So Last Night I attended my First City Council Meeting.....
...And I am Glad I Did!!! Found out that the time for the Fireworks tonight has been switched from Midnight to 10pm!! And I also voiced my disapproval over the actions of a few small minded zelots who want to ban smoking in the Bars of Dutch Harbor. (Seriously, can you imagine the boys from DC not being able to have a Cig with a beer after 3 months at sea?)
City Hall and Unalaska from the Hill by the Main building.
Shot of the Council Chamber before the meeting begins. Notice my Lovely stylist Katherine over on the Right of the picture, and on the Lower left is Lisa, the Best Bartender in Dutch Harbor. (you have seen her on Deadliest Catch, the Short Specials on the Discovery Channel AND on After the Catch)
And Here are my two FAVORITE ladies in Dutch Harbor. Katherine, from the Salon at The Grand, And Shirley, the Mayor of Unalaksa. (BZ, if you both were not married you and Shirley would make a Perfect pair!!! She is totally Palin-esque) Though they are from different Political Parties, both of them work together on council in a way that should happen everywhere!! Inspiring to see, Especially with two of the Other idiots on there holding up the Meeting till almost 11pm last night with nonsense!!! A Certain MR PECK better watch his words this year, or CB just might have to take his little "Seat" away from him!!!!
Peck is the Guy in Blue on the Left of the screen. Basically he drug out the meeting last night with useless and stupid questions and Objections. (Like asking if the reclosers that the city is buying for the Power House expansion project will work with the existing equipment. No, Mr Peck, the city is spending $239,095 dollars on equipment that will not work!!!) Basically he is a bitter, bitter man that got fired from his city job and now exists to only find fault with everything the city Does. His term is up this year. Who thinks CB should Run?
And Finally WELCOME to Copperpossum , Reading, Sugar Queens Dream And octoberone, The Newest Followers of Dutch Harbor Dirt!!! (Love the cakes on your blog Sugar!!!)
20 comments:
CB made his debut appearance at the Unalaska City Hall Chambers last night, his testimony was an honest, & strong testimony. We are discussing an 'non-smoking ordinance' which we will debate until our ears bleed. It was a long meeting on bonds, black start generators, and a 'nice' Thank you from 'Public Safety' as we are in negotiations for another 3 year contract. Never a dull moment!! And CB stayed until the end of the meeting which was 10:45pm. Happy New Year to All!! Gotta cut some more hair before the party!!
Way to go CB! I think you should run for City Coucil. You would be great at it. I believe you have the passion to get things done and people feel comfortable with you. You have my vote from NY.
Have a wonderful New Year!
You'd get my vote CB> Of course Im in CT. Normally Im opposed to smoking inside...but up there its a little different. The guys work crazy hours being away from civilization for months at a time. I think its ok to let them smoke in the bar while they relax. Just install good air filters!!
Seriously, these guys from DC get special dispensation while those of us who live here all year round get told that our opinions are stupid? Man, the huge majority of them are not local residents and just come in and out for their job. That's fine but I don't think they should get to dictate city policy. I'm not a "hater," but let's get real. These guys are not the community, believe it or not. I don't go in the bars but it would be nice to sit down in the restaurants and not have people's smoke blowing in our faces and our food. Just a note from the other side. CB loves my opinions. LOL
Run, CB, Run. On the smoking issue, I am torn. I am not in favor of an all out ban, yet I am aware of health risks to people with breathing disorders and/or heart conditions. There has to be a compromise. I can see restaurants having to comply or create non smoking areas. But bars? Taverns, businesses serving predominantly alcohol? Gimme a break. My husband smokes and we have a smoking ban in Florida. I am limited in going to restaurants that have outside dining, a pia, but as I said earlier, I can understand the logic there.
I think you would be perfect on the City Council go for it run. Good luck and happy 2009
CB, I think you should run too. You obviously care a lot about people, are very articulate and civic minded. More people like you are needed in government. Just don't let your campaign and duties keep you from your blogging! I'm just sayin'... keep your priorities straight! Have a great New Year!
I believe the last picture in the post labeled housekeepers on Bunker Hill is a photo of CB. And yes, he is cute.
Gigi
I agree with You (I know, Mark the Date and the time for posterity) on the restaurant issue. HOWEVER as you said YOU do not go to the bars, and quite frankly neither does most of the community. The Bars are supported by the fishermen, not the locals. Most locals drink at home or at friends. And why should businesses such as the Sports Bar, which just spent $40,000 putting in a ventilation system, now be punished further? I was at The Bar last night and even as full as it was the smoke was not bad. Also, I want to know where all this stops? Ciggarette smoke is bad, but so is alcohol, cholestral, using too much nasal decongestant. Do you want to start limiting people to one beer a day, one piece of bacon and one squirt of nasal decongestant a day, "For their Own Good", because "You know better than them"? Personally all of this smacks of WAY too much Big Brother Government intrusion into people's personal life. You say that I am taking it too far? How about those Lawsuits in CA and NY against McDonalds? How about Lawsuits against Bars that served the alcohol that made someone drunk enough to kill themselves in a DWI accident? WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? It is gone, as are many of your choices, replaced by the judgment of those in power "Who just know better than you". I am tired of this nonsense, and I will fight this Draconian ordinance tooth and claw!!!
By the Way Gigi, you have currently killed 2 trees based on the number of Catalogues in your mailbox.
Miss you guys!!!! It is no fun arguing when I can not see the shocked look on Richard's face when I have said something "Fun".
Run Forrest, Run! As a non resident and someone who will never be able to afford a visit I realize I have no voice in the matter however when will this bleeding heart liberal smoker ever have the chance to back a conservative Republican because she actually agrees with him? The transient population may be "dictating city policy" but then again without the transient population Dutch would be a small dot on a navigation chart. JMHO
CB - I love you comment about personal responsibility - it is a very hard thing to try and teach these days - when everyone else is doing your thinking...I rarely go in bars but I do wish they would let people smoke in places - I hate walking through the smoke from the people who stand right outside and smoke.....I love your blog and how you have thrown yourself into life in Dutch Harbor....
I've got to say, as the island Blogfather, this one makes me smile. It reminds me of the community forum that used to be on the Unalaksa Advertiser before they disallowed anonymous comments because things were getting too nasty. This blog has the potential to be a real forum for real issues.
CB is smart, funny, and likes to elicit a response from his audience. Gigi is of course correct in her views as well - a crab fisherman does not live here, he spends maybe a two or three weeks per year physically on the island, we are not Disneyland where everything in sight is specifically designed to cater to a transient population. With that said, it is commercial fishing that pays the bills around here, both by fish taxes on landings and by money spent at local businesses by the fleet. I used to commercial fish, have a tremendous respect for the job, and feel we have the best captains and crews in the business - both crab and pollock - delivering where I work.
I'm a full picture compromise guy. Let 'em smoke in the bars - not because they are mostly fishermen, because they're not (do the math, there are 4500 year round residents, and another 3 or 4000 transient processors; by comparison you have a few hundred fishing vessels with fairly small crews that are mostly at sea earning a living), but because it is an enclosed environment where I honestly think there is no expectation of clean air. A smokey bar is part of the whole bar experience - loud music, lowered inhibitions, a slight air of possible violence bubbling under the surface, the knowledge your hair and clothes are going to need a good scrubbing after you leave - it's a bar. In Dutch Harbor. People understand what they're participating in.
Restaurants however, that aren't located within bars, I'd like to see smoke free. "Smoking Areas" just don't work, no matter how much you spend on ventilation systems. It should be an all or nothing thing. I don't think anyone really debates the effects of second hand smoke anymore, do they?
ps - CB is a thoughtful smoker who is always mindful of others, and I met him halfway and found a metal can for the front door stoop when he visits - illustrating it's going to take some compromise on both sides on this one folks . . . .
Hey, I never asked for all those catalogs and have tried to cancel many of them! I have to admit I am the queen of online shopping since moving to Unalaska and that has put me on way too many mailing lists. But I'm not sure what my unsolicited mail has to do with smoking. :)
I definitely believe in personal responsibility and use that as a cornerstone of counseling with people who come for treatment, so you don't have to preach to me about that. :) Just because I believe that the government has a role to play in a civilized society doesn't mean I don't believe in personal responsibility. Amazingly, we can have both.
Don't really wanna get into a battle on your blog. I am not disrespecting fishermen or anyone in the fishing industry. Just sayin' that the year-round residents of Unalaska and their duly elected officials should be able to determine how their city is run. That's democracy, right? And yes, we are very reliant on the fishing industry but that's not all that goes on in our little town. It's a narrow view to think that everything is about The Deadliest Catch, no matter how much you love the show.
Happy New Year, all! I'll try to keep my comments to my own blog so I don't sully yours with them. LOL (CB loves to bait me and apparently it is working haha)
ARRGGH
SOme Evil person, left this Comment post end at 13!!!
Evil Gigi, just evil
13 is my favorite number and I was born on June 13th. Sometimes it even falls on a Friday. Don't be superstitious, CB!
Oh, yes, I think you should run! Who wants an old crusty fart on the council. You would definitely bring a new charge to the council and I agree with BunnyC that you are very passionate. OK, I've got to say CB and you know this from FL, that we ban smoking in restaurants and bars and I feel it's been a good thing. Now, when I did visit AK and when I entered a bar, it was very hard to adjust. Now DH, AK is not FL, so my opinion would be to do what's in the best interest of the town. I just can't see the fisherman going "outside" for a smoke. I agree with Steve, you may just have to compromise.
where you come from!
My friend and I were recently discussing about the ubiquitousness of technology in our daily lives. Reading this post makes me think back to that discussion we had, and just how inseparable from electronics we have all become.
I don't mean this in a bad way, of course! Ethical concerns aside... I just hope that as memory gets cheaper, the possibility of uploading our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It's one of the things I really wish I could encounter in my lifetime.
(Submitted using NewPost v2 for R4i Nintendo DS.)
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