Another story today about Fire District 18’s Chief George Henderson (I’d suggest you read it on our local news page - click here). Wow… when will this end?

I will grant that what he’s in trouble for (and pleaded guilty to) I don’t view as particularly severe at all. Henderson was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he should’ve known better, but it’s not a big deal.

BUT… a fire chief who actually has no-contact orders issued against him is a problem to begin with. Henderson has been in trouble for a variety of things, none of which seem to rise to the level that the district’s board feels moved to remove him from the position.

I’ve got to ask, though, does Henderson really have nearly 100 percent support from the community out there? Again, I’d suggest you read the full story on the local news page, but I’ll repeat a choice quote here:

     “‘The board and the firefighters and the majority of the community have been behind me, almost a hundred percent, on this whole last few years,’ said Henderson.”

Are you kidding me? George Henderson is probably a good guy, who’s made some foolish mistakes. But he’s a liability to Fire District 18. How can they still trust the guy to lead the district when he has such a tarnished track record?

Again, I don’t view his mistakes as incredibly severe, and for the average citizen, they wouldn’t be much of an issue. But public servants at his level should be expected to live up to a higher standard.

Here are some suggestions: keep out of domestic issues with your ex-es — just don’t go there, at least if it’s going to bring the cops out. Make sure you have permits when you do construction work — and pay attention to the fact that everyone else around here seems to be quite concerned about protecting Lake Whatcom. Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive negligently (by the way, Henderson wasn’t charged with DUI, because he was apparently below the legal limit. But he was pulled over on his motorcycle after having a few, and allegedly driving negligently). 

Joe Blow citizen can get away with this stuff… local leaders in charge of teams of people, big budgets funded by taxpayers, and, especially, public safety — can’t.

Last week, the City of Bellingham announced a new contract deal with some of its union employees. It just so happens the new contract includes 3 years worth of raises.

While the raises in pay are modest, I have to ask, should we be giving out any raises right now, considering the economic situation? The city, county, and state are all facing big cuts, with programs and positions being cut left and right. A lot of people in the private sector are feeling the pain, too, with constant news of job cuts and rising unemployment.

I’m not opposed to paying employees well, but in a time when we’re hearing about pay freezes in the private sector, why are we still giving raises to government employees? I know things aren’t rosy, and I’m not at all saying these union members should never have their pay increased again.

This will probably sound cruel, but anyone with a job right now should be thankful they’re employed. I have no idea how much workers in this union make, but I would hope people could survive on what they’re getting currently, at least until the economy turns around and the city can afford raises.

Again, I’m not saying these employees are getting rich doing what they’re doing, but they’re surviving. And we’re all trying to survive, trying to keep jobs, trying to cut costs in our personal lives, and trying to hang on through a trying time. So do they really need a raise?

Remember all the controversy over an environment-killing and neighborhood-destroying co-gen facility at BP Cherry Point?

Remember the brouhaha over the SE-2 proposal that would have undoubtedly sent many to their graves by spewing thick clouds of acrid toxins into the local airshed?

I remember, and yesterday I learned something about Whatcom County (I pride myself in knowing what’s going on around here).

I found out that the evil, greedy power companies have been running a similar power generation facility near Birch Bay - SINCE 1974!!!

I’m guessing most of you, like myself, never knew a twin-turbine, natural gas-fired, 74-megawatt power plant existed there.

In fact, that’s probably the last thing you’re thinking about on those nice summer days when you bring the kids out to Birch Bay for a big picnic and bonfire.

It really calls into question the over-the-top rhetoric we’ve heard around here for years, every time a power plant is proposed. Just as people seem to be ignorant of where their food comes from, a lot of people also seem to be unable to make the connection between power plants and their daily lives. People don’t realize where electricity comes from.

I’m all for incentives to reduce power consumption and the pollution it unfortunately takes to produce power. But we’ve got to be realistic about where power comes from, and how much we rely on it.

Now that I know that know about PSE’s Whitehorn Facility near Birch Bay, I’ve got to ask: how many people are really bothered by the power plant in our ‘backyard’?

How much horrible environmental destruction has been wrought by the sinister turbines running near Whatcom County’s shores?

And, to reference the scare tactics of the NO SE2 people in the late ’90s, exactly how many people have died because of the generation facility’s emissions?

The bottom line is, no one has died. Birch Bay is still gorgeous. And very few local residents even realize there’s a power plant that’s been there for 35 years.

For those who have been asking — there’s some ‘good’ news for you.