Snohomish County Council chooses new representative for District 5

Today, the Snohomish County Council selected Hans Dunshee as the replacement representative for District 5 ... the seat vacated by Dave Somers when he was elected County Executive.

Three men were in the running for the position

• Hans Dunshee (D)
• Guy Palumbo (D)
• Mark Hintz (D)

There were multiple public meetings at which the three candidates spoke, debated and, in general, laid out their visions and solutions for various County problems and issues.

Dunshee, as a State Representative of the 44th District... spoke of his statewide work in committees and across-the-isle efforts to get legislative action in Olympia. His awareness of County issues was tempered by the fact he mostly works in Olympia on State related issues.

Palumbo, as a small business owner, chair of the County's Planning Commission, sited specific problems and solutions. Living in this locale, he has a ground-level POV which was of significant interest to those living in this District.  Palumbo was well prepared and detail oriented.


Somers is a Democrat ... so the PCO's (precinct committee officers) of 1st Democratic District voted for who they wanted as a 5th District representative.

Palumbo won that campaign 17 votes to Dunshee's 11.

Despite the vote made by political party affiliation, the final decision for the replacement is owned by the County Council - which by it's nature and/or whim, includes people of different political parties... in this case there are three Democrats and one Republican.

Today, despite the legislative district's PCO vote, the Council chose differently.

Today's vote: 3 Democrats for Dunshee.

Ken Klein voted "No".  However, he clarified that his vote was not about the person but that he respected the right of constituents to choose their representative.

If you want to read more about the set-up prior to today's vote, here's an Everett Herald article by Noah Haglund

Snohomish County Council interviews Hans Dunshee

If, for any reason you want to contact the Snohomish County Council, go here.

Update.  Just now, in the Herald

As of today, Wellington Hills Park and people's effort to save it

“The greatest danger to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it…”  

~ Polar explorer, environmentalist, Robert Swan OBE

We wish we could say more, but the fact is ... the process of saving the park - and our community - is underway ... it's just not visible to most people.  Right now, legal skirmishes are taking place and there will be much more happening in the coming months.

We firmly believe this community deserves much more than a destroyed and re-developed Wellington Hills Park.  It doesn't matter what type of development "they" have planned ... Wellington Hills Park is a park and it should remain so - forever.

We have relied on the generosity of regular folks in order to maintain a legal presence for challenging those that want to callously change a stable, established community.

Many of you have generously supported our efforts - for that we sincerely say, "Thank you".

You have made a difference - The proof? - The park still exists (despite the County's use of ecology blocks and locked gates).

Don’t wait for the chainsaws and bulldozers to arrive; please donate what you can - Perhaps you could make it a monthly contribution (easy to do on PayPal)– because, the loss of Wellington Hills Park will impact your life and it will negatively alter our neighborhood and our community in so many ways.

                        Please donate by check payable to “NSWP” and mail to: 

                                                    NSWP 

                                                    PO Box 1805 

                                                    Woodinvile, WA 98072

          * Neighbors to Save Wellington Park is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation

Snohomish County's Wall & Wellington Hills Park

Wall
wôl/
Noun

A continuous vertical brick or stone structure that encloses or divides an area of land.

Synonyms:
Barrier, Partition, Divider, Fortification, Rampart, Stockade

• A thing perceived as a protective or restrictive barrier.

Verb

Synonyms:
Enclose, Bound, Encircle, Confine, Hem, Close in, Shut in, Fence in, Block, Seal, Close

• Block or seal a place by building a wall around or across it.
• Confine or imprison someone or something in a restricted or sealed place.

______________


Not only has the department of parks made attempts to erase the existence of Wellington Hills Park, they've also made it difficult for people to visit - and enjoy - Wellington Hills Park.

The lawsuits against the County over how they've handled the Wellington Hills Park situation could go on for years ... and in the real world of this community - people want - and do (with some difficulty) - continue to use the park.

But they're met with concrete blocks and locked gates... the County's version of "The Wall".

So, what's next?

It's "only" a park.
But I also know from history, when there's a battle over turf ... all bets are off.

Typical morning commute, Route 9, Snohomish County Washington

Good Morning Route 9 Traffic! 

Betcha you're real excited to know you could be having bunches more people with you as you grind along Rt. 9.

Expect lots of new school buses and lots more parents driving their kids and students with their own cars ... they could be joining you in your morning commute.

Funny thing (not ha-ha funny, the other kind of funny), the going-to-school drivers will be leaving areas where lots of kids live and the driving to an area where very few kids live (Wellington Hills area of South Snohomish County). 

Yeah, to a bureaucrat that makes sense - "Build'em where they're not". 

Typical Route 9 morning traffic... heading south

when it comes to protecting your home, voting isn't enough

If neighbors hadn't pulled together, the county's dept of parks would have built their sports complex back in 2012.

While the battle to save the park isn't over, take some comfort knowing - if you stand tall you can protect your community from unnecessary, inappropriate change.

 The newest threat to our community is real.

If you think building two schools on the Wellington Hills Park site won't negatively change this community... you should go talk to the people living near the new North Creek school on 35th, north of Maltby Road.

Do not forget

 ... before the county's dept. of parks showed up in the Wellington neighborhood (5/2012)... we had a pleasant 9-hole public golf course, used by generations of easy-going people.

One of the first things the dept. of parks did (after they told us we would love their sports complex plan) was to destruct the club house - which was used for many things - local theater, parties, group meetings, etc.

Here's the sequence ... the last two photos were taken today.

How things work (in bureaucracy)

Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far, out of sight from most people...

... there's a big, rather unimpressive building, filled with Managers, Administrators and assorted Clerks.

These people, let's call them MACs, were charged with keeping things organized and running smoothly ... doing more than paper-clipping reams of paper and less than declaring war on you-know-who ... they were tasked with things, such as, removing snow from streets, checking that elevators work properly and keeping bad people in jails.

However, MACs are often ambitious and many of them desire to do more than what's listed in their job description.  Some MACs are overly clever. When they realized they also managed the Rule Books ... presto-chango, a simple snip and tuck and the Rule Books became their very own precious Book of Power.

However, there's always a catch, a fly-in-the-ointment ... the messy yucky part for the MACs was having to get touchy-feely and folksy with ordinary people.

Ordinary people have this sort of odd, anti-MAC logic because real life tends to temper how things get done.  For example, for ordinary people:

Ω  Someone has an Idea.

Ω  Everyone talks about the Idea.

Ω  If there isn't agreement on the Idea, the Idea is postponed, re-worked until almost everyone is happy or it is cancelled.

Ω  If  and when there is agreement on the Idea, then money is saved-up to build the Idea... Specialists are hired to make the Idea the best Idea possible and the MACs are told to manage and administer the process of making the Idea a reality.

Ω  Eventually almost everyone enjoys or uses the completed Idea.

Ω And ordinary people proclaim, "Gee, we sure do live in a nice place!"


Noooo, that's too normal and rational and practical ... and way tooo common sensical.

Once the MACs controlled the Rule Books - this is how things happen in the kingdom far, far, out of sight from most people:

ø  Certain MACs with impressive badges, titles and nice offices with pictures of themselves on the walls, get a bit restless and so they have lunches & meetings with their bestest friends and, after group-hugs, they decide they have terrifically important good Idea(s) which must be done as quickly as possible. 

ø  Of course their Idea is a good idea because their special friends will benefit from the good Idea.

ø  The MACs spend lots of ordinary people's money to develop their self-proclaimed, especially good Idea. Because they have the Rule Books it's easy-peasy to convince everyone the dire place, the sad place we will be if their good Idea is ignored - or rejected (gasp!).

ø  When the MACs are satisfied with the expensive plans for their special Idea, they spiff themselves up, polish their brass horns and in very serious tones, using powerful summoning skills ... they announce to ordinary people, "Surprise, we have something you will absolutely LOVE!"

ø  And from the Rule Books they find chapter and verse and inform ordinary people, "It's your turn, you have three special evenings and three minutes per person ... please tell us how much you love our wonderful Idea."

ø  And so, public meetings are held - just so ordinary people can comment on the MACs' wonderful new Idea.

ø  Once the ordinary people make small little suggestions to make the MACs' good Idea a little bit better, MACs spend more money and eventually the MAC idea is built.

ø  MACs' special friends are once again happy and some people are almost happy and others aren't happy at all with the newly built Idea ... but hey, some people are MACs and others are just ordinary people.

Because of ____________ (fill in the blank) a park suddenly was closed. People know why.

Can we ... or we can't?
Should... should not?
It was so simple, now it's not.
County government, give back the park.