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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 13, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 13, 2007
 
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00ournal of Opinion: Totally spent Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their county. You can play a crucial role in stabilizing the county's economy in uncertain economic times. It may require a change in habits, which isn't that hard even if you're not a monk or a nun who's used to such refashioning. No one knows for sure how deeply the local economy will dip as it recovers from such factors as the current housing slump. What we do know is that Mason County's economy is more insulated tom harm than it was a quarter century ago. Back then so much depended on Simpson Timber Company employment that the jobless rate hit 18 percent when the wood-products industry suffered a painful restructuring. Today the area is less dependent on wood products, and though lots of industrial jobs have disappeared since the '80s the economy has become more stable due to diversification, all the retirees who have moved here and all the government employees who live here. Yet the county is always susceptible to economic downturns and annually posts an unemployment rate about a point above the state's average. Lately the white-hot housing market has cooled and the news in the last few months is threatening a recession. This week The'Journal carries a story about a hiring freeze at the county because of a drop in revenue from the real-estate excise tax, which the local government had begun to depend on to the tune of $2 million a year. The belt-tightening includes talk of burning the fire marshal. Here's where you come in. You can invest in your community, boost the economy and ensure adequate government services by spending money here rather than outside the county. Local residents spend tens of millions of dollars "on the outside" each year. Some individuals spend thousands outside the county, but just $100 per capita kept here instead of spent elsewhere would pump $5 million into the local economy. That would mean jobs for local people, money respent over and over locally and revenue for the government to do things such as fix streets, police neighborhoods and develop parks. Consider how much your local governmentslepend on local spending. The City of Shelton is collecting about $1.9 million in sales taxes and around $600,000 in business-and-occupation taxes annually. That's more than a fourth of the operating budget. The county receives almost $4 million in sales taxes, more than 10 percent of its operating budget. One hundred dollars per capita is simply doing your family's grocery shopping a couple of times in Mason County rather than Thurston or Kitsap. It's eating out a few times here instead of driving to the big city. Before you use $8 worth of gas and an hour of your time leaving the county for a piece of hardware, try finding it locally at a place like Lumbermen's, Toziers' or McLendon's. See what kind of a bargain you can drive with a local auto dealer before you look out of town. Toys R Us or a mall store isn't the only place you can find a plaything for your child or grandchild. Old Town Hobby is jammed with fun. Sure, Cabelas has stuffed mice in its new Lacey zoo for dead animals. But it's simpler to find outdoors merchandise at Verle's. Furniture, appliances, jewelry, tires and a lot more can be found here. Barnes & Noble and Borders are the big-box book monsters, but we haven't been over there in years. When we want a book, we go to Sage Book Store, and if it's not on the shelf the clerks have the world at their fingertips on a computer keyboard. They order the book, and it's here in three days or so. We had a 30-year-old paperback Bantam New College French and English Dictionary that was so beat up the pages were falling out. We loved it not only for its compactness in travel but for the idioms and expressions it listed. Fat chance we'll find a new one, we thought; the company has probably abandoned the concept altogether since the '70s. We went into Sage and asked. The clerk got on her computer. Owner Carolyn Olsen heard our request and walked away. Before the clerk could find the dictionary on the computer, Carolyn came back to the cashier's desk with the newest version of the same dictionary. When you buy here, you not only help your community and therefore yourself, but you also make merchants healthy enough to give to worthy local causes. Don't spend all your money in Olympia or the Kitsap Mall and then go to the local merchants you've shunned and ask for money for the school yearbook, new band uniforms or free lunches for the student self-esteem program. It's not fair. Many of them are barely staying afloat, remaining in business because it was a dream of theirs to run their own business in a neat little town. If you want them around, patronize them. As we've seen so many times, stores that are labors of love instead of labors for profit generally aren't long for this world. Mason County will be a better place, and healthier economically, if its residents stick together and realize how important it is not to contribute to a revenue drain. -CG iiuiu ournal POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington Mailing address: RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412. www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington | ....... Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $31.00 per year in-county address, $45.00 per year in state of Washington $55.00 per year out of state Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Sean Hanlon, managing editor; Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools, Port of Shelton; Rebecca Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Plerik and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme, business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, mailroom supervisor, Composlnfl room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kallinen, pagination; Frank Isaac, pagination, photo technician; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager; William Adams, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Preuroom: Jon Hughes, pressman's assistant.  Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 13, 2007 let 141e  Otl.., So mn I... so Vote I! for i00eaders" 00ournai: D6j6 vu on fire marshal post Editor, The Journal: I believe the term is "dj vu all over again." That's how I felt sitting in the Mason County Commissioners' Chambers last Tuesday. I was there with a number of Mason County fire chiefs assembled to express concern about the county commissioners' decision to cut the Mason County Fire Marshal posi- tion to half time. As I looked around the room, my mind flashed back to late De- cember of 1998. I was sitting in the same room, listening to some of the same fire chiefs expressing the same concern and outrage that the county commissioners were going to completely cut the fire marshal position from the 1999 budget. I listened to the 1999 elected board of commissioners explain the difficult process of creating a functional operating budget dur- ing tough times. I listened to the 2007 elected board of commission- ers say the same thing. Different faces. Same words. In 1998, and last Tuesday, the response from the fire chiefs was also the same. And their message again was clear. "You took this ac- tion in secret without consulting the fire service. Once again, the fire service was blindsided by the county commission. Once again, we have to come before you to edu- cate you of the importance of the fire marshal position. Once again, we have to ask why." Same faces. Same words. The Mason County Fire Mar- shal Program has been a work in progress since 1983. After years of thoughtful, patient and collabora- tive deliberation involving broad interest groups, the county com- mission funded the first full-time fire marshal position in 1992. The core program has dramatically since then to variety of challenges from an panding industrial, and residential community. What an odd time to reduce resource. What is most amazing to the assumption by elected that the people who provide emergency response heart community will just roll over let a key support resource, has been years in the go away. Same attitude. Same tion. All over again. Dave (Editor's note: The writer, county's first fire marshal, that position at the time moil in 1998.) Long day not short on food Editor, The Journal: Last Tuesday, December 4, my husband, who works for the Mason County Public Works road crew, worked from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. up in the North Shore area. I would like to express my appreciation to the residents of the North Mason County area for their treatment of the road crew. My husband and other road crew employees received offers of hot muffins (which were de- licious), cookies, hot coffee arid soup. My husband worked a 14- hour day that day, and I only sent enough food for his lunch. I did not realize that the road crew would be working 12- to 14-hour days and that I have packed a lunch and for him. The North Mason dents were the ones in need yet they helped out the road that was working the clock for them. • Vicki City tough on new business Editor, The Journal: Every week I stop by my friends' new takeout place on First Street on my way home. Their park- ing lot is riddled with holes, and there are city hoses strewn about, making an already difficult park- ing situation even worse. They were initially delayed for months in their opening because of the sewer construction and had to wash all the mud and grime off the outside of their building that no one bothered to hose off. I understand that the construc- tion is necessary and inevitable. However, the city has been der- elict in properly notifying these small-business owners of the con- struction schedule and repairing messes they've made in the pro- cess. How are local enterprises supposed to prevail when the city they pay taxes to conducts busi- ness without regard to their sur- vival? This isn't only damaging their livelihoods, it's undermin- ing the efforts of our local busi- ness economy and the chamber of commerce. My friends spent precious start-up money to join in the chamber's "First Friday" to pro- mote business and then found out that First Street was going to be blocked off and the cham- ber guests won't even be able to access their business. They were told only a day and a half before the street was shut down. People can't even drive around back to park because the city machines tore up the parking lot weeks ago and left it. They went to the to about getting their t fixed and got a polite smile the front-desk attendant who cited the date and city commission meeting, takes place during their hours. That is ridiculous. The City of Shelton show some compassion to preneurs who are trying to ulate the downtown load of gravel and cation is all it would take. I that commissioners and works employees reading will be encouraged to take a minutes out of their day to neighborly hand to the who fund their employment. Anna B.V. Radio valuable in Editor, The Journak Mason County and the sur- rounding area are fortunate to have a great local radio station in KMAS 1030 AM. During our recent storm of December 1-3, which caused ex- tensive flooding, road damage and power outages, I was unable to reach my home in Hoodsport due to flooding of Highway 101. I stayed in my vehicle approxi- mately 24 hours waiting for the road to open. It was reassuring to hear KMAS give periodic updates of the condition of local roads. KMAS stayed on the air even when normal power was out the station in Shelton and in surrounding area. We all should be thankful have KMAS to keep us during emergencies that face from time to time. Bob Don't trust anyone under 30 = Editor, The Journal: I appreciate the fact that Joanne Wolters took the time last week to respond to my November 29 letter about carding at Wal- Mart. I respect her opinion, even though I don't agree. My 50-plus-year-old husband was not complimented by being carded. Instead he felt it was one more ridiculous example of "the majority being inconvenienced because of a few." Another exam- ple of political correctness going crazy. By the way, I checked Costco yesterday, and they people who look under 30. Common sense is alive Val Harstine 00ournal of Opinion: Totally spent Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their county. You can play a crucial role in stabilizing the county's economy in uncertain economic times. It may require a change in habits, which isn't that hard even if you're not a monk or a nun who's used to such refashioning. No one knows for sure how deeply the local economy will dip as it recovers from such factors as the current housing slump. What we do know is that Mason County's economy is more insulated tom harm than it was a quarter century ago. Back then so much depended on Simpson Timber Company employment that the jobless rate hit 18 percent when the wood-products industry suffered a painful restructuring. Today the area is less dependent on wood products, and though lots of industrial jobs have disappeared since the '80s the economy has become more stable due to diversification, all the retirees who have moved here and all the government employees who live here. Yet the county is always susceptible to economic downturns and annually posts an unemployment rate about a point above the state's average. Lately the white-hot housing market has cooled and the news in the last few months is threatening a recession. This week The'Journal carries a story about a hiring freeze at the county because of a drop in revenue from the real-estate excise tax, which the local government had begun to depend on to the tune of $2 million a year. The belt-tightening includes talk of burning the fire marshal. Here's where you come in. You can invest in your community, boost the economy and ensure adequate government services by spending money here rather than outside the county. Local residents spend tens of millions of dollars "on the outside" each year. Some individuals spend thousands outside the county, but just $100 per capita kept here instead of spent elsewhere would pump $5 million into the local economy. That would mean jobs for local people, money respent over and over locally and revenue for the government to do things such as fix streets, police neighborhoods and develop parks. Consider how much your local governmentslepend on local spending. The City of Shelton is collecting about $1.9 million in sales taxes and around $600,000 in business-and-occupation taxes annually. That's more than a fourth of the operating budget. The county receives almost $4 million in sales taxes, more than 10 percent of its operating budget. One hundred dollars per capita is simply doing your family's grocery shopping a couple of times in Mason County rather than Thurston or Kitsap. It's eating out a few times here instead of driving to the big city. Before you use $8 worth of gas and an hour of your time leaving the county for a piece of hardware, try finding it locally at a place like Lumbermen's, Toziers' or McLendon's. See what kind of a bargain you can drive with a local auto dealer before you look out of town. Toys R Us or a mall store isn't the only place you can find a plaything for your child or grandchild. Old Town Hobby is jammed with fun. Sure, Cabelas has stuffed mice in its new Lacey zoo for dead animals. But it's simpler to find outdoors merchandise at Verle's. Furniture, appliances, jewelry, tires and a lot more can be found here. Barnes & Noble and Borders are the big-box book monsters, but we haven't been over there in years. When we want a book, we go to Sage Book Store, and if it's not on the shelf the clerks have the world at their fingertips on a computer keyboard. They order the book, and it's here in three days or so. We had a 30-year-old paperback Bantam New College French and English Dictionary that was so beat up the pages were falling out. We loved it not only for its compactness in travel but for the idioms and expressions it listed. Fat chance we'll find a new one, we thought; the company has probably abandoned the concept altogether since the '70s. We went into Sage and asked. The clerk got on her computer. Owner Carolyn Olsen heard our request and walked away. Before the clerk could find the dictionary on the computer, Carolyn came back to the cashier's desk with the newest version of the same dictionary. When you buy here, you not only help your community and therefore yourself, but you also make merchants healthy enough to give to worthy local causes. Don't spend all your money in Olympia or the Kitsap Mall and then go to the local merchants you've shunned and ask for money for the school yearbook, new band uniforms or free lunches for the student self-esteem program. It's not fair. Many of them are barely staying afloat, remaining in business because it was a dream of theirs to run their own business in a neat little town. If you want them around, patronize them. As we've seen so many times, stores that are labors of love instead of labors for profit generally aren't long for this world. Mason County will be a better place, and healthier economically, if its residents stick together and realize how important it is not to contribute to a revenue drain. -CG iiuiu ournal POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by Shelton Publishing Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington Mailing address: RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412. www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington | ....... Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $31.00 per year in-county address, $45.00 per year in state of Washington $55.00 per year out of state Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Sean Hanlon, managing editor; Steve Patch, sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools, Port of Shelton; Rebecca Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen Gay, advertising manager; Dave Plerik and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme, business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, mailroom supervisor, Composlnfl room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kallinen, pagination; Frank Isaac, pagination, photo technician; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager; William Adams, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Preuroom: Jon Hughes, pressman's assistant.  Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 13, 2007 let 141e  Otl.., So mn I... so Vote I! for i00eaders" 00ournai: D6j6 vu on fire marshal post Editor, The Journal: I believe the term is "dj vu all over again." That's how I felt sitting in the Mason County Commissioners' Chambers last Tuesday. I was there with a number of Mason County fire chiefs assembled to express concern about the county commissioners' decision to cut the Mason County Fire Marshal posi- tion to half time. As I looked around the room, my mind flashed back to late De- cember of 1998. I was sitting in the same room, listening to some of the same fire chiefs expressing the same concern and outrage that the county commissioners were going to completely cut the fire marshal position from the 1999 budget. I listened to the 1999 elected board of commissioners explain the difficult process of creating a functional operating budget dur- ing tough times. I listened to the 2007 elected board of commission- ers say the same thing. Different faces. Same words. In 1998, and last Tuesday, the response from the fire chiefs was also the same. And their message again was clear. "You took this ac- tion in secret without consulting the fire service. Once again, the fire service was blindsided by the county commission. Once again, we have to come before you to edu- cate you of the importance of the fire marshal position. Once again, we have to ask why." Same faces. Same words. The Mason County Fire Mar- shal Program has been a work in progress since 1983. After years of thoughtful, patient and collabora- tive deliberation involving broad interest groups, the county com- mission funded the first full-time fire marshal position in 1992. The core program has dramatically since then to variety of challenges from an panding industrial, and residential community. What an odd time to reduce resource. What is most amazing to the assumption by elected that the people who provide emergency response heart community will just roll over let a key support resource, has been years in the go away. Same attitude. Same tion. All over again. Dave (Editor's note: The writer, county's first fire marshal, that position at the time moil in 1998.) Long day not short on food Editor, The Journal: Last Tuesday, December 4, my husband, who works for the Mason County Public Works road crew, worked from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. up in the North Shore area. I would like to express my appreciation to the residents of the North Mason County area for their treatment of the road crew. My husband and other road crew employees received offers of hot muffins (which were de- licious), cookies, hot coffee arid soup. My husband worked a 14- hour day that day, and I only sent enough food for his lunch. I did not realize that the road crew would be working 12- to 14-hour days and that I have packed a lunch and for him. The North Mason dents were the ones in need yet they helped out the road that was working the clock for them. • Vicki City tough on new business Editor, The Journal: Every week I stop by my friends' new takeout place on First Street on my way home. Their park- ing lot is riddled with holes, and there are city hoses strewn about, making an already difficult park- ing situation even worse. They were initially delayed for months in their opening because of the sewer construction and had to wash all the mud and grime off the outside of their building that no one bothered to hose off. I understand that the construc- tion is necessary and inevitable. However, the city has been der- elict in properly notifying these small-business owners of the con- struction schedule and repairing messes they've made in the pro- cess. How are local enterprises supposed to prevail when the city they pay taxes to conducts busi- ness without regard to their sur- vival? This isn't only damaging their livelihoods, it's undermin- ing the efforts of our local busi- ness economy and the chamber of commerce. My friends spent precious start-up money to join in the chamber's "First Friday" to pro- mote business and then found out that First Street was going to be blocked off and the cham- ber guests won't even be able to access their business. They were told only a day and a half before the street was shut down. People can't even drive around back to park because the city machines tore up the parking lot weeks ago and left it. They went to the to about getting their t fixed and got a polite smile the front-desk attendant who cited the date and city commission meeting, takes place during their hours. That is ridiculous. The City of Shelton show some compassion to preneurs who are trying to ulate the downtown load of gravel and cation is all it would take. I that commissioners and works employees reading will be encouraged to take a minutes out of their day to neighborly hand to the who fund their employment. Anna B.V. Radio valuable in Editor, The Journak Mason County and the sur- rounding area are fortunate to have a great local radio station in KMAS 1030 AM. During our recent storm of December 1-3, which caused ex- tensive flooding, road damage and power outages, I was unable to reach my home in Hoodsport due to flooding of Highway 101. I stayed in my vehicle approxi- mately 24 hours waiting for the road to open. It was reassuring to hear KMAS give periodic updates of the condition of local roads. KMAS stayed on the air even when normal power was out the station in Shelton and in surrounding area. We all should be thankful have KMAS to keep us during emergencies that face from time to time. Bob Don't trust anyone under 30 = Editor, The Journal: I appreciate the fact that Joanne Wolters took the time last week to respond to my November 29 letter about carding at Wal- Mart. I respect her opinion, even though I don't agree. My 50-plus-year-old husband was not complimented by being carded. Instead he felt it was one more ridiculous example of "the majority being inconvenienced because of a few." Another exam- ple of political correctness going crazy. By the way, I checked Costco yesterday, and they people who look under 30. Common sense is alive Val Harstine