@Dave Orvis:
I beg to differ on the best candidate.
1. You did not address any of the issues that I raised regarding Mr. Plunkett's shortcomings and unethical behavior.
2. The examples that you use to attempt to elevate Mr. Plunkett do not play very well to anyone who has done any research. Here's what I found:
a. "acted to protect public safety" - he was there when it happened, and did not disagree. He did not initiate any of the action, he was just there, and nodded. This is not evidence of leadership or even advocacy.
b. "voted against taller buildings..." that was OVER FOUR YEARS AGO. The City Code has since been updated to put the building height issue to bed. Yes, to bed. Despite your grandstanding gesture of forcing candidates to sign a statement promising not to take money from ESA. Building heights are still used as a scare tactic (see your campaign against Mr. Peterson... for example, and he doesn't believe in tall buildings, either!) Nice Rove tactic. Distract the masses with fear, even imagined fear.
c. "30 year resident..." yes, there are plenty of people who have lived here a long time. Is that why they should be on the City Council?
d. "formed the historic preservation commission" - I actually like this one. Please keep it. I thanked Michael personally for his work there. It's the one example I found where he actually contributed his own time to something useful.
e. "voted for the ECA" - note that again, he didn't do anything to lead any efforts, he just nodded when it was his turn. Leadership failure. And he did nothing to actually advocate for it in an active sense, he just agreed.
f. "Priya doesn't mention history..." and Michael Plunkett doesn't mention the future. Do you see a trend? I do. Mr. Plunkett is tired (remember when he said that he lost the fire in his belly for this Council work?), and is resting on what he perceives to be his laurels, and expecting to get votes just because he's been on the Council a while. These are troubled times, and Mr. Plunkett first of all fails to acknowledge the problems that we have, and then doesn't have a plan of action to address them.
g. "believes small town charm is the key to our economic growth..." well, he's been on the Council for 12 years, and Edmonds' business revenues have grown well below the average, while the rest of Snohomish County has boomed. We have a record number of vacant store fronts, staggering budget deficit predictions, and he has NO plan on how to fill them other than the passive measures already in place. He was never up to this challenge.
h. "will vote to restore our right to Council appeal..." this is another red herring. Plunkett has no say about that. He has introduced no legislation. He has taken no action. What you're saying is that, if it comes up, he'll nod his head. You've made a Freudian slip and confirmed my earlier statement that the only thing he is good for is a sure vote to support whatever you want! He doesn't understand the issue (I asked him, he was befuddled), nor does he understand how his actions in particular put the City on the losing end of a lawsuit because of it, but he'll nod his head for you.
Sorry, Dave Orvis. Your mutual reign with Plunkett, based on fear, xenophobia, and distrust of any new ideas, is nearing its end. We need a problem solver who has a proven ability to organize people, get consensus, and get the important things done. Like Priya Cloutier.
Oh, and thanks for the chickens. Was that supposed to make me forget that our budget is completely screwed?
Vote for Priya Cloutier. She gets the right things done. And she gets things done right.
Michael Young - 14 years ago
@Dave -
I have a hard time listening to anyone who spouts off about transparency in government and then hides the fact that he was arrested for (and later admitted to) beating his child.
I will be happy to debate council issues with you once you stay awake for the meetings. Attendance isn't that big of a help if you nap during said meeting.
Stohn - 14 years ago
Dave, what do you count as identifying? Full name, address, and SSN so you can watch us with red light cameras to see if we might be carrying a plastic bag with a cat off a leash following closely behind?
Interesting, why don't Priya say supporters fully identify themselves. Are they afraid of their statements.
Let's review the facts shall we.
Michael Plunkett acted to protect public safety services, Priya Cloutier failed to even vote in the EMS levy election.
Michael Plunkett has voted against taller buildings at least six times. Priya is open to taller buildings on our waterfront.
Michael Plunkett is a 30 year resident who votes, Priya missed almost all Edmonds local elections.
Michael Plunkett formed the historic commission, he voted to create the Edmonds Center for the Arts, and believes small town charm is the key to our economic growth. Priya can't even mention history in her candidate statement.
Michael Plunkett will vote to restore our right to council appeal. Priya runs from this issue like that chicken on her recent mailer.
Plunkett has had 12 years to prove himself, and the fact that he has "been here" is all that he can say for himself. Ok, he also pushed through a law to require the leashing of cats. Thanks, Mike.
- Plunkett harps on Priya Cloutier's voting, but look at him: when he was Council President, Michael Plunkett had the WORST ATTENDANCE record of any Councilperson, missing over a MONTH. He still got paid and full benefits, though. Oh, and he missed voting in elections as well, but he doesn't talk about that.
- Plunkett failed to balance the budget as Council President, voting for over a 2 million dollar deficit. (Oh, yes, and so did you, Dave Orvis)
- Plunkett told other Council members that the City Code regarding building heights and roof types (to protect views) should not be applied to a specific property. That property was built by a campaign contributor of Plunkett's.
(facts: developer changed house design after building permit was issued, new design was not in compliance with code, Plunkett emailed Council members saying that he needed to be shown WHY the code should apply in this case)
- Plunkett cut inside deals to force a property owner to give up his land for a driveway easement to a new development, for a developer that is a Plunkett contributor. He did this in private, which was illegal. The City of Edmonds is now suffering a lawsuit, and will lose money due to his negligence. See the September 16th, 2008 Council Minutes, in case you weren't aware of this one.
- Plunkett can't even follow the City Code himself: his campaign signs are on 4 ft stakes. The City Code limit is 3 ft. How hard is that to figure out? And he attaches them to STOP signs (see Main and Olympic). There are complaints lodged with the city, but do you know why they haven't pulled down his offending signs? Because they don't have the time, since they are taking forced furlough days to cover for Plunkett's failed budget.
Plunkett is a good-ol-boy who takes money for influence, and thinks he is above the law. (So are you, Dave Orvis, and I hope you're next to go)
Priya Cloutier works WITH others, like the Sno-King Economic Development Project, Edmonds Mural Society, Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, Save Yost Pool Foundation, the Washington State Association for Justice, and several other organizations, to get things done. She's known state-wide for her support of non-profits with free legal work, earning commendations two years in a row. While Michael is known locally as the only realtor in Edmonds who lost money during the real-estate boom.
Priya Cloutier is clearly the better candidate: she has a better understanding of the financials of the city, and has the vision and leadership to move us forward. Michael Plunkett continues to desperately try to distract voters from the issues, and even told me that he doesn't think we HAVE a budget problem. Check out this week's Edmonds Beacon (October 22nd issue) to see how that's working out for him.
I voted for Priya Cloutier, and I'm going to go up and down my street to let my neighbors know why they should as well.
Angela - 14 years ago
So, Dave Orvis: you argued that you want to vote for Diane Buckshnis because she's a banker, while Strom Peterson is a cheesemonger, right? How about voting for Priya Cloutier, a successful nuclear engineer and patent attorney, over Michael Plunkett, a realtor? You say whatever it takes... which is quite similar to Michael Plunkett.
When comes to Public safety, Plunkett is your man. Plunkett voted to save the paramedics when Mountlake Terrace created a budget hole when they pulled out of the program. Priya couldn't even cast a ballot in the EMS levy election.
@Dave Orvis:
I beg to differ on the best candidate.
1. You did not address any of the issues that I raised regarding Mr. Plunkett's shortcomings and unethical behavior.
2. The examples that you use to attempt to elevate Mr. Plunkett do not play very well to anyone who has done any research. Here's what I found:
a. "acted to protect public safety" - he was there when it happened, and did not disagree. He did not initiate any of the action, he was just there, and nodded. This is not evidence of leadership or even advocacy.
b. "voted against taller buildings..." that was OVER FOUR YEARS AGO. The City Code has since been updated to put the building height issue to bed. Yes, to bed. Despite your grandstanding gesture of forcing candidates to sign a statement promising not to take money from ESA. Building heights are still used as a scare tactic (see your campaign against Mr. Peterson... for example, and he doesn't believe in tall buildings, either!) Nice Rove tactic. Distract the masses with fear, even imagined fear.
c. "30 year resident..." yes, there are plenty of people who have lived here a long time. Is that why they should be on the City Council?
d. "formed the historic preservation commission" - I actually like this one. Please keep it. I thanked Michael personally for his work there. It's the one example I found where he actually contributed his own time to something useful.
e. "voted for the ECA" - note that again, he didn't do anything to lead any efforts, he just nodded when it was his turn. Leadership failure. And he did nothing to actually advocate for it in an active sense, he just agreed.
f. "Priya doesn't mention history..." and Michael Plunkett doesn't mention the future. Do you see a trend? I do. Mr. Plunkett is tired (remember when he said that he lost the fire in his belly for this Council work?), and is resting on what he perceives to be his laurels, and expecting to get votes just because he's been on the Council a while. These are troubled times, and Mr. Plunkett first of all fails to acknowledge the problems that we have, and then doesn't have a plan of action to address them.
g. "believes small town charm is the key to our economic growth..." well, he's been on the Council for 12 years, and Edmonds' business revenues have grown well below the average, while the rest of Snohomish County has boomed. We have a record number of vacant store fronts, staggering budget deficit predictions, and he has NO plan on how to fill them other than the passive measures already in place. He was never up to this challenge.
h. "will vote to restore our right to Council appeal..." this is another red herring. Plunkett has no say about that. He has introduced no legislation. He has taken no action. What you're saying is that, if it comes up, he'll nod his head. You've made a Freudian slip and confirmed my earlier statement that the only thing he is good for is a sure vote to support whatever you want! He doesn't understand the issue (I asked him, he was befuddled), nor does he understand how his actions in particular put the City on the losing end of a lawsuit because of it, but he'll nod his head for you.
Sorry, Dave Orvis. Your mutual reign with Plunkett, based on fear, xenophobia, and distrust of any new ideas, is nearing its end. We need a problem solver who has a proven ability to organize people, get consensus, and get the important things done. Like Priya Cloutier.
Oh, and thanks for the chickens. Was that supposed to make me forget that our budget is completely screwed?
Vote for Priya Cloutier. She gets the right things done. And she gets things done right.
@Dave -
I have a hard time listening to anyone who spouts off about transparency in government and then hides the fact that he was arrested for (and later admitted to) beating his child.
I will be happy to debate council issues with you once you stay awake for the meetings. Attendance isn't that big of a help if you nap during said meeting.
Dave, what do you count as identifying? Full name, address, and SSN so you can watch us with red light cameras to see if we might be carrying a plastic bag with a cat off a leash following closely behind?
Interesting, why don't Priya say supporters fully identify themselves. Are they afraid of their statements.
Let's review the facts shall we.
Michael Plunkett acted to protect public safety services, Priya Cloutier failed to even vote in the EMS levy election.
Michael Plunkett has voted against taller buildings at least six times. Priya is open to taller buildings on our waterfront.
Michael Plunkett is a 30 year resident who votes, Priya missed almost all Edmonds local elections.
Michael Plunkett formed the historic commission, he voted to create the Edmonds Center for the Arts, and believes small town charm is the key to our economic growth. Priya can't even mention history in her candidate statement.
Michael Plunkett will vote to restore our right to council appeal. Priya runs from this issue like that chicken on her recent mailer.
There we go. Michael is the best candidate.
Plunkett has had 12 years to prove himself, and the fact that he has "been here" is all that he can say for himself. Ok, he also pushed through a law to require the leashing of cats. Thanks, Mike.
- Plunkett harps on Priya Cloutier's voting, but look at him: when he was Council President, Michael Plunkett had the WORST ATTENDANCE record of any Councilperson, missing over a MONTH. He still got paid and full benefits, though. Oh, and he missed voting in elections as well, but he doesn't talk about that.
- Plunkett failed to balance the budget as Council President, voting for over a 2 million dollar deficit. (Oh, yes, and so did you, Dave Orvis)
- Plunkett told other Council members that the City Code regarding building heights and roof types (to protect views) should not be applied to a specific property. That property was built by a campaign contributor of Plunkett's.
(facts: developer changed house design after building permit was issued, new design was not in compliance with code, Plunkett emailed Council members saying that he needed to be shown WHY the code should apply in this case)
- Plunkett cut inside deals to force a property owner to give up his land for a driveway easement to a new development, for a developer that is a Plunkett contributor. He did this in private, which was illegal. The City of Edmonds is now suffering a lawsuit, and will lose money due to his negligence. See the September 16th, 2008 Council Minutes, in case you weren't aware of this one.
- Plunkett can't even follow the City Code himself: his campaign signs are on 4 ft stakes. The City Code limit is 3 ft. How hard is that to figure out? And he attaches them to STOP signs (see Main and Olympic). There are complaints lodged with the city, but do you know why they haven't pulled down his offending signs? Because they don't have the time, since they are taking forced furlough days to cover for Plunkett's failed budget.
Plunkett is a good-ol-boy who takes money for influence, and thinks he is above the law. (So are you, Dave Orvis, and I hope you're next to go)
Priya Cloutier works WITH others, like the Sno-King Economic Development Project, Edmonds Mural Society, Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, Save Yost Pool Foundation, the Washington State Association for Justice, and several other organizations, to get things done. She's known state-wide for her support of non-profits with free legal work, earning commendations two years in a row. While Michael is known locally as the only realtor in Edmonds who lost money during the real-estate boom.
Priya Cloutier is clearly the better candidate: she has a better understanding of the financials of the city, and has the vision and leadership to move us forward. Michael Plunkett continues to desperately try to distract voters from the issues, and even told me that he doesn't think we HAVE a budget problem. Check out this week's Edmonds Beacon (October 22nd issue) to see how that's working out for him.
I voted for Priya Cloutier, and I'm going to go up and down my street to let my neighbors know why they should as well.
So, Dave Orvis: you argued that you want to vote for Diane Buckshnis because she's a banker, while Strom Peterson is a cheesemonger, right? How about voting for Priya Cloutier, a successful nuclear engineer and patent attorney, over Michael Plunkett, a realtor? You say whatever it takes... which is quite similar to Michael Plunkett.
When comes to Public safety, Plunkett is your man. Plunkett voted to save the paramedics when Mountlake Terrace created a budget hole when they pulled out of the program. Priya couldn't even cast a ballot in the EMS levy election.
Already voted for Priya. Go Priya!