Island Guardian

Wednesday, October 26th

"I Call the Ball!"

I never thought I would say these words. I was not a big fan of "Passing the Ball". The Freeholders put this ritual in their rules of debate. It involved passing a talking object around the circle. In the beginning we used a wooden salad bowl. Then it became a tradition to pass a rusty cannonball. The one with the cannon ball gets to speak. So I am calling the ball!

Have you noticed that the several thoughtful letters to the Editor opposed to the Charter have not mentioned any names whatsoever? The reason is that we assume a debate about issues. So here we go again. I must respond to my name being trashed as well as my argument. I am accused of using "half truth at best." and that, "By only repeating the initial caution and ignoring the final opinion, Gordy does his argument no credit." This is ridiculous.

I called the "Pass the Ball' thing "silly' (I also called the six-member council "silly") but never mind. Let's review: To put it all in context, I quoted the attorney who reviewed the Charter verbatim. In my letter, I argued against the six-member council for two simple reasons, Here is exactly what I said, "San Juan County will be the first county to even seriously consider this (the number 6). It will lead to gridlock." Then I used the exact quote below to defend my point. I think this is the quote you all are upset about below. Let's examine it for "half truths".

"I recommend a legislative body with an odd number of members, and that is for the practical reason of avoiding legislative deadlock – three-to-three tie votes. To my knowledge, there is no local government legislative body in the state with an even number of members."

All right, I'm looking. I don't see any half-truths here. The attorney is simply stating facts. The first fact is a mathematical principle of odd and even numbers. The numbers 2,4,6,8, can potentially lead to tie votes. On the other hand 3,5, and 7, are numbers where a tie is impossible.

The second fact is that San Juan would be the first County to ever institute a six-member council. There is no half-truth about this. It is a fact.

Unless you can change the laws of mathematics, or produce evidence of a six-member legislative body somewhere else on the planet then what I said stands true. 100% true, not half true. The idea that the guy changed his mind about the overall Charter adds nothing to the debate over the issue of a six-member council. These two pesky little facts remain 100% true. That was my point.

So this is your condescending advice to me,

"Gordy is entitled to his minority viewpoint but in the public debate, let's stick to ALL of the facts, not just the ones that support our own prejudices." I really wish everyone would do this.

For instance, it is speculation, not fact, to assume which position is the minority or majority viewpoint. After the vote we will know which viewpoint is "minority". But we don't know now. If I am in the minority, I'm OK with that. Let's just stick to the facts.

As for the final point, when he says, "Were I a San Juan County resident, I would vote for it." He doesn't live here. But in King County maybe he could vote for it. I guess anything goes down there except for a six–member council!

Now picture me passing the rusty old cannon ball to the next person in the circle. That's right, I just roll it along with a bare minimum of contact grimacing in unorthodox protest.

[more..]

Sunday, October 16th

Listening to the Public

The Freeholder process began with several well-defined and noble goals. We would copy ideas that worked from other successful charter counties. The charter would be revenue neutral. We would engage the public and listen to their concerns. I believe we failed to do these three things. I am especially concerned about engagement of the public in this process because that part is not over until the election.

We fell short of the first two goals. Two of the fundamental ideas in the proposed Charter have not worked anywhere in Washington State. The amended version calls for a six-member council. This idea is used nowhere else. The Basic Charter and the Amendment call for a non-elected Administrator. All other Charter Counties have elected ones accountable directly to the people. The Charter is certainly not going to be revenue neutral. It will raise our taxes. But I really want to talk about listening to the public.

The public was not particularly interested in showing up at meetings and giving input. Some folks did and that was great. But the Freeholders, in many cases, ignored public opinion when it was offered. Such was the case with Mr. Appel. He came to meetings and took time to write long scholarly letters to the Freeholders. He had many good ideas that were ignored. Instead many actually argued with Mr. Appel and other members of the public who disagreed with the group consensus. This has not been helpful.

It seems that the promoters of the Charter are laying in wait to personally attack anyone who disagrees with them. Some even attack the messenger (Island Guardian) for bringing to light an important piece of the public record critical of the Charter. It is also disturbing that some would prefer to cover-up information critical of the Charter.

The public should be aware that if a majority votes for this Charter it would fundamentally change the way we have been governing ourselves for over 100 years. If we discard the present system we should only do so after an honest debate. So I would urge the advocates of the Charter to avoid the personal attacks and debate the issues openly.

Gordy Petersen,
(Loyal Former Freeholder)

[more..]

Wednesday, October 12th

Dissent

I'm not questioning anyone's patriotism. But, there is this bumper sticker that I see all over the island that says, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." The quote is attributed to Thomas Jefferson. I have two comments. One, Jefferson didn't say it, and two, dissent may not rank number one even by the most liberal definition of patriotism.

I went to Monticello yesterday and talked to several experts on the life and history of Thomas Jefferson. According to these Jeffersonian scholars this quote cannot be credited to him. The quotation is bogus.

Now let us briefly examine the definition of patriotism. "Devotion to ones country" is the generally accepted meaning. Sacrificing ones life for their country is the ultimate act of devotion. Being wounded in action, suffering from wounds received in defense of one's country ranks a close second. Next, I would rank high the act of defending the ideals of one's country against those who would seek to undermine them. Down the list is serving your country by selfless acts of courage and bravery. Perhaps serving in public office is high on the list. So where should dissent be placed on this list?

How does one objectively rank dissent with respect to patriotism? I visited the Arlington National Cemetery today. It is filled with our nation's heroes who in my opinion, rank way higher on the patriotism scale than dissenters. They died so that the right to dissent is possible. I saw for myself the true meaning of sacrifice in this honored graveyard. That is all the objective proof I need regarding acts of patriotism.

You have every right to put whatever you want on your bumper. However, this trite and inaccurate quote disparages real acts of meaningful patriotism.
[more..]

Monday, October 10th

Bocc Shoots Self In Foot Over RGU

During the Comprehensive Planning process many of us argued that there was insufficient Rural General Use (RGU) land set aside for diverse and sustainable economic activity. Now County leaders recognize this fact. The evidence is that Public Works just bought one of the last existing undeveloped RGU parcels to build a transfer station.

This land was unique and valuable because it allowed many types of non-residential uses outright. Many other activities were allowed with conditions. During an Administrative Appeal on the Black permit, the BOCC set a precedent of denying legitimate uses of this type of zoning because of concerns from neighbors. As a result of this decision this type of land has been significantly devalued.

Now the neighbors surrounding the proposed transfer station near Lampard road should rejoice. The BOCC just handed you enormous power over their proposed project. If citizens in the surrounding area feel that this use is incompatible with their neighborhood the project can be stopped cold.

Every taxpayer in San Juan County should be very concerned about the fact that the BOCC just spent 1.8 million for land that they have now made almost worthless. Extend foot, aim at pinky toe, shoot!

[more..]

Sunday, October 2nd

Tilting at Windmills? Wanna bet?

I just got back from Las Vegas. I want my money back. I noticed that promoters of the housing tax don't think regulation has much to do with the high cost of housing. We can go on debating this point forever, but you guys can help me prove my point by taking me up on a bet. So here is the deal. I want to bet $1,000.00, that given a level playing field of land use regulation, private local contractors can develop and build better quality, more affordable houses that get finished and sell before your tax and spend government sponsored housing program can do it. I also bet that it can be done with a reasonable profit for the developer. Here is another private source for your seed money. That's correct, I will deposit $1,000.00 dollars into the housing tax bank if I loose, but if I am right you pay me $1,000.00, which will cover last week's loosing streak. (See details below).

Promoters of the housing tax admit they want to build subdivisions where they are not permitted and bend the rules regulating development. All I am asking is that the private sector building industry get the same breaks. To prevent the dreaded invasion of "sprawl", our County government passed the regulations that you admit must be waived in order to make housing more affordable. The housing tax proposal for subsidized homes fits the exact definition of sprawl. Now it is clear that the only way to make housing affordable is to have government itself become the developer. They are the only ones that regularly ignore the laws that the rest of us must follow. If they would wave the magic wand and exempt the private sector building industry from the same laws there would not be a housing crisis! The argument that regulations and taxes are not a significant factor in the suddenly urgent housing "crisis" is simply bunk! This bet will prove it.

The fundamental assumptions made by promoters of this "tax-the-rich-new-people-to-build-houses-for-skilled-professionals" concept are simply false. That is why I will win this bet.

Wrong assumption number one: Government is the solution to every crisis and problem. In this case government made an existing problem far worse by creating an artificial scarcity of buildable land through down-zoning. It is obvious that these density requirements must be set aside to make the housing tax and spend program work. The response to every real or imaginary crisis does not have to be a massive government program that never goes away even after the crisis is resolved.

Wrong assumption number two: The new rich non-resident people are the problem. By far, the majority of properties sold in San Juan County are sold to local islanders and residents of this State. To suggest that there is a "real public" made up of people that want to live here and can't afford it and a bunch of no-good rich people that we have to punish by taxation is the height of arrogance. How dare you try to divide this community by inflaming this class warfare nonsense! I want to have a home in Jackson Hole, or Beverly Hills, or Orcas Island. I want to vote a tax on the rich people there to buy me a house. What kind of foolishness is this?

Wrong assumption number three: These houses will all be filled up with infrastructure workers. This is where you are so wrong. The skilled workers you describe like teachers, EMT's, medical professionals, law enforcement officers, utility workers, etc. are smarter about investing than you give them credit for. I think they understand the value of equity in a rising home market, the value of true landownership, and the concept of land stewardship. These things are not possible in your proposal. That is why they will purchase an affordable home that is built by one of the guys in the private sector that I bet $1,000.00 will do it better. They will actually have an investment that way not some forever-affordable home in a place where there is no incentive for home improvement and no real pride of ownership. Why would you assume that this type of professional would come here to the islands looking for a subsidized home anyway? If they are well-educated hard workers they will likely bring enough money to buy a house. It may not be view or waterfront, but they will have to work hard to make it here just like the rest of us.

Can government really decide who gets one of the special deal homes? What guarantees do we have that the owners of the special deal homes are actually the people we think are going to help in the local economy? Anyway, if you use public money, you can't discriminate against the free spirits like part time massage therapists, artists, nature buffs, aspiring writers, sea-chantey singers, new-age poets, hammer dulcimer players, hunter/gatherers, etc. We need them in order to have diversity. They have rights to special deal homes too!

Wrong assumption number four: No matter how hard people work they will never be able to afford to buy a house here. I can name hundreds of examples of people who came here with nothing and own homes now. Since when did renting a house or apartment become the impossible dream? These islands are loaded with opportunity. A person is not limited to working for wages. Start a business of your own. Work as hard as you can and opportunity will come your way. That is what sets this country apart from others that are fully engaged in this kind of failed social engineering.

Wrong assumption number five: The only solution to affordable housing that works for moderate-income families is the Land Trust approach. Is this honestly the only solution? Come now! What about buying a house the old fashioned way. Earn it! We have the lowest unemployment rate in the State. Couldn't one possible solution be for another family member to work or put in for overtime? What about getting a second part time job? What about starting your own business and working hard enough to get ahead? What happened to those solutions?

Wrong assumption number six: Government can be the most cost-effective builder of necessary infrastructure housing in the county. Just wait until you start filling out the thousands of forms and get tangled up in the red tape of accounting for the use of public money in this project. It will start with paying prevailing wages and accommodating every bureaucrat in numerous departments and agencies and it will never end. The private sector has a huge cost saving advantage here.

Wrong assumption number seven: There is some inherent unfairness in the free market system that keeps working class people from living here. There are many places that are desirable to live in. We have failed to learn the hard lessons from other highly desirable communities that have serious problems because they tinkered with experimental no-growth schemes. What we have done to these islands is pass laws that guarantee we will be an enclave for the elite. The unfairness has been artificially created and can just as easily be reversed.

Wrong assumption number eight:(quoted from your own literature) "The inescapable conclusion is that public money is essential to acquire useable land and to provide incentives to non-profit organizations and private builders to create affordable housing for moderate income families." I am betting $1,000.00 that this is not the only way to do it. You try doing this with your committee and new bureaucracy. Make the playing field even for private sector developers, and audit the results. Let's sit down and work out the details of the bet.

I can't help but comment on a couple of other issues. According to your plan the County will purchase land the same way as the land bank does. That land becomes tax-exempt. Don't take my word for it. Ask the Assessor like I did. Property taxes from that land will shift to the rest of us. And please be honest about the cost to existing residents. Your proposal will be a tax on everyone. Don't make me bet you again on this point.

And here is a shocker. You plan to build a "modular building facility" with our money? Gee whiz! This kind of thing is usually designed for mass production. I guess one of the reasons no one has done this before is because of transportation costs. Materials would be imported to the island at a premium and it would be impractical to use the ferries to move them out when they are completed and sold. It does not sound like a profit machine to me. That is why government must do it. They don't need to make a profit. They can just raise taxes. So my question to you is, how many mass produced houses do you envision this factory will crank out? I think we deserve to know how much growth will come as a result of this kind of idea. Talk about shifting growth into high gear, Lord have mercy!

Now, as promised, here are the details of my unlucky streak in Vegas. You housing tax people can quit reading this now (see above for things that need rebutting). I didn't really loose a thousand dollars. I did place a bet for my wife on the Chiefs to beat the Broncos and she lost ten bucks. I was winning at the blackjack table for a while. Then I lost. I saw a guy with a t-shirt that said CASH-IN SUCKER! He was actually the dealer. I should have taken his advice. Instead I just chuckled at his shirt like a moron. I burned out on gambling after a few losses. I got bored and played video poker. That is how big billion-dollar casinos are built, guys like me sitting around playing video poker like idiots. It occurred to me that video poker would be a good way to raise money for housing. I am not really a gambler. This bet on housing is not really gambling. It is a sure thing.

I thought I told you guys to quit reading this! OK go ahead and send out your mass e-mailing and play tag team letter writing against me. I wasn't getting enough hate mail anyway. This should help. I only wish I knew how I could have gotten a special deal on my first house in the islands. Why did I work so hard? Oh well.

[more..]