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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 Thanks, Astorian We are exporting our youth F or a mighty slim newspa- per, The Daily Astorian is packed full of newsworthy news. Always something inter- esting, relevant, topical, cutting HGJH8QELDVHGUHÀHFWLQJFRQ- servative-liberal viewpoints, re- gardless, moron or enlightened. Thank you to the editor/pub- lisher, for a great small big time paper. JEFFREY CAMPBELL Astoria Recall and lies A s a citizen and registered voter of Gearhart, I be- lieve this recall attempt is noth- ing more than spending $7,000 (plus) because of a friendship gone sour. All the Gables want LV³SRXQGRIÀHVK´DWWD[SD\HU¶V H[SHQVHIRUUHYHQJH(LWKHUZD\ thousands of dollars are wasted. Harold Gable read and sub- mitted a letter at a council meet- ing stating the mayor demanded that a business owner remove a Kevin Lee Willett sign. The store owner was present at the meeting and stated that the may- RUGLGQRW³GHPDQG´ Gable wants transparency? The recall group needs to stick to facts then and not make them up as they go. They say the PD\RUKDVD³SHUVRQDOELDV´7R what, I ask. This recall group are the ones with a personal bias against a strong mayor. If you really want honesty and trust, get the facts before you YRWH7KLVJURXSLVQ¶WWHOOLQJWKH whole story, but then again, in politics, do they ever? By the way, the mayor knew nothing about the recording until after the fact. Nancy Pelosi was questioned about her knowledge of the Health Care Bill. She was asked if she had read and un- GHUVWRRGDOOWKDW¶VLQLW6KHUH- VSRQGHG³/HW¶VSDVVLWDQGWKHQ ZHFDQZRUNWKURXJKLW´ ,W¶V\RXUYRWHPDNHLWDQLQ- formed one. JEFF BOWMAN Gearhart Credibility problems W hile not diminishing citi- ]HQV¶ULJKWWRUHFDOOHOHFW- HG RI¿FLDOV , EHOLHYH WKDW WKH FDPSDLJQWRUHPRYH*HDUKDUW¶V Mayor Diane Widdop suffers serious credibility problems. Reasons for my low regard LQFOXGHSHWLWLRQHUV¶DSSDUHQW disinterest in conciliating their dispute, prior to launching a di- visive crusade; 2) their focus on highly disputable accusations, DWWKHH[SHQVHRIUHOHYDQWFRQ- ¿UPHG IDFWV WKHLU VHQVHOHVV derogations of character, and warnings of political intimida- tion; and 4) their disinclination to give the mayor even a mod- icum of credit for her 20-year UHFRUG RI VHOÀHVV ZRUN WR SUH- serve, enhance and protect our little city by the sea. JOHN DUDLEY Gearhart FRIDAY EXCHANGE I have watched with interest and con- FHUQWKHH[SRUWLQJRIRXU\RXWK:H keep rejecting industries that would provide jobs for our young people. They have to move to other parts of the country to put their educations to good use. We have to be more than a nice place to retire. Most of our decisions about what we will let come into our county DUHPDGHE\JURXSVWKDWGRQ¶WOLYHKHUH DQG MXVW ZDQW WKLV WR VWD\ D VDQG ER[ for Portland and the Interstate-5 corri- dor. The same bunch of people show up in the county every time we have a chance to bring industry and jobs to our area. They have no lasting interest in the county, and just want to keep it a nice place to spend a few weekends during the summer. Tourist industries help our county, but most of the jobs do not supply fam- ily wage jobs for the workers. Lique- ¿HG QDWXUDO JDV /1* KDV EHFRPH D dirty word without the truth being told about what it could do for our area. In the past, we have had many industries WXUQHG DZD\ EHFDXVH WKH\ GRQ¶W ¿W LQ ZLWKRXUVDQGER[FRQFHSWV I, for one, would like to see indus- tries that would enable us to employ our youth and keep our most valu- ovate the historic barn into an HYHQWV FHQWHU WKHQ LW¶V VLPSOH Shannon Smith needs to fol- low the laws, be accountable and bring the barn up to code, legally. BRIER C. PORTER Gearhart to $50,000 contributors. Is it really necessary to have con- WULEXWRUV¶QDPHVSURFODLPHGLQ perpetuity in order to induce them to give up a few of their H[FHVVGROODUV" As it considers its goals for ¿VFDO \HDU WKH$V- toria City Council will have to determine how to recognize Never fear contributors providing mil- y reasoning for this letter lions for library renovation, the to the editor is to add un- structure for the Safeway pit, a known information regarding QHZODGGHU¿UHWUXFNDQGDSHU- the complaints against Mayor manent facility sheltering the Widdop by those who peti- homeless. tioned her recall. In a recent campaign, a can- These complaints did not didate praised Astoria as the stop with the mayor, but went greatest city in the world. Work- beyond to include myself, as ing together to donate time and WKHFLW\¶VEXLOGLQJRI¿FLDO2QH money for the above-men- of the players attempted my re- tioned projects might move us placement with a seven-page closer to the truth of that state- complaint letter to the Oregon ment. Perhaps that accomplish- State Building Codes Agency ment in and by itself would be requesting that I be replaced VXI¿FLHQW UHFRJQLWLRQ RI RXU immediately. contributions. They stated that I was be- GEORGE MCCARTIN ing unprofessional, along with Astoria other misleading statements, EHFDXVH , ZRXOGQ¶W FRPSUR- It’s about trust mise the health and welfare of KH UHFDOO RI *HDUKDUW¶V the general public. But because Mayor Dianne Widdop is I did what was right by follow- ing the rules, the complaint was about the loss of trust in her judgment and ability to govern to no avail. Another player made a RXUFRPPXQLW\,WLVWKHH[SH- statement that there was a cer- rience of many that during the tain amount of fear for Mayor two years Dianne Widdop has Widdop, and those within City EHHQ *HDUKDUW¶V PD\RU WKH\ Hall. In my 40 years in this pro- have been singled out, cited, IHVVLRQ LQ &ODWVRS &RXQW\ ¿QHG UHJXODWHG RU XQUHDVRQ- I can say this for the city of ably denied use of their prop- Gearhart: The entire city staff, erty. She does not refute the Mayor Widdop included, have reasons for her recall, but con- made this one of the most peo- strues a list of accomplishment ple-friendly cities I have ever DV UHÀHFWLYH RI KHU SRVLWLYH contributions. worked for. I, along with Mayor Wid- GRS DUH IRU ZKDW¶V ULJKW , promise you, those who follow the rules for the best of this community should never fear retaliation from this city. JIM BRIEN Seaside M T able natural resource working in this DUHD&DQZHUHDOO\FRQWLQXHWRH[SRUW our young people year after year? The two main industries that have kept us going over the years have been ORJJLQJ DQG ¿VKLQJ DQG QRZ LW¶V D constant battle to keep both of these LQGXVWULHV YLDEOH :KHQ , ¿UVW PRYHG WRWKHDUHDLQWKHHDUO\VDOOWKDW was needed was a good work ethic, and you could go right to work. Now DJRRGSD\LQJMRELVYHU\KDUGWR¿QG How much longer can we afford to let outsiders rule our county? ED MCNULTY Astoria In another instance, she sent her husband to see a homeowner to request he come to City Hall to talk to the mayor about the recreation- al vehicle (RV) parked at his KRPH :RXOGQ¶W D OHWWHU IURP the city requesting a meeting have a more appropriate ap- proach? Widdop prides herself in this hard, direct confronta- tional style without thought to the impact of her words, actions and style on other. She directly inserts herself into situations and establishes an antagonistic interaction from the start The second and even more troubling revelation reveals a darker side to how this mayor conducts city business when out of the public eye. October 2014, a string of personal emails was forward- ed to the mayor and city man- ager. The subject of the email was private discussions be- tween homeowners who had attended a city meeting about short-term rentals. This email was not addressed to the city, nor had it been sent by any of the authors to the city. Mayor Widdop choose to forward this to selected city members and one City Council candi- date. Nothing could be more divisive. By communicat- ing with only some council members, and only one of three council candidates, she divided the city government LQWR JURXSV RI ³IDYRUHG´ ³LQ WKHNQRZ´DQGWKRVHH[FOXG- HG 7KLV GLYLGHG QRW XQL¿HG our community. This is not transparency. Worst of all, these out-of- sight communications helped to create an environment in which someone thought it acceptable to send an anon- ymous Christmas card with the greeting “Changes are a FRPLQJ´ WR RQH KRPHRZQHU who spoke at the city meet- ing on short-term rentals. Was the forwarding of this email the catalyst for the card send- er? This is not the Gearhart I know or want. , KDYH ORVW FRQ¿GHQFH LQ 0D\RU :LGGRS¶V MXGJPHQW leadership and ability to be im- partial and fair. Please join me in voting yes for her recall. PATRICIA ROBERTS Gearhart Split apart D LDQQH :LGGRS¶V GHWUDF- WRUVKDYH¿QDOO\JDUQHUHG enough signatures for a vote to unseat the elected mayor of Gearhart. The chief recall petitioner, and the shadowy ¿JXUHV KH UHSUHVHQWV KDYH never made their motivations clear, since their rhetoric re- lies not on fact, but on innu- HQGR :H¶UH QRW WR NQRZ IRU H[DPSOHWKHQDWXUHRI'LDQQH :LGGRS¶VDOOHJHG³UHWDOLDWLRQ´ against the petitioners, or what powers she could possibly use to cause such injury. Mayor Widdop herself is no stranger to carrying petitions door-to-door in Gearhart. Just a few years back, she used the referendum process to make the City Council reverse its DQQH[DWLRQRIVRFDOOHG³JDWHG FRPPXQLWLHV´ZKLFKKDGEHHQ 5A outlawed in our zoning ordi- nance. That action was typical of her courageous stands over the past 20 years in support of the Gearhart Comprehensive Plan and its implementing or- dinances. A generation ago, when we ¿UVW VHW RXU VLJQDWXUHV WR WKH comprehensive plan, we un- GHUVWRRGLWWREHWKHFLW\¶VFRY- enant with the community, and the basis of all its laws, from land use to public safety. More than a vague statement of “col- OHFWLYH VWDQGDUGV DQG YDOXHV´ LW¶V D YHU\ VSHFL¿F GRFXPHQW UHDI¿UPHG E\ WKH SHRSOH¶V representatives over the past IRXU GHFDGHV WKDW GH¿QHV WKH semi-rural, low-density resi- dential character of Gearhart. 7KHSODQOLVWVVSHFL¿FJRDOV and guidelines for the preser- YDWLRQ RI *HDUKDUW¶V XQLTXH environment and quality of life, and restricts commercial activity to the needs of the UHVLGHQW SRSXODWLRQ:LGGRS¶V allegiance to that plan has been the hallmark of her po- litical career. This is, and must be, the basis of our trust in her leadership: We know she will support the comprehensive plan, no matter how loudly or (in the present case) abusively the special interests may pro- test. Gearhart must not be forced to abandon that trust. We must not allow the community to be poisoned and bullied by a PLQLIDFWLRQ¶V XQIRXQGHG UX- mors and allegations. We urge all citizens, and especially those who were hoodwinked into signing the recall petition, to vote no on the recall. $V IRU WKDW PLQLIDFWLRQ¶V spokesman on the city council, we trust that, when the dust has settled, he will remember the voices of his better angels who had urged him to resign from the council (“Jesse asks *HDUKDUW PD\RU WR ERZ RXW´ The Daily Astorian, Jan. 8). He chose instead to ask for Wid- GRS¶VUHVLJQDWLRQLURQLFDOO\DO- leging that it was Mayor Wid- dop, and not in fact his own partisans, who were “splitting WKH FRPPXQLW\ DSDUW´ ² DQG are now burdening the city ZLWKWKHQHDUO\FRVWRI a recall election. BILL BERG KENT SMITH Gearhart Raise the gas tax R epublicans support a raise RQ WKH JDV WD[ EHFDXVH WKHWD[EXUGHQLVSDLGE\GULY- ers and consumers of goods. 'HPRFUDWVVXSSRUWWKHJDVWD[ because it raises revenue from fossil fuels. Economists should support Pettiness needs to stop WKHJDVWD[EHFDXVHRIWKH¿VFDO his letter is in support of multiplier. In theory, a dollar our Gearhart Mayor Di- invested by the government in ane Widdop, and I would like infrastructure projects create up to encourage the residents of to $1.70 in increased Gross Do- Gearhart to vote no on recalling mestic Product (GDP) during a :LGGRSIURPRI¿FH period of low labor force partic- It should be noted that the ipation. This was documented Gable group of petitioners by the International Monetary have lost their focus as to why Fund (IMF) in December 2012, they are recalling our mayor. when they published a white What started out as a simple paper that marked a reversal in misunderstanding, turned into the support of austerity policy a gossip fest. Each time the by most of the European Union story was told and repeated, it (http://tinyurl.com/imf12eu). changed and changed, depend- The spending would be ing on who told the story and DQ H[SHULPHQW WKDW WHVWV WKH who was or was not listening. economic policy of Keynes- /LVWHQXSSHRSOHZH¶UHQRWLQ ian stimulus. In fact, it is the high school anymore. UHPRYDO RI LQFRPH VSHFL¿FDO- All this pettiness and vin- ly from the middle and lower dictive action against the mayor class, and reinvested into low- needs to stop. er and middle class jobs, using Mayor Widdop has served some of the windfall from the this community for 20 years drop in gas prices. as a city councilor, volunteer If Keynesian policy advo- and as mayor. Her accomplish- cates like the White House and ments overrule any bad public- Elizabeth Warren are sincere in ity and rumor mill this group their beliefs, they will raise the has caused, not to mention the JDVWD[HVDQGUHLQYHVWWKLVUHYH- amount of dollars the city has nue into infrastructure and oth- accrued because of this mess to er hiring just to demonstrate the recall. validity of their stated ideals. ,Q FORVLQJ OHW¶V QRW IRUJHW I would pay a nickel more who is at the root of all this per gallon to test this theory. trouble, and that is Shannon ROGER LINDSLEY Smith, the barn owner, whom, Astoria I might add, has been very qui- et during the whole proceeding Reaching city goals of recalling Mayor Widdop. I personally would like to see hile walking with Moi- an events center in Gearhart; ses (the daddy Basset) ,WKLQNLWZRXOGEHQH¿WDOOWKH through the Surging Waves businesses in town and would monument, I was puzzled by be a great accomplishment. the paving stones engraved However, the problem is ZLWK GRQRUV¶ QDPHV DQG WKH with Shannon Smith. She is silver plaque glass pieces in- wrong, and if she wants to ren- scribed with the names of $500 T W ENERGY EFFICIENCY NEVER CLOCKS OUT. The great thing about energy efficiency is that it works 24/7. Energy Trust of Oregon helps owners, managers and operators at commercial and industrial buildings discover ways to manage energy costs just like any other business expense—around the clock. We offer cash incentives that can help you offset the cost of making energy improvements and technical expertise to help you find ways to minimize energy waste and maximize savings. + Get more from your energy. 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