The DW's Jacob Jones informs the public. I salute him.

I did like this article as well. I don't live in Hoquiam, but if I did I would vote no again and hope they increase the ambulance tax like they said they would if it failed. For a $200,000 home it would be half the cost.

Side note, I think it's pretty bad that they try a levy, the people say no we can't afford it, and then they plan to increase a tax. Why bother putting it to the voters if you are just going to charge them no matter what?

EMS services are a money losing proposition for jurisdictions with smaller population, though residents of smaller population jurisdictions demand the same level of service provided in jurisdictions with larger populations among which to spread the costs.

Just look at FD5, which eagerly, though ill-advisedly, accepted Mark Reed Hospital's money losing EMS operations, after Mark Reed had some years earlier ill-advisedly accepted the money losing EMS operations of the cities of Elma and McCleary.

I agree it's a good story. I've known Jasmine for a long time, but don't know the other two well at all. I know Jaz feels like hell and assume the others do as well.

Now, for the bright side. Hoquiam's elected officials had a 69% turnout; much better than the 46% county average. I don't know what the overall Hoquiam turn out was.

I think more people should be called out on their decision to sit on their thumbs (I happen to know that Jasmine filled out her ballot and forgot to mail it, but it won't stop me from razzing her).

If you know their name and birthdate, you can go here to find out if their ballot was returned.

But, while each of these 3 Councilpersons should feel guilty as hell, they need not receive any more chastisement than the near 54% of registered voters who left their ballots on the kitchen table.

Not to belabor the subject, but my point wasn't as to the right or wrong of the councilpersons. My point was to commend the reporter in his curiosity in looking below the surface of the story in an effort to inform the public.

I join in the applause. I'd like to see more such checking. There are probably a few elected officials whose record would not bear close examination.

I suppose I should also commend the editors who moved t he story through. It had been my impression during the later Hughes years that the reporting of local elected officials had pretty much a lap dog.

It was actually relatively easy to do, thanks to http://www.soundpolitics.com/voterlookup.html. (Try it out!)

I did get an e-mail from someone angry that Spatz released the info. The reader didn't understand that it wasn't Spatz, it's a state law that requires the release of the info. In fact, Political Parties and candidates use the info all the time to see who voted. If you voted in the last couple of elections, it's more likely a candidate will visit you or drop off a mailer than if you didn't vote.


Here's the request I did, plus the response from the Auditor's Office. The only tricky part was making sure you had the right person. Candidates all have to file for office, which made it easier to see what a candidate's real first name is, for instance.

"Vern Spatz" <VSpatz@co.grays-harbor.wa.us>

02/24/10 12:36 PM

To
<SFriederich@thedailyworld.com>
cc
"Julie Murphy" <jmurphy@co.grays-harbor.wa.us>
Subject
RE: Records Request 2/24






Our voter records indicate ballots were issued but not returned for Dickhoff, Nelson, and Shumate for the February election. Dickhoff also did not return a ballot for November, 2009.
The rest of the people, on your list, returned ballots that were included in our totals.

Vern Spatz, Auditor
Grays Harbor County

From: SFriederich@thedailyworld.com [mailto:SFriederich@thedailyworld.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 10:55 AM
To: Vern Spatz
Subject: Records Request 2/24


Hi Vern:

I wanted to do a records request to see if the below Hoquiam officials did not vote in the February election. If any of the below elected officials had their ballots bounce back as an undeliverable or had some other issue where their ballot did not count, I'd be interested in that information, as well.

I used the nifty database at http://www.soundpolitics.com/voterlookup.html to look up to make sure everyone was registered to vote and to see what address they're registered at. Some, you'll see like Darrin Moir, actually have a different first name as M. Darrin Moir. The specific birthdates and registered dates should help your search, as well.

Last Name Name M/F Number Street City Last Voted Birthdate Registered
PELLEGRINI JOHN M M 210e PANAMA AVE HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1951-MAR-15 1971-AUG-18
MCMILLAN PAUL E M 240o QUEETS AVE HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1955-FEB-01 1973-JAN-05
DICKHOFF JASMINE D F 60o M ST HOQUIAM 2008-NOV-04 1986-SEP-18 2006-JUN-23
WIEDL JOHN P M 51o 7TH ST HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1946-MAY-31 1977-NOV-24
DANIELS ALLEN D M 5e N ST HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1954-JAN-16 1992-JAN-31

NELSON WILLIAM H M 81o 5TH ST HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1967-OCT-15 1999-DEC-30
*Note for Bill Nelson, you have two registered and I am seeking the one registered at 815 5th St. Hoquiam WA 98550

GRUN GREGORY A M 64e ORCHARD DR HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1954-JUN-16 1972-SEP-25
WINKELMAN BENJAMIN R M 31o PROSPECT AVE HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1974-NOV-13 2003-JUL-24
CARLSTROM BRENDA J F 42e MONROE HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1953-AUG-14 1983-JAN-04
MOIR M DARRIN M 205 ENDRESEN RD HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1966-NOV-11 1992-OCT-01
SHUMATE AARON W M 250e ABERDEEN AVE HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1980-APR-23 2009-JUN-05
HYDE BYRON E M 250o BAY AVE HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1931-APR-25 1952-APR-29
DURNEY JOHN DOUGLAS M 14o CIRCLE DR HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1948-JUN-17 1969-JUN-23
PUMPHREY RAY M M 61o 1ST HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1949-SEP-09 1980-JUN-16
CARTER ALBERT A M 51o 1ST ST HOQUIAM 2009-NOV-03 1955-FEB-13 1980-MAY-12

Well, then, I should give you a great big atta boy for doing what I think journalists should be doing, and for allowing one of the cubs to report it under their byline.

I really do appreciate such reporting. Thanks.

NO offense to Steven or Jacob, but this was not a news story and was just the sort of thing that gives journalism and journalists a bad reputation all around.

Correlation does not equal causation. The levy failed by two votes, three Hoquiam council people didn't vote--so the clear implication is that the levy failed because of these three Hoquiam councilpeople. All of the non-council Hoquiamites who voted against the levy are now off the hook, and everyone can point to three people as the culprits.

In other words, scapegoating of the worst sort, in a part of the state where idiot peasants with pitchforks and torches are all too quick to beat a path to someone's door and shriek that it is all their fault.

This is not cause for praise or congratulations.