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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 14, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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July 14, 2011
 
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: : " COLUMN Port commissioner: Port of Shelton in legal jeopardy I trust readers of the Journal can see what is really happening at the Port of Shelton and what they are trying to accomplish. In regards to the letter of censure, please read RCW 42.23. This chapter is about conflicts of interest and using an elected position for one's own gain or using private information for gains or profit. So the question becomes, do I stop doing my job as a commissioner because I am running to retain my position at the Port? If you read the RCW completely, you will ask yourself, where does this apply? Comments I provided in the local blogs, were in response to commissioners Jay Hupp and Tom Wallitner had to do with them not taking responsibility for John Dobson's actions following the firing of whistleblower Teresa Rebo. The question to the commissioners was simple because I wanted to get right to the issue at hand. The question was, do you believe Mr. Dobson was justified in sending harassing e-mails to Teresa Rebo; coercing her to sign the "Last Change Agreement and Disciplinary Action Plan" and then subsequently firing her? Both commissionerS Jay Hupp and Tom WaUitner responded by saying "Absolutely." If this were not true, why is Mr. Dobson still employed at the Port of Shelton. I have also found out, Mr. Dobson used Suzanne Michael, the outside council and same attorney who hired the investigator to address/whitewash Teresa Rebo's concerns. She assisted Mr. Dobson in drafting the "Last Chance Agreement and Disciplinary Action Plan" that Mr. Dobson was coercing Ms. Rebo to sign. Here is some background on the event: On Monday June 20, 2011 at 8:21 a.m., Mr. Dobson sent Ms. Rebo a message to her personal e-mail account, knowing she was already at work at the port office and does not access her personal e-mail account from work. The e-mail stated in part, you have only until 10 a.m. to sign the "Last Chance Agreement and Disciplinary Action Plan" or she would be terminated. Mr. Dobson most definitely did not give Ms. Rebo adequate notice that this document needed to be signed by 10 a.m., June 20, 2011. (This is a good example of how Mr. Dobson operates.) This action by Mr. Dobson was designed to try to establish some sort of pretext critical of Ms. Rebo's conduct at the Port. I direct your attention to the November 2, 2010 meeting minutes found on the port website, there you will find Mr. Dobson referring to Teresa Rebo's job performance "As doing an excellent job." Also, you don't give employees a raise if they are doing a bad job, right? Ms. Rebo was given her raise within her first year of employment, for doing an "excellent job" says John Dobson. Let me say this with confidence, Ms. Rebo is guilty of one thing and one thing only. She is guilty for having the highest work ethic and integrity I have ever seen. I invite you to visit www. masoncountyprogressive. net. There, you can read in more damning detail what I said. It's titled "Port Director Dobson's revenge." Bottom line: Commissioners Hupp and Wallitner have put the Port in legal jeopardy yet again and Mr. Dobson's failure to exercise acceptable judgment in the use of taxpayers' money, perhaps it is time to renew calls for Mr. Dobson's resignation or termination. I also believe the commissioners need to be held accountable for their lack of action after the firing of valued employee Teresa Rebo. However, only you, the citizens can petition to recall Jay Hupp and Tom Wallitner for their effort to protect their friend, John Dobson and cover up his illegal actions. Re-elect the only commissioner who is not afraid to take a stand. Jack Miles Commissioner, Port of Shelton Cats Editor, the Journal Cats are the bane of indi- viduals who love to have a beaut'ffid yard, enjoy work-• ing with their hands in their gardens, love birds, squirrels and other wild life. That can- not happen when cats from the neighborhood invade your yard. We moved to the Shel- ton area six years ago. My wit loves birds and diligently fed them. Small squirrels shared the seeds and both provided an ambiance that was not enjoyed in suburbia. Where we lived for more than 45 years very little wildlife existed. There were birds and a few squirrels at first, but as the area built up they became scarcer. After I retired I enjoyed spending my time working in the yard, but more and more as I worked in the flowerbeds I would get handfuls of cat teces. How revolting. If a dog came in our yard you could see and smell the feces and remove and dis- pose it. Not with cats. Then I began to smell an over-powering odor of urine on our deck and around the back yard. It was becoming more obnoxious every day. One day I opened the blinds of our family room earlier than usual, to my surprise there were 18 cats on our deck. I chased them away, but each morning they were back. I called Animal Control and they said there was noth- ing they could do because there were no ordinances requiring owners to license or control their cats, as they do dogs. However they said they could provide me with a cat trap. They told me that for every cat I saw in my yard, it was their experience there were 10 more feral cats. If and when I caught a cat to call them and they would take it to the pound. The problem, however, since cats weren't licensed they could not inform the owner that they had their cat. For more than six months I caught 12 cats, i turtle and I opossum. Cat own- ers in the neighborhood complained. They couldn't understand that I had to li- cense and keep my dog under control. Why'not your cat? I trapped their cats in my yard - not yours. If you do not want your cat trapped, keep it in your own yard. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand. Advice for the Belfair cat owner--keep your cats in your own yard and they won't be burned in a barrel. There is technology to accomplish that. W. Baumgart Belfair County fair or area fair? Editor, the Journal It should come as no sur- prise to Mason County resi- dents that our community is facing some serious problems. But the good news is that summertime is here and the long awaited Fair will soon be upon us. Not the Mason County Fair, of course, but a privatized version called the Mason Area Fair. So here's the recap: The county bailed on the port- owned fairgrounds three years before the lease was to expire and the port has made it clear it has no intention of getting into the fair business. So after thoroughly searching the area immediately under his nose for candidates to run the Fair, Port Director, John Dobson, leased the whole shebang to Northwest Event Organizers, Inc., a local com- pany owned by a couple of his friends. Now this was not an entirely bad idea, as the owners of Northwest Events did a pretty good job run- ning the Mason Area Fair last year. But the priva "ting of what is supposed to be a publicly funded celebration of community pride should only be considered after all other possibilities have been exhausted. A better alternative would be for Mason County to keep its name on the Fair, but have the Port of Shelton pick up the tab. In this man- ner, the Fair remains a civic event, and the arrangement between overlapping mu- nicipalities stands as a shin- ing example of government cooperation. The Port could then hire whatever special event organizer it chooses, on a set fee basis, and pocket the profits; a perfect melding of private industry and public domain. Unfortunately, none of this is ever going to happen. Am I suggesting having no fair is better than one that is privatized? Of course not; to the contrary, Northwest Event Organizers should be commended for stepping up to the plate. But they are not at issue here, Port manage- ment is. The bottom line is that our community deserves a real, county fair and the Port of Shelton is in the perfect posi- tion to make that happen. Citizens need to know that by changing a county fair to an area fair they lose more than just a word in the title; they lose a sense of ownership and communal identity at a time when it is needed most, and that in itself is no small mat- ter. Tom Davis Shelton Don't let politics interfere with EMS Editor, the Journal I am writing to show my full support for the Union Fire Department's 2012 Emergency Medical Services levy. I am an involved citi- zen with the fire department as I attend the monthly commissioner meeting and interact with the staff quite often. I have been very im- pressed by both the profes- sionalism and service that our fire department delivers to our community. I have been troubled recently by a few citizens that have told me that they will be voting no on the EMS levy because they do not approve of the political leadership. Our fire department has seen a great deal of change over the last year and a half. Two new fire commission- ers, a new fire chief and as- sistant chief, along with 26 new volunteer firefighters. The Union fire department delivers great emergency medical services that our retirement community can depend on. We must support the levy on the merits of the emergency medical service and the value it has to us as taxpayers. We Cannot allow our political view to alter our decision to continue this vital emergency medical service because we currently do not approve of one or more of the fire commissioners. Politi- cal leaders come and go, but a no vote for the EMS levy will hurt our community for years to come. I implore all of the taxpayers of the Union fire Ddepartment to imagine our community without am- bulances or trained medical staff to help our loved ones in their ultimate time of need. The EMS levy is the cheap- est medical insurance you can buy and our fire depart- ment is committed to deliver- ing a high level of emergency medical service to the Union community. Please join me in voting yes for the 2012 EMS levy. Don Minor Union Still voting on No. 6? Editor, the Journal At the February meeting of the Hoed Canal Improve- ment club our guest speaker was Fire Chief Clint Volk of District No. 6, Union. The fact that the replace- ment levy failed and we are now using up our emergency funds to run year 2011 is very serious and if we don't pass the,replacement levy in August we will have nothing for the year 2012, period. How can we not af- ford the $7.29 per month based on a home value of $250,000? This gives us emergency medical services 24/7. Note this is the same levy accepted in 2004, not a higher levy. One hundred percent of the levy fund is used for our protection. Being in my 70s and hav- ing our wonderful District 6 EMS staff that can get to most of us in less than seven minutes is very comforting. Please do your part and pass this replacement levy. These men and women, who are our heroes, need and de- serve our support. Patricia Orr Union Super Reunion Editor, the Journal I want to take the time to encourage any classmates from Shelton High/Irene S. Reed to come out for the Super Reunion, Rockin' and Rollin' to the '60s and '70s this weekend. I personally am from the class of 1974 and am looking forward to catching up with others from Shelten before and alter my class. The Super Reunion includes 20 years of classes from 1960 to 1979. Anyone who attended Shel- ton schools is welcome to attend even if they did not graduate here. Tickets are required to get into all three events at a minimal last minute cost of $75. Registration is required and wristbands will be is- sued for all three events. They are as follows: Friday Night Mixer at the iiii!i!iiiiii!ili!i!iiiiiiiii!iii!!ii!iii!iiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!il Eagles Lounge, 411 South 1st Street, starting at 6 p.m. There is a live rock-n-roll band. (Remember how we lived for the weekends with those live bands?) Appetiz- ers will be served with a no host bar. This should be a great time to socialize. Saturday night Super Re- union is at the Little Creek Concert Hall at 5 p.m. Again, a live band and it includes a prime rib dinner with all the fixings. T-shirts, videos and photos will be available. Twenty years of class and individual photos will be running on the big screens and there is a huge memorial wall of classmates who have passed. Sunday is the wrap up for a potluck and picnic pig roast at the old Loop Field. How many memories do we have there on that old sa- cred ground? Please help pass the word for those who have been on the fence about joining us or may not yet even under- stand what we are trying to accomplish. Not many counties host just one high school where people from all walks of life are joined for just a few short years. We've all changed and it will be wonderful to enjoy a bit of a blast from the past. I'm amazed at how many people are coming from out of state and how few are taking advantage of this local ex- travaganza. Hope to see you there. Go online for registration and more information! www. sheltonhigh.com, email highclimbersuperreunion@ gmail.com or call Bonnie Pitts at 490-5545. Laura Johnston Roznowski Lacey USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www.masoncounty.com Ownll and published by Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington She/ton-Mason County Journal, Inc Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, July 14, 2011 She/ton-Mason County Journal is a member of Rick Kennedy, publisher Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association. Jesse Mullen, general mgr. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $37 per year for Mason County addresses, $51 per year in state of Washington but outside Mason County, $61 per year out of state. Advertising: Dave Pierik, advertising manager Harvey Morris, ad representat0ve Newsroom: Mat Taylor, ad representative Kevan Moore, managing editor Front office: Aria Shephard, North Mason, Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper environment, reporter Margot Brand, circulation Natalie Johnson, re rter • • • Emil Hanson, smorter Cncket Carter, maJlroom supervIsor y spo ..... Composing room: William Adams, graphics Koleen Wood, classifieds/legals Becky Corr, typing Pressroom: Kelly Riordan, production manager Travis Miller press operator