Special Meeting of Sunnyside City Council Tonight

December 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I just ran across the information about the Sunnyside City Council meeting tonight.  A special meeting has been called to discuss the garbage tax.  At least some action will need to be taken by Council before the end of year, or there will not be an operating agreement approved with the garbage hauler.  Giving the agenda a cursory review, I was pleased that the take it or leave it approach staff had at the last meeting has been ameliorated somewhat.

Staff  still recommends the full amount of the increase (to include funding pay raises at City Hall).  However, they also point out that Council could take a “minimalist” approach to increasing the tax.  I would like to point out, that Council can also exercise a third option, somewhere in the middle as well.  The Council can alter the recommendation through amendments if it sees another viable alternative.

Back when I was in school, I studied executive decision making systems in a business class.  One major corporation had a system so simple it consisted of two buttons.  “Yes” and “No”.  The CEO for this Fortune 500 company was a technophobe, and this was as complex a system as he could handle.  Staff may think that Council Members need this type of simplicity as well.  To be sure, it takes time to do careful analysis of issues, and make decisions outside of these limitations.  Are Council Members committed to studying the issues, or just to showing up for meetings?

At lease some Council Members are showing an interest in looking at the facts before making decisions.  Council Members Hancock, Gehlen, and Stone each held off on approving a hike in garbage tax so they could look at the information.  The way it was thrust on them at the last minute, with no supporting data, and at the last scheduled meeting of the year, was not right.  Staff pressure tactics backfired, causing the special meeting to be held tonight.

Council has cut the budget in ways that mainly have an adverse impact on the Citizens of the Community.  Police patrol officers have been cut, parks and recreation have been cut.  The community center has been closed.  Throughout all of this, City Staff have not been asked to share any of that pain.  (With the exception  of those that were laid off, to release funds for still more pay raises.)

Council owes the citizens the smallest garbage tax increase it can make, that will ensure continuous service.  It has painted itself into a corner by approving pay raises, before considering the tax increase to pay for it.  The cart is before the horse.  Let’s hope some sanity can be restored to the budget process next year.

Filed under Sunnyside Budget Issues, Sunnyside Council Tagged with ,

Constitution Free Zone Expanded In State Of Washington

December 15, 2008 by 4 Comments

Kudos to the Associated Press for running a story about the impact of the Constitution Free Zone on US residents.  The Border Patrol, by executive order, has been granted authority to set up road blocks and stop Citizens at will up to 100 miles from land or coastal borders.  This zone includes 2/3 of all Americans.  Hundreds more Border Patrol agents are to be hired in the next year.

These checkpoints are not only a nuisance to Citizens, but also to the Federal Government!  Former Yakima County Prosecutor Jeff Sullivan is now a US Attorney.  He has bluntly told the Border Patrol to stop sending petty marijuana cases to his office.  The marijuana busts that occurred had come from inland road blocks on state highways according to the article.  Mr. Sullivan told the Border Patrol that the longstanding policy of his office has been to use Federal resources to pursue sophisticated criminal organizations.

In one area where my beliefs differ from the Libertarians, I am not in favor of legalizing drugs.  However, when the Federal Government does not have the resources to prosecute every drug case it finds, that should tell us something.  If an argument can be made to legalize drugs, the argument for marijuana legalization probably has the most merit.  As budgets get tighter, the government should prioritize its focus on the most serious cases. 

However, the Border Patrol, part of Homeland Security, is awash in money and unapologetic about its expansion in Washington, and other states along the northern border.  Citizens are starting to sound off, such as this quote from a Washington resident:

“We’re going to become a military zone in effect, where the federal government has dozens of police on the street, stopping people at will”, said Eric Chester of Port Townsend, Washington

Hopefully, the new Administration will scale back the 100 mile belt of jurisdiction, and keep the Border Patrol where it traditionally has operated: on the border.  If not, we face yet another erosion of our freedoms.  The freedom to travel our country without being stopped at random Federal checkpoints is but one of these.

See the Associated Press Article: Washington a hot spot in Border Patrol’s expansion

See also my December 2nd post about the Constitution Free Zone.

Filed under Constitutional Issues, Freedom Issues Tagged with ,

BlogSunnyside Surpasses 1,000 Page Views

December 14, 2008 by 2 Comments

This weekend BlogSunnyside surpassed 1,000 page views.  (And no, my own visits do not count in this total!)  With increasing traffic, the next thousand will come much sooner.  Thank you everybody for participating.  I hope you are having as much fun reading it, as I do writing it.

Filed under Uncategorized

When the Federales Are Involved

December 12, 2008 by Leave a Comment

“When the federales are involved, gang bangers start coughing up information, because they are going away for a long time in a prison far away from their mothers and girlfriends.”

says an ATF undercover agent, quoted in U.S. News & World Report.  He is quoted anonymously because he still works undercover.  The article dated December 15 / December 22, 2008, is entitled:

The War on Gangs

Inside the feds’ strategy to get hit men and enforcers off the streets

The article has some good information about how the gang problem is truly nationwide, with rural and suburban areas having to deal with this issue just as much as the big cities.  Federal officers are exploiting gangs’ appetites for guns and are able to send some of the worst offenders off to distant federal pens.  In rural areas, one or two federal agents have been successful in severely disrupting gang activity by taking out key leaders.  Local law enforcement and social agencies have then been in a better position to straighten out the remaining problems.

There is no silver bullet to deal with a problem as complex and embedded in our society as gangs.  However, this tactic may be beneficial in an overall effort to combat gangs.  As we see increasing gun violence here in Sunnyside, agents of the ATF may be able to provide some assistance in this matter.  It is just one tool, of many, that local law enforcement has available.

Something else to consider, is what the article mentioned about gangs in our western region:

“…out West, street gangs are diversifying their criminal portfolios to include identity theft while continuing to supply narcotics, mostly methamphetamines and marijuana.  Gangs in the West are also most likely to partner with organized crime, particularly the Mexican drug cartels and the Asian mafia.”

Things that make you go…hmmm.  Well, let’s see: Washington State has one of the highest rates of identity theft in the nation, and at least in our valley, a high number of immigrants.  I am sure it is just random chance that identity theft and drug crimes with meth addicts are such a big issue here in Yakima County.  Well, the U.S. News article does make mention of the fact that some communities are in denial that they have a gang problem.  Is this why anti-gang legislation is not getting more attention from the Washington State Legislature?

At the most recent meeting of the Sunnyside City Council, Eric Swansen the City Manager, stated that ideally State Law on gangs would set minimum standards and let local communities take additional measures to police gang activities.  I agree.  Let local communities take more action.  We have an increasing number of gang shootings taking place.  High school kids I am acquainted with sometimes worry about getting home safe.  Counties and Cities need all the help they can get.  Sometimes, just having the State get out of the way can help.  To those in Olympia: when taking up anti-gang legislation, please do not restrict additional measures cities may want to enact.  If a municipality wants to do more, why stop them?

I am not a fan of getting the federal government involved in our lives any more than is necessary.  After all, it is federal law requiring we use our social security number for all kinds of financial transactions that makes the crime of identity theft so profitable for gangsters.  However, if ATF agents can help take out some the most violent offenders in our area, by prosecuting gun crime in federal court, so be it.  Until we can get Congress to reverse some of its idiotic requirements on our personal business transactions, we must find ways to work within the existing system.  Getting ATF assistance in prosecuting some of the violent crimes occurring in our area may be one way to help.  It is up to our local political and law enforcement officials to decide if that is a route worth pursuing.

One disturbing trend mentioned by one candidate for the Yakima County Prosecutor position, was that of career criminals.  Something to keep in mind, is what an Aurora, IL law enforcement official said in the U.S. News article:

“We can’t even help our confidential informants find jobs.  They do criminal background checks to work in fast food.”

It is simply not enough to send guys away for longer sentences.  Although it can be of temporary help, it alone is not a permanent solution.  Making sure we have ways to transition convicts out of prison successfully is important as well.  If they can’t even get a minimum wage job, they are going to be awfully tempted to return to criminal activity to survive.  Our local churches, service agencies, and businesses have a role to play in this as well.  Breaking the hold of the gangster culture is a difficult task.  There are no quick fixes.  If we as a community do not tolerate the gangs, they will eventually disappear.  Make no mistake, it will take effort and sacrifice, on the part of all us, to make it happen.

 

Filed under Sunnyside Crime Issues, Uncategorized Tagged with , ,

Barney the Purple Dinosaur Used Against Terrorists

December 11, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Yes, our military has used Barney’s singing as a tool against terrorists!  U.S. military interrogators have blasted music at detainees as part of the interrogation process.  One tune in the music library is that absolutely horrible “I Love You” song that apparently was the cause of dinosaurs going extinct.

If you locked me up and made me listen to that I would probably knuckle under to the pressure.  I would rather be subjected to water-boarding!  Well, almost.

As the parent of three children under the age of five, I long ago declared the home to be a “Barney Free Zone”.  I am sure I am not the only parent to have ever done this.

In all seriousness, though, it is not right to have prisoners and not treat them humanely because you refer to them as detainees.  If we really were fighting a legitimate war, they would have Geneva Convention protections.  Also, U.S. citizens being held would be allowed to adjudicate their cases in U.S. courts, as required by the Constitution.  If not, we are on a slippery slope to secret police arresting people without charges, leaving family and friends to wonder why they disappeared.  Think it would never happen here?  Think again.  A right to a trial is a serious thing.

For information on other songs used follow the link to see the FoxNews story about this here.

Filed under Constitutional Issues, Uncategorized Tagged with ,

Discouraged By Republican Losses In 2008? Here’s Some Ways To Help:

December 10, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Are you discouraged by Republican losses in the 2008 election?  Are you frustrated by a government that does not seem to be responsive to the people; i.e. voters?  Do you feel like you were forced into voting for the “lesser of two evils”?  Relax, there is much to be hopeful for.  However, real “change” won’t happen unless we get to work to make things better.  This post will cover some ways to get on board.  If you have additional ideas, please leave comments.

First, it is not enough to simply vote in the election.  This passive approach resulted in the disastrous results we saw this past November.  We need to become involved in the Party itself to make it better.

Historically, the Republican Party has promoted Conservative ideas such as traditional values, limited government, and a strong National defense.  In the last eight years, what we got was lip service to these ideas by NeoConservatives, who governed with a “Compassionate Conservative” mantra.  It was simply Democrat Lite.

Mr. Moderate McCain was nominated by the RINOs and NeoCons, fully discrediting their philosophy at the ballot box.  Liberals stuck by their guy, and independents were turned off by a Republican Party that did not act true to itself.  In order to get a REAL Conservative on the ballot in the future, we need to make sure our Party leaders support Conservative values.  This starts at a local level.

In the State of Washington, we have Precinct Committee Officers.  Other states have Precinct Captains, or Precinct Committee Chairs.  Whatever your local, grassroots positions are, get involved.  Look up the local Party information on-line, see what is required to run for a position, and put your name in. 

When I looked it up, I found out that my Precinct did not even have a Precinct Committee Officer.  I ran and won the position.  What we need to also do, is find other like minded Conservatives to run in their Precincts as well.  As we pick up more Precinct Committee Officer type positions, we can influence the Party leadership on a County level.  This in turn, will build into influence at the State level, and finally on a National scale.

Along the way, we can get more Conservatives elected in Local offices.  We can support Conservative candidates for House and Senate seats also.  The more Conservatives that are active in the Party, the more likely a Conservative will be on the ballot for the grand prize of President.

In certain situations, Party officials may abuse their office in a desperate attempt to cling to power.  I have heard about some terrible fights taking place in King County, Washington.  The Republican National Convention even went so far as to re-write some rules on how delegates are chosen at State level, because some Ron Paul supporters were unfairly shut out of the Convention process in Washington State.

True Conservatives are not afraid to follow their own rules.  I mention this because it will not always be an easy process.  If a County Chair is not being responsive to the voters, Precinct Officers can run a candidate to replace him or her.

My experience so far in the Yakima County Republicans has been positive.  The Party actually WANTS more Precinct Committee Officers.  In the Lower Valley, the problem is especially true in Grandview.  If you have an interest, and don’t want to wait till the next election, contact the Party and request to be appointed a Precinct Committee Officer.  I suspect other Counties around the State, and the rest of the country will generally be supportive as well.

County Party meetings are usually open to the public, but generally only Precinct Officers and County Boards will vote on issues of importance.  This is why it is imperative to become a Precinct Officer.  Your voice will carry more weight by holding the position.

It is also important to keep voting, and support Conservative Campaigns through volunteerism, and to the extent you are able, financially giving as well.

A great organization that is attempting to get more grassroots involvement in Precincts across the country is the:

Campaign For Liberty. 

Check them out.  Sign up to be a member.  Join the cause.  Make our Party better.

Filed under 2008 Election, Campaign for Liberty, Yakima County Republicans Tagged with , ,

Sunnyside Council Likely To Hold Meeting For “Trash Talk”

December 9, 2008 by 5 Comments

At last night’s City Council meeting, storm water runoff taxes were increased for industrial zoned property, and payroll increases for employees were passed.  An amendment to the 2008 budget was passed as well.  Eric Swansen was proud that the City was overbudget by only $29,000.  What he did not mention, is that had it not been for the $41,784 of retroactive pay increases, he could have managed to meet the budget for the year.

One item that did not pass, was a proposed increase in the garbage tax.  The increase in garbage collection costs by the contracted hauler amounts to about 21%.  City Manager Eric Swansen proposed increasing the garbage tax 25% to fund pay raises at City Hall, and increase the general fund.  Council Members Theresa Hancock, Carol Stone, and Tom Gehlen voted against increasing the tax.  They stated they needed more information from City Staff to justify the increase over what the contractor is charging.

Eric Swansen stated a special meeting would need to be held before the end of the year to address the garbage tax.  While I agree that fuel costs, dumping fees, and other expenses have gone up over the last year, I do not agree with a City Council that simply rubber stamps recommendations for tax increases.  Council Member Bill Gant said to question any portion of the increase was a violation of trust.  Perhaps Mr. Gant should read up on the concept of checks and balances that our founding fathers put into the design of our government.

One irate businessman accused the prior City Manager of being a “dictator” on a billboard.  If no one ever questioned City Staff proposals, the Manager would be a defacto dictator.  I would like to thank Council Members Gehlen, Hancock, and Stone for asking that a documented need exist, before raising taxes.  Holding Staff accountable for their actions is part of the role of the City Council.

An increase in garbage taxes will almost certainly be needed.  However, it should be based on the cost of collection, not the cost of a bloated and growing City payroll.  Perhaps Council should consider having the contractor do the billing for garbage, so Staff can be cut at City Hall.  As was mentioned at the meeting, additional personnell cuts will be needed to pay for the raises employees will receive.  Billing for garbage collection can easily be done by a vendor.

In closing, I do need to mention that the City Council has changed the agenda for meetings, so citizen comments can be made at the beginning instead of the end.  This way, citizens can give input on issues before action is taken by the Council.  This is a welcome change to the previous practice.

Filed under Sunnyside Budget Issues, Sunnyside Council Tagged with , ,

Troy Clements Tops Republican Party Rankings For Yakima County Prosecutor

December 7, 2008 by 2 Comments

Update DEC 10: Yakima County Commissioners will hold a meeting on Friday, December 12, 2008 to consider the candidates for Prosecutor.  A final decision is expected by December 26th.  See the story from:  KNDO/KNDU

This past Saturday, Republican Precinct Committee Officers held a special meeting to consider the candidates for Yakima County Prosecutor.  Troy Clements came out on top of the rankings with 17 votes.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Hagarty got 13 votes, Ken Ramm got five votes.  These rankings and PCO vote totals will be sent to the Yakima County Commissioners to consider when filling the Prosecutor position.  Whoever is named will then stand for election in November 2009.  In 2010, the Prosecutor will again be on the ballot, this time for a full four-year term.

I was at this special meeting, and also voted for the rankings, as Precinct Committee Officer for #1708, in Sunnyside.  Each candidate had mailed me a letter prior to this vote, detailing their interest and qualifications for the position.  In addition, each candidate had 15 minutes to speak to the PCOs at the meeting, with a five minute question & answer segment at the conclusion of their presentation.

Although 36 PCOs attended, only 35 marked a choice on the ballot for the candidates.  I was only one of the voting PCOs, and can not speak for others in attendance.  The opinions I am about to share are mine alone.  I was impressed with all three candidates, and feel each would be qualified for the position.  Now that the rankings have been made, the ball is in the commissioner’s court.

Congratulations are in order for Troy Clements, who garnered the most votes.  Clements, who like me is 33 years of age, was the youngest of the three men.  He mentioned that some people might consider his relative youth to be a weakness, but he said it can also be a strength as well.  Clements talked about the importance of attracting more young people to be involved with the Party, to keep it viable in Yakima County.  He discussed how juvenile crime leads to adult crime.  Clements mentioned that repeat offenders keep the Prosecutor’s office very busy, and would make getting longer sentences for them a priority.  He also stated that meth addicts need stricter sentencing and supervision to get them off the drug.

One story Clements shared that was very moving to me, was about an uncooperative witness in a gang crime of murder.  The witness would not testify because it was against his values, coming from the gang culture himself.  (Most if not all of the candidates mentioned uncooperative witnesses make it difficult to prosecute gang crime.)  Clements told of how he could not get this person to talk to him on the phone, or call his office.  Not satisfied with this, he tracked the person down himself, and eventually got him to testify.  The murder case is now going through the court system.  Clements said he would be the candidate most likely to get out of the office, and check on things in the local courts, as well as local neighborhoods when necessary.  He said he could not expect witnesses just to come to him, if he did not make an effort to go to them to secure testimony in important cases.

Clements also would like to see funds set up to relocate witnesses.  This would also help in prosecuting gang crime.  In the legislature, he would like to see more action taken on the Anti-Gang Bill.

Jim Hagarty stressed the leadership role of the County Prosecutor, and how important it is to have a chief that will demand performance from his subordinates.  He said the Prosecutor’s Office needs to have a strong policy of response to local law enforcement, letting them know quickly if a crime will be charged, or if it needs investigation.  Hagarty mentioned budget cuts will eliminate four positions in the office by 2010.  He feels that his prior experience as a County Prosecutor would best enable him to manage the budget and personnel of the office.

Ken Ramm had what I felt like was the best resume of the three.  His relatively low vote total was perhaps due to a weaker oral presentation at the meeting.  The candidates drew lots for speaking order, and by random chance Ramm was the first to speak.  He said that biggest issue besides budget for the office, is gang violence.  If selected for the office he would like to establish a Gang Unit that works across multiple courts to prosecute gang crime.  Currently, each attorney works on an individual basis to prosecute crimes.  He also felt that improving communication with local law enforcement should be made a priority.

Time will tell if the Yakima County Commissioners follow the rankings of the PCOs or choose a different candidate.  I wish all three the best of luck going forward, regardless of who is ulimately selected.

For additional information, see the Yakima Herald story: Clements Favored To Become Next County Prosecutor

Filed under Yakima County Republicans Tagged with ,

Fred Thompson On The Economy

December 6, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Fred Thompson has released this new video with a Holiday message about the economy.  He is starting to sound a little like Ron Paul!  Could it be that the Ron Paul R3VOLution and Campaign for Liberty are having an effect on the Party establishment?  Let’s hope so.

Filed under Economy, Ron Paul Tagged with , , ,

What The Sunnyside City Manager And Employees Don’t Want You To Know

December 5, 2008 by 3 Comments

From 2005 to the 2009 preliminary budget, base pay for City employees has increased from $4,307,476 to $5,587,184.60.  This is nearly a 30% increase!  Keep in mind this is base pay only.  This figure does not include overtime pay, or the full benefits each employee gets.  In the proposed budget for 2009, it is my understanding that benefits will cost an additional 24-25% of the pay for each employee.  But that is a story for another day.  Today, I am simply going to focus on some basic payroll numbers.

According to usinflationcalculator.com, the rate of inflation from 2005-2008 is 10.9%.  The City payroll budget is increasing at nearly 3 times the rate of inflation!  What’s more, the number of employees are decreasing as the City Council cuts personnel to pay for even more increases in pay!  This is getting out of hand.  The City Council needs to start showing some restraint in its spending increases.  Services are being cut, public safety is being jeopardized by cuts to law enforcement, and taxes are being increased to pay for this engorged payroll budget.

Several employees have seen pay increases of 35% during this time frame.  The increases are coming so quickly, that there are four employees that will be paid more than City Manager Eric Swansen next year.  I bet he will expect a raise also.  The employees making more than the City Manager are: City Attorney Mark Kunkler: $95,868.49; Fire Chief Aaron Markham: $95,868.49; Police Chief Edwin Radder: $95,868.49; and Public Works Director James Bridges: $96,749.14.

It is also my understanding that several of these most highly paid employees do not even reside in Sunnyside.  This is a significant sum of money being taken out of our local economy.  When the City Council takes this budget up, I would suggest making a new policy for City employees: that all new hires be residents of the City of Sunnyside.  In addition, to remain employed with the City, they will be required to maintain residence in the City of Sunnyside.  If this clause is not in the City Manager’s contract, it should be added before any raises are given.

Eric Swansen, City Manager, projects a 5% increase in pay for each coming year.  Where did he get this number?  It certainly is not tied to inflation.  The current inflation rate is 3.7%.  He certainly did not get his number from growth of the Sunnyside economy.  Mr. Swansen himself estimates the local economy will only grow 1-2%. 

Attention Citizens: We are about to get hammered with even more cuts in services, and simultaneous tax increases.  If nothing changes, the same actions will need to be taken at budget time next year also.  And the year after that.  And the year after that.  We can make it stop!

The title of this post is “What the Sunnyside City Manager And Employees Don’t Want You To Know”.  The reason for this is because the type of analysis I am doing is not possible with information on the City’s website.  Legacy budget information is not posted on-line for the citizens to see.  This is important.  Union contracts are negotiated for three years at a time.  At a minimum, three years of budget information should be available for review.  Why hide this information?  How much can it cost to post annual budgets on-line for the past 5-10 years?  This information should also include a breakdown of payroll information, and detail for each department.  Hey City Council, how about making the budget a little more open and transparent for all of us to see?

Filed under Sunnyside Budget Issues, Sunnyside Council Tagged with ,

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