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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 15, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 15, 2011
 
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~l,L,I.l;,Id,t.l,,l,,l,J,l,,I,idl .... II .... Ill,,,Id,t,i Thursday, December 15, 2011 -- Week 50 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- Published in Shelton, Washington -- $1 • • • • :9 Commissioners duck out on mandatory training session By KEVAN MOORE Mason County has reached a $115,000 settlement with former budget director Ione Siegler. Siegler, who was the Mason County Director of Budget and Finance/Risk Management for 19 years, was fired June 22, 2009. Just over a week later she filed a claim for damages alleging long running discrimination based on her sex and age. She later filed similar charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity "given the distinction of being the the EEOC in October. As part of settlement. Commission (EEOC). lowest paid director in the county, that agreement, the board this "I didn't stay for the entire ses- At the heart of Siegler's griev- by a wide margin." week amended the county's per- sion, but I got the materials. I had ances was an allegation that Ma- The way in which Siegler was sonnel policies by adding an en- another commitment," Sheldon son County Commissioner Tim actually fired, following her meet- tire chapter on non-discrimina- said. Sheldon urged her to retire be- ing with Sheldon in which thetion and harassment. When asked about the training, cause of her age. ageist comments were made, also The EEOC agreement also very Ring Erickson had a nearly iden- "He said, 'At your age, why don't raised several red flags~ clearly calls for a two-hour train- tical response. you consider retiring,'" Siegler "I did not deserve being sub-ing on the Age Discrimination in "I was late signing in, stayed wrote in her original claim for jected to unequal pay, discrimi- Employment Act to be paid for by for the PowerPoint presentation damages. "He also said that the natory treatment, retaliation and the county and attended by com- and then I had another commit- county could hire someone young- even violations of the Open Public missioners, managers and super- ment," Ring Erickson said. er for my job who would be around Meetings Act in the rush to get visors. That $845 training was Sheldon and Ring Erickson re- for a longer period of time." rid of me before the investigation held Nov. 8 at the public works fused to answer any other ques- As far back as September 2006 into what I had reported was even building, but commissioners Shel- tions about Siegler's claims or the Siegler noted that younger male started," Siegler wrote in her orig- don and Lynda Ring Erickson, settlement itself. employees were being hired and inal claim, who was also intimately involved Calls to the EEOC and the paid ten pay ranges above her County commissioners voted in Siegler's termination, did not Washington Counties Risk Pool, while her salary remained flat for unanimously to approve a concili- actually stay long enough to meet which handled the case for.Mason more than a decade and she was ation agreement with Siegler and the requirements outlined in the County, were not returned. A Porsche leads a pack of cars through the straightaway at a charity track event at the outside of Shelton on Sunday. Journal photos by Natalie Johnson Ridge Motorsports Park Ridge Motorsports Park charity event raises $10,O00 for local programs By NATALIE JOHNSON Shelton's Ridge Motorsports Park opened its road course last weekend for the first time for an invitational charity event, which raised $10,000 for local programs. All of the proceeds from the two-day event were split evenly between two organizations: SOCK (Save Our County's Kids) and the Foster Children Christmas Pro- gram at the Shelton division of DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services). The event also collected two full pickup trucks of food dona- tions for local food banks. Co-owner of the Ridge Mo- torsports Park Rod Powell was thrilled to open the track to select racers before the end of 2011. "Oh boy," he said. "We needed A pack of cars speed through a turn on the road course at the Ridge Motorsports Park for a charity track event on Sunday~ to introduce the track. Obviously On Saturday, the track hosted what we get out ofit is seeing very 70 motorcycles and on Sunday happy people and that's what it's 80 cars registered to run on the all about." track. Organizers of the event stressed none of the events were races, just track days. Drivers couldn't get enough of the track, which has more than a dozen turns. "I've only been out once, it's re- ally complex ... it's wider than a lot of tracks," said Joseph Gilm- ore, before his second set of laps in his BMW M3. He particularly remarked on the change in elevation from one part of the road course to another. '~Your ears pop coming down the ridge," he said. Gilmore, owner of Munich Mo- torworks in Portland, said he wants to take every opportunity to come back to the Ridge Motor- sports Park in the future, and he wasn't the only driver absolutely See Cars on page A-7 Gregoire launches shellfish initiative in Shelton By NATALIE JOHNSON ity and shellfish habitat in Washington. Gov. Chris Gregoire "It's a day about jobs traveled to Shelton lastand economy but it's a day Fridayto launch the Wash- about celebrating our cul- ington Shellfish Initiative ture and leaving a legacy to improve water qual- for our children," Gregoire said. IIIIU! !l!!ll!!l!!lUll II The program is a com- plement to the National 8 2 See Shellfish on page A-7 Gov. Chris Gregoire, left, listens to Taylor Shellfish spokesman Bill Dewey on Friday. Gregoire later announced Washing- ton's partnership with the National Shellfish Initiative. Journal photo by Natalie Johnson ° County votes for no tax increase By NATALIE JOHNSON The Mason County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday, after a lengthy discussion with elected of- ficials, to not raise property taxes for 2012, eliminating $89,000 of possible revenue for the county. Each year, local govern- ment entities have the op- tion to raise property taxes by 1 percent. The county commission See Taxes on page A-8 Journal, 40 et 8 fund grows to nearly $ 4k By KEVAN MOORE The 65th annual Christ- mas basket fund, sponsored by ~he 40 et 8 and the Shel- ton-Mason County Journal, has now raised $13,889. This year's goal is $40,000. Donations to support the Christmas food baskets may be mailed to the Journal at P.O. Box 430, Shelton 98584 or dropped offat the newspa- per office located at 227 West Cota Street during business hours. Make checks payable to: Journal -- 40 et 8 fund. Here is a closer look at the latest donations: the Norvold-Aho family, $200; Gregory & Genell Brown, $30; anonymous, $20; in Memory of Joanne (Beynon) Wolters, $200; the Wilson Family, $500; in Memory of Gene Rutledge, $25; George Kaszycki, $100; Fred and Karl Sleight, $300; Jim and Peg, in memory of Ed Stock and Mary Penney, $100; anonymous, $100; John and Nancy Bolender, $100; L.D. Omdahl, $100; in Memory of Allen and Wayne Coleman, $50; Donald and Donna Falk, $25; in memory of Lefty and Lila Mac Riddle, $50; Victo- ria Meadows and Chris Ve-. blin, $100; Ann and Philip Rousseau, $100; Ste- ven and Joan Buzzard, $100; Roxielee and Harmon Pow- ers, $50; Kristmas Town Ki- wanis, $500; Robert ancl Ar- lene Jacobson, $100; anony- mous, $100; Norma Larson, $100; Robert and Evelyn Trenckmann, $200; St. Ed- wards Alter Society, $200; and Ellen and Russell Stuck, $30.