Mr. Patella’s opus
Every morning an email from Larry Patella hits the inbox is a good morning.
Patella is infamous for his odyssey against the city of Vancouver, where he fought a losing court battle in an attempt to force the city to break the law.
After that battle ended he sent out an email assuring supporters that the effort was not in vain, despite the entire thing being the very definition of “in vain.”
There are a lot of emails like this. There are a lot of good mornings.
But his unusual love-hate relationship with The Columbian is perhaps the finest part of his ongoing opus.
In a masterpiece email sent out Aug. 8, which starts out with the poetic stanza of “Good Morning, Or is it?,” Patella uses The Columbian as a reference repository, links people to The Columbian and then asks that people boycott The Columbian.
It’s breathtaking how quickly the brushstrokes of logic twist to craft this tour de force. Bask in this glory:
Good Morning,
Or is it? A small elite group of Wannabe Dictators and Pocket Pickers have written a letter to the Washington and Oregon State “THERE MUST BE SOME POCKETS I HAVE NOT YET PICKET” Governors asking that they return from the dead, the CRC Boondoggle. A boondoggle that has already wasted some $175 million Tax Payer Dollars.
You can read the Letter by visiting www.columbian.com/documents. There you will not be one bit surprised who those signing the Letter are. Many are the Leaders, Movers and Shakers of Vancouver and Clark County’s “Let’s Keep Picking the Taxpayer’s Pockets” Society.
There are some 80 signatures on this Pocket Picker’s Document: Here is snapshot of some of the more Prominent one:
a. John Rudi, President, Thomas Metal Fab. They are one of the Upriver Companies that would have, in violation of the Washington State Constitution Millions of Tax Payer Dollars by the Dead CRC to agree to a 95 foot high bridge.
b. Lance Killiam: Of Killiam Pacific, They took in a bundle of taxpayer dollars building the New Library (without a parking garage)
c. EX Mayor Royce “I have no intention of helping the Enemy” Pollard
d. Kim J. Capeloto. VP Riverview Community Bank
e. Gary Neal, General Manager Port of Morrow???????
f. Paul Montague, President Identity Clark County. He is the guy that says it is a slap in the face of Representative Government to allow Clark Count Voter’s to vote on Light Rail the Gravy/Crime Train in November.
g. Melinda Merrill, Director Public Affairs, Fred Myers,
h. Winston Asai, VP Columbia Machine
i. Ed Lynch, Identity Clark County founder, Enough said
j. Arch Miller, President, International Air Academy,
k. Lisa Nisenfeld, President , Columbia River Economic Development Council
l. Jody Campbell, Director/Owner The Columbian- Enough Said
m. Scott Campbell, Owner/Publisher The Columbian – Enough Said
n. Eli Kassab, Owner, Prestige Development, He received Millions of dollars in Property Tax Breaks to destroy the Burgerville on Mill Plain.
Anyway you get the Idea who the movers and shakers are.
One interesting finding, nowhere did I see Mayor “I was against Bridge Tolls Before I was FOR THEM” Leavitt (vote for Turlay) or Jack “I just can’t seem to represent the people” Burkman’s Signatures. (Vote for Micheline Doan). But then they are running for re-election and they don’t want the voters to know they don’t care about what the people want. At least until after the elections.
Tim and Jack don’t forget, No guts, No Glory.
Folks, I think we need to figure out a way to boycott the business that continue to aid and abet the pocket Picker who are ignore the voice of the people. We could Start with the Columbian.
And so it goes,
Larry Patella
CDR USN (ret)
One day these emails will likely be collected into a hardbound, unabridged edition for future generations to enjoy at their local library.
And we can all say we lived it.
We can say we were there.
Erik Hidle
Erik Hidle covers Clark County government for The Columbian. He can be followed on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ehidle, on Twitter at @col_clarkgov or contacted by email at erik.hidle@columbian.com