Google, Please Translate: We know local government types deal with a lot of clunky program titles, and acronyms are a way of life. But can someone please translate the following note on a PowerPoint slide from Bellingham first responders, during a City Council Public Safety Committee meeting in February? (Zoom spelunking credit here to CDN Staff Reporter Ralph Schwartz):
“No BPD BHO, BPD SIU, BPD ACT, BPD Officer in WGDTF.”
Seriously: That happened. The Hammer is not even remotely capable of being able to make that up.
We’d Like to Say: You had to be there, but honestly, you should be happy to know that whatever you were doing at the moment was a lot more stimulating.
This Just In from the (Bad) Situation Room: CNN+ is out of business. (Chris Wallace throws up hands in resignation.)
Serious Followup: Wait; was it ever in business?
Meanwhile, Over on Lottie Street: Hizzoner Seth Fleetwood, commenting on the proposed $60 million, 10-year, Bellingham Takes on Climate Change tax, says this: “This is a heavy lift for the community. What is most important, from my perspective, is simply that we have a meaningful, dedicated Climate Action Fund by some means, and this is the means that we’re proposing at this time.”
Not Exactly: A good tax-measure campaign theme. As in dinner table convo: “Honey, did you see that Saab parked downtown with the “This Is the Means We’re Proposing at This Time!” bumper sticker?”
Is It Just Us Or: Is that the epitaph for a public measure that garners 41% of the vote and a later sad lament from elected folks: “Well, we tried!”
Hang On To Your Wallets: On the same subject, council member Kristina Martens warned: “Looking at all the funds needed for the recommendation in the Climate Action Plan to get us to 2050, it’s a little bit north of a billion dollars.”
On the Plus Side: That’d only cost the owner of an average Bellingham view home with an assessed value of $20 million an extra annual allotment of about … oh, hell, who is The Hammer kidding about even being able to do this math? Someone figure it out and get back to us.
Actual Tuesday Newsroom Conversation: “Would you watch ‘The Real World: Lynden?’ What about, ‘Naked and Afraid: Everson?'”
Answers, In Order: Oh sure, and no way.
And Finally: Everyone at CDN is excited about their first encounters with the new Downtown Ambassadors, who are going to be patrolling downtown city streets acting as sort of eyes/ears for law enforcement, helping people with tasks such as parking, and generally putting a pleasant face forward to downtown visitors — sort of like conflict-de-escalation concierges. Among our first proposed questions to said Ambassadors: “What’s the deal with Sadighi’s?”
The Hammer is swung on Wednesdays and updated as needed.
Expanding public input — and commission seats — at the Port of Bellingham