Members of the Seattle City Council have joined with extreme “green” activists to loudly voice concerns about Larry Weis, Mayor Ed Murray’s nominee to head the city’s utility. Apparently, they do not feel Weis fits in with the environmental utopian vision they have for Seattle – he just isn’t “green enough”. The Seattle Times reports:
“Environmental groups are opposing his confirmation, saying Weis isn’t the clean-energy visionary the city needs to lead City Light…
“The local Sierra Club chapter and climate-justice organizations 350 Seattle and Rising Tide Seattle have asked the City Council to reject Weis. Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who chairs the council’s energy committee, shares their reservations.”
Socialist Sawant said of Weis, “His record as an environmental leader just isn’t that impressive.” Of course, if given the opportunity to be candid, Weis (and tens of thousands of others) would say the same about Sawant’s record as a city council member.
As head of Austin Energy, Weis was on track to increase the utility’s power mix from 5 percent renewable energy when he first arrived to 55 percent by 2018. So, clearly socialist Sawant’s excuse for not supporting him is a tad ridiculous.
And what of the “reasoning” behind the greenies attacks on Weis?
Well, Weis’ record in Austin also reveals that he once disagreed with environmental extremists who were part of a citizens’ task force. Via the Seattle Times:
“The task force recommended replacing an existing natural-gas plant with 600 megawatts of solar power, while Weis recommended replacing it with 500 megawatts of solar and a new 500-megawatt natural-gas plant.
“‘Solar cannot replace natural-gas-fired power plants today,’ he said in an Austin Energy news release at the time. ‘It’s the other way around: very efficient, combined-cycle natural-gas plants allow us to add solar to meet environmental goals and remain affordable. Solar is a good thing. The task force wants too much of a good thing.’”
So local greenies are concerned that Weis would favor continuing to put science and economics before their utopian vision of a world with no fossil fuels while managing the city’s utility In other words, Weiss’ unforgiveable sin is the chance he will be guided by reality in trying to make sure the lights stay on in Seattle.
You can’t fix stupid.
Yeah, fits tensor to a tee.
It’s a question of good or better. A city with a very high quality of life, like Seattle, will tend to attract multiple top-quality candidates. The Council is under no obligation to pick the first one.
But, if you really think an appointed official should not get tough scrutiny, you’re free to demand speedy confirmation when Gov. Inslee appoints a new head for WSDOT.
“It’s a question of good or better”
With the Silly Clowncil, It’s a question of loony or loonier and they do feel an obligation to pick the one farthest to the left, regardless of qualifications. After all, it’s how they got elected.
When the Jayster appoints a mini-me who’s far more concerned with fleecing the public with ridiculous tolls than actual transportation, the adults in the Senate will take care of it.
Yeah, suddenly firing someone with no prior warning or feedback, and no plan for afterwards, is just so much more “adult” than asking relevant questions during the nomination process.
Just keep repeating that until you’re sure.
People are fired (and resign) every day with no prior warning or “feedback”. It’s that pesky “At will” thing. That’s the way the real world works, comrade. If you got out of your (13 month) leased basement once in a while, you might know this. And nothing has ground to a screeching halt in the absence of one more incompetent bureaucrat that any “plan” would make better. I’m sure.
People are fired (and resign) every day with no prior warning or “feedback”. It’s that pesky “At will” thing.
I wasn’t disputing that, reading comprehension genius; I was merely noting it was not the mark of a well-run organization. (And I gave at least two weeks’ notice whenever I terminated my “at-will” employment; it’s called professional courtesy.) If our esteemed senators want to convince us they’re barely competent to supervise a comic-book store, let alone a multi-billion dollar state agency, they can indeed do that; the louder they make that point, the more easily can we voters fix that particular problem in November.
And nothing has ground to a screeching halt …
I’m sure our process for getting a replacement will go just peachy with our new advertisement, “come work for WSDOT, and have teenaged minds in middle-aged suits fire you because your boss defeated their man with such ease.”
…(13 month) leased…
You’re *still* amazed at the very concept of a thirteen-month lease? No wonder you’re so helplessly and permanently gobsmacked by things we Seattle residents barely even notice.
What more feedback should the Senate have waited for? They got plenty of feedback from the only people that should matter to legislators, their constituents. What would have made the process better? Another study for bureaucrats to hide behind? The only one proven incompetent to manage so much as a paper route is on the unemployment line now, where she belongs. Given recent trends, we’ll see what particular problems voters fix in November, no matter how much butthurt this causes you.
“come work for WSDOT, and have teenaged minds in middle-aged suits fire you because your boss defeated their best man with such pathetic ease.”
Do you live in some parallel universe where Gov. Carbon Pollution won by a landslide? I’m sure you’d prefer: “come work for WSDOT where you only need two qualifications, the ability to fog a mirror and a (D) after your name, with the latter being much more important”
The thing that amazes me is how effortlessly you lie about calling something you lifted from a birdcage liner like The Stranger your own.
“What more feedback should the Senate have waited for?”
I never said they should have “waited” for feedback; I merely noted they did not *provide* any feedback, guidance, or advice to the Governor or head of WSDOT before firing her. As already noted, well-run organizations don’t simply fire employees in this manner, no matter what the employees’ performance.
What would have made the process better?
If they’d taken the relevant feedback you claim they’d received from their constituents, and presented it to the Governor in a timely and coherent manner. (You really have no experience or idea of how a well-run business operates in the private sector, do you?)
The only one proven incompetent to manage so much as a paper route is on the unemployment line now, where she belongs.
And you’ve provided just as much evidence for that claim — zero, zip, zilch, nada — as did the boys who cackled with glee after they fired her. You’re just not getting the point here, are you?
Given recent trends,
Polling data, what is it?!?
Do you live in some parallel universe where Gov. Carbon Pollution won by a landslide?
I neither said nor implied Inslee delivered anything near the effortless, no-holds-barred beatdown of humiliation Senator Cantwell inflicted upon her hapless, f-bomb yelling opponent that same year. I’m merely noting that Inslee led McKenna after the primary election, that Inslee led McKenna during the entire general election season, and Inslee defeated McKenna at the general election. McKenna was as powerless to change this as was Baumgartner in getting Cantwell to care about his candidacy during that same time; in that sense, both Cantwell and Inslee triumphed with pathetic ease — just as I wrote.
The thing that amazes me is how effortlessly you lie about calling something you lifted from a birdcage liner like The Stranger your own.
I see you’ve given up trying to manufacture quotes to support your accusations. Good for you! Please keep making those baby steps.