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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
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