He's knowledgeable He's abrupt. He's sometimes nasty. He tells it like it is: The "Shoeshine boy."  Shoeshine Boy's masquerades as a mild mannered civil servant by day, but at night, when he is most needed, he changes costumes into that of a polishing crusader. He is ever ready to expose evil, and to step up and help those who are down trodden.  Q: Why chose the name Shoe Shine? A: "Because of how government waxes everything over.....and there is always a glossy finish..."
Please note that the comments of Shoe Shine Boy are his own and don't necessarily reflect those of Bill Eagle, his family, the St. Helens Update, the street where Bill lives, or the people in the neighboring town of Scappoose.  See Disclaimer. Please send your questions to
"Shoeshine Boy c/o Bill Eagle at eaglew@sthelensupdate.com

From Lloyd 2/14/12
Dear Shoe Shine Boy:
I don't know if you will get this letter or now, but I do have a question for you to answer. I have been hearing advertisements for Earl Fisher on the Radio, and I have seen lots of signs and news paper ads as well. Doesn't he have a wife and family? I have seen pictures of him and his dog. Why does he not show pictures of his family instead of his dog so that people will realize that he has a family to support him?

Dear Tom,

Oh my, you are touching on some well hidden secrets that only the good folks in Clatskanie are aware of.

To be fair, none of the Commissioners show their wives very often. For the most part for very different reasons.

Tony does not like to share the spotlight with anyone and his wife is a very nice and popular person in Vernonia which is a real contrast to Tony's persona
and demeanor. Tony does not want any competition for the Camera or the main stage. Thus she stays out of his life as much as possible which seems to make them both happy.

Henry is a jolly likeable puppet who's daughter is the son he never had. He spends so much time grooming his daughter for her future that most folks think his daughter is his wife.
I don't ever remember if Henry has included his wife in his travels around the county. But as long as he brings home a paycheck and stays on PERS she probably won't complain.

In Earl Fishers case he has not beaten his wife lately, but on the very, very rare occasions that he allows her to be in public she appears very timid and afraid to speak. One might mistakenly think that he verbally abuses her into a state of fear and that she is
very concerned that should she say the wrong thing or appear not to be a happily married woman that she would pay a severe price at his hands for doing so.

Earl's Dog is quite different. It poses and smiles at his command and is a great campaign tool in his effort to convince the unknowing public that he has a stable and normal family life. There enters the question about Earl's family. From all that anyone in Clatskanie knows.

Earl did father a son at some point in the late fifties or early sixties. Unfortunately Earl's son was accused and Convicted of attempting to have a sexual encounter with a very, very, very young girl. Luckily for Earl his son has chosen (with some pressure) to stay far, far away from the family home.

He was once sighted about five years ago living in Clatskanie in Earl's basement and it did not bode well with the folks who suddenly discovered he was in the neighborhood.
Other than the aforementioned dysfunctional family Earl and his dog seem to pair quite nicely at campaign time.

Don't look for Earl to showcase his family as part of his campaign anytime soon. He has