FROM THE FRONT ROW

Ruston council meeting Monday, May 5, 2008:

First fifty minutes were spent on the ongoing harassment of the COMMENCEMENT GROUP. As magnificent as POINT RUSTON is there would be no TOWN OF RUSTON except for the COMMENCEMENT!!! Yet they remain under constant attack by the CABAL. Hearken back when the CABAL bid one million for the school and all the land, a sweetheart deal if there ever was one. The COMMENCEMENT bid 4.2 million for the lower parking lot, 1/3 of the land, the town keeps the school building and the rest of the land property. They then turned against the development, even though the CABAL development, would of been more obstructive, and used it to get elected (all newcomers to the town). This has been said many times but apparently will have to be retold until the COMMENCEMENT is built out and they, the CABAL council, are history or on the dump heap.

This is a vindictive, our way or the highway crowd, lurching each day in different directions depending on the CABAL complaint of the day. Thus 76 minutes of the last two meetings have been spent on making life as difficult as possible for the COMMENCEMENT, supposedly according to Jane and Wayne, because we have to respond to public complaints, we do have to ask questions. The tiffany approach to government. This bizarre behavior by this group of troublemakers goes on and on without letup and apparently will only stop when the town crashes under the weight of the CABAL lawsuits.

Further explanation the CABAL consists of probably ten to twelve hard core members and a throng of hangers on. When a CABAL council person or hanger on uses the term people they are only referring to about ten people, when a citizen of Ruston uses the term people they are referring to all 750 residents of Ruston.

So from now on they voted themselves, 4-1, guess the one, to approve all permits requiring digging in the street. So if your sewer goes out you could wait a minimum of three weeks, more or less, to even get a permit to begin repairs. So please, if your sewer is aging, tell it to hold out until the new hotel is finished in POINT RUSTON. Why? One reason and one REASON only to go into bizarre mode and harass and obstruct the COMMENCEMENT.

All this came about because the COMMENCEMENT was taking down telephone poles and burying wires underground and, yes believe it or not, obstructing the view of the complainer, never mind making noise. This still after the electrician Mo who had designed and approved the under grounding for the town, explained in great detail why they had to follow the law and the code. Logic and reason did not faze the all knowing CABAL COUNCIL who are lucky to find there seats with the correct nameplates. It took the former CABAL council two years to do bills and payroll, remember ABSTAIN and nearly shutting down the town when they refused to show up for a scheduled council meeting. So no more code no more law just CABAL RULERS and CABAL RULES common sense not withstanding. Call them up and ask what they understood about Mo's lengthy educational explanation and I will bet not one of the CABAL council understood a word or were they just playing dumb, or worse, they are numb on this harassment.

Is up down or down up with this crowd, you decide. The winner gets to be the first one whose side sewer goes out and has to move out of his house for an extended stay. Maybe we could put a jar on the counter in the town hall for donations to help with the hotel bill? This time I am saving this post and as I have to keep posting it over and over again, to no avail until we can say no mas, no CABAL, no more, not ever. Yearning for the good old days of the law and the code.

Then lawyer Dan proposed a "cease and desist" letter to the COMMENCEMENT, for what I am not sure, but was informed by the town legal counsel that it would be illegal or ill advised on just plain ill and mean spirited. Her last day is May 31 so that means no legal counsel, no town planner, no law, no code, just CABAL, whatever we decide, RULES. Item #1 COMMENCEMENT GROUP - UNDERGROUND UTILITY ended at 7:50 pm, an exercise in futility.

Bye Bye HUITT-ZOLLARS May 15th not even giving required 10 day notice. Too costly, time consuming. Ran up costs on STACK HILL from estimated $25,000 to $300,000 supposedly? That is for those with short memories. The cost skyrocketed because of the newly elected CABAL council who stacked the Planning Commission, first order of business, and then proceeded to play three way ping pong with the STACK HILL development. It went like this: council disapproves plan, sends to planning commission with changes and then back to Huitt-Zollars. This went on and on The News Tribune even referred to the council as WEIRD after twice conceding to block head changes, the view corridor and bicycle path, they still voted it down 3-2. Remember, SEPA, "we don't have anything to do with Tacoma!"? It's all on tape.

Item #10 Ordinance no. 1253 Amending Gambling Tax Rates (Stebner) was pulled from the agenda apparently the heat provided by The News Tribune got too hot for these cowardly and vindictive souls. To be reheard not May 12th but May 27th Study Session NO PUBLIC COMMENTS allowed. Remember when they got caught with their pants down while selling out the volunteer fire department in secret meetings with Tacoma? Same pattern moved it to a Study Session which was more like an inquisition then dropped it without admitting defeat. Expect the same. CABAL policy, anybody rules, doesn't always make a lot of sense except to the avengers.

Other news announced intention to replace free Mayor with $100,000 plus City Manager, just like Carnation. We can't control you so we will vote you out of existence. However, the Mayor can run for the Council and be appointed, yes, Mayor after all, if elected. Hopefully at the same time we will be saying goodbye to the CABAL council and closing the door behind them and locking it.

Notable public Comments: Sign up sheets SUCK. Thirteen items each requiring name, address and phone number. Line was down two sets of stairs out the door making most people late for the meeting. Way to plan CABALLEROS! NEXT, one senior citizen was admonished by the Mayor for going over two minute limit, replied couldn't hear timer, suggested the town invest in a COWBELL. Great idea, when not in use we could hang it around the neck of a CABAL council person of the week to give us fair warning of approaching annoyance. LAST wanted to return to NO PUBLIC COMMENTS to shorten meetings. We have had unlimited public comments for ninety eight years and meetings rarely lasted over an hour. Enter the CABAL and the great pontificators and 76 minutes of retribution against employees, businesses on their HIT LIST or their COMPLAINT LIST and voila three hour meetings.

Excellent idea to shorten meetings; show up and request resignations of all CABAL council persons or better yet RECALL them and return to civility and normalcy once again in home sweet home, RUSTON