Monday, August 16, 2010

ADAGE Support Imported

This morning I sat in on the public hearing before the Port Commissioners. You know how I am about numbers. So here's my take on the meeting.

Of the 36 who spoke today at the Port public hearing, 16 spoke in favor of ADAGE. Of these 16 only four, as best I could tell, actually resided in Mason County. There were 12 people speaking who said they were from Olympia, Tukwilla, Puyallup, Pierce County, and Montesano. One who spoke tried to be cagey and not tell us that he's from Lewis County but we know he's not a resident of Mason County. The message from the 16 was basically about the jobs that ADAGE would be bringing to the area. None of them were speaking directly to the proposed lease as had been previously given as a condition of this public hearing. One speaker got Mason County mixed up with Kitsap County. That's what happens when support for a cause is imported.

Then there were 20 Mason County residents, mostly Port of Shelton voters, who cited specific language in the proposed contract and offered specific recommendations to make it more balanced, Basically the message to the Port Commissioners and their attorney was: "Hold up. You don't need to sell our souls to have ADAGE at the Port. How about some balance in this lease?"

Here's another impression that I will share with you. As I sat there waiting for the meeting to begin, I tried to make a bit of idle conversation with a man sitting to my left. Within seconds of beginning to talk to him, he told me to, "Shut up." By the way, he gave testimony and I now have his name. He's not from Mason County. This should help you really get a good impression of the fear, anger and open hostility coursing through this room.

What a bio-mess, Mason County.

8 comments:

  1. Ick; I am glad I could not be there. So much for Mr. Hupp and his telling us we could only, only, only talk about the lease!

    What a very special piece of work he is.

    Can you spell r-e-c-a-l-l Jay Hupp?

    As soon as we get this primary behind us....

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  2. It was my understanding that public testimony was to be confined to specific items contained in the draft Port/Adage lease agreement, as laid out by Port Chair, Jay Hupp, on Aug. 10th. But it appears that, once again, restrictions imposed by Mr. Hupp apply only to residents of Mason County, and no others.

    In my opinion, the Port’s bias toward those in favor of Adage constitutes egregious behavior. The Port appears to be actively recruiting the opinions of people who reside outside the county to influence policy affecting those inside the county.

    So the question begs: Who does the Port of Shelton Commission actually represent? The answer? Only their misguided selves.

    What we are witnessing is a hostile takeover of our county by a couple of over-stuffed, self aggrandizing officials, one of whom appears unable to shake his head in the right direction unless told to do so by the other. It is disgraceful.

    The entire Adage issue is an ego driven agenda perpetuated by one Port Commissioner.

    The future belongs to young minds capable of imaginative and innovative solutions to problems beset on us by some old, yellowed-toothed Neanderthal who’s been watching too many reruns of 'The Godfather.’

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  3. Well said, Tom, very well said!

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  4. Tom said; "What we are witnessing is a hostile takeover of our county "

    Yesterday when the ORCAA issued a bad air warning and asked people to stop mowing their grass - I was struck again by the fact that ADAGE as proposed could continue running their 100 plus loads of belching diesel trucks and could continue belching from their smokestack. From south of town where I live, one could barely make out the Olympic Mountains yesterday because of the smog trapped in Puget Sound. This will be Hupp's legacy.

    Our leaders for whatever reason have lost the understand of "fiduciary" as it applies to the honor the people have bestowed upon them. Nowhere is this as clear as it is at the Port where the owners of the Port - the people - are dismissed as "Kooks" and out of town lobbyist are paraded as honored guest. Whether it is ego driven as Tom suggest or failings of narcissism, the end result is that indeed our County is the subject of a "hostile takeover".

    Steve

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  5. Thanks to Brenda and all of you for your comments and updates to the predicted type of meeting Hupp had scripted last week. We knew he would be trying to "stack the house" with his supporters -- interesting to know that most came from outside Mason County!

    Because his supporters were allowed to speak freely without regard for the very strict type agenda Hupp, et al, had so diligently established for this meeting -- while we pesky citizens were Indeed retricted to Hupp's Rules of Order -- does this evidence not constitute a Violation of the Public Hearing rules the Port must follow, as per the State Auditor's Office?

    Maybe there are other violations as well?

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  6. I was at the meeting too and I felt that the gentlemen seated next to me were "plants" from ADAGE. They referenced a section of the lease #5.1 titled "Purpose" and then went on to say that they thought ADAGE was very generous in bringing money and jobs to our area. I'm sure they were all told to reference that section in order to say positive things..it was obvious to me that they had been coached. But I'm not discouraged..if they can win in Gretna, Florida-
    we can find a way to win here, too. Threatening recall is how they did it in Gretna..and that's what we should do here..loudly. I'm still educating people who don't even realize that an incinerator is being planned..so there are still many people here who don't understand what's about to happen.
    I watched a documentary about residents from Burlington, Vermont who live near a biomass incinerator...one woman said she couldn't dry her clothes outside on her clothes line anymore because they'd get dirty from the pollution. She had to keep her windows closed so the dirty air wouldn't get inside her house.
    The same thing will happen here. That's the story I tell people..and it helps them understand how serious the air pollution will be. I tell them that we have to fight Tim Sheldon and the rest of the "kooks" who are trying to ruin our town. Those commissioners will get the power...we'll get the pollution.

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  7. So lets take it back, with as much hostility as we can muster!

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  8. Another sad day at the Port. Ignoring the public’s pleas to demonstrate some level of fiduciary responsibility, Hupp and Wallitner took yet another step toward transforming Mason County from a natural paradise to a corporate polluter.

    The public asked Commissioner Tom Wallitner to consider the full weight of his decision before voting in favor of the Port/Adage lease option agreement, but he just couldn‘t find the backbone. This was the day Mr. Wallitner could have laid claim to a legacy as the man who saved Mason County from the mad Huppster, but chose, instead, to mumble his way into anonymity. Way to go, Tom!

    And let’s not forget our good neighbors in the peanut gallery. The big-shots from Adage were snickering like a bunch of kids over a lewd photo- these poor excuses could barely contain their glee. Somewhere out there a mama skunk is missing her litter.

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