Seattle, WA

How Seattle’s Crackdown on Crime Ensnared a Homeless Man | South Seattle Emerald

Published

3 years ago

May 26, 2022

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How Seattle’s Crackdown on Crime Ensnared a Homeless Man | South Seattle Emerald

And Made His Wrestle With Dependancy Worse

by Erica C. Barnett

(This text was initially revealed on PubliCola and has been reprinted beneath an settlement.)

Right here’s how charging paperwork describe Trey Alexander, a 40-something Black man who was just lately charged with organized retail crime for stealing liquor from a Goal retailer in downtown Seattle: a “profession felony” and “persistent shoplifter” whose offenses over the previous 15 years have included theft, drug possession, and felony trespass. (Trey Alexander isn’t his actual title; we’re calling him that to guard his anonymity.)

In an announcement searching for felony prices in opposition to Alexander in March, Seattle police officer Zsolt Dornay wrote that Alexander had stolen “not less than $2,398 value of alcohol” over a number of weeks in late 2020 and early 2021. Earlier efforts to rehabilitate Alexander had been unsuccessful, Dornay wrote: Whereas beneath the supervision of the Washington State Division of Corrections (DOC), Alexander “did not adjust to [mandatory conditions] on not less than twenty-two (22) events.” Earlier than transferring to Seattle within the mid-2000s, Alexander had “carried out two jail stretches” in one other state — emphasis within the unique.

Most of this can be a matter of public file, taken from a report Dornay wrote for the courtroom in March. (In the event you acknowledge Dornay’s title, it is likely to be as a result of he has a historical past of violent and unprofessional habits, together with one case that led to a civil rights lawsuit and a payout of $160,000). And there’s loads that Dornay’s narrative leaves out — particulars that contradict the image of a remorseless felony.

For example: Practically each time he was arrested, Alexander gave the deal with of a homeless shelter as his house deal with — often 77 South Washington, the Compass Middle shelter in Pioneer Sq.. In actuality, he lived in a tent. With no job, prospects, or ties to a supportive group, he drank closely and didn’t have a number of causes to cease; when he “did not comply” with program necessities, what that meant is that he continued to drink despite the results, which is a elementary a part of the definition of habit. Within the months earlier than and after the prosecutor filed prices in opposition to him, the Metropolis had swept his encampment not less than 4 instances — most just lately in April, when it threw away the cellphone that linked him to his case supervisor, whose job consists of ensuring he exhibits up in courtroom.

“They throw individuals away.”
—Brandie Flood, director of group justice, REACH

Even with all these challenges, Alexander was making progress. In mid-2021, a number of months after his ultimate arrest, he enrolled within the LEAD program, which supplies case administration and helps purchasers navigate the felony authorized system. Since then, he has not re-offended, and he lastly acquired authorised for housing earlier this 12 months. However he additionally failed to point out up for his arraignment in drug courtroom, twice; now, he’s going through a warrant and the potential of 5 years in jail, plus a high-quality of as much as $10,000.

“You’re making an attempt to be practical, and also you’re doing effectively, after which this comes up … and also you’re not getting any credit score for the progress you’ve made,” stated Brandie Flood, the director of group justice at REACH, which supplies case administration for LEAD purchasers like Alexander. “It’s an actual setback.”

In current months, Seattle and King County officers, together with Metropolis Legal professional Ann Davison and Mayor Bruce Harrell, have promised to crack down on “prolific offenders” who they argue are contributing a way of hazard and “dysfunction” in downtown Seattle. Elected officers, pollsters, and information media typically conflate these crimes with homelessness, implying that homeless individuals are inherently harmful or that arresting individuals for shoplifting and street-level drug gross sales will cut back seen homelessness in Seattle’s parks and streets. In March, Harrell introduced “Operation New Day,” a sequence of emphasis patrols targeted on felony exercise at Third and Pine downtown and at twelfth and Jackson within the Chinatown-Worldwide District. Days later, Davison introduced she would pursue harsher punishments for individuals, like Alexander, who’ve been arrested repeatedly for low-level crimes.

Alexander isn’t on Davison’s official “excessive utilizers” checklist, which incorporates individuals who have been accused of 12 or extra misdemeanors previously 5 years. (Previous to his two felony prices, Alexander was accused of 10 misdemeanors previously 5 years.) However his offenses fall beneath one other class Metropolis and County officers have additionally vowed to focus on: organized retail theft. The title is a misnomer. Though it implies crime rings trafficking in stolen items, “organized retail theft” additionally consists of lone people, like Alexander, who steal gadgets value a complete of $750 or extra over a interval of six months. A single theft of a high-ticket merchandise may be charged as “organized retail theft”; so can stealing dozens of bottles over a number of weeks.

Ordinarily, shoplifting is dealt with by the Seattle Municipal Court docket, which has the choice of transferring instances to group courtroom, a therapeutic choice that gives entry to providers with out requiring defendants to confess to a criminal offense. (Davison acquired the courtroom to make this feature unavailable to these on her “excessive utilizers” checklist earlier this month, and advocates anticipate this might be simply considered one of a number of steps to exclude sure offenders from less-punitive choices.) As soon as a case is elevated to a felony, it goes throughout the road to the King County Courthouse, the place the first different to “mainstream” prosecution is drug courtroom — a program that requires individuals to get sober, attend therapy and restoration conferences, undergo frequent drug checks, and pay restitution, all whereas staying out of hassle during this system, which lasts a minimal of 10 months.

Regardless of his “failure to conform” with comparable applications 22 instances previously, the prosecuting lawyer’s workplace referred Alexander to drug courtroom. Anita Khandelwal, the director of the King County Division of Public Protection, says drug courtroom works effectively for individuals with deep group ties, an outdoor help system, and steady housing; it’s designed to fail people who find themselves homeless, nonetheless ingesting or utilizing closely, and don’t have a supportive group to assist them keep sober.

“In felony courtroom, it’s possible he’ll stroll away with a conviction, incarceration, and one other file of failing a court-based program,” Khandelwal stated. “What we’re doing with this particular person is extra of the stuff that has already not labored for him.”

Leesa Manion, the chief of workers to King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg and a candidate for the place, argues that drug courtroom “was designed exactly for people like [Alexander] — individuals who need assistance, people who find themselves appearing out due to this substance use dysfunction and wish construction to achieve success. I don’t assume we must always decide Mr. [Alexander] as a result of he has not been profitable previously.” Manion says that, if elected, she would proceed to ship instances like Alexander’s to drug courtroom.

“In felony courtroom, it’s possible he’ll stroll away with a conviction, incarceration, and one other file of failing a court-based program. What we’re doing with this particular person is extra of the stuff that has already not labored for him.”
—King County Division of Public Protection Director Anita Khandelwal

Whereas ready for Alexander to point out up for his first arraignment date final month, I watched dozens of drug courtroom individuals face King County Superior Court docket Choose Mary Roberts, whose tough-love method mixed supportive feedback about defendants’ progress with admonishments (and, in a single case, jail time) to those that weren’t assembly the circumstances outlined within the drug courtroom handbook. “I’m glad that you simply’re taking duty on your actions,” Roberts informed a person who was caught taking cough syrup that contained alcohol, however added, “You knew what the results could be.”

Flood says she will be able to consider two or three LEAD purchasers who’ve efficiently made it by way of all 5 phases of drug courtroom. “In the event you don’t have housing and a cellphone, it’s actually laborious to maintain up with drug courtroom,” she stated. “If we’ve a person who is just not ready to cease utilizing and so they don’t have their very own need for not utilizing, drug courtroom is just not the most suitable choice for them.” Generally, LEAD case managers counsel their purchasers undergo the mainstream courtroom system, relatively than “flunk out” of a system that wasn’t designed for individuals who aren’t able to give up.

However the failures that led Alexander to the purpose the place he’s going through felony prices for stealing liquor from Goal aren’t merely the results of too few choices for individuals with substance use dysfunction within the court-based system, Khandelwal says. “This particular person doesn’t want legal professionals and judges concerned in his life; he wants housing and a few measure of assist together with his substance use.” Even when the Metropolis and County courtroom programs supplied a wealth of choices for unhoused individuals with substance use problems, they’d proceed to fall quick so long as the issues that lead individuals like Alexander to steal what they want — poverty, homelessness, and habit — go unaddressed.

Within the months because the prices had been filed in opposition to him, Alexander has skilled vital setbacks. A pal overdosed, and though he recovered, the incident despatched Alexander on a spiral, Flood says, and he started utilizing avenue medicine along with alcohol. (Alexander declined to speak with us due to his pending instances; Flood spoke to us together with his permission).

Though LEAD was capable of finding him an residence, he has struggled to settle in — a typical downside with individuals transferring indoors after years of residing unsheltered, in line with Flood. “Once you’re on the road and you’ve got this rat race of issues to maintain you going to outlive, you don’t at all times take into consideration your struggles and trauma, and now that you simply’re in these 4 partitions, every part hits you,” Flood stated. “Generally our purchasers fall right into a deep despair of their first few months of being housed.”

Along with the organized retail theft cost, Alexander faces a felony cost of drug possession with intent to ship for promoting $20 value of crack, or roughly 0.1 grams, to an undercover officer at Third and Pine final 12 months. (Alexander initially supplied to promote the officer a bottle of alcohol, in line with the report.) The arresting officer in that incident steered in his report that Alexander, who gave the REACH workplace constructing as his house deal with, was one of many “narcotics sellers who frequent this space and brazenly make the most of the homeless, addicted inhabitants who keep on the close by shelters.” The drug cost carries a possible sentence of as much as 10 years in jail and a high-quality as much as $25,000.

LEAD continues to work with Alexander, who continues to point out up for his weekly appointments at its workplace. If he can recover from his newest private and authorized hurdles, Flood says, he needs to search for a job. He isn’t able to give up ingesting or utilizing medicine, however, Flood says, that’s okay. “Even when he by no means quits utilizing utterly, he could make some vital modifications in his life the place he’s going to be okay. In the event you ship him away for a few years, he’s going to be close to 50 when he will get out. Folks get thrown away.”

Flood says Black males like Alexander, specifically, have been focused within the Metropolis’s high-profile efforts to crack down on crime. “We’ve got one toe within the door. He has an residence. Let’s give him the chance to go to therapy, like they’d for any white man,” she stated. One other REACH consumer, a queer, deaf Black man charged with stealing garments and “knick-knacks” from two native shops, is going through the prospect of six months in jail as a result of a safety guard informed police the person stated he had a gun, Flood continued.

“That’s what I’m fearful about — that we’re not going to concentrate to the underlying points due to the fearmongering the media is participating in about theft rings. It’s actually not theft rings — it’s thefts [that stem from] poverty.”

Erica C. Barnett is a feminist, an urbanist, and an obsessive observer of politics, transportation, and the quotidian internal workings of Metropolis Corridor.

? Featured Picture: (Photograph: Erica C. Barnett)

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2025

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Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

More from Jason Rantz: Democrats blame Los Angeles fires on climate change to deflect from their own complicity

Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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Seattle, WA

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

A pair of candidates have surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ search for a new offensive coordinator.

An NFL insider’s view on Seahawks OC change and what’s next

The Seahawks are scheduled to interview Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, according to multiple reports. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero first reported the news Thursday morning.

Seattle will interview Fraley on Friday and Brown on Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

The Seahawks moved on from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on Monday after an up-and-down season for Seattle’s offense that included one of the worst rushing attacks in the league.

Fraley, 47, has been on Detroit’s coaching staff for the past seven seasons, including the past five as the team’s offensive line coach. Fraley has coached an offensive line that’s paved the way for one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks. The Lions rank third in Pro Football Focus’ run block grading and finished the regular season sixth in both rushing yards per game (146.4) and yards per carry (4.7).

During his time in Detroit, Fraley has helped develop four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell. As a player, Fraley started 123 games at center and guard over a 10-year NFL career with the Eagles (2001-05), Browns (2006-09) and Rams (2010). According to Breer, Fraley has done groundwork in searching for a pass game coordinator that he would pair with as an OC.

Brown, 38, began the season as Chicago’s passing game coordinator. He then was promoted to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron, a former Seahawks assistant, was fired as OC on Nov. 12, and then to interim head coach when Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ interim head coach.

Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to that, he spent three seasons under head coach Sean McVay in various roles on the Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff.

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Seattle, WA

Mike Macdonald Calls Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Gig ‘Best Job Out There’

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Mike Macdonald Calls Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Gig ‘Best Job Out There’

RENTON, Wash. – Since taking over as coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald hasn’t stood pat when he identified an area of improvement that needed to be addressed with urgency, continuing that trend on Monday by dismissing offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after just one season on staff.

According to Macdonald, Seattle made the decision to part ways with Grubb due to a difference in philosophy and vision for how they wanted the offense to operate, citing the need to play complementary football and do a better job of getting the ball to playmakers in space among the criteria for a potential replacement. Finishing 19th in scoring, 29th in rushing, and 28th in goal to go efficiency rate, he felt the underwhelming production didn’t match the talent level on that side of the ball, necessitating a change.

Speaking with reporters in his end of season press conference on Tuesday, when asked what makes the Seahawks’ coordinator vacancy stand out compared to other openings, Macdonald delivered his pitch to potential candidates with great confidence, calling it the “best job out there” with the expectation it will be as coveted of a position as any in this offseason’s coaching carousel.

“I think this is a heck of a job,” Macdonald responded. “I mean it starts with the organization. I mean all the reasons why I felt like this is such a great place to, has been backed up tenfold. So that starts there and then our players are really the next best. I mean, shoot, we got great players. We’ve got a great young core and shoot, I think it’s a heck of a job.”

With the offseason only being a few days old, no reports have surfaced yet regarding potential successors for Grubb. But without dropping any names, Macdonald did indicate the team had already submitted two requests for interviews, and that list will only grow in coming days.

Once the interviews begin later this month, Macdonald and general manager John Schneider will have plenty of star power to sell to a prospective play caller to spark interest, starting with the trio of DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Ken Walker III.

Injuries dogged Walker in his third NFL season, as he missed a total of five games with oblique, calf, and ankle ailments, resulting in a career-low 573 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry. But he’s only two years removed from an 1,100 yard season and per Pro Football Focus, he ranked eighth among running backs with 61 missed tackles forced, demonstrating his ability to make defenders miss and compensate for poor blocking in front of him.

Primarily doing his damage from the slot, Smith-Njigba tied Tyler Lockett for Seattle’s single-season receiving record with 100 catches and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time at just 22 years of age, enjoying a breakout season while still scratching the surface of his immense potential. Metcalf came up eight yards short of a fourth 1,000-yard campaign while playing through a knee injury, but based on what Macdonald said on Tuesday, an argument can be made that those numbers played a part in Grubb being let go as well.

“I felt like we felt DK’s [Metcalf] presence consistently throughout the year and there were some explosives that he really tilted the game in our favor and that’s really the vision we have for him,” Macdonald said. “We just wish we could have done it more consistently. Early in the season, going into the Atlanta game before he got his knee banged up, he was tops in the league probably dang near every category and we wish we could have kept that going when he got back. So those are the things we’re looking to build off with DK, he’s such a force out there.

“It’s not just good enough to get the coverage tilted for him. We got to figure out more ways to give him the ball consistently and let it impact the game with the ball on his hands rather than just moving coverage that way.”

As for who will be throwing the ball to Smith-Njigba and Metcalf, Geno Smith will most likely be back for a fourth season as the Seahawks starting quarterback. While he struggled with turnovers this past season by throwing 15 interceptions, he also finished in the top five in the NFL in passing yards, completion percentage, and game-winning drives, and coordinator candidates may not have a better option to be paired with in this coaching cycle for immediate success than the accurate vet.

Of course, while Macdonald made it clear he wants the veteran signal caller back in 2025, some candidates may have a different plan in mind at quarterback than the 34-year old Smith, and for as much skill player talent as Seattle has, there’s a bigger catch. For whoever accepts the coordinator vacancy, i revolves around the major question marks along the offensive line.

On the plus side, the Seahawks do have a pair of quality young tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who remain the foundation for a young unit and could both be part of the franchise’s long-term blueprint up front. Cross took a positive step forward starting all 17 games in his third season, while Lucas finally appears to be past the injury issues that dogged him over the past two seasons and will get to enjoy a normal offseason for the first time since his rookie year.

But a new offensive coordinator will inherit an interior offensive line that struggled mightily in 2024 with multiple starters at center and right guard and a looming change at left guard with starter Laken Tomlinson heading to free agency.

With Smith being pressured on 38.5 percent of his drop backs in 2024, right guard was the biggest problem for Seattle, as the quarterback took 24.5 percent of his pressures from that position, the second-highest rate behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Anthony Bradford allowed seven sacks – tied for the second-most among guards in the NFL this season – before an ankle injury ended his season and rookie Sataoa Laumea replaced him for the last six games, giving up 23 pressures and two sacks.

While the 33-year old Tomlinson might not be back on the left side, Bradford and Laumea will return next season along with returning second-year guard Christian Haynes, who failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities to carve out a starting role during a disappointing rookie season but remains part of the Seahawks future plans. Those three players could vie for two starting jobs next summer with the strong likelihood of adding to the group in free agency and/or the draft this spring.

At center, Seattle lost starter Connor Williams in Week 10 to an abrupt retirement, forcing Olu Oluwatimi into the starting lineup for the final eight games. The second-year pivot man allowed eight pressures and no sacks, and as Macdonald noted, if there’s a silver lining, his progress coupled with Lucas returning healthy and Laumea steadily improving in a second half audition provides at least a sliver of optimism for the future in the trenches.

“You look at the guys who were playing towards the end of the season, Abe coming off the injury, Olu really taking the center spot. Jalen Sundell had some good reps. Sataoa, I thought he played some really good football for us, so he’s got a great future,” Macdonald said. “I think there’s a lot of bright spots moving forward up front.”

Even with the chronic offensive line questions, assuming Smith and Metcalf both return to go with Smith-Njigba and Walker, the Seahawks have an exciting nucleus that should offer as much intrigue as any offensive coordinator opening in this cycle. Other teams such as the Browns, Jaguars, Patriots, and Raiders won’t have near as many weapons to sell a candidate and unlike those four teams, the organization offers far better stability right now as well.

From that standpoint, Macdonald’s proclamation that Seattle has the “best job out there” carries some weight, and as evidenced changing linebackers in the middle of the season, he’s already proven he can make swift, effective changes to personnel and the coaching staff when things don’t pan out as expected. In terms of upside, it’s tough to argue that any other current offensive coordinator openings have the pieces in place to match.

With that said, the position comes with an important caveat that could be seen as an asterisk to some candidates, as the new hire will need some support from Schneider to continue retooling the trenches to create an optimum opportunity to maximize on the Seahawks immense skill talent. If that doesn’t happen, however, the new coordinator may have a difficult time doing much better than Grubb did with clear personnel limitations.

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