From Stark
At the request of Port of Bellingham Commissioner Jim Jorgensen, a special closed-door commissioner’s meeting has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, March 30 to discuss “personnel matters.”
In a phone interview, Jorgensen refused to confirm that he has called this meeting to address the ongoing strife between Executive Director Charlie Sheldon and Port Commissioner Scott Walker. But he came pretty close.
“It has to do with upper-level personnel,” Jorgensen said. “I hope to achieve a solution to the existing problem that’s been in the papers and on the radio.”
“It’s a necessary meeting to have, so the port can go onward and forward.” Jorgensen said.
Walker himself has characterized retired Blaine teacher Jorgensen as a peacemaker by temperament, noting Jorgensen’s long experience in breaking up schoolyard fights.
Perhaps the classic case of a new authority figure (new port director) coming in and some of those under him unable to adjust. A battle of power, will and ego. I could be wrong. A meeting won’t take care of this. Only a beer, a round of golf and a wrestling match.
Scott Walker needs to go. He has been there through every port misstep in the last 10 years, and backed each and every one of them. He is too wedded to past decisions and new leadership is seeing port plans for what they are…costly dreams.
Walker needs to resign…..The good ol boys days are gone!
Heck every government employee should be able to take a junket to the Caribbean on the tax payers nickel whenever they want, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
I greatly appreciate Port Commissioner, Scott Walker, for questioning Port Executive Director, Charlie Sheldon’s decision to avoid the proper protocol in spending taxpayers money to market the Bellingham airport. I profusely thank Mr. Walker, as my elected representative, for asking the question: How big and busy of an airport does our community want or need?
The Port is in the process of a Master Plan Update for the airport. Take the time to voice your concerns. There is a short 4 question survey on the Port’s website.
http://www.portofbellingham.com/forms.aspx?FID=111
Attend the April 19th 6:30 public meeting. There will be a presentation on the projected growth pattern of the airport followed by questions and answers.
Do you want more and more jets roaring over our community in the future?
If Commissioner Walker were as principled as he now sounds, he would put his own decisions over the last 20 years to the same scrutiny as he is demanding on Executive Director Sheldon.
Walker does not want to play fair though, and will never place his own record of mismanagement and waste on display.
I say “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander”.
Any employee or Commissioner for that matter will make mistakes of judgement, but I was impressed that when challenged, Sheldon admitted his mistake. How refreshing to hear someone admit a mistake in today’s environment.
Walker has admitted none.
Commissioner Walker publicly blindsided Executive Director Sheldon at a Port meeting, asking for his resignation, after less than one year. This public embarrassment is a case of incredibly poor judgement on Walkers part.
Heck, the Port took almost two years to hand pick a Executive Director. Walker voted for him. If there is anyone to be held responsible for Sheldon it is Walker himself. If Sheldon goes, Walker should go right on along with him.
So what has Walker so upset?? Walker has a vision for the Port of Bellingham as one giant real estate development, and since the real estate bubble imploded taking the jobs, savings accounts, retirement, and homes with it, Walker’s grand plans no longer look even slightly realistic.
Walker cannot admit that he may be wrong. Sheldon is pointing out that there is no demand for all the land the Port has for condos and more yacht parking, and that maybe a more balanced approach might be more prudent. Already there is industry growing on Bellingham’s waterfront and bringing good jobs along with it. The Port on the other hand is advertising for more gardeners in the Herald, paying $9.65 an hour.
Walker is seriously ticked off that his Mega-Yacht Marina is looking like it would not have any customers, resulting in astronomical increases in existing customers moorage. A $40,000,000 empty marina. Now that is exactly 5,700 trips to the Bahamas.
Walker wants this grand vision of Malibu on the Bay. The problem with his vision, is that there is no money to carry out this vision, except taxpayer money, and the taxpayer is tired of funding someone else’s dreams.
Sheldon like many managers today is having to take a more measured approach then the “Build it with the taxpayers bottomless wallet, and they will come ” approach. Sheldon is taking a more conservative approach and instead of a dream-fest on the waterfront with no one to fund the dreamers, he is having to ask every dreamer, where the money is going to come from.
This results in businesses that can pay rent developing the land use on the waterfront, rather than dreamers visions. We are lucky that there still is industrial usage demand on Bellingham’s waterfront, because those are family wage jobs, which beats the heck out of Walker’s $9.65 an hour jobs. (no benefits and part-time to boot)
I always wondered who was planning the waterfront behind the scenes without listening to the public much. The coziness of Walker, Doug Smiths building business, Ebenal, the Port, and Cmelik. It all seemed a little cozy.
It always seemed like the Port’s meetings to listen to the public were choreographed and the decisions had really already been made, by someone in a back-room.
Sheldon and the new Commissioner Macauley are a breath of fresh air.
Walker should do the public a favor and retire, before he leaves a legacy of an old whiny curmudgeon.
he has served A.R.C.O. ( B.P.) but the public ? Bethlen would have done abetter job.
The airport adds no commerce to our region. The Canadians come for the lower airport fees, they b-line straight for the airport, and straight home. The money they spend at the airport only pays to perpetuate the cost of them being there (parking, fees, buying a coffee) and adds no overall commerce to the county or Bellingham city.
If the airport gets too big, the fees will go up, the cheap fares will cease to exist, and the whole house of cards crumbles, leaving a boarded up Detroit for an airport.
I wish I knew who Festus is.
He is Matt Dillion’s partner.
If we are discussing ideas, what does it matter who someone is?
It saves the personal attacks and allows for freely speaking my minds without fear of retribution or firing.
Richard, I’m new to the Airport Advisory Board, so I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of familiarity with all of the operations and impacts (but I will learn much in the next year!) But I’m curious about your comment “The airport adds no commerce to our region.”
Go to page 20 of this 2008 study (when the airport was not as busy as it is today):
http://www.portofbellingham.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=230
100 million dollars of local annual business revenue! I don’t know the current numbers, but with the airport growth since 2008 I assume it’s gone up, even though there’s a recession.
The manager of one Bellingham large hotel (not the hotel by the airport) told me they would have had to close their doors during this recession were it not for their heavily used ‘stay and park’ program. Some of my friends working in the fuel industry have a direct employment reliance on the airport. I could go on and on, but I believe there are many many people whose livelihoods rely very directly on the economic engine of BLI.
Including the barrista that sold mochas to the helicopter pilots who later dropped Crusin Coffee cups with messages to endangered Mt. Rainier hikers.
Thanks, Sam.
My comments were more focused on the portion of heavy traffic based from Canadians seeking low fees, and how that can backfire. I have been informed by Mike McAuley and others that there are upsides on the other types of usage.
I do think that caution is in order about the airport growing so big that higher fees might be a natural result, which would defeat the cheap Canadian traffic and possibly stick us with unused infrastructure.