By John Stark
You read that right. Less than two weeks after a public forum to introduce the three finalists for the job of Port of Bellingham executive director, Bellingham’s three port commissioners emerged from closed session this afternoon (Friday, Nov. 9) to name a fourth person — Rob Fix — to the $140,000-a-year position.
Fix, the port’s chief financial officer, had been serving as interim executive director since the April 2012 ouster of former director Charlie Sheldon. During that interim, Fix had helped negotiate a complex waterfront land swap with the City of Bellingham.
But both Fix and the commissioners had said, in April, that Fix was not a candidate for the position.
In naming Fix to the post, all three commissioners said Fix’s handling of waterfront negotiations with the city had been a big factor in his selection.
I will have more details later.
Oh dear god. We definitely should have voted for a larger commission.
Will it be “more details” or just more rationalization of yet another dysfunctional decision? Would the commissioners please personally reimburse the taxpayers for the money just spent on another charade.
This is exactly what Scott Walker and his band of zombie followers wanted from the day the fired Charlie Sheldon. The whole interviewing of others was smoke and mirrors to set this up. How much money did the port waste on bringing in candidates as well as meals and hotels, whne this was the exact itinerary the 3 commissioners knew they were going to do. You will never convince me and many others that there is one once of class, ethics or integrity on this board!!!
Guess what, now having voted down the additional two commissioners appointments, you cannot control these three!!
The “Fix” is in.
Let’s make it five! Five heads are better than three, no matter who’s heads we’re talking about. Let’s call for a meeting of those interested in having a port with five commissioners. Once there’s a solid proposal that most everyone in the meeting can support, then a voters’ petition can put it on the ballot next county-wide election, perhaps as soon as spring of 2013, without the current port commissioners or staff unilaterally controlling the process.
It is simply and straightforward under state law, thanks to Senator Spanel and any others. To see the rules, just google Revised Code of Washington 53 12 010 and read it for yourself.
Perhaps some voters just voted NO because they didn’t like the idea of five separate port districts. It makes more sense to have two at-large commissioners and one from each of the three existing County Council districts. Or does someone have a better idea?
I guess arranging Charlie Sheldon’s departure worked our pretty well for some folks. Not so sure it was a goods thing for Bellingham, though.
The headline is this.:
The chickens have come home to roost, and now the fox is guarding the hen house.
The weekend firing of an Executive Director who had only been at the Port for 18 months but had garnered so much good will for both himself and the Port with tenants and a wide variety of stakeholders, was a huge mistake in the first place, and now the most qualified applicant that had been vetted extensively, has turned down the job.
Here is what the Port is not telling us. The Port offered the job to Jonathan Daniels, a 20 year veteran of managing port and specifically economic development.
Mr. Daniels turned down the job offer, and the other tow candidates were not very qualified to be a port Executive Director.
The public packed Port meeting multiple times and begged Commissioner Jorgenson to reconsider firing Charlie Sheldon the last Port Executive Director.
Eventually out of frustration an initiative was drafted and the Port decided to put the five Commissioner question on the ballot.
The ballot issue failed by the slimmest of margins, and it turns out that this vocal minority was quite large, and if it were not for the $110,000 annual expense, would have passed easily. Clearly a large block of he public is seriously questioning Port management, and Commissioner’s Walker and Jorgenson in particular. Commissioner Walker had the audacity to state repeatedly even in the Business Pulse that this five Commissioners would cots $150,000 When the Port staff presented to the public that it would only cost $110,000, thereby misleading the public.
The ballot measure failed with 49% of the vote and our Port is one dumb decision away from totally losing public support. In the shadow of the ballot measure to expand, and potentially change the majority power on the Port Commission, the Commissioner decide that they cannot get some well qualified to apply so they go to Acting Director Rob Fix, with no announcement, public vetting process, and in fact announce that he is not in the running at all.
As if this were not enough of a McHale’s Navy Gong show already, it turns out that Mr. Fix was one of the complaining staff that ultimately got Sheldon fired, and now he has his job.
The public optics of this are just horrible. The public’s confidence in the Port process, is shot.
This all can be traced back to Commissioner Walker’s firing of Sheldon. Walker could care less what the general public thinks.
Having said all of this I know Mr. Fix is a talented guy, but this could have been done, and darn well should have been accomplished in a way that bolstered flagging public support, and not this way.
Maybe the headline should read: “The Three Stooges do it again.”
(My apologies to Commissioner McAuley who has fighting dysfunction at the Port our behalf, but has been getting out-voted)
The Port touches 10% of the jobs in Whatcom County, and probably higher percentage of private industry. We need it to work effectively to create jobs, and we need it to effectively work with its’ owners; the public.
In tough economic times, this is when we need our Port to perform, and sadly it is not.
Mr. Fix has the right name for the Port of Bellingham, as the Port has a lot to Fix.
Too much of the public has lost confidence in the Port and will oppose most major initiatives, until Walker is given the boot this next year.
Heck of a way to run a navy.
Commissioner McAuley has promised a post at his blog by 8 tonight.
http://mikeattheport.blogspot. com/ remove space at. com
I thought there were 160 applicants and all you got was a guy from upstate NY, Sacremento, and Everett? And Fix gotthe job without an intro at the Meet the executives.
This is the easy to click link. Haven’t read it yet…
http://mikeattheport.blogspot.com/
It’s like the Port looked at how the County is handling the new Jail process and said, “You call that fighting transparency? Check this out!”
Of course with Fix’s big bachelors degree, along with that bald headed Chemlik;
1,2,3,4, or 5 commissioners wouldn’t make one bit of difference.
Like Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes, who best friend, Harold J. Laskie, brought to the table.
“Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”
What does “vindicate” even mean. Don’t ask Chemlik, or his 3 stooges.
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vind.htm
But what shall we say of the pope himself? It is generally held that the cardinals, because they do elect him, or if they fail in their duty, the patriarchs who are next in rank to them, may upon certain occasions maugre the pope, call a council, yea, and in it judge him; as when by some notorious offence he scandalizes the universal church. If he be incorrigible, if reformation be as necessary in the head as the members, if contrary to his oath he refuse to call a general council. And we read for certain, that divers popes have been deposed by general councils. But if they obstinately abuse their authority, there must (saith Baldus) first be used verbal admonitions; secondly, herbal medicaments or remedies; thirdly, stones or compulsion; for where virtue and fair means have not power to persuade, there force and terror must be put in use to compel. Now, if according to the opinions of most of the learned, by decrees of councils, and by custom in like occasions, it plainly appears, that the council may depose the pope, who, notwithstanding, vaunts himself to be the king of kings, and as much in dignity above the emperor, as the sun is above the moon, assuming to himself power to depose kings and emperors when he pleases: who will make any doubt or question, that the general assembly of the estates of any kingdom, who are the representative body thereof, may not only degrade and disthronize a tyrant; but also, even disauthorize and depose a king, whose weakness or folly is hurtful or pernicious to the state.
But let us suppose, that in this our ship of state, the pilot is drunk, the most of his associates are asleep, or after large and unreasonable tippling together, they regard their eminent danger in approaching a rock with idle and negligent jollity; the ship in the mean season instead of following her right course, that might serve for the best advantage of the owners’ profit, is ready rather to split herself. What should then a master’s mate, or some other under officer do, who is vigilant and careful to perform his duty? Shall it be thought sufficient for him to pinch or punch them who are asleep, without daring in the meantime to put his helping hand to preserve the vessel which runs on a course to destruction, lest he should be thought to intermeddle with that which he has no authority nor warrant to do? What mad discretion, nay, rather notorious impiety were this? Seeing then that tyranny, as Plato says, “is a drunken frenzy or frantic drunkenness,” if the prince endeavour to ruin the commonwealth, and the principal officers concur with him in his bad purposes, or at the least are lulled in a dull and drowsy dream of security, and the people (being indeed the true and absolute owner and lord of the state) be, through the pernicious negligence and fraudulent connivency of those officers, brought to the very brim of danger and destruction, and that there be, notwithstanding, amongst those unworthy ministers of state, some one who does studiously observe the deceitful and dangerous encroachments of tyranny, and from his soul detests it, what opposition do we suppose best befits such a one to make against it? Shall he consent himself to admonish his associates of their duty, who to their utmost ability endeavour the contrary? Besides, that such an advertisement is commonly accompanied with too much danger, and the condition of the times considered, the very soliciting of reformation will be held as a capital crime: so that in so doing he may be not unfitly resembled to one, who, being in the midst of a desert, environed with thieves, should neglect all means of defence, and after he had cast away his arms, in an eloquent and learned discourse commend justice, and extol the worth and dignity of the laws. This would be truly according to the proverb, “To run mad with reason.” What then? Shall he be dull and deaf to the groans and cries of the people? Shall he stand still and be silent when he sees the thieves enter? Shall he only hold his hands in his bosom, and with a demure countenance, idly bewail the miserable condition of the times? If the laws worthily condemn a soldier, who, for fear of the enemies, counterfeits sickness, because in so doing he expresses both disloyalty and treachery, what punishment can we invent sufficient for him, who either maliciously or basely betrays those whose protection and defence he has absolutely undertaken and sworn? Nay, rather than let such a one cheerfully call one and command the mariners to the performance of their duty: let him carefully and constantly take order that the commonwealth be not endamaged, and if need so require, even in despite of the king, preserve the kingdom, without which the kingly title were idle and frivolous, and if by no other means it can be affected, let him take the king and bind him hand and foot, that so he may be more conveniently cured of his frenzy and madness.
“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”
― Plato
American President Lines…the “empty vessel”
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/13506502.html
“What should then a master’s mate, or some other under officer do, who is vigilant and careful to perform his duty?
Don’t ask; Don’t tell
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-hms-bounty-investigation-20121102,0,7353839.story
By Golly, did the Commissioners intentionally wait until after the vote to expand the commission before announcing this decision? Naaaah, they wouldn’t be so deceptive……would they?
The Port – what an inflated, over-rated, self obsessed organization. It ought to be scaled back if anything. Think of all the messes they’ve made over the years…