December 20, 2007
Least surprising recent news story
The Port of Seattle has problems. No one could have guessed that after watching news about that government agency in recent months.
UPDATE: here's the Times coverage too.
Posted by Eric Earling at December 20, 2007
11:11 PM | Email This
1. I want to know what Ed Murray is going to do. As the head of the Transporation Committee and a consultant to the Port of Seattle and noted "Friend of Mic" will he recuse himself? Can he be tied to any of the wasted money spent on consultants in sweetheart no bid contracts? Did he know what was going on? What did he know and when did he know it? How can anyone so closely tied to the system be expected to perform effective oversight. This has been going on for YEARS and we would have never known about it without I-900 audits. What we need now is teeth in the I-900 bill to monitor and implement changes to bring agencies into conformance.
2. I'm shocked, shocked to find that grafting is going on in here! Incompetence will be the claim, but I can almost guarantee that if you could follow the money trail it would lead back to the pockets of Port officials.
3. Didn't the Port recently raise (or request) property taxes?
Now we know why.
4. Remember all that whining about the I-900 audit of Sound Transit supposedly showing $5 million was wasted? The P.O.S. (apt acronym) WISHES it got an audit report like that!
5. Time for the Legislators to pull the taxing authority from the Port and while their at it do the same with King Co.
6. This is what happens when when socialists are put in charge. Accountability is not in their lexicon. The only way anything will change for the better is when these bums are tossed out on their collective rear ends.
7. If you want something done right, get government and unions out. Most of the greatest advances of late have come in the high tech and bio-tech privates sectors. Few unions, lots of competition, very little government. A recipe for success.
8. If you add up all of the Federal Income tax you and your entire extended family have payed in an entire lifetime, it would not equal 1/1000 of the waste the Port has spent in just one year. Do the math about hours worked versus money squandered. Thank's liberals.
9. Just another Liberal waste of your tax money.
Almost another daily story.
Spend it, get more, waste a little here and there, demand more for essential projects hire, waste, hire, waste.
Thanks Tim Eyeman. now lets throw some politicians in jail!!!!
10. The Port of Seattle has been behind the times for the last 20 years if not 50, 75, or FDR.
If the new guy from SFO is any good, he's going to bring in more auditors and institute SOx
(Sarbanes Oxley) plus referral of the findings to the FBI, DOJ, and State AG.
Were John Creighton, Patricia Davis, Bob Edwards, Alec Fisken, and Lloyd Hara asleep the last 2 years of Mic Dinsmore's regime?
Is this anyway to run an airline, port, or railroad for that matter?
11. Hey Brownie...heck of a job ( Sorry, couldn't help it). What do you do at the Port?
12. This is the nicest Christmas those union contractors have ever had. I hope they thank Queen Christine appropriately.
13. The Port's Executive Director should resign immediately or be removed. Hope the feds indict some of the Commissioners. Too much thievery for all to be innocent -- let alone competent.
Disgusted taxpayer
14. Hey Eric
How about looking into the Kittitas Valley Wind Farm Project that has suddenly gone sideways on the Governor? Apparently the Governors appointees have violated quasi-judicial procedure and have been withholding documents while trying to close the record before going to the Supreme Court on an appeal. The Siting Committee that violated the law is headed by Jim Luce who according to PDC records donates early and often to the Governors campaigns along with his wife (also a government employee). It must be good to be the Queen, appoint "friends" to a committee and get thousands of dollars in contributions every year in return. Too bad they convinced her to overturn a local, legal process with a tainted illegal act. I wonder if she will pardon Luce if he is convicted?
15. All one has to do is look at who is leading Gregoire's "Open Government" project. He just tried to get Seattle Times reporters to give up their leads.
Gotta get rid of these fools!
2008 is coming soon!
16. The Port of Seattle happens to be the one major state or local government entity in the area that is controlled by REPUBLICANS. Four out of five commissioners on the outgoing board were either admitted REPUBLICANS or endorsed by the King County REPUBLICAN Party and prominent REPUBLICANS. And the same can be said about four out of five commissioners that will be sitting on the port commissioner after the first of the year.
I say consolidate the Port of Seattle into King County government -- especially since they have the same boundaries and taxing area. Let King County use the tax revenues currently received by the Port of Seattle for any lawful government purpose. Put the port under solid Democratic control, and we won't see such huge waste of tax money and subsidy of big business. Maybe some of the $80 million (next year's tax bite) of property taxes can be spent for human needs, not for subsidy of shipping interests.
17. Tell us again what you were when you ran for Port Commissioner RP? I think your interpretation of Republican control is at best a stretch. A complete list of those who publically supported current members of the Port Commission would include a number of Democrats and Democratic organizations YES or NO?
18. I'm so sick of all this crap from the people of King County you all are worse than Huey Long of La. It is time to take our country back from these pukes. They should all be in jail. But they will receive additional training on how not to get caught. It doesn't matter what party they are from sit all their asses in jail for ten years. No excuses
19. Richard? Come on now, I printed all of the voters guide pamphlets off of the King County Elections website with all of the endorsements. Do you want to repeat your "Republican Control" remarks again? Or just admit you were wrong.
20. I hope these Port issues give pause to all the folks who think that regional transportation decisions would be better made under an elected commission.
21. I am not all that sure that an appointed regional transportation commission would be all that great if they are appointed by the same electeds that are currently doing the job.
22. The very last thing I would like to see is them become part of the corrupt King County, that is like adding gasoline to a fire.
They should be privatized!
Get them the hell out of our pockets!
23. ...and KC voters just take more up their kazoo...apathy, ye are the killer of nations...
how about a mismanagement or liability clause in all employment contracts? you feign ingorance, you lose part of your pension/pay? hell--even a little shopkeeper knows where the money goes.
24. Richard Pope or someone posting as
You normally do nice work, and it was nice that you gave Mike Young a 90 day courtesy notice before you filed a complaint with the PDC
I looked at their websites and all of them appear to be soft Ds at a minimum
John Creighton soft D
Patricia Davis D
Bob Edwards soft D
Alec Fisken soft D
Lloyd Hara soft D
25. Brown & Huh?
Merry Christmas, if anyone is still reading this.
Bob Edwards, John Creighton, Bill Bryant, and Lloyd Hara were all endorsed by the King County Republican Party in their most recent election contests. It is understandable why they would not want to include this in their voter pamphlet statements. Their listing of prominent individual Republican endorsers was also impressive.
Pat Davis claims to be a Democrat, but the King County Democratic Party endorsed her challenger Jack Jolley in her last election. Davis was endorsed by numerous prominent Republicans, including Slade Gorton, Rob McKenna, David Irons Jr, and Jane Hague.
26. And just what do you claim to be...this week? In a race between 2 Democrats some Republicans are bound to express support to someone in what is suppose to be a NP race. That support does not make the recipient of that gesture a Republican.
27. Why oh why does a port, any port, require a government agency to be landlord? And given that the port is controlled by a collection of political hacks, why can't the port be operated profitably? Why must citizens be taxed? It simply makes no sense. Let some company take over the management of the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma by leasing the property from the Port Authorities. The new, private landlord lives or dies on their ability to profitably manage the properties. This systems seems to work for other properties operated by private enterprise. Get government(s) out of the business of business.