Neary-Sighted

I've always enjoyed a journalist who can bond with his readers, so one had to enjoy Ben Sclair's candid explanation of what happened to his paper's Friday edition. You have to look closely at the photo to realize he dived in with his jeans on to save the elderly gentleman. Bravo, Ben.

Speaking of The Suburban Times, I assume most of my readers check out his site as well. But a couple of posts are especially worth note because the news is important. First, there's Ed Kane's account of Parks Appreciation Day.

And there is an update - and a very, teeny tiny photo of a couple of noted hack writers - about Fort Steilacoom Park and the Ward building at this link. You will note that there are plans to put a survey about the Ward building and the park on the city web site; I'll let you know when that is up.

Ed Kane's story hits the highlights, but the most interesting part of the tour of the Ward building was when a couple of kids decided to actually spray-paint the ruins during the open house. You should have heard Parks Director Mary Dodsworth shout! Never make her mad ...

Finally, it's worth noting The News Tribune had a story about an accounting screw-up in 2004 in City Hall. The auditor's comments are fair until he gets to the subject of public comment and the implication that something was being hidden. Your hear conspiracy theories about the city from time to time, and given the composition of this City Council, such theories are hysterical.

Anyone who pays attention knows the Lakewood City Council could not conspire our way into making a peanut butter sandwich - one council member would want to use ham, another would want to use cheese, at least a couple of other council members would demand to know why bread was needed, etc... But we love it that way! You sure get lots of ideas anytime something comes up ...

Anyway, anyone who was around - and that understandably did not include Olympia bureaucrats - would know there was plenty of public discussion about whether to start a police department. There were endless discussions about what it was costing. The only way you would have missed that if you attended council meetings was if you attended them dead, and we would probably have noticed that in between the debates. But the auditor was right to sound off an alarm about what seems to have been sloppy accounting, and there's no question a formal public hearing should have been held on the item.

Me, I had to chuckle because I bet the state auditor was in town about this matter on the same day he spoke to the chamber of commerce. He sure did not give away anything about this city audit finding to the chamber, though it would have surely spiced up his speech.
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