In a breathtaking maneuver last Tuesday evening, the Whatcom County Council showed that the sleazy tactics used in the last election were in fact indicative of their true colors.
We saw this in the underhanded way candidates for the Ferry Advisory Board were selected. A new applicant was added without due process, and the voting process was weird, to say the least. Consider what happened, as reported at Saturday Morning Live...
This council also bent over backward to accommodate marijuana production as "agriculture," with huge grow and processing operations popping-up all over the county in places where business of this type and scale wasn't being conducted during the Growth Management Act (GMA) "bright line" year 1990. No such breaks will be given to other citizens, who had bloody well better stay inside the lines that have been drawn tightly around them in rural areas, ag zones, and LAMIRDs. And this council continues to haggle to make small livestock processing operations as restricted and miserable as possible. Seem like a double standard? Special privileges for the favored?
We saw this in the underhanded way candidates for the Ferry Advisory Board were selected. A new applicant was added without due process, and the voting process was weird, to say the least. Consider what happened, as reported at Saturday Morning Live...
This council also bent over backward to accommodate marijuana production as "agriculture," with huge grow and processing operations popping-up all over the county in places where business of this type and scale wasn't being conducted during the Growth Management Act (GMA) "bright line" year 1990. No such breaks will be given to other citizens, who had bloody well better stay inside the lines that have been drawn tightly around them in rural areas, ag zones, and LAMIRDs. And this council continues to haggle to make small livestock processing operations as restricted and miserable as possible. Seem like a double standard? Special privileges for the favored?
...these days, in Whatcom County.
We have rules and protocols to ensure that the citizens have their voice, and a state constitution to ensure everyone gets fair and equal treatment under laws - that is, if elected officials actually follow the Constitution, not outrageously ignore it.
Washington State Constitution, Article 1,
SECTION 8 IRREVOCABLE PRIVILEGE, FRANCHISE OR IMMUNITY PROHIBITED. No law granting irrevocably any privilege, franchise or immunity, shall be passed by the legislature.
SECTION 12 SPECIAL PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES PROHIBITED. No law shall be passed granting to any citizen, class of citizens, or corporation other than municipal, privileges or immunities which upon the same terms shall not equally belong to all citizens, or corporations.
Of course, audacity is a powerful tool. You've heard the expression, "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission." Forgiveness may be divine, but we mortals should let the county council know we saw what they did, and we do not approve.
Send your emails to all council, council@co.whatcom.wa.us or individually,
Send your emails to all council, council@co.whatcom.wa.us or individually,
- At-Large, Rud Browne (360) 820-9494 RBrowne@co.whatcom.wa.us
- District 1, A Barry Buchanan (360) 224-4330 BBuchana@co.whatcom.wa.us
- District 1, B Pete Kremen (360) 734-3802 PKremen@whatcomcounty.us
- District 2, A Ken Mann (360) 483-6020 KMann@co.whatcom.wa.us
- District 2, B Sam Crawford (360) 671-7262 SCrawfor@co.whatcom.wa.us
- District 3, A Carl Weimer (360) 384-5919 CWeimer@co.whatcom.wa.us
- District 3, B Barbara Brenner (360) 384-2762 BBrenner@co.whatcom.wa.us
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