Commissioner Goldmark is quite the traveling man
Charter plane trips cost $72,000
State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark is quite the traveler, racking up some $72,000 in air travel costs since his second term began in 2013.
Statehouse reporters in Olympia did a tally, which was published in The Olympian this week, showing that one round trip-flight to Vancouver, British Columbia, cost taxpayers $6,068.
Goldmark, a Democrat who is leaving office by choice in January, makes a case that his agency once had its own aircraft that let him and predecessors fly without using charter flights provided largely by the Washington State Patrol. Budget cuts during the Great Recession led to the selling of the plane.
Goldmark also argues that it is better that he spends time on the ground to carry out agency business than to be stuck in traffic. Many of his trips are to places where commercial air service is not convenient or available. He made 32 trips in 21 months beginning in 2015.
That makes sense. But the total outlays raised questions, and the necessity of the B.C. trip has been in doubt. Goldmark went with top Department of Natural Resources communications aide Sandra Kaiser.
They spent the first day of the mid-week trip meeting with a U.S. consul general on the health of Puget Sound; the second day he spoke about wildfires and forest health to people from fire agencies, news media, professors and students.
Goldmark has complained that DNR did not have enough funds for fire prevention and suppression work during the recent, serious fire seasons. That is what led Rep. Joel Kretz, a House Republican from northeast Washington, to speak out against the expenditures.
We’ll wait to see if the Legislature in January wants to limit agency leaders’ travel. It’s a sure bet they won’t bring back the agency’s plane. Goldmark will be gone, and his successor, Hilary Franz, has not indicated how she would approach travel.
Sheriff Snaza closer to a comeback
It is good to know that John Snaza is resuming his duties as Thurston County sheriff in January. The veteran lawman suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle crash in Montana in August, which kept him hospitalized for weeks in Montana, Idaho and then Seattle.
Undersheriff Tim Braniff has filled in for Snaza since the Aug. 24 wreck. The sheriff was riding in a group when he failed to negotiate a curve near Noxon, Montana, along Route 200.
He was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious injuries. A surgery was done to fuse a bone in his neck. Other of Snaza’s injuries included a lacerated kidney, punctured lung and broken arm.
Snaza announced his planned return to work last weekend in a video posted to Facebook.
Charity efforts pay off big
CHRISTMAS FOREST: Good will was in the spotlight in our community the past week. The yearly Christmas Forest fundraiser delivered in a particularly big way.
The five-day event at Hotel RL on Olympia’s west side raised $533,000 for the Providence St. Peter Foundation, which helps defray health care costs for poor and vulnerable individuals.
Decorated trees and wreaths on display at Christmas Forest are auctioned to raise funds.
More than $143,000 was raised for SoundCareKids, a bereavement counseling program for children who have lost a loved one.
LACEY FIREFIGHTERS: Similarly, gift giving by the Lacey Fire Department aided 50 families and their children at Station 31 over the weekend. The 19th yearly event was organized by the nonprofit Lacey Firefighters Charity. Organizers purchased gifts in addition to the 600 provided by Red Wind Casino. Other help came from Lacey Sunrise Lions and Lacey Mid-day Lions.
North Thurston Public Schools helps the groups identify families in need.
WARMING CENTER: The Interfaith Works organization serving Thurston County opened its winter warming center for homeless people in downtown Olympia.
It is located in the former Alpine Experience store at 408 Olympia Ave. NE in downtown Olympia. The service is open from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. each day through March 31, providing visitors with a warm space and links to services.
MARTIN WAY DAY CENTER: Also last week, a daytime warming center for homeless people opened in Lacey at 6828 Martin Way. It is on the site of a former Korean barbecue restaurant. Veterans Christian Charity is running it from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through April.
The site provides a mailing address for homeless people and serves as a hub to collect donated blankets and clothing. Jack Potter, a veteran and director of the site, says it will be a place to get out of the cold for those unable to get to the shelters five miles away in Olympia.
All of these efforts reflect the good nature of people in our community.
This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Commissioner Goldmark is quite the traveling man."