Monday, October 31, 2022

Once Again In Seattle---Old Bad News From January 7th, 2016 Is Still Bad News: Seattle Times Article From Six Years Ago Reminds Us Of Something That Should Not Be Frorgotten

I'm Back Jack, Skip the Flack

Got back in Seattle just after 3:00 this afternoon.  More about that next week and commentary about being back in the cab.  But on this scary Halloween Day I want to reintroduce to memory some taxi monster's monstrous behavior.  A colleague sent me this article a few days ago, something I somehow missed when it was published.  I was probably out of town.  This also reminds me as to one possible reason why BYG (Seattle Yellow Cab) didn't hire me in 2014 to be then GM Tommy Keys' assistant.  I would have blown this crap out of the water and would have gone headhunting with a sharp axe. 

01/07/16 Seattle Times Article by Evan Bush and Carol Garnick: "Sea-Tac taxi group underpaid Port pf Seattle---and Port didn't notice, audit says"

The first paragraph says what happened:

"A Port of Seattle audit presented Wednesday found the Port's lax management of dispatch and taxi services at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport allowed Puget Sound Dispatch, which operates Yellow Cab taxis in King County, to underreport receipts and underpay the Port."

The article expresses disbelief that that for years no one was paying attention while someone or someones at Yellow Cab were not paying established fees owed to the Port of Seattle.  Was all of it completely intentional?  No one could really tell, given the Port's lack of oversight.  How much was not paid, or was it simply stolen?   The Port didn't know the answer, though the loss ranged from an estimated 4-5 million dollars.   What was Yellow's penalty?  Paying the Port nearly $880.000.  What the article doesn't state is who was potentially responsible at the time for paying the fees, not naming then General Manager Frank Dogwilla and Dispatch Manager Jim O'Malley.  Were they held accountable?  No not at all but O'Malley did retire to his Camano Island estate.  

Yes, I have written in the past about this incident but glad once again to shine a spotlight on it.  Do I think a crime was committed?   My only comment is that I knew both Frank and Jim very well.  I'll leave it at that.

Screw the Taxi Nonsense, instead have a Poem about more important topics:


                                                                   Arcata Marsh

                                                                Wednesday Afternoon

                                                     Three otters fishing, three otters ordering

                                                     lunch---chomp chomp disappears a fish,

                                                     and yet another down the otter gullet, all 

                                                     three very happy, heads bobbing in unison

                                                     but rudely not leaving a tip. 

                                                                Early Sunday Morning

                                                       Forty white egrets congregating, brilliantly

                                                       outlined against the grayish-green water, 

                                                       patiently waiting in the corner of the pond

                                                       for breakfast to be served one sharp beak 

                                                        at a time.

                                                       






 


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