Bellingham City Council Elections

The revised fireworks ordinance was adopted with the supporting votes of four (4) of the seven (7) Bellingham City Council Members.  Again, many thanks to Knutson, Lehman, Weiss and Snapp.

Knutson and Lilliquist are running, both unopposed, for re-election to 4-year terms. Snapp is retiring, and he has endorsed Pinky Vargas for his seat on Council. She is running against Clayton Petree for this 4-year Ward 4 seat. Fleetwood is not running for re-election, and he has endorsed Roxanne Murphy. She is running in the primary against Bob Burr and Allen Brown for this 2-year at-large seat.

You may ask, "So, what does this have to do with fireworks?"  A whole lot.  Let me explain:

Pinky supports the fireworks ban.  In fact, at the 6/3/13 public hearing before Council, she spoke forcibly in favor of then proposed ban, urging the Council to approve it.  Jerry Farwell, the "suit" who testified against the proposed ban that same evening, represents the Consumer Fireworks Safety Association PAC, which has recently contributed financially to Petree's campaign.  If elected, Pinky will preserve what Snapp did in support of the recently approved revised fireworks ordinance.

Roxanne also supports the fireworks ban.  In John Stark's 7/25 Herald regarding the Murphy, Burr, Brown 3-way primary race, he wrote: "Murphy says she agrees with the personal fireworks ban . . . because she believes most city residents favor it."  If elected, Roxanne will join Knutson, Lehman and Weiss in support of the new ban.

BOTTOM LINE:  Please consider showing your continued support of the fireworks ban by voting for Roxanne Murphy in the primary and for both Pinky Vargas and Roxanne in the general election in November.  THANKS!  Later . . .

Interesting Letter-to-the-Editor

Today's Bellingham "Halibut" - aka the Herald - included an interesting letter-to-the Editor about fireworks.  The author's lack of understanding of both the current ordinance and of the new ban is significant.  Comments to the letter are also intriguing, as folks like Earnest are beginning to show a very acute understanding of the shortcomings of current ordinance and solid support of the new ban. While remembering what this is really all about - making our City an even better place to live - I urge you to check out the letter and comments thereto here.  Later . . .

UPDATE:

When this posting, and a similar one on our FB page, went out this morning, there were just a half-dozen comments.  Now (5:15PM B'ham time) there are more than another dozen.  Thanks to Ernest, DickConoboy and reasonable_man for "informed" comments in response to others who show a total misunderstanding of the existing City fireworks ordinance and of the recently adopted ban that is slated to go into effect on 6/18/14.  Total bans have been successful in 58-other cities in our State.  Spokane and Spokane County have had incredibly successful total bans for 2-decades.  Bellingham's new total ban is expected to make our City an even better place to live.  Later . . . 

All's Been Quiet on the Southside

For the most part, it appears that the illegal use of fireworks has run its' course on the Southside.  I hope its been quiet where ever you live in the City.  So, that leaves us to have to tough it out this coming New Years and look forward to the implementation of the recently adopted ban when it goes into effect on June 18th, 2014.  I do not think, however, that we can back off now.  Quite the opposite!  We need to do some serious thinking as to what we can do, either individually or collectively, to help implementation of the new ban succeed.  Please think about this and get back to me with your ideas.  THANKS!  Later . . .

Illegal Fireworks Likely Cause of Local Apartment Fire on the 4th of July

Here's just one more reason why the recently passed total fireworks ban is a "no brainer".  Check it out here.

2nd Night in a Row

Last evening was the second in a row that it was quiet.  Perhaps the explosions are over until New Years.  Let's hope so.  Later . . .

The Sunday Quiet Did Not Last!

Here's the deal:  Not only are these idiots unable to read a calendar.  They are also apparently into Sunday being a day of rest.  After a wonderfully quiet Sunday evening, last evening, just past 11PM, the blasts returned.  Although they were distant, Panda certainly knew what was going on. And she did not like it one bit!  A queen-size bed is simply too small for my wife and I and our Aussie!  It's such a helpless feeling to be able to do nothing for a dog who is trembling in your arms as the explosions continued for over an hour.  I so look forward to next year.  Later . . .

A Good Night's Sleep

Although I could just barely hear far away fireworks going off last evening, my Aussie did not.  So we all had the our first good night's sleep since the 3rd.  By the way, my search for fireworks trash with very unproductive yesterday morning.  The only trash I found was over at the intersection of McKenzie and Varsity Place.  Later . . .

The Barrage Continues

Being able to read a calendar is apparently not an ability needed by folks that get their "rocks off" blowing stuff up.  What began on the Southside on the 4th continued into the wee hours this AM.  My calendar indicates it's the 7th.  It's been a tough night for my Aussie and the rest of my family.  What to do . . . ?  Well, I've decided to go look for fireworks trash, which over this weekend is accumulating in Happy Valley, where this blatantly illegal fireworks use continues.  Where there is trash, there are addresses which will help in future calls to 911.  This is something that will at least be better than just putting up with this situation.  Later . . .

Updated Southside Report

The 4th was pretty awful on the Southside. The barrage got started at dusk and continued well into the 5th. Called 911 a couple of times, but frankly, without any exact location info from me, nothing much happened. My Aussie went pretty much ballistic on me. It was not a fun Independence Day for me and mine!  To a lesser degree, at least one idiot who apparently cannot read a calendar shot off some really big stuff last evening.  Apparently this person did not get enough pyrotechnical self-gratification on the 4th or perhaps had leftover "munitions" that needed to be used before they "spoiled".  It seems very strange that this person's close by neighbors put up with this instead of calling 911.  As concerned citizens, we all need to do our part, especially next year when the ban becomes enforcible.

The only conclusion that I can come to is that the BPD/BFD made an impressive effort to make the current "restrictions-only" fireworks ordinance work this year, but it's pretty obvious that the total ban that goes into effect on 6/18/14 is the only real solution to our City's fireworks insanity. Next year, with no sales within the City and law enforcement no longer hindered by having to witness the actual lighting of a fireworks, many idiots who have scoffed at the current ordinance will be much more vulnerable to fines and/or imprisonment in 2014. Later . . .

It's OFFICIAL!

It seems very fitting that I discovered the link below this afternoon, on Independence Day, July 4th, 2013. It is access to the "official" ordinance that puts a fireworks ban in place in June, 2014. Check it out here! Thanks to everyone who has been part of our grass roots campaign to make Bellingham an even better place to live. Have a safe and enjoyable - and perhaps quieter - 4th. Later . . .  

Southside Report

It has been amazingly quiet here on the Southside until last evening. Loud fireworks started north of the Parkway mid-evening and continued well past midnight. I was busy consoling my Aussie, who went bonkers as usual.  It ended up being a short night sleep-wise.  So the likely barrage begins today, on the 4th.  Sure hope it's over by midnight, or not, right?  Sure reinforces why we worked together so long and hard to establish a City-wide ban starting next year.  Later . . .

Spokane's 2013 News Conference

Spokane's successful fireworks ban is 21 years old this year.  It's success has been in part a result of continuing education of the public.  Fundamental are now yearly press conferences.  Check out this year's by clicking here.

Too Good to be True

It was too good to be true.  It's been uncharacteristically quiet since fireworks went on sale Friday morning.  However, this evening at 7:40PM, there was a very loud explosion in Happy Valley, somewhere between 20th and 24th.  "Assuming" it was a firework shot off by some idiot, it was obviously outside the 9AM to 12 midnight time period on the 4th and therefore illegal.  Called 911 - police to check it out but with little exact location information, nothing much enforcement-wise is likely to happen.  To follow with a posting to the BPD later.  Later . . .