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Re: Citizens put toes in ‘port’ water - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:54:37 -0000

So, what this group is saying: “create us, let us tax you, then sit back and we will run most everything with grants so you don’t have to really pay us much.” They are so fake, Barbie is jealous! I am not voting for this nor is anyone else I've spoken to. I think at least a simple majority of islanders may have learned their lesson about voluntarily adding additional layers of government with taxing authority. If all the new projects & services listed in this article are of vital importance to the majority of islanders, then the council can facilitate getting it done. So far, I have yet to see a large swelling of citizens pushing the issue or getting the attention of the council. No red shirts, no hand-held signs, no large groups gathered for council meetings, etc. What they ought to do is hire the judge as their lobbyist…

Re: No-turn-on-red sign needs to be heeded - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:42:10 -0000

It is a state highway. It is a traffic decision by WA DOT, not the city. You would need to flame at the state about the lack of money & communication about the new sign decision. As far as enforcement, I am curious if there is a track record of accidents at the intersection. I know there are frequent rear-enders on the highway itself, but I have a feeling there are probably few at the Moran intersection. Unfortunately there will always be a certain number of folks that don't obey the law. Or maybe they just didn't see the sign!

Re: Island judge wants to take city to court - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:08:55 -0000

City (or Municipal) Courts as well as District Courts are “Courts of Limited Jurisdiction” and as such do not hear felony cases. Felonies are adjudicated at the Superior Court level. Matters heard in our city court can be appealed to Superior Court in Pt. Orchard. Point is, traffic issues are the majority of what any city court deals with, as those issues are not relegated to Superior Court. Having looked into our court, it appears to me that the major bulk of court time is spent on traffic tickets, drunk drivers, parking tickets, people driving on a suspended license, small thefts, misdemeanor assaults, and vandalism cases. Throw in a sprinkling of marijuana pipe cases and a few court orders, a marriage here & there, and that is what our court does.

There are 127 municipal courts and 49 district courts in our state. What the island court handles and adjudicates is not any different that any of those other 176 courts of limited jurisdiction. We are not unique. Our court requires a judge with a Washington State Bar card, experience desired but not required. City judges are appointed if they are less than full-time. Full-time judges are elected. It takes time, effort & money to become a judge. That is the same for any judge, again the island is not unique. No attorney that is worth his or her salt would take a city judge position unless it is financially feasible to do so. Most municipal judges could make substantially more money back in private practice. Being a city judge takes time & effort and you cannot “judge” their worth based solely on the types of cases that come before them.

Re: Island judge wants to take city to court - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:43:53 -0000

While I strongly believe that the court should remain on the island, I think that the judge is stepping out a bit beyond and into the realm of political activist. The judge could and should have had others carry the torch, I don’t think she should have proceeded on like she did. She pretty much ensured that her contract will not be renewed. It appears that there was a wee bit of political shenanigans, a few egos, and a kerfuffle. This piece about her contract is interesting (mildly), but perhaps there may be something to it. The city appears to have within the last six months or so accumulated quite a few labor issues that should have been cut & dried decisions. Just follow the laws, contracts & treat people with respect. Seems too easy…. Now we will all pay legal costs to find out who is pushing what envelope.

Re: Roadwork season opens - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:38:09 -0000

I voted for him the last time he ran for council. I hope that Robert would consider it again.

Re: Bainbridge court move to Poulsbo City Hall stalled - North Kitsap Herald

Hunter — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:29:53 -0000

Actually, I have heard that the decision has already been made. Poulsbo is moving their police department into the new city hall. That is something that wasn’t originally planned for. Have heard that there has already been a meeting between some Bainbridge council and court folks and the whole move to Poulsbo issue is dead in the water. I have also heard that Bainbridge (through city manager Brenda Bauer) has already called Poulsbo to tell them as much. But the façade of the move possibility still being active is being perpetuated a bit longer in order to possibly get the Rolling Bay landlord to make a sweeter deal to let the court remain there. Smoke & mirrors and perhaps a bit misleading by our city admin. or some council members. But I think it is a matter of them trying to save face publicly while at the same time milking the local landlord as much as they can. I hope all of behind the scenes facts come out, if nothing than to expose those with agendas. From the Poulsbo perspective, I think it was a matter of them being able to recoup some money for their new city hall. Purely financial motives, nothing wrong with that and I think Ed Sterns is portraying things in the right perspective.

Re: Hidden agenda is behind Municipal Court proposal | Letters | Feb. 11 - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:22:27 -0000

Actually, I have heard that the decision has already been made. Poulsbo is moving their police department into the new city hall. That is something that wasn’t originally planned for. Have heard that there has already been a meeting between some council and court folks and the whole move to Poulsbo issue is dead in the water. I have also heard that the city (through Brenda Bauer) has already called Poulsbo to tell them as much. But the façade of the move possibility still being active is being perpetuated a bit longer in order to possibly get the Rolling Bay landlord to make a sweeter deal to let the court remain there. Smoke & mirrors and perhaps a bit misleading by our city admin. or some council members. But I think it is a matter of them trying to save face publicly while at the same time milking the local landlord as much as they can. I hope all of behind the scenes facts come out, after all isn’t that what our new form of government is about- transparency? Hidden agenda, uh, er,ahhhh .....

Re: Final decision on court in Poulsbo’s hands - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:20:26 -0000

Actually Barry, I have heard that the decision has already been made. Poulsbo is moving their police department into the new city hall. That is something that wasn’t originally planned for. Have heard that there has already been a meeting between some council and court folks and the whole move to Poulsbo issue is dead in the water. I have also heard that the city (through Brenda Bauer) has already called Poulsbo to tell them as much. But the façade of the move possibility still being active is being perpetuated a bit longer in order to possibly get the Rolling Bay landlord to make a sweeter deal to let the court remain there. Smoke & mirrors and perhaps a bit misleading by our city admin. or some council members. But I think it is a matter of them trying to save face publicly while at the same time milking the local landlord as much as they can. I hope all of behind the scenes facts come out, after all isn’t that what our new form of government is about- transparency?

Re: Roadwork season opens - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:58:55 -0000

Good point there Stone, I think it is a combination of both. For the most part, being a council member is almost a volunteer job. The pay is very low and certainly not enough to support a person let alone a family. So we are left with those with very flexible jobs elsewhere or those already in retirement. I believe our particular demographics would lend to a larger pool than elsewhere of retired or semi-retired professionals. I have seen a few that ran and did not get elected. Instead we keep reelecting the same people that have been making the same types of decisions. For example, there is at least one council member that has been on the council & making decisions for about half of the city’s annexed existence. Since the majority voted to remove the elected mayor office, we have to get the right person in the city manger slot. Combine that with a more fair balance of scruples on the council and we might start going somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, the council made some really good moves the last year or so. But much is left to be done and whether Ms. Bauer is the right fit remains to be seen. I sense she may be just doing the council’s bidding, but there are right & wrong ways to go about getting the desired results.

Re: Roadwork season opens - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:12:56 -0000

Islanders keep voting the same type of folks (or in some cases the SAME people) in office year after year, but expect different results? How many years has Knobloch been on the council? Or Scales? Vancil was on for how many years? Is Brackett any different in how she consistently votes than Vancil was or Knobloch still does? People’s past behavior is the best predictor of how they will act in the future. What elected politicians say doesn’t mean Jack Squat, it is how they vote and act. Spending priorities by the council set up this crumbling infrastructure, not a lack of tax dollars. The annexed city is 20 years old this year, I hope the citizens look at where we are now and choose their elected officials accordingly. A 2 or 3 year financial b*tch-slap of reality is all it took to bring down 20 years of lack of vision, leadership, and out of control spending. Complain about the roads, ok, sure- but don’t forget how we all got to this point. We can still change course, just put the right people in charge of the steering wheel.

Re: Laid-off employees deserved much better | Letters | Feb. 11 - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:37:42 -0000

Good letter!

Re: City shouldn’t target senior, union employees | Letters | Feb. 11 - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:33:36 -0000

I think that most citizens, city staff and certainly council thought highly of Bauer when she first got here and started out. I have heard the comments “straight shooter”, “competent”, and “go-getter” associated with her name. But that was then and now many believe her word less and less. It appears that the entrenched Bainbridge admin./management culture has corrupted that image. If the city gets their rear-ends handed to them as a result of all the labor disputes, Ms. Bauer will quickly lose the public support of the council and she will go the way of Elray Konkel and others before. That is sad, especially when all one has to do is follow the laws, contracts, and treat people with respect to avoid it all.

Re: Final decision on court in Poulsbo’s hands - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:29:44 -0000

Bob,
You & I both know that it costs more to “move the court” than just relocating office furniture and files. The city is contractually obligated to pay all costs to restore the Rolling Bay location to its original form. You have been there, you know that it would require basically to tear down just about all the interior walls and put up new ones, ventilation rerouting, a little plumbing, electrical rewiring, and paying to somehow make all the exterior walls with windows solid walls again.

Then you have to add up all the one-time costs to replace every single bit of documentation with the new address & contact information. That means thousands of dollars to reprint & order ticket books for the parking officer, and new ticket books for all the cops. Take into account the other valid dollar value items that Mr. Peters mentions and you are at a significant cost that is well above a paltry $2k.

Another issue that the city has completely failed to address is the impact on at least one of the labor unions. There will have to be a change in the way paperwork makes its way to court from the police station everyday. At least 1 or 2 of the ways the city wants to accomplish that will likely require the city to bargain with the union. Presently, when the police arrest local folks on warrants they just take them to Rolling Bay to see the judge. Are we now going to have to pay the police to drive to Poulsbo and drop down to only 1 officer on the island while they are gone? That is a safety issue that will again cost the city money.

My guess is that $80k is not astronomical. For sure the city won’t be using High School volunteers and a $80 rental truck to do it all. You and I both know that the context of what the judge said at your referenced meeting is being a bit misrepresented. During that time period, the Suzuki property was being researched and a new court/police facility was a possibility. I don’t believe the judge ever conceived that her words would be taken as a way to move a part of local government to another city. This whole “move to Poulsbo” thing started out initially as purely a financial move. These safety & appearance issues were added later to gain traction when it was clear the money-saving aspect wouldn’t play out. Bob Scales had an agenda and went for it with gusto. I am told that a few on the council made it personal when the judge fought back in public.

Re: Final decision on court in Poulsbo’s hands - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:45:02 -0000

Brenda Bauer’s estimate of Court moving costs is laughable at best. For the love of God, it takes more than $2k just for someone to relocate their home from the island to Poulsbo! Ms. Bauer’s word is meaning less and less to people nowadays. Mr. Peters is quite correct in all the costs associated in moving the court. The taxpayers will once again be paying the way for four council member’s stubborn opinion in the face of the citizens and financial reality.

Re: Ex-city workers struggle to cope - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:24:31 -0000

Don't believe this makes these city employees any different, just puts a local face on issues that runs across the nation. The real story is if the city broke the contract and labor laws. From what is in the paper, it certainly looks like there is more than enough to proceed to an arbitrator and to a hearing in front of the public employment relations commission. I suspect the union would wait for a lawsuit pending the outcome of the other two avenues of redress. The city is still going to have to throw a lot of money at their contracted labor law firm. The city attorney is not well versed in labor law and will likely not be representing the city in these issues.

Re: January 21st, 2011 Editorial Cartoon - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:03:44 -0000

Man, that is spot on!

Re: January 14th, 2011 Editorial Cartoon - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:38:45 -0000

Really? Are you telling me that a juvenile can go to a gun show and purchase a firearm? For that matter, go to any retail outlet and purchase a firearm? Because that is what the last window in this cartoon is depicting. At least we agree that this "cartoon" is not funny.

Re: January 14th, 2011 Editorial Cartoon - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:36:08 -0000

Factually incorrect and not in the least funny.

Re: Legal action may follow ruling in Ostling case - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:39:04 -0000

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you so well stated, except... Could you please list examples of this "reputation of renegade behavior?" Throwing out a statement like that isn't too much different than the blanket comments that you & paladinBI corrected regarding mental illness comments of other posters.

Re: Open-minded approach is important for council | Our Opinion | Dec. 31 - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:01:26 -0000

You make excellent points about the top-heavy government we are all paying for, at the expense of having employees that actually do the work we all want & need. We need more public works workers that actually do work for the public. Another example is the police department, it is exceedingly top-heavy. They are approaching a nearly 1 supervisor per two worker ratio. We don’t need a commander in a city our size. Do you realize that the chief of police has eliminated two officers to create an unnecessary commander position with a bloated salary & benefit package? My neighbors and I would rather have an officer that actually does work, handles 911 calls, etc. Instead of a $100k + a year desk jockey with nothing to do.

Re: Legal action may follow ruling in Ostling case - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:32:44 -0000

It is a given that anytime a person is killed by the government there is a claim for damages, regardless of the circumstances. Video use in law enforcement has been available and in use for literally decades. Even the TV show COPS first aired in 1989! The reason Winslow (now Bainbridge Island) has never obtained quality video systems is two fold; money and lack of concern. This is only one of many decisions that end up costing the taxpayers realistically hundreds of thousands of dollars every few years. Like Robert said, there are personal video systems that the officers can wear. And there are other systems that are mounted in the police car. Both have video & audio, each have strong and weak points. A short web search shows that the personal types start around $1k and the car mounted type start around $10-$20k. Why wait for a grant, which may or may not ever materialize?

The island has always had folks that have no qualms filing claims and lawsuits. Some are reasonable, but quite a few (and usually the ones that involve the cops) seem simply unbelievably outrageous. Why the city has not invested in a quality video/audio system boggles the imagination. It would tend to eliminate the “He said / She said “ law suits. This is at least the fourth or fifth suit or claim in as many years that probably would have been avoided had there been a video system in place. How much money you think the city pays out in just legal expenses for five lawsuits? Probably enough to pay Steven Spielberg to film our police in action.

I don’t believe that any labor union can block such video systems. And why would they? It only protects them and the city from loonies filing ridiculous claims & suits. I would imagine that a union may want to work out issues in writing with the city to prevent video systems from being abused or used illegally. Those cop-worn videos would have probably put this whole Ostling shooting to rest. As far as the apparently different stories in the press, that is unfortunate. If the city is having the Sheriff’s Office investigate the entire incident, then the Sheriff’s Office spokesperson should have been the only one releasing information. The island chief should have kept his mouth shut, especially if he did not have all the facts. If I recall, all the past Kitsap police shootings resulted in very limited facts being released until the investigation was complete and reviewed by the prosecutor. Even the officer’s names were not released in the other shootings until that time.

As far as this lawsuit, we will have to see what happens in the civil proceedings. I would imagine there is forensic evidence beside just what the cops or witnesses have to say. Either way it turns out, it is costing the city more than it should have.

Re: UAC to review utility contract - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:24:22 -0000

Debbie,
For once I agree with you. Shocking....

I do wonder how much general fund tax money has been spent on the RPA law suit. That seems like a waste to me as well. I suppose it is easier to waste money when it isn't yours. At least, I hope the council members don't treat their own pocket books the same.

Re: Ratepayers group agree with Court of Appeals | Letters | Dec. 10 - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:43:58 -0000

Can you tell all the island taxpayers exactly how much of their money was WASTED on your law suit? The court told the RPA what any idiot off the street could have told you- You can't sue someone for something that they haven't yet done! How many times has the RPA suit been slapped down?

I would urge the city to absolutely continue slapping the current RPA suit down and go after the RPA for legal expenses. Perhaps the RPA could provide input and their suggestions to the Utility Commission to address issues with the utility rates and expenditures? Some way to provide input & influence that doesn't cost not only ratepayers but every island taxpayer?

Re: City questioned for not filming key workshop - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:00:04 -0000

I think it dangerous when the government decides what you need to know. Although not necessarily hiding anything (it was an open public meeting), it does not look good to tell the media to not film a meeting.

I wonder why the Review has not published a story about the RPA losing their suit in the court of appeals? The decision was published December 7th. The court threw out all of the RPA claims in the appeal.

Re: Liveaboards may enjoy a second life in Eagle Harbor - Bainbridge Island Review

Hunter — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:30:56 -0000

Looks good in the headlines and such, but the issue for the city is still going to be money. I fear what will happen is a move to subsidized (aka tax funded) living expenses for some. The city will eventually set a fee schedule, most of the low-income liveaboards won't be able to afford it. The city likely won't enforce non-payment but will still have to pay the state the money in the lease agreement. We are looking at pretty much status quo with the exception of the taxpayers footing an increased dollar amount.