Yours Truly sought public comment from the ‘Quality of Life Committee‘ chair, Rob Drexler after learning of that group’s invitation to Commissioner Jack Miles to meet privately with their ‘interview team’ in Shelton’s Peninsula CU facility on 9-29-11 @ 9:30am to discuss/answer questions pertaining to ‘our issues‘ and “…promote the election of those individuals who know and understand…”
Rob's 'Quality of Life' committee
However first, perhaps a little more about the irony of just what this group represents (given their pseudonym) and who is behind it is in order. The Mason County Association of Realtors website (in part) describes it as follows:
“In addition to helping write and implement policy, or prevent negative policy from becoming law, the QOL committee is very active in both state and local elections. By interviewing candidates the QOL committee decides which candidates to endorse and support through the election process. We only support candidates that agree to sign the Quality of Life Pledge, and by doing so, we ensure that our candidates work to support policies and laws that help maintain a quality of life in Mason County!”
“Chaired by Rob Drexler and co-chaired by Herb Baze, the Quality of Life Committee meets the first Wednesday of every month at 8:45 am at Roosters in Shelton. Feel free to stop in and attend a meeting. If you have an issue you’d like the committee to address, just contact Rob (rob@ydthomes.com, 360:620.2466) or Herb (herbbaze@aol.com, 360:701.4703).”
And just WHO is Rob Drexler, you may ask? More details later, but his website (http://activerain.com/rdrex) promotes him as follows:
- Name Rob Drexler
- Company John L. Scott – Belfair (Co-Owner)
- E-mail Contact Rob Drexler (John L. Scott – Belfair)
- Website http://www.ydthomes.com
- Office Phone (360) 275-1600 x 214
- Cell Phone (360) 620-2466
- Alt. Phone (888) 275-7511
- Fax (360) 275-1605
A little about Rob
Rob Drexler
“Rob Drexler is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. This, coupled with a background in contracting helps form a strong work ethic and knowledge of all aspects of the housing industry. Currently serving as Past-President on the Mason County Board of REALTORS and serves on the Washington Realtor’s Legislative Steering Committee. Additionally Rob is Vice-Chair of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce and is the Secretary-Treasurer for the Economic Development Council, [a Mason County based private corporation]. Rob is extremely active in the real estate industry as well as our community. His most important asset is that he is one of three that make up ‘Your Dream Team‘, which affords buyers and sellers the best possible service.”
I.E. The ‘Quality of Life Committee‘ is the tactical special hierarchal interests team for the Mason County Realtors Association responsible for muscling/inducing politicians to provide their members with enhanced access and special consideration. And they don’t hide their light under a bushel either!
Ironically, these fat cats have their best chance at advancing their cause in Jack Miles despite their natural antipathy toward him and recent ardent support of the now defunct Adage biomassacre project or the EDC unchecked graft/favoritism machine where public funds are provided without competitive bidding to this private corporation, then circulated among Mason County’s oligarchs and elected officials inside our local cabal.
Bruce and Betty opine, “‘Your Dream Team‘ is exceptionally good at what they do and obviously love doing it”
The ‘Dream Team’ is too dense/joined at the hip in this cluster of political opportunists and robber barons to recognize the biggest impediment to their agenda is not those outside their tent, but within. e.g. Pork Commissioners Jay Hupp and Tom Wallitner along with Pork Executive Director John Dobson who have consistently litigated against the City of Shelton’s attempt to rezone the Shelton Hills 160 acres parcel south of Shelton’s Airport so as to allow for its well designed development and residential construction. The Pork septuagenarians are also among Dick Taylor’s biggest campaign donors. Dick has promised he will have an easy time getting along with these elderly officials while they obstruct the City of Shelton’s best efforts to bring development to our area. Meanwhile, Dick Taylor’s wife, Marlene Taylor, after vehemently denying a rumor Dick Taylor might seek appointment to fill the recent Jerry Lingle’s County Commissioner seat, neglected to mention she coveted it for herself. The scent of money, the mother’s milk of politics, hangs heavily in the air.
Rob’s selection ‘committee’ sent a letter to Commissioner Miles seeking his approval to meet with them behind closed doors. Jack (to his credit) delicately demurred by replying he preferred to seek the endorsement of his constituents to that of special interest groups and powerful oligarchies/corporations. He confidently assured Mr. Drexel his record spoke for itself when it came to protecting the quality of life this community and its residents have come to love. But Jack did have a little vetting of his own to pursue.
Commissioner Miles asked two salient questions of Mr. Drexel and his committee:
1) Did you or the Mason County Association of Realtors support the ADAGE project?
2) Did your organization support “Citizens for a Prosperous Mason County”?
Jack has yet to receive a response from Mr. Drexel, et al, to either question.
To some, the answers might be considered so obvious as to make the questions rhetorical. Nevertheless, this reporter hastened to make the very same inquiries of Rob Drexel himself, informing the Realtor his comment(s) would be provided to the community at large.
Mr. Drexel began by arguing his group was on record as supporting the ‘process’ when it came to the Adage controversy, not to say the project itself, with respect to question #1. But wouldn’t a committee that bills itself as about the quality of life want to inquire into and take a public position on this very issue surrounding one of the most toxic pollution proposals to face local residents within living memory?…or is it simply all about the $!
Mr. Drexler was blunt about denying any access to the proposed committee powwow, including the public, reporters, and photojournalists. Apparently, the sunshine would have been too intense for the delicate skins of these denizens of intrigue/graft/corruption/cronyism & special interests. Mr. Drexler is, after all, a corporate officer of the EDC: a private company forming one of the pillars of Mason County’s own Devil’s Triangle of greed and influence through the unmitigated expenditure of public funds with virtually no oversight nor competitive bidding for their professional ‘services‘.
Rob went on to refuse to answer the 2nd question with some considerable hostility including disparaging remarks about local community blogs attempting to keep residents informed regarding such local events and public policy issues. He volunteered he would consider answering such question(s) from Jack himself in a face to face encounter, though some would consider any such revelations moot or at best self serving given the recent history of Mr. Drexler and the committee when Quality of Life issues threatening the community were actually imminent. Where was Mr. Drexler and his band of knights errant when the Adage dragon was at hand before the city gates? MIA?
Jack Miles remains the most promising candidate for Port Commissioner most committed (as evidenced by his track record) without apology to defending this community’s Quality of Life, its families, their health, their children, and their environment. However, Jack is but one man and cannot continue to do so without our support as well as your urging your neighbors, friends, and family to do likewise.
In the interest of putting rumor and innuendo to rest, fact checking with Herb Baze reveals the following pertinent information regarding the above questions/issues:
Having 2 businesses to run, Herb has shelved his real estate license. But he was co-chair of the ‘quality of life’ team (special hierarchal interests team) while Adage was still in town terrorizing the community. Mr. Baze was direct in characterizing support of Adage itself by members of the Mason County Real Estate Association as mixed–some were in favor of it, others were not. He went on to say the ‘committee’ uniformly supported the ‘process’. That’s not to say any of the members were sufficiently educated about the merits or justified in remaining silent on such a salient question impacting the health of local residents, or ‘quality of life’ if you will.
Further inquiry as to the 2nd important question raised by Jack Miles (did they support ‘Citizens For A Prosperous Mason County’?) in order to determine any hidden agenda by the ‘committee’ was met with an equally candid response: NO, the ‘committee’ and associated realtors took, as a collective body, no position on either Adage itself or the aforementioned ‘prosperous citizens’ group.
Nevertheless, Mr. Rob Drexler’s personal association with certain other organizations including the EDC should give pause to any local resident questioning his true allegiance. The evidence clearly favors the $! The obscurity of his committee’s proposed process speaks for itself. Nor did he ever directly answer Jack’s questions.