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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 18, 2015 4A EDITORIALS How to Contact Officials Kitzhaber ultimately was blinded by love John Kitzhaber has made a number of good decisions during his tenure as governor of Oregon. He also has made a number of bad decisions. His worst — not acknowledging the conflict of interest between his office and the work of his fiancée — has now cost him his job. Kitzhaber announced Friday that he was resigning as Oregon governor effective Wednesday (today), just weeks into his fourth term in office. It was clearly the right deci- sion for him to make. Investigations and allegations into possible ethics viola- tions and corruption by Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes had reached a point where the governor could no longer lead the state. Oregonians as a whole had lost trust in him, in- cluding members of his own party. Several Democratic Party leaders had asked Kitzhaber to resign. The recent uncovering of this State Capitol mess seemed to faze Kitzhaber in ways previously unseen. It was like the governor had become dazed and confused. He made no ef- fort to answer the concerns raised during early questioning. He summoned Secretary of State Kate Brown, who will now serve as governor until an election in 2016, back to Oregon from a conference she was attending in Washington, D.C. When she arrived in Salem for her meeting with him, Kitzhaber asked her why she had come back early. Seriously? Kitzhaber, considered a champion for health care and for jobs, got lost somewhere. What may be most disappointing is the governor had to of known what was going on, yet continued his re-election bid last year. Kitzhaber noted in his resignation statement that he was troubled that he could be “charged, tried, convicted and sentenced by the media” without an independent ver- ification of the allegations brought forth. But what are we supposed to think when he requests public documents be destroyed? We’re glad newsrooms still had the staffing to examine his — and her — records. We hope that now that he has resigned, the state will continue its investigation to determine just what was going on. Oregonians deserve it and this simply can’t be swept under a rug. In the end, Kitzhaber was blinded by love and it affected his ability to govern. And now, the level of trust in Oregon government has taken another hit. It’s unfortunate he did- n’t love his state as much as he loved his companion. PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503- 623-2395) or email (kholland@polkio.com). — WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. THURSDAY, FEB. 19 • Polk County Fair Board — 8 a.m., Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center, Main Building, Meeting Room No. 2, 520 S. Pacific Highway (99W), Rickreall. 503-623-3048. • Dallas Economic Development Committee — Noon, City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502. • Independence Parks and Recreation Board— 6 p.m., In- dependence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503- 838-1212. • Monmouth Arts and Culture Commission — 7 p.m., Vol- unteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. MONDAY, FEB. 23 • Dallas School Board — 2:45 p.m., Whitworth Elementary School, 1151 SE Miller Ave., Dallas. 503-623-9664, ext. 2334. • Independence Library Board — 4 p.m., Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1811. TUESDAY, FEB. 24 • Independence City Council — 7:30 a.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. GOVERNOR Gov. John Kitzhaber (Dem.) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-378-4582 Email: via website, http://governor.oregon.gov/ — STATE LEGISLATORS Sen. Arnie Roblan (District 5, Democrat) S-417 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Event’s volunteers make a difference The fourth annual Polk Community Connect on Jan. 28 was a success. The planning committee and leadership team would like to recognize and thank all of the many partners and community members that helped make the day a suc- cess. More than 300 individ- uals were served with access to direct services and re- sources including dental, haircuts, pet care, clothing, bike repair and more. The planning team would like to thank Valley Life Cen- ter for generously opening its doors and hosting the event; James2 Community Kitchen and Marion-Polk Food Share for providing and preparing the 500-plus meals served; Salem-Keizer Transit for providing free- fare rides to and from the event; Medical Teams Inter- national and local dentists for serving guests with den- tal needs; Salt Creek Baptist Church clothing ministry; to the 50-plus service providers who provided resource infor- mation and access to servic- es; and to the more than 100 volunteers that helped make the day a big success. The planning team is grateful to serve alongside supportive and community- minded churches, organiza- tions and community mem- bers. Michelle Bornfleth Dallas Business steps up for Falls City library Over the winter months, the Wagner Community Li- brary has been on the receiv- ing end of a plethora of do- nations, including toys, art, books and volunteer time. The most recent contri- bution deserves special mention. That “thank you” goes out to House of Floors, 680 Main St., Dallas. When House of Floors learned that the Wagner Community Li- brary children’s area desper- ately required updating, its staff was quick with a re- sponse. The quality Berber carpet with multi colors is expected to endure for many seasons. It will be put to the initial test on Feb. 28 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., when the li- brary celebrates Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Come on out to the library to admire the cozy children’s section. Cynthia Hovind, director Wagner Community Library Falls City Legal marijuana isn’t the problem Regarding the letter head- lined “Marijuana won’t be good for Dallas” (Feb. 11 Itemizer-Observer), it’s like “Refer Madness” revisited in Dallas. Presumably, the reason Josephine County is without police protection and their citizens need to arm them- selves is legal medical mari- juana. Josephine County is influenced by the Tea Party. They don’t agree with taxa- tion and love guns. To insinuate seasonal farm workers are abusing Oregon Trail cards smacks of the 1930s that used blacks, Puerto Ricans and Asians as similar scapegoats. Mike Neufeldt Dallas Tired of repeated tax levy requests Why vote “no” on another county tax levy? Maybe we’re tired of the old song, “We need more money. It’s only a cup of cof- fee a day more.” Voting “no” is the only way to send our message — our only hope of trying to make government take notice and change what they do. We resoundingly voted “no” more than a year ago. Is that not a valid voter decision? It’s always ask for more. We are at our limit. We want government to recog- nize that and live within its means. Don’t ignore our votes. Remember, you work for us. Charles Krogman Dallas Local businesses value customers It was two years ago I bought a pair of comfort- able and durable shoes from the folks at Rugged Wear in Dallas. Wouldn’t you know it — my shoelaces started looking like they might not make it much longer. I went back to Rugged Wear. I told ’em I need some new shoelaces, “Could you sell me some?” The answer was “no.” And they contin- ued, “We’ll give you some. Since you bought your shoes here, it seems like the right thing for us to keep you in laces, doesn’t it?” Now that’s why I like shopping at home — in Dal- las I’m a valued customer and person. Dave Weston Dallas Behavior of young men was refreshing Sen. Jackie Winters (District 10, Republican) S-301 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1710 sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters Sen. Brian Boquist (District 12, Republican) S-305 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1712 sen.brianboquist@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist Rep. David Gomberg (District 10, Democrat) H-471 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1410 rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg Rep. Paul Evans (District 20, Democrat) H-281 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1420 rep.paulevans@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans Rep. Mike Nearman (District 23, Republican) H-378 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1423 rep.mikenearman@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman — U.S. CONGRESS Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem.) 221 Dirksen SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Fax: 202-228-2717 Salem office: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov While having lunch at a local eatery Friday, we ob- served a group of young men having a meal. I want to compliment their parents and their coach. They were polite to the server (I heard a lot of “thank yous”), paid atten- tion to others around them so they were all able to enjoy a quiet wonderful meal. It seems that the ones who make the most noise and create problems are the ones who make the newspa- pers. I just want to encour- age them to continue on the path that they are on be- cause it looks like they have a good start. Again, please pass this on to any young person that you think might have been there. You are indeed on the right path. Kudos to your parents. Shelly Thornicroft Dallas WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? Letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. Longer letters will be edited. Election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one elec- tion-related letter per election season. Election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. Letters, like all editorial mate- rial submitted to the newspaper, are edited for length, grammar and content. Letters of thanks to busi- nesses, individuals and organi- zations are limited to 10 names. The deadline for letters to the editor is Monday at 10 a.m. Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem office: 495 State St. SE, Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-362-8102 Email: via website, www.merkley.senate.gov Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.) 108 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5711 Fax: 202-225-5699 Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-588-9100 Fax: 503-588-5517 Email: via website, www.schrader.house.gov — POLK COUNTY Board of Commissioners 850 Main St. Dallas, OR 97338 Phone: 503-623-8173 www.co.polk.or.us — CITIES Dallas 187 SE Court St. Dallas, OR 97338 503-623-2338 www.ci.dallas.or.us Falls City 299 Mill St. Falls City, OR 97344 503-787-3631 www.fallscityoregon.gov Independence 555 S. Main St. Independence, OR 97351 503-838-1212 www.ci.independence.or.us Monmouth 151 W. Main St. Monmouth, OR 97361 503-838-0722 www.ci.monmouth.or.us HOW TO REACH US Vol. 140, No. 7 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Polk County — One Year $27 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $33 Outside of Oregon — One Year $38 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in adver- tisements. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault. 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