Washblog

Developers dump $$$ into Skagit County races

How to deal with growth. It is a common political theme, and in many cases, where money comes from. The politicians that favor development's interests tend to build up large war chests, financed primarily by developers, realtors, and construction outfits.

Real estate and developer interests are weighing in heavily on Mount Vernon City Council campaigns to the advantage of incumbents.

Council members Joe Lindquist and Dale Ragan each received $1,000 from the state Realtors’ political action committee. Lindquist also received $500 from developer Brian Gentry.

The three incumbent council members who drew challengers in this year’s contest have already raised thousands of dollars more than their opponents, according to documents submitted to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

My favorite part is when the politicians have to reconcile their votes with the money they get. They really start to squirm when put in that situation.

The Realtors’ association has given $1,000 dollars to Lindquist and Ragan because the councilmen have been supportive of issues important to Realtors and home buyers, said Ron Wortham of Brown-McMillan Real Estate in Burlington.

Wortham, a leading member of the association, said the organization uses its political action committee to support candidates who argue for affordable housing.

“We’re trying to be proactive to provide more opportunities for affordable housing,” he said. “We’re very involved.”

Ragan said he appreciates the Realtors’ support and said he doesn’t feel the association’s donations affect city affairs.

“We as a complete council make those decisions and I’ve never received any pressure from anyone one way or another” from donors, Ragan said.

Uh huh.

Anni Brogan takes on goliath

A definite uphill battle, Anni Brogan's write-in campaign against shady Port Commissioner Ray Niver gets some good write up in the Skagit Herald:

District 1: Anni Brogan vs. Ray Niver
Without opposition, Niver devoted his political energies to campaigning for port candidates he viewed as like-minded. His original challenger withdrew shortly after filing.

But two weeks ago, he was caught by surprise as Brogan, a pilot and an active critic of the Niver-led majority on the commission, filed as a write-in candidate.

When Niver pushed hard for the airport advisory vote, first voicing his opinion just hours after the port rejected a $12 million offer to buy the airport, Brogan saw her chance.

Brogan is a pilot and vice president of Micro AeroDynamics, a light manufacturing company at the airport. She is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Washington Pilots Association and has addressed the port commission on airport issues in those roles.

After reading about her starting up a write-in campaign, I gave her a call and spoke with her. This is a person that could be a real leader in government, no matter what her outcome in the Port Commission race ends up being. For her to even make the attempt to run a write-in campaign, speaks volumes about her convictions.

Write-in campaigns are more difficult the larger the vote total goes, and Anacortes Port District #1 has many more votes needed in comparison to past write-in campaigns that have won. It will be interesting to find out just how many people she reaches and gets to vote for her - she will need more than 4,000 people to write her name in to win.

FAA tells Port of Anacortes to buzz off

Reflecting the view that the whole idea of trying to sell the Port of Anacortes Airport to a housing developer is stupid, the manager of the Seattle Airports District office of the FAA wrote to the Port that the possibility of closing the airport "is not consistent with the efforts by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Port of Anacortes and others to maintain the airport as a viable aviation facility.''

In other words, if you sell it, you will see us in court.

Is this really the gamble Anacortes wants to take? A poorly thought out plan by Port commissioner Ray Niver, in cahoots with Seattle home developer Parkside Development Inc., (which wants to build 300 to 400 houses on the site) to sell the Airport for a paltry $12 million. The $12 million may not even cover the cost of selling the Airport, paying back lease contracts, or litigation fees that would surely come.

Commissioner Ray Niver, who initiated the discussions on the advisory vote, said the FAA may be acting illegally by advocating a position on a local matter.

"We haven't even determined the final language on the advisory vote, but I believe we have every legal right to put the vote on the ballot,'' Niver said. In its letter, "the FAA is influencing the vote by intimidation,'' he said.

"My job is to represent the public, and I can't do that if I don't know what they want,'' said Niver.

Commissioner, what you are doing is representing a special interest, and not your constituents. And you have been doing it all along by reaching out to the development company, by approaching them with the idea and giving the impression that the Airport is a financial drain on the Port. After creating interlocal agreements, Sub-area plans, and countless hours of work, Niver chose to disregard all the hard work to get agreements in place, and move forward with his plan anyway.

Hopefully someone steps up to challenge Niver's re-election attempt.

Port of Anacortes Liquidation Sale

Pro-development interests are trumping the public good over at the Port of Anacortes. The Port Commissioners want to sell the Anacortes Airport for $12 Million to a Seattle-based tract house developer, and the Ship Harbor Waterfront for $4 Million to a east coast condo builder.

In March, Port and city officials breathed a sigh of relief as they wrapped up a long-term plan and a development agreement for the Anacortes Airport.

This was the compromise the community had forged that was to guide airport decision-making for the next 20 years. It was widely hailed as a solution that would allow the Port and everyone else to get on with business after years of controversy and provide some certainty for airport users and neighbors.

Twenty years? We didn't get much more than 20 weeks before the folks that have been fighting to close the airport for years made an end run on the process.

Out of the blue comes a Seattle developer who suddenly decides that buying the airport (which wasn't for sale) for $12 million and building 300 to 400 homes is a bright idea. Finger-pointing is going on as to who was behind the scenes shepherding this proposal forward, but it doesn't matter in a way.

Most suspect long time anti-airport Port Commish Ray Niver as the one who approached the developer with a proposal to sell the airport. With little regard to traffic congestion, building 300 to 400 more houses on the airport property would take the existing problem of traffic on Oakes Avenue to a level usually experienced in Seattle. For emergency purposes, the airport would be the only evacuation route in the event of a tsunami or earthquake. It is also likely that with FAA fees and buying out existing leases, the $12 million would be virtually wiped out. Sounds like a lose-lose for the citizens of Anacortes.

Niver and his cronies at the port have voted to put the airport sale up for an 'advisory' vote. On such a complex issue, informing the voters will be a challenge.