Commentary And Opinion by Samuel Strait – October 25, 2023 I suppose it has become a question of how many times will the community bail out the local clowns at the Harbor? Since the successful passage of Measure "C" only a few short years ago, a measure by the way that was supposed to solve the ailing Harbor district's financial woes, it has been an endless list of bad decisions by those that currently occupy seats on the Harbor's Commission as well as those hired by the Commission to give sound advice. From the poor judgement to invest in solar power to that of Alex Lemus himself, the current Commission has sent the Harbor careening towards bankruptcy. As such, it is important to point out that elections have consequences. When members of the Commission have a track record of incompetence, it is important that the electorate use the power of the poll to rid themselves of such train wrecks before the damage becomes irretrievable. All of the current members must be held accountable for the lengthening list of mismanagement, corruption, and fiscal irresponsibility. The opportunity to begin that process recently was when those on the Commission were reelected in the face of a failed solar project, dredging issues, and the RV leasing fiasco was lost when the recent election left the Commission largely intact. This has left our local population to suffer a solar project that costs the Harbor money to maintain that exceeds its cost savings, a lawsuit for failure to dredge and lack of building maintenance that has resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement against the Harbor, and two near empty RV parks from which the harbor receives little in income and the need for thousands of dollars of maintenance cost in its stead. The list goes on. Questionable hires of the Harbor's staff and Harbor Master, coupled with financial improprieties, bad advice, and the inabilities of the staff to offer any successful guidance toward rectifying the growing list of catastrophes just in the past few years. Wind power, begging for "earmarks" from our Federal lawmaker, the typical "finger pointing" at years of bad leadership, and naturally complaining about regulations have become the current mechanisms for avoiding responsibility for the impending financial disaster. When all the whining and excuses can't fix the Harbor under the current leadership, will the public become involved? According to the current members, the Harbor is "intertwined with the local economy and its financial woes will affect the over all health of the community". Of course that begs the question, "since the Harbor currently is a financial mill stone around the neck of the community, "How does it become a necessary benefit to that economy"? Clearly a bit of honesty should be injected into the conversation, which the current Board seems incapable of and continues to make the issues worse. The involvement with the Tri Agency in spite of overwhelming opposition to its resurrection by the public, millions of dollars in deferred maintenance that the Harbor has no money to fund, and revenue streams that seem to vanish or be reduced by the day. Past loans due to poor planning, a fixation on "green energy development" that will go no where, and a current begging for hand outs that are unlikely to be met in any sufficient amounts. What a future our "brain trust" at the Harbor has dropped us all in. Voters should keep that in mind, the next time that they wish to vote for such prized specimens, Brian Stone, Harry Adams, Rick Shepherd, Wes White, and Gerhard Weber. Of course, one is never certain that a newly constituted Commission can retrieve the disaster that is clearly here.