Kitsap is a little poorer with the recent death of one of its most passionate philanthropists, Ron Ross. I met Ron in 1979 when I first started my business, and he was among my very first clients. He was supportive of both my business as it evolved over the years, and me personally, strongly encouraging my foray into politics. He was an avid property rights advocate and an original member of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO).

But my most memorable experience with Ron was when he invited me to fish in Alaska aboard his boat the Salmon Spirit. It’s one of the highlights of my entire life. It was strictly catch-and-release salmon fishing, because Ron, in spite of being Kitsap’s personification of evil — a developer — had a very deep respect for nature and our environment. I saw things I’ll never forget as we went five days without seeing another person or boat. I’ve always loved the outdoors, but this gave me a much deeper understanding and respect for the environment. read more »

The more I observe local politics, the more I agree politics make strange bedfellows.

For example, Port Orchard City Councilman Fred Chang, an ultra-liberal, and in my view, less than honest Democrat, up for re-election in November, recently held a kickoff fundraiser. No surprise there. What is surprising is where it was held and who attended and contributed to his campaign. The venue was the B&B owned by Republican PCO Gil Michael — who many believe is actually Port Orchard’s “real” Mayor, in spite of the fact no one elected him. He’s been referred to in the online comments in the Kitsap Sun and Port Orchard Independent as well as Facebook and Twitter, as Mayor Tim Matthes’ “puppetmaster,” something many people familiar with Port Orchard politics believe is absolutely true. read more »

Recently, Scott Alprin of Emerald Yachts, the Port of Bremerton’s main tenant at the money-losing Bremerton Marina, proposed a plan to port CEO Tim Thomson and marina operations manager Kathy Garcia for marketing the facility. Alprin, who has two locations — Bremerton and Gig Harbor — noted that less than 5 percent of his sales currently come from the Bremerton Marina location, and said if nothing is done to increase business there, he’ll close that operation down when his lease expires in September.

But he added a caveat, saying that if someone — himself or another person — does something to effectively market the marina this coming boating season (which opens May 4), he’d be willing to stay. read more »

Recently, a group of more than 40 mayors — including Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Marilyn Strickland of Tacoma, sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and to legislative leaders urging them to pass an 8-cent gas tax increase, claiming more than $3 billion is needed to maintain roadways and bridges over the next 10 years.

Meanwhile, House Transportation Committee Chair Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island) will seek a 10-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase, although at 37.5 cents per gallon, ours is already among the highest in the nation. The proposed hike will reportedly be a part of a much larger transportation revenue package.

I’ve had some past dealings with Clibborn, and have found her to be a pragmatic, moderate, business-friendly Democrat for the most part, so I was somewhat surprised to see her bring this forward. read more »

Is it just me, or does the Port of Bremerton remind anyone else of the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight? For years, I’ve said that there isn’t a way for the local Republicans to shoot themselves in the foot they hadn’t thought of, but that I have great confidence in their ability to invent new ones. I’m beginning to think the Port of Bremerton falls into that exact same category.

Beginning with the stealth tax that built the money-losing Bremerton Marina, to its latest insult to the people paying the bills — an arrogant refusal to honor a Public Records Request — it’s no wonder the public has zero confidence in the Port’s current management.

When the port hired former Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman as its CEO, it looked like the beginning of a new era, where forward thinking would finally prevail. Bozeman’s resignation as mayor and hiring as CEO seemed to me at the time to be a stroke of genius on someone’s part. read more »

One entertaining thing about writing this column, is the wide variety of so-called “news” items that cross my desk. Some are actually interesting, some are just plain stupid, others are nothing more than blatant advertising someone hopes I’m dumb enough to think is news and will hopefully write about — but some, just make me scratch my head and say, “Hmmm…”

Like this particular item that I’m not sure belongs in the “Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, Because Fiction Has To Make Sense” file, or the “I Couldn’t Make This Sh*t Up If My Life Depended On It” file. Either way, a trade group called the Low Cost Airline Association (LCAA) recently announced a new, groundbreaking, economy potty seat they say will revolutionize air travel by offering an “exciting new perk” for low-cost airline passengers. read more »

Now that Election 2012 is finally history, after what seemed like an endless — two-plus years — two things remained consistent: The Lamestream Media served as the official press office of the Obama campaign — so no matter what he did, or didn’t do that he should have (can you say Benghazi?), they had his back — and its systematic and successful branding of every Republican contender as an obnoxious loser representing only the wealthy.

I’ve said for years there isn’t a way for Republicans to shoot themselves in the foot they haven’t thought of, but that I have great confidence in their ability to invent new ones. Election 2012 was no exception. There are more reasons the Republicans lost than I have room to describe here, but as usual, the wounds were self-inflicted. read more »

This is being written about two and a half weeks before Election Day. However, by the time you read it, it’s very possible you may already know the outcome of the election. However, writing this in advance, all I can say is I believe there will be no changes taking place at the Kitsap County administration building, and both sitting commissioners — Rob Gelder and Charlotte Garrido — will be (were?) re-elected by comfortable margins.

With that in mind, and no matter how the election actually turns out, it’s now time to turn our attention from the election process to what issues the commissioners — whoever they are — need to address moving forward.

The number one issue as we see it is reopening the county administration building for business five days a week. read more »

As we go to press, Election Day 2012 is a mere five weeks away. And don’t confuse this with the usual hyperbole that always surrounds presidential elections — this is the most important election of our lifetime.

What’s at stake is the American way of life. It’s the America we’ve always known and loved, versus the America Barack Obama wants to create.

If that doesn’t scare you, either you aren’t paying attention, or you’re a Kool-Aid drinker.

The Democrats have defined the debate utilizing their tried and true, pathetic class warfare strategy. read more »