Editor,
In response to the article “Port meeting turns tense …” (CDN, Sept. 17, 2024). I was disgusted, but sadly not shocked, by Bobby Briscoe’s behavior and comments at the last port meeting when he disgraced himself by calling a local activist a “pathetic dumbass” and digging himself in even deeper by saying, “I’m not a politically correct guy so I really don’t give a sh*t about what anyone thinks I’m saying”.
Briscoe is an elected official and it is his job to care what his constituents think. It is his job to listen to them and value their input, even when they disagree with him. It’s his job to be patient, tolerant and kind. It’s his job to weigh all sides of an issue, to be educated on the issues from diverse perspectives and to be open-minded when formulating an opinion. And it’s his job to have the strength of character to engage in healthy and sometimes heated public debate without succumbing to a fragile ego that needs to demean others.
Sadly, “politically correct” for some, means that we should loudly state our most barbaric and unfiltered instincts as if these are somehow always right. Instead of hiring a political consultant (aka spin doctor, NOT problem solver), the port would do better to direct that money toward sensitivity training and understanding what it means to be a good civic leader.
I do appreciate Ken Bell’s comments that got the discussion started, but find it amazing that the executive and other port commissioners did not intervene when Briscoe derailed a healthy discussion with his vitriol. On the grand stage, the economic “trickle-down theory” has not brought prosperity to the masses as promised, and now we’re all witnessing another kind of trickle-down from above that embodies hate and disdain. Bellingham, let’s do better.
Sarah Gardner
President, Birchwood Neighborhood Association
Editor,
In Steven King’s novel “11/12/63,” the mission is to foil the JFK assassination. The protagonist time travels to 1963 via a hidden restaurant closet door.
If Mr. King’s creativity lent itself to comedy, one could posit a parallel plot line where the “Three Stooges” fall into a manhole capable of time travel. About 85 years later, a confused Curly, Moe and Shemp emerge as Bellingham Port Commissioners.
CDN’s coverage of the recent “Port Follies”(masquerading as a meeting) summarized their discussion of an email that a Mr. Scott Jones sent to the port commissioners.
The email offered pointed criticism of their “accomplishments.” Some of the criticism was aimed at Mr. Briscoe.
Spot on. The record shows constant administrative bellyflops. This is suggestive that the current commissioner class is not ready for prime time. Even Mr. Bell admitted at the meeting that they didn’t know what they were doing, and needed public input.
Mr. Briscoe used profanity criticizing the email and made a profane personal attack on Mr. Jones. Thus, this is the issue of concern. Trumpishly calling Mr. Jones a “dumb..s” at a public meeting does not speak well for Mr. Briscoe’s maturity and judgment.
Mr. Briscoe’s bullying reaction to the email and his public statements that followed, clearly indicate that in addition to being unqualified by experience for his role on the commission, he also lacks the temperament for the job.
We’re stuck with Mr. Briscoe for the near future.
However, I would enthusiastically support a recall campaign to send Mr. Briscoe back to his fishing boat where he belongs.
Bob Morton
Bellingham
Editor,
A couple of months ago, I wrote a letter describing the dangers created by the new bicycle lane arrangement on Holly Street through downtown. Friday, Sept. 20, I saw it almost happen. The “it” being a collision between a car turning right off of Holly Street and a cyclist going downhill at speed. I estimate a serious injury accident was averted by less than 6 inches.
It was somewhat surreal, almost in slow motion. All the parking spaces along Holly were occupied. I was traveling behind the car and adjacent to the cyclist (with the line of parked cars between us). As we approached the Bay Street intersection, the car in front of me signaled to turn right. In my estimation, the car could not see the bicycle and the cyclist could not see the car. Only the cyclist’s quick reactions saved him from serious injury. I suspect the driver never knew the cyclist was there or that the near-collision ever happened.
If you mix cars, bicycles, pedestrians, scooters of various types, and other new forms of transportation, there will be accidents and people will be injured. We all want to minimize that eventuality.
Deliberately creating a situation which hides travelers from each other is absurd.
Robin Mullins
Bellingham
Editor,
Thanks to the Climate Commitment Act of 2021, my four grandchildren can now ride city buses, ferries and even Amtrak free of charge. Hopefully, this will lead to a lifetime of using public transportation, thus reducing pollution. Their school buses are becoming less polluting as well.
Thanks to the Climate Commitment Act, my grandkids’ schools will have better ventilation, heating and air-conditioning systems. Ten percent of Washington’s children already struggle with asthma, according to this month’s Seattle Times. Because of the Climate Commitment Act, Washington is required to take immediate action to improve air quality.
I do not want to reverse these improvements to the quality of air and thus the quality of life for my grandchildren. Join me in voting NO on I-2117.
Kristin Barber
Bellingham
Editor,
At a time when we are all experiencing economic and climatic disruption, I would like to acknowledge all the volunteers, schools and nonprofits who through their untiring efforts, support our children. There are hundreds of school children beginning their school year with new clothes and, come winter, warm coats and hats. Perhaps you remember entering the classroom for the first time — suddenly aware of what you are wearing. This may be out of the realm of your personal reality but for the economically disadvantaged population, it is real. Not to omit the homeless high school students. I became aware of the services offered by the schools of providing items of personal hygiene and laundry facilities, as well as gift certificates to a local store by a nonprofit.
Aside from clothing school children, I would like to recognize all those volunteers who help teachers in the classroom and who offer their tutoring services to the children. If you are retired and are thinking of something worthwhile to do, this is an enriching opportunity.
I personally want to thank the community of Bellingham that never fails for me to be grateful that my husband and I chose this city as home.
Helen Moran
Bellingham
Editor,
With the recent political scuffling over in vitro fertilization (IVF), let’s take a moment to consider the role of government. One party has taken the radical position that a human blastocyst has the same legal rights as you do. Bonkers!
But the response, led by Senate Democrats, is an over-correction that goes too far. The bill, co-sponsored by Patty Murray, secures the legality of IVF, even in Alabama. That’s great! The bill goes too far, however, by socializing the financing of IVF. Under the Right to IVF Act, fertility treatment becomes a covered benefit for the 37% of individuals on public insurance (Medicaid, Medicare and Military), meaning another mandatory benefit financed by additional debt (currently $2 trillion, equivalent to 99% of GDP).
And for the nearly half of us with employer-sponsored insurance, IVF also becomes a mandatory benefit, but one that is financed through our collective premiums. The bill failed, but it will be back. In the meantime, it is reasonable to question whether socializing the cost of IVF nationwide is the best use of our limited resources and debt capacity.
Perry Parsons
Bellingham
Editor,
The comments by Blaine Planning Commissioners in The Northern Light show that they are continuing to neglect the foundational matter of the illegality of the public process leading up to their deliberations over Central Business District (CBD) upzoning for condo developers that will displace parking for commerce.
Upholding the law is clearly not a concern to any of them, since they have not responded to a single email of the many that I have sent them about the issue of official corruption by Blaine Community Development Services (CDS). Nor have they discussed the Pentland report from former Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC) member Glen Pentland who revealed the manipulation of DAC by CDS and the self-dealing by DAC members Gurdeep Bains and Scott Meaker.
The Central Business District Project Charter (approved on Aug. 8, 2022) states the City of Blaine will “encourage early and continuous public participation throughout the process of reviewing and updating the CBD Development Standards … and engage in two-way communication with citizens, and create an environment for open decision-making, and responsiveness to citizen input.” That never happened.
As Pentland notes, “The Committee appeared to become a public relations ploy to help ‘sell’ height increases and parking requirement decreases to City Council, the Planning Commission and the Community.” As he observes, “The appearances of conflicts of interest are significant and bring into question the validity of the DAC’s recommendations … No efforts appear to have been made to request members appearing to have conflicts of interests to abstain from voting on June 6, 2023.”
Jay Taber
Blaine
Letters to the Editor are published online Wednesdays; a selection is published in print Fridays. Send to letters@cascadiadaily.com by 10 a.m. Tuesdays. Rules: Maximum 250 words, be civil, have a point and make it clearly. Preference is given to letters about local subjects. CDN reserves the right to reject letters or edit for length, clarity, grammar and style, or removal of personal attacks or offensive content. Letters must include an address/phone number to verify the writer's identity (not for publication).
