Business

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, August 17, 2009 Port of Everett's tax-levy proposal a tangled affair By Mike Benbow Herald Columnist Costello: Well then, who’s on first? Abbott: Yes. Costello: I mean the fellow’s name. Abbott: Who. Not to make light of the matter, but the debate surrounding the Port of Everett’s November tax levy has all the trappings of “Who’s On First,” Abbott and Costello’s classic baseball sketch. Voters in the port district will be asked whether property owners should be taxed to pay for restoration of the 75-year-old Collins Building, which is on the state and federal historic registers but is now slated for demolition. The levy seeks $15 million. Owners of a $300,000 home would pay $318. While the ballot measure is straightforward, the politics surrounding it is anything but simple. That became evident last week during a special port commission meeting on Friday to appoint the members of the committees that will write the pro and con statements for the upcoming voters pamphlet. The meeting included a lot of finger-pointing in which several people — two of them members of the Everett City Council — questioned both the measure and the commissioners’ motives. It ended with commissioners Michael Hoffmann and Phil Bannan picking six people to form two groups. That’s all sort of boring on the surface — until you actually look at the names. Valerie Steel and David Mascarenas — two devout supporters of saving the Collins Building — asked to be put on the list to write the statement against the tax levy. Matt Zuanich, named to the group to write the statement in favor of the levy, mentioned in the meeting that he personally is not in favor of saving the Collins Building. It makes you wonder: “Who’s on first?” I’ve skipped a lot of the context here to mention that it’s a little odd to have the building’s supporters trashing the measure and someone who’s admittedly not a fan backing it, so let’s get back to some context. City Councilman Mark Olson, who is running for a seat on the port commission this fall, told Hoffmann and Bannan that he didn’t think anyone in the community thought the measure had “a ghost of a chance of succeeding” in a recession. He called the levy “bizarre public financing” and suggested it had been developed under a veil of secrecy. City Councilman Drew Nielsen accused the port of “trying to engineer the largest no vote” in history. He said the $15 million price tag is too high because it doesn’t recognize that the restored building could bring in money from leases to whomever winds up using it. Bannan said there was no secrecy in offering the measure. And he said there’s certainly no secret in his opposition to spending public money on restoring the building. “I don’t think it’s worth a taxpayer’s nickel,” he said, adding that he just wants to see if supporters are right when they say most residents want to save the building. Brad Cattle, the port’s lawyer, said the measure was prepared about a week before it was made public, and was not part of some long-hidden agenda. Port commissioner Hoffman said it’s clear to him that the port needs to do a better job of explaining why it does what it does. He also questioned whether the port should considering pulling the measure from the ballot. Mascarenas and Steel have said that they the levy is a bad idea and that the port would use its defeat as a way to decide once and for all to raze the building. That’s why building supporters don’t support the levy. They’re looking for another way to keep the building alive. Zuanich said he volunteered for the “pro” committee even though he’s not a fan of the building because he thinks the port is getting a raw deal. He said he just wanted to help out since there was a dearth of people volunteering for the committee, which he suggested was likely due to all the second-guessing and opposition the port is getting for putting the measure on the ballot. A straightforward measure, but one that get’s curiouser and curiouser by the minute. Costello: I’m only asking you, who’s the guy on first base. Abbott: That’s right. Costello: OK Abbott: All right. Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459; benbow@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Port Commissioner Bannan needs to go I can't say that I have feelings for the Collins building one way or another, though I do feel it is important to save some historical properties for future generations and obviously at some point a decision was made to save the Collins building, that is why it is on historical registers. One thing has become incredibly clear to me, there is a lack of leadership from the Port of Everett that is staggering. Commissioner Bannan acts like he is King of the Port, not an elected official. After 12 years in office, his time has come, to well, go. Nick Eckert | Aug 17, 2009 5:39 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Our tax money at work As I look down on the Port, I just see my tax money going down the drain. Always a new project and always with their hands out. Didn't we just see an article asking the feds for more. I agree, how up front are they on the different business units profitablity. I agree with Benbow "Who is on first here". Also Flavin's comment on funding private slips. Where i$ our money going?? David Olympia | Aug 23, 2009 8:33 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Let the Port Manage the Port I wonder if the Port of Everett should turn over the private boat slips to a private company and just manage the business end of the container ships. Those moorage fees must be going somewhere, its almost as if the Port managers are collecting the money and saving it for a rainy day that they choose it will be needed. If the Port can not support itself its time to figure out why. Joe Citizen pays for those docks, but cant seem to walk on them, who knows maybe some folks would like to walk on their tax dollar supported docks and do a little inspection. Mike Flavin | Aug 17, 2009 9:27 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Marx Brothers Meet Franz Kafka Writer Benbow has captured the outright farce that took place Friday morning on Bond Street. It seems commissioner Michael Hoffman has the right idea - withdraw this unbelievably nasty and cynical tax levy before it gets the attention and the derision of the entire country. Is this the end of longtime Port of Everett arrogance and mismanagement? One hopes so. Dave Ramstad | Aug 17, 2009 12:59 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

1. Girl's death in car crash stuns Granite Falls 2. 787 starts ‘final gantlet' of tests before first flight 3. Inmates to help families of police 4. Lewd baristas face stricter rules 5. Swine flu shots to be available to all in county 6. Woman who died in fire named 7. Roe picked as interim prosecutor 8. Gregoire's budget offers no easy way out of deficit 9. Payout of $44.7 million to clean up Asarco contamination in Everett 10. Roche Harbor's second derby a big hit 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Snohomish County offers the best and most affordable venues for conferen ... • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed