The bad penny returns

If politics could be compared to toxic waste, Pacific would be a Superfund site. Like the beast that won't die, the poisons just keep boiling up out of the ground.

In the last Speed Trap City, I posed a question: who raised the issue of Councilman Gary Hulsey’s three-decades old murder conviction, and why at this time? Superficial, sentimental media coverage created a smoke screen that helped to divert the discussion from who stood to gain by the disclosure. However, it appears that the other shoe has dropped and that the bad actor has peeked out from behind the curtain. That compulsive indiscretion suggests who else was involved and benefited.

Twelve years ago, when Pacific’s politics were particularly venomous, I was involved in Pacific Candlelighters, the predecessor to Pacific Partnerships, with the aim of trying to build community. In my naïveté, I  telephoned one of the political activists to see whether both sides in the brouhaha might be able to be civil with one another. It took about 30 seconds of a telephone conversation to realize this particular activist wasn’t well centered. I contacted a leading candidate and suggested that there might be a problem with this activist. The candidate didn’t disagree, but observed that the person we were discussing was very useful politically. That usefulness persisted for some time, particularly in the area of character assassination, and there were several individuals who stubbornly continued to dip into this resource even after the ethics of this exploitation were called into question.

There’s a term for a person who can be used as a remote tool to accomplish an end without the prime mover getting his hands dirty: cat’s paw. Here’s how Wikipedia defines the term:

Cat's paw is a phrase derived from La Fontaine's fable, "The Monkey and the Cat", referring to a person used unwittingly by another to accomplish his own purposes.

I think there’s a great possibility that Gary Hulsy’s past was exposed through the use of this particular cat’s paw, the bad penny who bubbled back up into Pacific politics.

Folks whose memories stretch back for 10 years and longer  won’t  have any trouble understanding whodunnit, the personal connections and loyalties, and who stands to gain at this time. Of Pacific’s elected officials, Councilman Clint Steiger has been around long enough to figure it out and realize who got sucked in. It’s quite possible the rest don’t have a clue of how they’ve been worked for a political end.

Unpleasant questions

In Pacific, the beat goes on. I think of Pacific as “Speed Trap City”, but it really should change its name to Turmoil. The latest shoe to fall is the news that a sitting city councilman stabbed his wife to death 34 years ago. Reactions quoted by media and in e-mails include: Shouldn’t be holding office; disturbing; he’s paid his debt, etc. They all miss the point.

The point is, why is this being mentioned at this time? Cy Sun got it right, when he campaigned on cleaning up corruption, but I don’t think he had a clue as to how metastasized the rot is.

While people are being quoted about how they feel regarding the news about Councilman Gary Hulsey’s murder conviction, a more interesting question to me is this: who was motivated to dredge up the past, and what was the reason for doing this, and at this time? Are people being manipulated? Again?

While no-one was able to establish that the new mayor actually had been awarded medals for valor in the Korean War, it only takes about $15 and a social security number for a landlord to determine whether a tenant has a criminal record. So here are some interesting facts, followed by some even more interesting questions:

• While I was a reporter on the Auburn Globe-News in the 70s, I quoted Pacific Police Chief Ronald Earwood as saying he was performing background checks on his detractors. Earwood had gotten the city into a million dollar lawsuit over police brutality, and this disclosure was the spark in the tinderbox. But doing background checks was not a new practice. About that same time the Algona Police Chief had told me he conducted background checks on everyone who moved into town. Another Algona Police Chief later disclosed to me the criminal conviction of an Algona city councilman. And when I was on the committee several years ago to have a city manager replace the mayor in Pacific, a former city council member disclosed that while she held office, a controversial police chief was keeping dossiers on council members. So, the police know things.

• Here are some facts that are more current: Pacific Public Safety Director John Calkins was charged with drunk driving and intimidating the arresting officer; he testified in court that he doesn’t drink beer, while I have seen a photograph of him doing just that; he is accused in a deposition of requiring employees to view porn; he also failed a polygraph examination on whether he threatened an individual with a hand gun, and he was investigated for tampering with a witness. He proposed writing more speeding tickets not for public safety, but to raise revenue. His department practiced racial profiling. When a house burned to the ground on his watch, he bellowed at a city council member for asking why. When I published the claim that he was related to then-Mayor Howard Erickson, he bellowed at me in a city council meeting, denying the allegation. But according to the people who disclosed the relationship, it was Mr. Erickson who made them aware of it. No-one ever hauled him up short for this and other rude behavior until Mr. Sun put him on administrative leave for bellowing at the city’s treasurer about a month ago. By the way, Mr. Calkins testified in court under oath that he can’t raise his voice, so he couldn’t have yelled at the arresting officer at his DUI stop. Or at me, either. I must have imagined it.

• When Mr. Sun displayed his war medals in a public meeting, he said he stored them away and didn’t look at them because of all the painful memories. Then he castigated Mr. Hulsey for accusing him of making false claims, and several other people for raising the question. But it was Mr. Sun  who introduced the subject during an election campaign, at a time when it is appropriate to thoroughly examine anyone who is going to be trusted in public office.

• Now that he is in office, Mr. Sun has been rolling heads. Some people are calling “foul.” They are angry at him for cleaning up a mess that they neglected for years, including the mayor’s use of public moneys for his personal career development, and the misuse of the state’s credit, followed by an inept police investigation that scuttled the council’s feeble effort to stop the abuse. Here’s a little secret: If you wait until the barbarians are at the gate, you don’t get to complain about collateral damage. Here’s another little secret: The barbarians don’t stay. If you want a stable long-lasting government, you have to have good people.

 Now it’s time for the unpleasant questions:

• If Public Safety Director John Calkins, a civilian, can show up at city council meetings in a police uniform he’s not qualified to wear, why should Mr. Hulsey care whether Cy Sun can claim medals for valor and try to have him investigated as a criminal? Which is the worse offense—impersonating a hero, or impersonating a police officer? Note that Mr. Hulsey sits with Councilman Clint Steiger on the public safety committee that has oversight over Mr. Calkins.

• When Mayor Richard Hildreth met with Mr. Hulsey and Mr. Steiger to discuss an unfavorable report on Mr. Calkins by the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department, did no-one know about Mr. Hulsey’s conviction—not even Mr. Calkins? If Mr. Calkins knew, did Mr. Hildreth (his boss) know? Did Mr. Hildreth tell them about the depositions alleging Mr. Calkins’ invitation to employees to view porn in his office?

• Mr. Hulsey appears to be a team player. Why would someone “out” him? Is it a coincidence that this disclosure occurred after Mr. Calkins was put on administrative leave? Does someone stand to gain by humiliating the individual who questioned Mr. Sun’s honesty about his war medals? Was someone angling for advantage at a time of house cleaning?

 Mr. Sun has alleged that his war record is his private business. Well. I sympathize with Mr. Sun for the lingering pain he feels, but this is business. To say that he is not accountable is to play the Hildreth card. When people asked Mr. Hildreth questions he lied, tap danced, disparaged and blew smoke. In order to maintain control and dominate, he demeaned and slandered people who were exercising the rights and duties of citizens in a democracy. He frustrated rational discourse. Mr. Sun has set a precedent for following Mr. Hildreth’s example.

Mr. Sun, listen to this: Public officials are public property. You have a duty to be transparent. You have a duty to conduct yourself in such a manner that you are trusted and that people have confidence in government. No matter how painful your memories are, your public duty transcends your wish to avoid personal issues. It’s a tough fact of political life. As Mr. Truman said – if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. You have no obligation to serve; but if you serve, you have an ethical obligation to be accountable. Mr. Hulsey had a right to ask the question about the medals, and painful as it may have been, you had a duty to respond. (It would be nice if there were a tradition in Pacific for more civil dialog in instances like this.) I just wish he had been a little more aggressive on probing Mr. Calkins’ conduct as well. Mr. Calkins should have been fired years ago.

For the the public in general: Don't mistake a public servant for a doormat. If they show respect for you, show respect in return.

And as for the the individuals who make up the body of elected officials in this city: Get a backbone. When something’s wrong, don’t stick your head in the sand. The weekly meetings belong to the council. not the mayor. Have the courtesy to ensure that the public is respected when they come to you, and have the courage to work the problems until you’ve fixed them. Don’t let them fester. Be transparent and accountable. Or make way for someone who can do the job.

And as for the voters in Pacific, it’s time to ask this question: Why is this city here? Wouldn’t it be a lot better if Pacific were simply a neighborhood of Auburn? If Auburn can run the fire department, couldn’t it provide  the police and public works services as well? Right now Pacific is not a community; it is an aggregation of people who could probably be a lot happier if this silly little government just went away. If the government can't obtain professional standards, getting rid of it would be a good first step toward building a genuine community.