Illegal immigration opponent ejected from meeting
By Steven Friederich - Daily World Writer (Aberdeen, WA)

Thursday, March 22, 2007 3:26 PM PDT

MONTESANO — County Commission chairman Al Carter lost his cool with a longtime opponent of illegal immigration during Monday’s commission meeting, eventually calling on Sheriff’s deputies to escort Stan Blunt from the building.

Blunt, an Aberdeen resident who has done some work for the Minuteman Project and other anti-illegal-immigrant groups, is a regular fixture at county meetings, consistently calling on the commissioners to do more to make sure illegal immigrants aren’t working on county lands.

On Monday, commissioners re-assigned a contract granting a company the right to collect and sell salal on county-owned property. Salal is greenery collected in the woods and sold to florists who use it in arrangements. Over the last few months, Blunt has repeatedly called into question the immigration status of the salal workers.

Blunt alleged workers for the company that holds the salal contract weren’t legal and asked that commissioners make sure employees had an “I-9” employment eligibility verification form on file.

“I was thinking hallelujah, it’s happening,” Blunt said during the public comment period at the end of the meeting. “My county commissioners are jumping on board this. They’re going to require I-9 forms are in possession of the contractor.”

“Stan, we’ve answered that question 100 times for you,” Carter replied. “And the answer is the same. You keep asking the question because you don’t like the answer. We follow the appropriate guidelines.”

“But commissioner!”

“Sir,” Carter said as he slammed down his gavel. “Sit down!”




“Here’s Immigration’s phone number!” Blunt replied. “Give them a call, commissioner!”

“You’re done!” Carter yelled back, amid some crosstalk between the two.

“We just had a concealed weapon on First and F this morning by a gang member in my town,” Blunt said.

“Stan. You’re done. Sit down. Sit down or see the Sheriff.”

“I want you to see the sheriff,” Blunt yelled back. “You’re here with all your manpower and communications!”

“Donna, would you step out please and ask the Sheriff to step in?” Carter asked the County Commission’s clerk.

“This is going to go on and on, isn’t it?” Blunt yelled again.

“I’m not going to allow you to run this meeting,” Carter said. “You’re done. We’re just not gong to do what you want us to do and I’m tired of listening to you.”

“Eight years now, I’ve come here — ” Blunt said.

“And I’m tired of hearing you harp on the same question!” Carter said.

Soon after that, Blunt left the meeting voluntarily and was met a few minutes later on the sidewalk in front of the commission chambers by a couple of Sheriff’s deputies who only talked to him and asked him what had happened inside.

At the end of the meeting, Carter apologized for his “outburst.”

“But there are only so many days I can take so much from Mr. Blunt,” Carter said. “It’s hard enough to do our job and we shouldn’t be expected to do the federal government’s job, too.”

County Commissioner Mike Wilson said that as mayor of Aberdeen, he ejected Blunt once. And Carter recalled that a few years ago, then-county commissioner Dennis Morrisette once ejected Blunt from a meeting.

Blunt said he’s undeterred and plans to be back at the commission meeting next week.

“Somebody has to get to the bottom of all of this,” he said. “I’m going to keep going back and talking about it. You bet.”


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Anyone who would care to educate Mr. Carter and the other members of the Grays Harbor County Commission about the responsibility of all levels of government to enforce the rule of law, and the First Ammendment rights of Citizens, contact information as follows:

Grays Harbor County Board of Commissioners
100 W. Broadway Suite 100
Montesano, WA 98563

Phone: (360) 249-3731 Toll Free: 1-800-230-1638

Fax: (360) 249-3783

Commission Members:

Bob Beerbower Email: Commish@co.grays-harbor.wa.us

Mike Wilson Email: MWilson@co.grays-harbor.wa.us

Al Carter Email: ACarter@co.grays-harbor.wa.us