Legislator Wants Stimulus Funds to Build Five Foot Ferries
By Ed Friedrich
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
... Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, is sponsoring House Bill 1209, which
would direct the state Department of Transportation to buy five passenger-only
ferries for $25 million. The bill does not address how or where the boats ought
to be used. ...
... Port of Kingston director Mike Bookey said Ericksen's bill won't likely
help his efforts to start passenger-only ferry service between Kingston and
Seattle next fall. It'll be too late. The challenge is finding operating funds,
he said. Buying a boat is pretty straightforward.
Kitsap Transit executive director Dick Hayes, like Bookey, said new boats
are great, but the problem will be finding somebody to operate them. ... (full article-Kitsap Sun)
I'm all for stimulating the economy to prevent us from slipping into a Depression, but this idea of Doug's smacks of either lameness or cronyism.
Doug Ericksen is always playing the naysayer, going on about wasteful spending, but now he wants to have five ferries built and then figure out if the State Ferry System would be able to use them. And(!) if there's any way to fit operating them into the State budget. Doug sez just get 'em built and then figure it out. Very strange since he's the one who keeps voting NO on the State Operating Budget.
Ericksen's Bill doesn't sound very responsible to me. As a matter of fact, it sound rather like a pork-barrel boondoggle.
note: Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against 'All American Marine' and I'm not accusing them of anything.
Doug is a crony. Ambitious and ridiculous. His smile is fake, and so are his policies.
ReplyDeleteWhile a few passenger ferries would be great for some runs, what about much needed car ferries. The Keystone/Port Townsend run has no ferry since the steel electrics that use to run there were pulled from service. This is just a ridiculous attempt to look like he's doing something, when in fact it won't do a thing for our aging ferry fleet.
ReplyDeletejudging from some of the comments on this article the folks on the kitsap penninsula get it....they got the dougsters number!!
ReplyDelete"Since the elected officials are more eager to piss stimulus money away I don't see why everyone doesn't stand up and demand their own piece of the pie. Like one of the comments above, it is OUR tax money. How about some help for the little people instead of "Foot ferries to nowhere."?"
"This is crazy, build ferries with no real plan on how to use them.
My guess is the shipyard in his district is a campaign donor. How did this guy ever get elected."