SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Just when I thought local government couldn’t get any more corrupt

Mar 5, 2013, 11:03 PM | Updated: Mar 6, 2013, 3:57 pm

Courtney Gregoire, far left, was yesterday appointed to fill a seat on the Port of Seattle Commissi...

Courtney Gregoire, far left, was yesterday appointed to fill a seat on the Port of Seattle Commission. (AP Photo/File)

(AP Photo/File)

Dori writes…

Has there ever been a more glaring example locally of cronyism and nepotism?

I’ve long said there is no more corrupt government agency than the Port of Seattle. From a boozing CEO who charged taxpayers for his drinks, to the outrageous property tax they assess local residents, to the disgraced commissioner who tried to get a $50,000 per year internship for his “friend,” to the current effort to increase commissioners’ salary a shocking seven-fold – from $6,000 to $42,000 per year.

Amazingly, commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday night to give themselves that huge raise. It appears heading for passage. Knock me over with a feather.

So what family does this corrupt agency turn to to rehab its image?

The Gregoire family of course.

Along with voting to give themselves the gigantic raise, the Port commissioners also voted Tuesday to appoint Christine Gregoire’s 33-year-old daughter Courtney Gregoire to fill their open seat.

Commission President Tom Albro said she stood out for her “strategic understanding of the vision…”Zzzzzzzz…

Five words into his endorsement I got so bored with the politi-speak, I couldn’t finish reading the sentence.

I’m sure Gregoire was the best person in the world to land the coveted Port Commission spot. Just as I’m sure that Courtney Gregoire was the best person in the world last October when the outgoing governor named her daughter to the board of trustees for Seattle Community Colleges.

Mommy never worked one day in her adult life in the private sector. At least Courtney Gregoire also works as an attorney for Microsoft. A private sector job. But, like her mom, she is building a career based on cronyism.

Welcome to Washington State – where’s there’s never enough money and there’s never enough jobs.

Unless your mom was governor.

Seattle News Archives & Features

Authorities issued a Level 3, Go Now, evacuation advisory for a new wildfire called the Goat Fire i...

Tom Brock

EVACUATE NOW: Goat Fire spikes to Level 3 in Upper Cle Elum Valley

Authorities are ordering evacuations for a new fire, called the Goat Fire, in the Cle Elum Valley of the Cascade Mountains.

7 days ago

hit-and-run mukilteo father of 7...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Suspect in Mukilteo hit-and-run that killed father of 7 turns himself in

The man accused of hitting and killing a motorcyclist before leaving the scene has turned himself in, according to Washington State Patrol (WSP).

15 days ago

The Three Queens Fire near Snoqualmie Pass and Kachess Lake increased to more than 800 acres this w...

Tom Brock

Racing the Flames: Fast-growing wildfire forces evacuations near Snoqualmie Pass & Kachess Lake

A lightning-caused wildfire six miles west of Snoqualmie Pass is growing and threatening cabins at the north end of Kachess Lake.

22 days ago

The tiny eyes of about 20 cats are focused on a Tacoma police officer as he snaps a shot of them on...

Tom Brock

How 30+ cats survived on an abandoned Tacoma boat

Officers say they responded after receiving reports from people who spotted a lot of cats on a sailboat anchored just off Owen Beach, on the northern tip of Point Defiance Park

22 days ago

Associated Press

Man charged with arson in Spokane, Washington, told police he planned wildfire for weeks

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Spokane County detective who interviewed the man accused of starting one of the city’s wildfires said the man confessed, described his planning process and explained how he created a device to ignite the blaze. Detective Michael Drapeau said in a court filing Wednesday that Aaron Farinacci told him that he […]

24 days ago

SWAT standoff Kent (1)...

KIRO Newsradio staff

VIDEO: SWAT standoff in Kent after assault suspect barricades in home

There is a SWAT standoff happening at a home in Kent.

25 days ago

Just when I thought local government couldn’t get any more corrupt