Mayor Darlene Kordonowy “stands behind the process” that has generated a controversial draft shoreline plan.
But she takes no position on the content of the proposals, saying that they are still in such an early stage that a stand is unwarranted.
“This is not yet at the decision-making level,” Kordonowy said in an interview Tuesday. “It is still at the data-gathering phase, and people are doing the right thing in speaking out.
“We are listening, re-thinking and will come back again to see if we can do it better.”

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HMC receiver seeks $925,000
Court-appointed receiver Michael Grassmueck has applied for almost $925,000 in payment, for work that he and a number of professionals performed through June 30 to sort out the affairs of the now-defunct Health Maintenance Centers and Znetix.
Grassmueck asked a federal court judge for almost $300,000 in fees and costs for work performed by his company. He seeks an additional $155,000 for the work of a forensic accounting firm, and over $450,000 for the work of two law firms.

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It’s hard to have vision when you’re squinting
through a black eye.
More’s the shame when the shiner is in part
self-inflicted, as the city seems to have managed with
proposed regulations for Bainbridge Island shorelines.
Ducking all punches so far has been Mayor Darlene Kordonowy. She ought now to step forward, and either put up her dukes or throw in the towel before the city is thumped into a concussion around her.

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Billed as a study session, Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting proved another chance for waterfront property owners to vent outrage at proposals many said would give the city control over the first 50 feet of their land.
“What do we need to do to prevent any of us from having to go to meetings like this again,” said Wing Point resident Howard Kirz, who urged the commission to reject plans that could require buffers of native vegetation, including trees, along the island’s shoreline.

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A series of vehicle thefts with the Winslow ferry terminal as their hub has resumed, police say.
Two vehicles were reported stolen from the terminal in a 72-hour period last weekend, according to reports.
One, a customized 1988 Chevrolet Blazer, was later found abandoned in wooded area near Hansville.
The truck had sustained extensive damage, having been repeatedly smashed it into large trees before it was dumped.

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Phil Rockefeller dropped by our office this week to catch us up on a number of things.
He’s running hard for a third term, he said, and is buoyed by his 60-plus percent showing in the primary. Which prompted us to wonder aloud why anyone would want to go back to Olympia this fall to tackle what looks like a $2 billion budget deficit for the next biennium.

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Facing a period of limited revenue growth, the city is cutting back on “big-ticket” capital spending, and looking at service users to shoulder more of the costs.
That will mean higher water and stormwater bills for Winslow residents, said Ralph Eells, city finance director. And it likely means that voters will get the final say on most major projects.
“Voter initiatives have limited the amount that cities can increase revenues without a vote of the people,” Eells said, “and I don’t think we will be able to pay for major capital projects in the future without going to a vote.”

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