come off and conformity often turns to rascality.  These are odd communications times and truth increasingly difficult to find.  Blogs, warts and all, appear to be here to stay.      
Deadline Dash….Congratulations to GM/CNA board members Judy Van Woudenberg and Pamela Sorensen, recent appointees to the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee (MNAC)….Congratulations, also, to Board Member Cheryl Stewart who was named to the Bellingham Herald five-member Editorial Board…. Isn’t Dan McShane, who lost a Bellingham mayoral bid last fall, giving some serious thought to running for State Sen. Harriet Spanel’s 40th District seat?  Spanel, who recently announced her coming retirement after 18 years in the Washington House and Senate, has a district that includes parts of Whatcom County including the south half of Bellingham….Thank Alan Rhodes of the Cascadia Weekly for getting that $26 million Chuckanut Ridge asking price out of Mayor Dan Pike.  It’s always fun to see how long it takes other local media entities to acknowledge that figure (doubtless, without attribution) and start working it into related stories?....A much anticipated business conference, being put together by the GM/CNA and originally scheduled for April 16, likely will be held in October….Members of the business community and their employees in our Neighborhood are being invited to the Second Annual GM/CNA Picnic to be held Saturday, June 28.  The focus will be on public safety.  Further details will be offered in future editions of this electronic periodical….Your board of directors is pointing toward an April 9 hearing about DR Horton’s proposed development of a 72 acre site, one of those perfect development storms in which past agreements, accompanied by massive amounts of winking, clash with such recently discovered realities such as wetlands now found to be further impacting upon well-established slam and jam plans….When is the other shoe going to drop?  That’s a question a lot of people are asking in regard to The Great Library Fiasco.  So far, the silence is deafening regarding a public call for at least a new Library Board.   
More next time,
Bob Sanders

Comments

[Poindexter P. Parkenfarker]

Thanks for the flattery,
I strive to be as unimpressive as possible.

might as well laugh at ourselves...everyone else is...

[The Zonemaven]

I am not sure what to make of the reference to my "warring" with John Watts. It has been a long while since I had an exchange with Mr. Watts, who, by the way, has not posted to his blog since late January. I would encourage him, if he returns to his blogging, to turn on his blog's Comments option. It is difficult to "war" or even speak reasonably to someone who does not want to hear the comments of others.