Dancing with the Stranger Mathew Manweller Style

Where is Paul Harvey when you need him? 

Never fear, years after Paul's death, the Stranger is here with part of the rest of the story and released many more of the sordid details of Matt Manweller's hypocrisy to the general public yesterday. 

This follows the lifting of the injunction on the release of Central Washington University's report in attempting to come into compliance with Title IX regulations on sexual harassment allegations made by students against Manweller in 2006 and 2007.  Manweller is attempting to spin this report as absolving him of these actions.  It does not.  The simple problem is that CWU's response at the time was ineffective and the "complaints" were "resolved" on an informal basis and CWU made only the most cursory attempt to correct the problem, i.e. Manweller.  The sad fact of the matter is that CWU bungled the process under the requirements of Title IX back in 2006 and 2007 and knows it.

CWU is not currently disciplining Manweller due only to the lapse of time. 

During the past week, Mr. Manweller, his campaign, and his sycophants have also been distorting an editorial run by the Daily Record's editorial board to claim that the Daily Record endorsed him.  They did not and when confronted with their distortion refused to admit that they were not telling the truth about the endorsement.  Hence, yesterday, Joanna Markell, Managing Editor of the Daily Record, restated that the Daily Record did not make endorsements in two of the local races, the race for the State House (i.e. Mathew Manweller versus Kaj Selmann) and the judicial race in yet another editorial.

I appreciate these two local papers making the attempt to at least provide the information held by Central Washington University.  Democracy is helped by having a free press that strives to at least appear non-partisan.  However, the people in Grant County are not as fortunate as we are here in Kittitas and Yakima Counties, as the dominant paper there, the Columbia Basin Herald,
has essentially refused to even cover the CWU report other than a few lines sandwiched inside a thinly veiled campaign piece.  This is where we can all be grateful for the growth of the internet and the great platform it gives individuals to share information that does not find an outlet due to partisan journalists.

For more information on the actual court hearing lifting the injunction and allowing for the release of the Central Washington University investigative report on the sexual harassment allegations made against Mathew Manweller please go to Steve Verhey's blog post on the hearing.


Updated 11/3/2012 to link to Joanna Markell's Out and About Column.

Credibility Factor Limited-When a Political Thug Recasts Himself as a Bi-Partisan

Some years ago, I was sitting in the dark on a ledge of a windowsill outside the Ellensburg Public Library talking with Debbie Strand, who was then the Executive Director of the Kittitas County Economic Development Group.  I had known Debbie only in her professional capacity, who was, at the time, actively working with the wind farm developers who were facing huge opposition from a coalition of groups and individuals eager to preserve and promote residential development in Kittitas County's wildlands.  Much to my surprise and shock that evening, a man walked up and without any acknowledgement of my presence, and began to verbally threaten Ms. Strand's job if she did not get control of the Development group's board, specifically, Desmond Knudson, a board member and local business owner, who was at the time engaged in a lawsuit to remove the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners.

Ms. Strand, kindly, wisely and diplomatically, I think on behalf of Mr. Manweller, pointedly interrupted him and introduced me to Matt Manweller. 

This is how I first met Matt who was at that time chair of the Republican Party.  My impression at the time of a person that would make such threats in the dark without regard to who might be listening was that he was a thug.  I think he was fortunate that the person he addressed these threatening and bullying remarks to was the long suffering Ms. Strand who very patiently put up with this incident and even covered his back a little bit.

This first impression was indelible and continuing.  It was amplified when Matt was filmed calling a protester stupid (you can easily find the links to this video on the web).  It was further solidified, while pandering to a Tea Party crowd, he called public employees generational parasites (this video also easily found on the web).  Finally, there is the infamous radio show incident involving the parking lot brawl, and its precedent and subsequent messaging by Matt, which was nothing but a display of the worst kind of partisanship.

However, I can also see that there is a new Matt who is now trying to put "his baggage" behind him and emerge as a bi-partisan.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of baggage to tow.

I understand that it is easy to dismiss me as a partisan due to my current involvement in the Democratic Party as the Kittitas County Chair.  However, as a very moderate Democrat, who was self described at the time of my election to my current political role as being 51% Democrat and 49% Republican, I really do have a problem with Matt now trying to present himself as a bi-partisan given what I have witnessed as a resident of Kittitas County for many years.  As a business person,  I also have sincere and serious concerns for those of you in the agricultural and business communities of all three counties he might be representing and whether concerns across the entire spectrum of business activity in our counties will be heard rather than just those segments of the business community Matt has traditionally associated himself with. 

As a former non-profit board member, I am still appalled at the suggestion he made that an executive director of a non-profit board should control the board members.  As most of us who have served in such capacities understand, the board is, at least in theory, supposed to direct the the executive. 

I hope my story is something those of you serving on port district boards, economic development boards, and other non-profits throughout the 13th Legislature District will take to heart and ponder as you cast your vote in a few days.  There is an alternative to Matt Manweller in Kaj Selmann.  I urge you to call Kaj, talk to him and think about who can best deal with the entire spectrum of business interests in our district, including who would be best suited by temperament and track record in situations where various segments of the business community have conflicting interests.

Manweller Timeline-Just the Facts Ma'am

What we Kittitas County voters know that the rest of you may not know about Matt Manweller who is now a candidate for the 13th Legislative District:

2008-  First wife, Oralynn Manweller, files for Divorce in July, 2008.  The couple had no children.  Source Washington Courts Website Docket.

2008- "You're dumber than a post . . ." video from the 2008 Rossi Campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UQmh7jOPnU

2009- Dissolution proceedings between Oralynn Manweller and Mathew Manweller final in April.

2010- Fist fight with Fred Huber in the KXLE parking lot in Ellensburg in Sepetember..

Yakima Herald Coverage:  http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/09/22/radio-comments-lead-to-fisticuffs

Daily Record news article with audio clip Mr. Manweller's talk show the "Right Opinion:" http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/article_b1bf7122-c5ae-11df-8562-001cc4c03286.html

Protection Orders Denied:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/manweller-huber-not-granted-protection/article_d3337306-c812-11df-9191-001cc4c03286.html

2010- An "aging and pregnant" second wife of Matt Manweller, Shelley Manweller, stands by her man in a Daily Record Letter to the Editor on October 1, 2010.  Note that she walked the parade route with "their son":  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/article_f78bd21a-cdae-11df-9a82-001cc4c002e0.html?login_success=true 


2011- Calls supporters of collective bargaining and state unions "Generational Parasites" and states that they are uneducated and ignorant:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI9s-GFpnWo


2012-Promises to represent scoflaws of Washinton State's Hydraulic Code regarding law enforcement actions by WDFW and other state agencies:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-battle-with-ecology-one-reason-for-seeking-office/article_1f2c2d90-5753-11e1-959b-001871e3ce6c.html#user-comment-area

Responsive letters to the editor from local water and fisheries professionals: 

Dale Bambrick:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-manweller-needs-to-step-out-of-ideological-vacuum/article_7cb90bd2-59af-11e1-a8f1-001871e3ce6c.html#comment-7a7141fe-5e6a-11e1-8469-5f2abd6ca4b4 

Scott Nicolai:  http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-rerouting-a-creek-is-not-flood-clean-up/article_f09441ca-5cd9-11e1-bf8c-0019bb2963f4.html

Kaj Selmann announces run for 13th Legislative District

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/kaj-selmann-to-run-for-state-house-of-representatives/article_64135a76-5c05-11e1-ac88-001871e3ce6c.html

The Roslyn Shuffle

Funky stuff going down in Kittitas County and rumors of Republicans getting set to do the politcal version of the "Roslyn Shuffle."

It must be something in the water or the phase of the moon, because my inbox has been busier than normal and filled with many curiousities in regards to local political issues.  Among the strangest of the strange, was a forwarded email advising of a reception planned by the Puget Sound Energy PAC out at the Wild Horse Renewable Energy Center to honor Doc Hastings and raise money for him on July 18, 2011.  Proudly hosting the event are the three current sitting Republican Kittitas County Commissioners (Alan Crankovich, Obie O'brien, and Paul Jewell), my counterpart on the Republican side, Matt Manweller, and Representative Bill Hinkle.  If you've been around Kittitas politics involving land use for some time you may find this particular cast of characters playing in this venue quite ironic.

I'm wondering just exactly what it is that Doc Hastings has ever done to warrant being honored by PSE or anyone else in the wind energy industry?  Given that he voted against the stimulus spending and has criticized every form of stimulus spending put forth under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as implemented by the Obama administration except the Highway Transportation Funds, it cannot be a thank you for the recent stimulus funds that PSE received in 2010 to expand the Wild Horse Wind Farm.  Or would it be to his general opposition to wind farms when the decision making process is not local, i.e. the EFSEC process leads to a final decision by the governor?

The local control issue is what has led Kittitas County to butt heads with a variety of state agencies. Commissioners Obie O'brien and Alan Crankovich often chant this mantra and have used it in regards to their comments on the wind industry.  Exercising "local control" has taken the form of utilizing the prosecutor's office to litigate issues that many voters think should not be litigated.  Or, as the independent candidate for Prosecutor in 2010 advocated, at minimum the commissioners should be required to hire their own outside counsel which would result in some small level of transparency as to the cost of such litigation.  Right now it is deeply buried in the prosecutor's budget.

I do believe that had there been "local control" there would have been no wind farms in Kittitas County.  Ever.  And that includes Wild Horse.  I have also witnessed more insiduous forms of "local control" which included a blatant threat made by Mr. Manweller against the then executive director of the local economic development group which took the form of advising her if she couldn't control the members of her board (and prevent them from supporting wind farms or bringing recall efforts) she would lose her job.  Never mind that in most non-profits the board "controls" the executive. 

Perhaps the oddest fellow playing the wind farm venue would be Paul Jewell who ran on a promise to extract royalties from the wind farms and may have won his commissioner seat on the basis of this false premise.  Never mind that he was advised both before and after his election that there isn't a legal way to impose a royalty on a wind farm here in Kittitas County.  Commissioner Jewell's most recent foray into places the county should not go includes a proposal to enter the water banking business in upper county by buying scarce water rights and allowing for "incidental uses" by certain select private citizens.  This screams obvious potential "appearance of fairness" issues.  There must be times that Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Neil Caulkins feels like a broken record when telling the commissioners no, no, and no.

Which only leaves Bill Hinkle who I know better than the other cast of characters.  I actually do think Bill supported the wind energy industry here but he was late in formulating an independent identity on the issue perhaps due to some fence sitting behind the idea of local control and also due to his personal and political involvement with real estate developers (who by the way are not monolithically Republican) in the county. Of all the Republicans listed, I find his presence at Wild Horse the least incongrous. Which now brings me to rumors of Republicans doing the Roslyn Shuffle.

There is a joke in the Upper Kittitas County town of Roslyn about the dating scene among single adults.   There is a limited pool of people to date, and, consequently, it is not unusual for a single resident in Roslyn to date someone who is an ex of a friend or relative, and have that friend or relative dating your ex, or your current partner's ex.  This is referred to as the Roslyn shuffle.  Rumors have circulated for months as to what Bill Hinkle will do next:  He will run for state wide office, he will run for county coroner, etc.  The current permutation involves Alan Crankovich resigning early, Bill Hinkle resigning early, Bill being appointed to County Commissioner (interesting because he is an Ex-Kittitas County Commisisoner), Matt Manweller, the current Republican County Party Chair, being appointed to fill Bill's legislative district seat, and so on . . .  and some form of sinecure employment somewhere being obtained for Alan Crankovich in exchange for leaving early(interesting because I'd always heard he just wanted to sit long enough to get a minimal number of years in his county pension anyway).  All of this occuring against the back drop of redistricting issues and additional rumors regarding more Republican elected officials in the county leaving early. 

As a political neophyte and new county chair of the minority party it will be interesting to watch. And, the Doc Hasting event out at Wild Horse may well be the theatre for the announcement of the results of the shuffle and the Republican positioning of candidates for the next election cycle.