I'm told the departing Pierce County Republican Party Chairman Deryl McCarty signed a lease to move the party HQ from downtown Tacoma on St. Helens Avenue out to Lakewood, but failed to get board approval before he did so. And the lease is for 4 years.

So, "atwitter" might be an understatement for the reaction he got at the November meeting. (Rather, the reaction he would have gotten had he actually attended that meeting. He wasn't there.)

The executive board did pass a motion, basically scolding McCarty for not getting prior approval on a lease that will cost the county party about twice as much as it is paying for the old digs on St. Helens.

But the board also approved the lease. (Some say it's because they weren't given all the details...like how it costs at least $2,000 a month compared to $1,000. It's a "triple net operating lease," whatever that means, but I know that means the tenant pays the property tax, utilities and for other stuff.)

Some Republicans reportedly are so incensed that they are threatening not to pay their dues this year. That's about $25 to $100 a year.

(I'm reminded of when Sen. Don Benton, then-chairman of the STATE Republican Party, moved the HQ from Southcenter to Olympia a few years ago without asking anybody. He had to move it back, by the way.)

Anyway, the Pierce GOP probably will pick a new chairman when it holds a reorganizational meeting on Dec. 13 at Steilacoom High School.

Bob Lawrence, retired Air Force guy who lost to U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks about three times and also lost twice in legislative races against state Rep. Tami Green, D-Lakewood, has thrown his hat into the ring to become county chairman.

Not sure whether he's going to have an opponent. Jane Milhans, who had the chairmanship in 2001-05, reportedly is mulling another run.

Oh yes, the new digs are off Highway 512, near the Great American Casino. Some of you will recognize it because it's the building from which Shawn Bunney ran his failed executive campaign, and Alex Hays had his get-out-the-vote offices.

County Councilman Dick Muri reportedly is looking forward to locating his campaign offices there, too.

A proposed six-month moratorium on converting mobile home parks to other uses died in a Pierce County Council committee today.

The council’s Rules Committee voted 2-1 to table the proposal indefinitely after mobile home park owners testified the moratorium would deprive them of their property rights.

The proposal stemmed from an announcement earlier this year that the Country Aire Manor mobile home park in South Hill will close to make way for a shopping center anchored by Home Depot. Park residents have until Feb. 28 to move. Most already have.

Country Aire isn’t the only mobile home park in jeopardy.

Rising land values tempt many park owners to sell. According to the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, 18 parks around the state closed last year, affecting 534 households. An estimated 1,000 parks in urban areas are threatened.

For months Country Aire residents pleaded with the County Council to save their homes. County officials said there was little they could do.

But two Democratic council members – Tim Farrell of Tacoma and Calvin Goings of Puyallup – proposed a six-month moratorium on converting mobile home parks to other uses. They said it would give the county time to develop a long-term strategy to preserve mobile homes.

Their plan got a hearing today. Nearly everyone who testified opposed the plan. Among them were numerous mobile home park owners who said the moratorium would amount to taking their private property without compensation.

“When a park is no longer viable, the owner should do what he sees is best for his pocketbook,” said Buddy Cox of Orting, the manager of a park.

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There's a point where the adrenalin from a really close race turns into something else, and incumbent state Reps. Liz Loomis, D-Snohomish, and John Ahern, R-Spokane, have reached that point.

Both of them are losing their races as automatic recounts begin.

Our friends at the state Secretary of State's Office tell us that Spokane County officials will start the recount in the 6th District race between Ahern and Democratic challenger John Driscoll tomorrow. Right now, Driscol has a 74-vote lead over Ahern.

Loomis will be coming down to Olympia one last time -- perhaps -- this week for Assembly Days, still not knowing whether she will have a job down here in 2009 or not. Snohomish County election officials are not going to start their recount until Dec. 9. Loomis trails Republican Mike Hope by 118 votes.

If those leads hold up, Democrats will have a net loss of 1 seat in the House, but will still have a handsome 62-36 majority.

The recounts are expected to take between 1 and 3 days.

The Senate Democrats' Committee on Committees, the folks who decide who will be chairmen and chairwomen and other such stuff, is meeting today to do what it does.

On the informal agenda is what to do with Sen. Craig Pridemore. Rumor is, the Vancouver Democrat wanted to be promoted from vice chairman of Senate Ways and Means Committee to chairman, and started making a few calls to that end.

Problem was, Sen. Margarita Prentice of Renton already has that job.

Pridemore failed. Now what?

Maybe there's something in the water in Olympia these days. There's also a fight in the House between Reps. Hans Dunshee and Kelli Linville over who gets to succeed Rep. Helen Sommers as that chamber's budget chair.

While I was on vacation last week, House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler even sent out a special e-mail in response to a report that Linville had the job wrapped up. The caucus will vote later this week, Kessler said.

It'll all get sorted out over the next few days, or maybe on Saturday.

The advisory committee will meet Tuesday and Thursday to consider raising tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and will make up its collective mind after Thursday's meeting.

I'm still going over the traffic counts and revenue numbers and I can't figure out what's going to happen yet. However, it appears that DOT is assuming that starting July 1, 2009, everybody will be paying a $4 toll, even those who have transponders. And it will stay that way for at least two years.

Right now, the standard toll for a two-axle vehicle is only $2.75 if you have a transponder so you can pay your toll electronically.

Here is a link to the state Department of Transportation's bridge account.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee
Readies its Annual Rate Recommendation

GIG HARBOR - The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee will complete its annual toll rate review with a series of meetings on Tuesday, Dec. 2 and Thursday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Inn at Gig Harbor, located at 3211 56th St NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335.

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This is the group that will set salaries for all the statewide elected officials -- governor, attorney general, etc. -- Supreme Court judges and legislators.

The new salaries probably will take effect on Sept. 1, 2009 and Sept. 1, 2010.

Right now, the governor's salary is $166,891. Legislators make $42,106.

The 2009 meeting schedule has been set for setting the salaries for Washington State’s elected officials.

The meetings are as follows:

January 20 and 21 (Tuesday / Wednesday) -- 9 am Olympia Phoenix Inn

February 17 (Tuesday) -- 6 pm Vancouver Downtown Hilton

March 17 (Tuesday) -- 6 pm Bellingham Best Western Lakeway Inn

April 23 (Thursday) -- 6 pm Richland Red Lion Hotel

May 19 (Tuesday) -- 9 am Tacoma Downtown Courtyard

une date TBD --Phone Conference Call will Originate in Olympia

Please visit our website at www.salaries.wa.gov for additional information.