Where are we going in this handbasket? I have some questions about the mess we call “San Juan County Government”. Something has gone horribly wrong. We’re broke. Taxes and fees are being raised on everything imaginable. Auditor’s warnings are not taken seriously. The threat of new regulations has made realtors break out in mini-initiatives and is forcing some of them out of business. The council has “decide-a-phobia.” They think they should micromanage every issue but they can’t seem to agree to any action (except to raise fees). New lawsuits are filed all the time and the County is passing out settlement packages like Santa Claus at Christmas. I don’t know about you, but this makes my head shake so hard I could mix paint colors in my mouth.

The letter from the people from Lopez Village is a good place to start. (add link) Here’s my question; should it take a village to manage the day-to-day affairs of the Public Works department? Where is the management? Under the Charter we hired an expensive Administrator to manage the manager of this department who is responsible for overseeing the manager of the solid waste division. Why is it necessary for these good Lopez folks to seek out solutions to the solid waste crisis-and recommend them to the Council-when we pay expensive managers to solve these problems? They are managing to get us deeper in debt. That’s about it.

Under the Charter, the role of the Council is to set the budget and hold the Administrator accountable for the various departments to work within it. Here’s another question; Why should the Council be asked to fix administrative problems? (I understand that they do meddle in the administration of county business but that‘s not really their job. It’s more of a hobby actually).

Here’s the “elephant in the room” question; shouldn’t the Council simply tell the Administrator to do his job or resign? The Administrator has been out interviewing for another job. Here’s another question; has the Council been interviewing candidates for new managers or should they wait to begin the search until the position is vacant and we go all the way down in this handbasket?

Here’s my final question; How’s that Charter working out?



(Gordy has been writing a fun filled -and sometimes even fact filled- column for The Island Guardian for five years. He has a talent for poking fun at us while pointing out the absurdness of the unintended consequences of many of our actions, and has become a must read for politicians and the populace. Gordy graduated with honors from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in Philosophy. He also attended Theological Seminary. He has spent most of his life sequestered in the remote San Juan Islands where he has survived by fishing, hunting, and growing prize-winning vegetables. He once owned a small chain of grocery stores in the islands. He has served on many committees and has held elected office. )

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