Port Angeles News Bulletin!
Port Angeles now has it’s own Blog to openly discuss the future of Port Angeles, or in other words, the vision of Port Angeles. Many local businessmen and local citizens have strong opinions about what can and should or could be done to promote Port Angeles as a great place to live, a strong business environment that fosters the growth of small and large businesses, and what the direction and plan should be for the future of Port Angeles.
There have been many discussions in the past dozens of years about the future of Port Angeles, and local government has made many decisions that have defined where we are today. Those decisions include land use and zoning, development restrictions, regulations, business fees and taxes, incentives, and thousands of decisions made on multiple levels, including city, county, the Port of Port Angeles, the Chamber of Commerce, quasi-government agencies, and private associations.
For many locals, the outcome on many issues has been unsatisfactory. For example, the bus depot downtown was a hot issue. Was it the right decision or wrong? There have been hundreds of decisions like this made in years past.
Some argue that Port Angeles has some of the most valuable and beautiful water front property in the world, but one only needs to look at the furrowed brows of visitors who drive through our water front to affirm that something has gone amiss. What about downtown buildings and development? What about business incentives? What about the philosophy of our city leaders? What is their vision for Port Angeles? Shouldn’t there be some cooperation on a vision among all government agencies? Or should we let them each do their own thing, even if the results are quite contradictory?
Why a blog on this subject?
Because this is the one place where all discussions are documented and permenantly on public file for all to read and re-read and comment on. You can always come back and see what someone actually wrote, and how others felt about that position.
When the Chamber invites a speaker on business development in Port Angeles or the future of Port Angeles, you might have 30 people attend, or on a good day you might have a 100. Those 100 people go home and each has a memory of the speech that fades over time. Meanwhile, the remaining 24,900 people in Port Angeles did not hear the speech and had no opportunity to express their position.
Or take a city council meeting. The same could be said. Limited people, limited opportunity to respond, and politicians only get 1% of the people’s perspective, and that 1% is often special interests.
Now everyone has the ability to dialogue and express themselves on this blog focused on the future of Port Angeles. The Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce has over 500 local business members. They can all express their views here. And the person on the street can do so. Politicians will be able to hear more voices here than any other forum available. And politicians and regulators can intelligently express their positions, ask questions, and answer questions. And all articles and comments are archived for all to read and consider.
That’s the value of this blog. The good news is that it is a valuable community resource and absolutely free to all users.
Check it out at PortAngelesVision.com.
Last Updated on September 2, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
