Thanks For Coming!

I know, I know, it’s been a week … we’ve been recovering from the debate and that incredible set from Finn Riggins. Thanks to all of you who came, who asked questions, who drank beer, who ran for office, who played music, and whatever else was going on at the Hi-Fi last week. Let’s do it again, folks. Hey, look, you can re-live the whole thing thanks to KitsapSun.com.

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Tonight! Bremelog.com’s Presents a Debate Between the Two Candidates For Mayor, and a Set From Finn Riggins at the Hi-Fidelity Lounge

See you all at 7 p.m.(ish)!

 

Bremerton Patriot Throws Some Love in the Bremelogger’s Direction, (Thankfully) Snubs Old Man Winslow

Local music and arts taddle tale Bill Mickelson is spread the word about our upcoming mayoral debate/show/cocktail hour, Wednesday, at the Hi-Fi. In this week’s North Kitsap Herald, Mickelson writes that Bremelog.com has arranged “an intrinsically Bremertonian, quasi-revolutionary mayoral forum.”

Obviously, this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about us. It’s glad to know that 20 dollars as far as they used to.

In a separate article, Mickelson gets to the bottom of the “Why the Crap is Moen?” question, detailing the write-in candidate’s run for mayor. Here’s Mike Moen’s campaign site.

Thanks, Bill. Your check is in the mail.

 

Bremerton Patriot: Mayoral Write-In Candidate Deborah Jackson Is Wanted For Forgery in Oklahoma

WTF?

 

Old Man Winslow: Balloons Bring West Bremerton To Its Knees. Are the “Newcomers” to Blame?

Old Man Winslow, Illustrated by Jessica Randklev.

Dear The Bremelogger: I’ll be honest, I’ve completely overestimated Bremerton. What? You’re surprised that I’ve given your City of Destiny the benefit of the doubt? It’s no secret that your “fair” city has more problems than our Island has unemployed real estate agents, but I was under the impression that a few of the basics were under control. I was grossly mistaken.

When building a city, the rest of us do well to make sure that essentials are in place and strong. We call this “infrastructure.” Apparently when the people of Bremerton were cobbling together what would become a social, economic, and legislative eye sore, they cut a few corners. From what I hear from a few friends who got lost on the way back from Tacoma, a few balloons took down the power in most of West Bremerton on Friday morning. Balloons. A item with which to denote a celebration. When they put warnings on balloons about the choking potential they have for infants, I doubt the makers thought they would have to warn Bremertonians that the these devices could also choke off your power grid. This is really saying something. Bremerton’s outdone itself once again.

Yet, after catching up on your “news site” recently, I’m reminded that this particular instance may not be your fault, Logger. It is well documented that you were not born nor bred in Bremerton, but are a relative newcomer. And I read that a write-in candidate for the Bremerton mayor gig, Deborah Jackson, claims that “we built Bremerton” and that “all these newcomers that came here … come with their ideals and what they think we should have, when they left out what was our real needs.” OK, so do we have Deborah Jackson and whoever she’s grouping with her to blame for the frail infrastructure of the city? Or is it that all you newcomers have not been the proper stewards of what your forefathers left for you? Did she build the town that you’ve destroyed? Or were the walls built so thin that the touch of a party balloon could bring it down?

Think of it, Logger, over your next bowl of Robitussin. It is the season.

Yours,

Winslow

 

Deborah Jackson’s a Mother, a Fighter, and She Just Launched a Write-In Campaign to Be the Next Mayor of Bremerton

Deborah Jackson didn’t plan to run for mayor. She’d considered a run for a different elected office, but until she met with a few supporters of former mayoral candidate Mike Shepherd on Saturday, she hadn’t given a run any thought. But her friends and fellow supporters encouraged her to run. So she thought about it. She consulted her “higher power.” And on Tuesday, the executive of the non-profit Surviving Change made her write-in campaign for mayor of Bremerton official. (Read Mike Shepherd’s comments here.) Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Why did you decide to run for mayor?

I felt like the people weren’t left with a choice. Everybody comes and talks about the committees that they sit on and all the stuff that they’ve done. And then I looked at what did they support? One of the candidates, they used the HUD money to build that, you know, the condominiums, you know what I’m saying? Then it was a hidden agenda for that.

We still got the homeless. We still got the people that didn’t have nowhere to take them to transitition them out of West Park to somewhere else, but then you took that money did that with it and then … welfare for the rich. You know what I’m saying?

There’s so much that I’m passionate about, I just feel the needs and the burdens and the cries. I weep for my community, you know what I’m saying? I advocate. I’m in the courts, I’m in the schools, I’m down in Olympia. I fight for my people. And people don’t listen to us, like we don’t matter, we don’t care, and we don’t have a voice, when we built Bremerton.

We got all these newcomers that came here, and like, we were supposed to be stupid and ignorant. And they come with their ideals and what they think we should have, when they left out what was our real needs. The beautification and the upgrade was fine, but we still should have left our downtown. But did they come and ask the people what they wanted? Instead of like dictating to us? And these people don’t know where they belong. And I want (the people) to feel like I feel now: Free. You have a voice, and you count and you matter, you understand what I’m saying?

 

Mike Shepherd On Why He Lost the Primary, and Why He’s Supporting Write-In Candidate Deborah Jackson for Mayor

Mike Shepherd, the only candidate to challenge then-incumbent Mayor Cary Bozeman, was ringing doorbells and setting up his ubiquitous campaign sings around Bremerton months before Bozeman dropped out of the race and four other candidates jumped in. That he did not advance to the general election — nudged aside by Will Maupin and Patty Lent — was more than a surprise.

“We were shocked,” he says. “I mean really shocked by how that came down.”

He blames his loss largely on the fact that he and his supporters underestimated how much work would be needed to get out the vote. “I believe that there was some complacency.”

And after meeting with a group of supporters recently, he says he’s still not interested in endorsing Maupin or Lent.

“It really wasn’t about me, it was about an idea,” he says. “The supporters, the folks who really believed in this idea of changing direction, didn’t want to endorse either of these two candidates. They didn’t see a difference. They asked Deborah Jackson to think about carrying on the torch to make a difference in this town.”

 

The Posters Are In!!! Bremelog.com’s Mayoral Debate: 7 p.m., Oct. 14, Hi-Fidelity Lounge

Many thanks to our fabulous illustrator, Jessie Randklev, for her work on the poster. Look for them around town in the near future. We’ll be posting more information on the debate and the musical guests, Finn Riggins, in the coming weeks. Little more about both over there.

 

Mayoral Candidates Have Sharpened Their Positions On Passenger-Only Ferries. Sort Of.

Thinking about David Morse’s guest column today, here’s a look at what the mayoral candidates said regarding passenger-only ferry service at last week’s Chamber of Commerce forum (full report on K-Sun’s Bremerton Beat).

Will Maupin said passenger-only ferries should be part of a long-range state plan that current service should start conforming to now.

Patty Lent said passenger-only should be operated by the private sector.

What do y’all think? Does anyone think a Mayor Maupin could get the state back into the passenger-only business, or at least inside some kind of plan to make this happen? And is Patty Lent kicking passenger-only ferries to the curb by relegating them to the private sector?

We’ll address this issue and many more at Bremelog.com’s mayoral forum/debate/concert on October 14 at the Hi-Fidelity Lounge.

 

Announcement: Bremelog.com Will Host Bremerton-Style Mayoral Forum on October 14 at the Hi-Fidelity Lounge

And by Bremerton-style, we mean mashing up music, politics, and cocktails.

So, come October 14, Bremelog.com will host/moderate a conversation between Patty Lent and Will Maupin, the two candidates duking it out to be Bremerton’s next mayor.

Boise band — and longtime friends of The Bremelogger — Finn Riggins will perform at the event.

Further details will be released soon. But, for now, plan on showing up for cocktails at 7 p.m., Oct. 14, at the Hi-Fidelity Lounge and sticking around for a conversation with the mayoral candidates and your neighbors. And stick around for one of Boise’s — and my — favorite bands.

Now some homework: I want you to tell me what you want asked of the candidates. What questions do you have? What hasn’t been addressed thus far? Send them my way or leave comments here. You’ll be hearing plenty more about this event in the coming weeks, but let’s get it started by hearing from you.

More to come.

— Chris Kornelis, Editor, Bremelog.com