According to Senator Whitsett, the Oregon State Senate unanimously confirmed the appointments of Donna Opitz and Eric Farm to the Port Commission and ” followed the lead of three other Coastal caucus Senator members (Roblan, Johnson, Kruse) in voting to confirm their appointments”.
Perhaps the Coastal caucus senators can demand an accounting of all monies spent by the port and put the agency on a results or performance based system before enabling the transfer of additional taxpayer funds on development schemes.
Here’s a better one, hopefully we’re going to see some more real soon, this is for you little al, and your buddies who “take somethin for nothin” from the rest of us:
http://youtu.be/xoyVFJFoKqs
Karma is a bitch, with a long memory little guy.
I’m directing THIS one to you little guy, and all your sychophants who have pulled the wool for forty years with this Port.
The Ultimate Wet Dream:
Published on Thursday, March 14, 2013 by Common Dreams
Bankruptcy attorney Kevyn Orr to begin job he sees as “the Olympics of restructuring
– Andrea Germanos, staff writer
In what has been described as “the largest state takeover of a city in U.S. history,” an emergency financial manager has been officially appointed for Detroit.
Detroit Mayor Bing, Gov. Snyder and newly appointed Emergency Financial Manager Kevyn Orr at a press conference. (Photo: Michigan.gov) After being recommended by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and unanimously approved by the Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board on Thursday afternoon, bankruptcy attorney Kevyn Orr will begin his role as emergency financial manager for an 18-month term starting March 25.
Kind of an experiment in government privatization, or more succinctly, privatize the profits and socialize the losses. I highly doubt one would ever hear someone from the port, or any of the bakers dozen of development agencies, or their spokespeople say the port should be put back in local voter control. Just questioning the appointments without a vote gets them squealing. Good ol’ small gubment repubs.
Well, here’s what I wrote to all the legislators involved — for all the good it did:
“I’m writing in opposition to the appointments of Donna Opitz and Eric Farm to the Coos Bay Port Commission.
My opposition to these two appointments is not based on personal antagonism. Instead, it rests on two considerations, both of which pertain to the economic future of our area.
The first consideration is that neither one of these individuals is any more qualified to serve the interests of the residents of the Port District than are the other, still serving port commissioners. For example, Donna Opitz is the widow of a former director of the South Coast Development Corporation, a body that’s been around for a dozen years to foster “economic development” and has achieved absolutely nothing. But the same can be said of the other dozen-and-a-half economic development agencies around here, including the port commission itself; and this is the second consideration. All their efforts have not just failed; they’ve been counterproductive. I have documented this in my recently-published book “The Job Messiahs,” which documents nearly four decades of disastrous “economic development” programs in Coos Bay.
Instead of appointing anybody to the Coos Bay Port Commission, the best thing the Legislature could do would be to return the right to elect and recall their port commissioners to the voters of the port district. That’s because, back in 1986, the voters were robbed of those rights by means of audacious election fraud by the Port. The sordid story of that event can be found through this link:
http://mgx.com/blogs/2012/11/10/the-inside-story-of-elections-fraud-and-the-port-of-coos-bay/ That particular article is based on two chapters of my book.
Ever since the governor has appointed the Port Commission, the history of the port has been marked by imperious and deceitful manipulations to force obnoxious industries onto an unwilling local population. Not that the Port has ever succeeded; all those plans were either scams or unserious proposals. But they caused great harm to the area by discouraging new residents from settling here, and by blocking alternative, more beneficial developments. Yet all of the governor-appointed appointed commissioners have been of the same predictable mind-set. They supported every industrial development scheme because of their fervent belief in the vast industrial potential of Coos Bay and its harbor. As I have shown in my book, such beliefs are absurd, and the port’s fruitless efforts to re-industrialize the Coos Bay area have set our development back decades. For the last thirty years, Coos Bay has been the only stagnant or economically declining part of fast-growing western Oregon. Our social conditions are the worst in the region, as is our unemployment; our cities are full of abandoned homes, and our property values are some 25% lower than in nearby coastal towns such as Florence, Bandon and Brookings.
Coos Bay needs a change of direction, but it will not come from state-appointed port commissioners. The state of Oregon needs to let go of the reins and allow local priorities to work themselves out through the democratic process.”
Are you directing that question to me?
You just answered it.
Interesting question, The Reminder. I’ll answer your question with a question: are you a psychopath, a schizophrenic or schizoid? You’re displaying symptons of each. Please – get help.
So insinuating that you are a liar, or stupid, or both, makes the person that thinks that of you a psychopath, a schizophrenic or schizoid. That means that there are a lot of us running loose around you. That should make you feel safe at night, knowing you moved to a community with so many dangerous people near you who know where you work. Be very careful, you might piss off the wrong person with statements like that, especially if they are what you surmise. But dealing with a liar or a stupid person strikes no fear in such people, just anger.
I’m adding anger issues to your list of travails, Reminder. Seriously – get help.
You have a comprehension problem. I never said i was angry, but you might anger others if you insult the wrong person like that, anyone that does have the problems you listed could be a serious problem for you to deal with, since they could find you very easily.
Al regularly jumps to bad conclusions like when he assumed Coos County’s poverty, drug problems and teen dropout rates could be cured if Oregon were more business friendly like Texas – http://mgx.com/blogs/2011/06/04/poverty-and-unemployment-unrelated-to-business-friendly-status/
Remember, reminder, Al hangs around with people who either deliberately manipulate data to serve their hidden agendas or have difficulty with basic math
Are you saying that being anti-business will cure poverty, drug problems and teen dropout rates? Hmmmm… I think that’s the cue for me to sign off on this “discussion”.
He also retreats into non sequitur arguments when the going gets rough and insults aren’t working
His understanding of your writings is abysmal. He has never read anything on this site that he didn’t misinterpret and then spew back a regurgitated version of the facts. He’s quite the transplanted local “political” character. Your just never going to know how he will interpret the news that he reads here. He’s an MGX junkie just like some of us regular readers, only he plays the antagonist to the nature of this site (spirit), and that is the only “local” representative of the chamber and SCDC (our quasi-government) willing to interact with its detractors. So I guess we should value him as a true example of the local power brokers. Its really humorous when he acts like they don’t exist. He reminds me of the character on soap played by Richard Mulligan, when the character felt confused or trapped he would wave his arms in a X and then think that no one could see him. Al’s continuous disappearing act on this site is going to make him famous. How many times has he said he was going to quit coming here?
Thank you, Reminder, for answering my question. I am, however, completely baffled by your ramblings about inner-circles, bounties, dinner parties and tax-payer rip-offs.
Are you really that stupid, or naive, or just a liar?
I guess living with one of the co-architects of the current port agenda makes you qualified to see the deed done. It sure does look like cronyism at its worst.
The SCDC cabal has no limits to their reach, right into the governors office, even after the death of one of the co-founders, his wife is being took care of.
That group must laugh their asses off at their dinner parties, knowing the tax payers are funding their lifestyle, while they continue to produce failures. Meanwhile people like Al are trying their damnedest to penetrate the inner circle and share the bounty of that lifestyle at the tax payers expense.
All small gubment good ol’ boy Republicans I’m sure.
Al, re your post, that’s an easy question, neither are qualified. WE the people own the port. The governor works for us as will the two political appointees. Since neither appointee nor the governor has told us why the two are qualified to work for us and develop the port or are qualified to assume the fiduciary responsibility, why don’t you tell us? Both are your pals. What has either done to CREATE an industry or jobs? What has either done to develop a port? What experience does either have within the marine industry? Like the unqualiified wife of Messerle who is unable to do anything, we will have the unqualifoed former wife of Opitz unable to do anything – other than spend the peoples money. There are qualified women within Oregon, Why must they be residents of North Bend?
On what grounds did you ask that these two appointees be barred, and who did you recommend as alternatives?
Joaquín Guzmán Loera & Bernard Lawrence Madoff would be appropriate Port alternatives…
The following was sent, part of it was borrowed from Jody, and we are not allowed to make recommendations for alternatives, as you well know. That list is supplied by the governor or his aides give him the list.
* These Two individuals along with the rest of the port commissioners have no issue with putting the citizens of Coos Bay / north bend in peril by allowing the fossil fuel industries to put profit ahead of public safety.
*The Port has a history of asking for like minded individuals that will support their agenda of holding this port in reserve for the fossil fuel industries while blocking any attempts at setting a more environmentally secure future.
* Neither Farm nor Opitz have any background in port Industries, maritime law, maritime experience or port activities in general.
* Both Farm and Opitz come from the same entrenched group and mindset as those individuals that are already on the Port Commission. They will bring no diversity of opinion to the Commission and do not represent a vast majority of the tax payers in the Port District
* The appointment of Farm and Opitz will mean that there will be no one on the Port Commission that has a good understanding of marine biology, natural resources and the vast biodiversity that is found in the Port District, along with all the jobs that come from those industries.
* The Governor should not have made this decision without consulting with and considering the wishes of all the citizens in the Port District first. Citizens in the Port District should have been allowed to vote and decide for themselves who they want to represent them, particularly since they will have to live with the decisions these appointed Commissioners make.
Since there are so many complex and critical issues that are currently facing our Port District, it is imperative that all the citizens who live in the Port District have their voices heard. Please reject these particular appointments and give us the right to vote on these Port Commission Board positions.
How about Charley Yates?
Here is a funny one. Charlie Yates is married to a Sause… Dale is his father in-law & sold him his first Tug when he was still in high school.
Charlie’s mother was married to Curtis Sause, Dale’s uncle, not sure Charlie’s wife was ever a Sause
The song remains the same. I guess they needed a woman to replace Caddy, and this one already knows about all the schemes they have in the works, past, current and future. Why should they get a cast of players that might get in the way of those old stale ideas for this port? That might upset the apple cart. They just needed a couple more “Aye” votes at those meetings. Those of us that wrote to the selection committee asking them to block these appointments have been answered loud and clear. Kitzhaber has just the people he needs to satisfy the special interests. The Oregon democrats are showing us who they really work for, Lobbies.