Friday, October 30, 2009

Loss of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Corps Helicopter

My thoughts and prayer go out to these Coast Guard families. Please join me in this. They were performing their duty, trying to find an over due boat.

Brent (My daughter is a Coastie)

From: Allen, Thad Admiral
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 1:50 PM
Subject: ALL HANDS - Loss of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Corps Helicopter

To the Men and Women of the United States Coast Guard:

I am deeply saddened to report that one of our C-130 aircraft, CG-1705 out of AIRSTA Sacramento, crashed last night about 15 miles east of San Clemente
Island off the coast of San Diego. CG-1705, with seven Guardians onboard,
was searching for an overdue 12-foot pleasure craft when there was a collision with a Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra helicopter at 1915 Pacific local time. There were two personnel on the Marine Corps helicopter which was conducting a separate training exercise.

The Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy have been working collaboratively overnight and throughout today in response to this tragedy. I want to ensure our workforce is kept fully apprised as well.

We have been and continue to actively search for survivors. Two Navy surface vessels were on scene almost immediately after the accident. Several Navy and Coast Guard aircraft, along with a Customs and Border Patrol helicopter, are flying sorties in the area while multiple cutters including the BLACKFIN, BLACKTIP, EDISTO, PETREL, GEORGE COBB, and JARVIS are conducting surface searches. One of the Navy ships is remaining on-scene as well. No personnel have been found at this time but we will continue to work with our Marine Corps and Navy partners in this massive effort.

While we continue the search, we will fully support the men and women of AIRSTA Sacramento and their families. We are actively assisting the local field units to respond to this tragic event so they can focus on the ongoing search. This includes flowing resources and critical incident stress management teams where they are needed, supporting our fellow families and Service members, coordinating a joint military investigation, and working with our Department, the interagency, the Congress, and the media to keep people informed.

I know many of you want to know the names of the people who are missing. We are following the appropriate notification procedures and working closely with our sister Services and the impacted families to ensure the proper steps are followed. We will release that information as soon as possible.

I will provide further updates as they become available. I encourage all Coast Guard members to keep these missing Guardians and Marines in your thoughts during this difficult time and to continue looking after your shipmates.

Admiral Thad Allen
Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Sam Taylor's Questions Answered

Earlier today I received an email from Sam Taylor with questions about my previous entry. Instead of getting into an email back and forth, I decided to respond here for all to be able to read. So here goes.

You say the council doesn't read their packets ahead of time. Do you have specifics on this? How do you know this? You're saying every single one, perhaps besides Mel, don't read their packets? Why do you think this?

For anyone attending council meetings on a regular basis already knows the answer to this. For those that do not there are three council members that this really applies to. They are: Olson, Zimmerman and Malpezzi. Zimmerman voted no on an ordinance and when asked why stated that he had not read it so he would not vote in favor of it. Malpezzi just recently stated that he only read the cover sheet provided by staff, not the supporting documentation. Olson has asked questions on ordinances only to have it shown to him that the items in question were in the ordinance. He has also made statements that have show he has not read the complete ordinance.

On the other end of the spectrum are Connie and Mel. They do their homework and should be the role models for the rest of the council.

Also you say the council is getting out of control, in what way?


For this I asked Sam to listen to the tape of the last council meeting. If you were there you again would know the answer to this. (The following does not apply to Connie or Mel.) There does not seem to be any respect any more on the council. They don't seem to respect the Mayor or each other. Council member Ingram speaks when ever he wants to, without acknowledgment from the Mayor. Council members Malpezzi and Olson don't respect our city staff and this is evident by their condescending questions and comments that they make.

Do you really think every council member treats people poorly?

Again, I asked Sam to listen to the tapes. If the Herald had a reporter at the meetings on a regular basis, then Sam would not be asking me these questions. The fact that they do not and that Sam has not listened to the tapes of the meetings, shows me that the Herald really does not care to much about Ferndale.

All I ask of anyone really interested in this is to do the following. Attend the Planning Commission meeting this evening at 7:00 PM City Hall Annex. Watch how the Commissioners inter relate with each other. Watch and listen to how the Commissioners talk and work with the city staff. Then compare that to recent council meetings. If after that you think I am off base, let me know.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Elections a week away

With the election a week away I would encourage all my Ferndale friends to mail in their ballots. As of this afternoon, only 16% of the ballots have been returned. If you did not know the Ferndale post office does not post mark your ballots here. They are loaded onto a truck and post marked in Everett. If you want your ballot counted on election day, then you need to get it mailed early. (Ballots can be mailed on election day, they just will not be counted until they are received at the county office, which could be a couple days later.)

As you look over your ballot I would encourage you to vote Brent Goodrich for Ferndale City Council Position 7. Our current council is getting out of hand and there needs to be a person of reason on it, besides Councilmen Hansen. I have been attending council meetings for the past four years so I have a good background on what has been happening and where the city is headed.

Ferndale needs someone on the council that reads their packets, reads the changes to the Municipal Code and values staff input. I will do that, my opponent does not. This does not mean that I will agree with everything presented, but at least I will have read it and will be able to ask intelligent questions to help me make the best decisions possible. I will not vote to support something with my vote and then, a few weeks or months later, go into attack mode against our city staff as my opponent does.

Ferndale deserves better than what we are getting now from Mr. Olson. Petty bickering does not help move Ferndale forward. Neither does reliving the past election over and over and over again, unless that's the highlight of your past term in office.

A vote for Brent Goodrich is a vote for a positive future for Ferndale. You might not always agree with my votes but you will never be embarrassed by my behavior.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

The Ballots Are Out

This week the ballots went out. I just wanted to post a few thoughts on why you should vote for me.

Over the past four years I have attended about 80% of the council meetings. I have learned a lot during that time. I have also seen my opponent in action and at times the lack of action/participation. As a council member he has stated numerous times that he does not like additional meetings or study sessions. The additional study sessions/meetings are planned so that he can make a more educated decision. So by not attending them shows me that he really does not care about the issues before him.

I, on the other hand, take my appointment to the Planning Commission very seriously. I attend the meetings and have only missed a couple over the past two years. Just a side note, the Planning Commission is scheduled to only have one meeting per month. Because of the work load we have been having two meetings per month plus we have held some additional study sessions with the city council. I have been serving on the commission as a volunteer without any complaining. Mr. Olson, as a paid, elected official, complains all the time about having to do extra. This is wrong.

One other area that we differ on is our opinion of the value that our city staff adds to the council's decision process. I believe we have a great city staff. They are very knowledgeable and can be a great resource to council in making wise decisions. Do I always agree with them, no, but I still value their input. Mr. Olson seems to take a different view of city staff. Watching from the audience at council meetings, Mr. Olson, at times, treats our city staff as if they were something he purchased on sale at a swap meet. Again, this is wrong. My track record from the Planning Commission shows that I respect our city staff even in disagreements.

As the 2009 elections draw to a close, I would ask for your vote for Ferndale City Council Position 7. If you want to help, it is not to late. For ways to help please contact me at either: BrentListenstoYou@yahoo.com or phone me at 384-8151. Financial assistance can be mailed to Brent Goodrich, 5666 Correll Dr. #106, Ferndale, WA 98248.

Thank you again for those who have supported me and I look forward to serving the citizens of Ferndale for the next four years.

My County Council Picks

Here are my picks for the County Council races:

Kathy Kershner
Mary Beth Teigrob
Michelle Luke
Bill Knutzen

On The Bridge

Last night, Friday, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, my wife and I braved the possibility of rain and attack by pigeons as we stood on the Main Street bridge. We were there holding my campaign signs and waving to the folks as they passed by. We received lots of waves back, a few honks and a few to busy driving and talking on their cell phones to notice us.

It was a lot of fun and the time just flew by. We are planning on doing it again so check back here and I will post the date and times.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Last Night's Council Debate...No Wait...

Last night, Tuesday, October 13th, was the debate by the candidates running for city council hosted by the Ferndale Record Journal and Chamber of Commerce. The only problem was that it really wasn't a debate as such. It was a debate between Jon and Ken but for Lloyd (a.k.a. Zoyd for those that were there) and myself there was no debate. Why is this you are asking?

Lloyd's answer is easy, there is no one running against him. As for myself, my opponent, Mr. Kieth Olson, choose not to be there. It was my birthday last night and yet I was still willing to show up and let the public know my opinions on the issues brought up. To me last night was very important. Unfortunately the public did not get to hear Mr. Olson's responses or be able to choose between us.

So why was Mr. Olson absent last night? It depends on who you talked to. The moderator said that it was due to previous family obligations. When I talked with those close to Keith they said that is was because he did not want to go on the record in the paper with his responses.

Personally, I think this is just another example of Mr. Olson's lack of commitment to the position as a council member. He has stated on numerous occasions that he does not like any additional study sessions and he did not attend the council member retreat earlier this year. He only seems to show up at his paid meetings.

Ferndale needs and deserves better than this. Ferndale needs a council member that is involved in the city and willing to go the extra mile and attend meetings and events. My track record shows my volunteer involvemet in Ferndale. When elected I plan on continuing that involvement.

Currently I am spending up to 6 nights a month attending various meetings, all of which are volunteer. Mr. Olson, as a paid representative of the citizens of Ferndale, complains about an extra meeting here and there. This is wrong and should not be tolerated by the residents of Ferndale.

I am involved in Ferndale. I love this city and support all those who give of their free time to make this a better city. I see this every month at the CCA meeting. There are good people doing great things in this city. Ferndale needs a council member that has this same mind set and I am that person.

For those of you that attended last night's debate, thank you. I hope the evening was informative for you. I enjoyed the evening very much.

If you have questions that were not asked last night and would like to know my opinion, please email me at: BrentListenstoYou@yahoo.com. I will post any question asked and my responses here on my blog. If you would like to help with my campaign you can also contact me at the above email address or call me at 384-8151.