Predictable, the Columbian, the unofficial daily newsletter of the Democrat Party in Clark County has now endorsed a straight Democrat ticket in the Primary Election coming in August. Oh, they’ll claim they endorsed a “Republican” with Marc Boldt, who left his conservative base in the dust long ago to embrace the Liberal Democrat values, but the release of their endorsement for Democrats Joe Tanner and Ron Barca completes the picture of desiring a one party rule on the Clark County Commission.
Ever since Tom Mielke, a Vietnam Veteran Decorated for Combat Valor when he served with the 82nd Airborne in Vietnam, won a narrow victory over Democrat Pam Brokaw in 2008, the lackeys at the Columbian have written everything negative about the man they could find. Unlike Marc Boldt, Mielke votes the conservative view as the conservatives who elected him would expect.
Trying to look out for the well-being of taxpayers, keeping taxes reasonable, questioning the boondoggle CRC and ramming Portland’s light rail down Clark County Citizen’s throats against our will and opposing construction of $24 Million baseball stadium to house a losing minor league team earns Mielke the label of the “No guy” from the Columbian.
In the past 4 years, you will be hard pressed to find a kind word about the man in the pages of the Columbian.
On the other hand, the two Democrats they endorse, former legislator from over two decades ago and Ron Barca, a member of the Planning Commission (I think we all have seen just how well plans have gone in the County) and what he calls himself, a “lean practitioner” at Boeing earn praise as “High-quality candidates” from the Columbian, in large part because both support the crippling Columbia River Crossing with Portland’s financially plagued light rail Clark County will be expected to bail out with more of our tax dollars floating across the Columbian River to the South instead of being put to use in our own community.
Both Barca and Tanner are credited with running on job creation (what candidate isn’t this election?) leading them to that Tanner is, “well-qualified for his top campaign issue: jobs” due to what they say is “an admirable record as a leader in the business world.”
They either didn’t do their homework or ignored what is easily found.
Tanner states “From 1992 to 2000 he was a top executive with Drypers Corp., a diaper manufacturing company with locations in Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Colombia.”
Interestingly enough, Drypers history states, “The company suffered losses of $15.5 million in 1995, and after debuting at $14.50 per share the previous year its stock plummeted to lows of less than $4 per share,” in part due to a price war with competitors.
In spite of some recovery, “after reorganizing and consolidating manufacturing facilities,” the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000, selling off their North American assets to Hong Kong-based DSG International Ltd in March 2001.
Just how or under what conditions Joe Tanner’s employment as “a top executive with Drypers” ended is not stated. But, it does not leave me feeling comfortable about his claim of “Economic development will be his No. 1 goal.”
One can only imagine whether or not, when the company reorganized and consolidated manufacturing facilities while he was “a top executive,” it included shipping any jobs overseas or laying workers off as they “right-sized.”
Ten years later, the Vancouver, Washington manufacturing arm, Associated Hygienic Products closed their doors in the midst of this “Great Recession.”
At the 2012 Democrat Party Convention, Tanner had this to say in part of his speech, along with generous portions of bashing Tom Mielke and Republicans in general,
Full speech may be viewed here
Just what is a “Smokestack Economy?” InvestorsWorld.com defines it as, “A basic manufacturing industry, such as cars, steel, rubber, paper, and chemicals. Often cyclical.”
Not unlike Boeing where Ron Barca is employed and in the words of V.P. Biden, “it means a three-letter word, J-O-B-S.”
And just where is Clark County’s economy at today? We are in our 4th straight year of double digit unemployment and are in desperate need of private sector jobs. But Tanner sounds opposed to such jobs even though we have many citizens unemployed and unable to find any jobs in our own community.
Tanner also boasts of bringing the 4-year campus of the University of Washington down to Clark County, which is good. But what has that done to help with the county’s continued high unemployment and so many of our residents being forced to seek work in Oregon instead of within our own community?
The University of Washington even appears now to favor enrolling foreign students and out of state students over our own Washington Students.
Is that really something to boast about?
And those “Smokestack Economy” manufacturing jobs Tanner seems to discredit? We need those jobs, not only in Clark County, but in America as well. In February 2012 the Atlantic ran an article that concluded, “While America’s manufacturing sector no longer lords over our economy as in the past, it’s still a crucial force. It is more innovative and pays higher wages than other industries. Because that’s likely to be the case for the foreseeable future, public policy should support a healthy manufacturing sector.”
Yet those very jobs Joe Tanner scorns and would not like to see in Clark County, based upon is words.
I live in District 1 of Clark County. I have met and spoken with both Joe Tanner and Tom Mielke. I can see how the Columbian has set out from the start to demean, denigrate and bash Tom Mielke at every step with hopes of putting the Clark County Commission into full Democrat Party control to support bankrupting taxpayers to pay for tolls and increased taxes to bail out Portland’s financially plagued Metro.
Tom Mielke has been the lone voice of sanity to rein in spending and excessive tax increases on us. He has stood his ground on our behalf and taken it in the backside from the Columbian and Democrats.
Mielke is a man of strong character who sees what Clark County must do in order to return to a viable community with low unemployment and reasonable taxes.
My support remains with Tom Mielke
