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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
LOCAL WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 THE OBSERVER — 5A Hit-and-run crash MCCALL ODOT Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A records advisory council. Willamette Week fi rst re- ported McCall’s resignation. McCall sent two resigna- tion letters: one to the advi- sory council, and a second to Gov. Kate Brown. In her letter to Brown, Mc- Call wrote that she believed she and the governor’s offi ce had “confl icting visions” of the public records advocate’s role. She felt the role should have “a high degree of indepen- dence and serve the public interest,” she wrote in her letter, but said the governor’s offi ce didn’t agree. She wrote that she was pressured to represent the interests of the governor’s offi ce, “even when those interests confl ict with the will of the council and the mandate of the Offi ce of the Public Records Advocate.” “I have not only been pres- sured in this direction, but I have been told that I should represent these interests while not telling anyone that I am doing so,” McCall wrote. “I believe these actions con- stituted an abuse of authority on the part of the General Counsel, and are counter to the transparency and accountability mission that I was hired to advance.” McCall said she “made multiple attempts to fi nd a workable solution, but at this point I no longer believe these confl icting visions of my role can be reconciled.” In a resignation letter to the state Public Records Advisory Council, of which she was a member, McCall was less explicit, but alluded to her concern that the role be independent. department. That effort to re- place the Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River failed, largely because Wash- ington lawmakers backed out of $450 million they com- mitted for the project. Strickler’s appointment fi ve years later comes as Oregon lawmakers have renewed the charge to work with Washington to replace the bridge. Strickler must be confi rmed by the Oregon Senate, and his pay and benefi ts will be negotiated in the coming weeks. “I’m eager to lead the agency in this dramatic time of growth in our state and to work to modernize our transportation network, diversify the department’s workforce, and bring inno- vative solutions to achieve Oregon’s transportation, en- vironmental and economic goals,” Strickler said. Garrett announced his resignation in January and stepped down in June. Strickler will manage an agency with an annual bud- get of about $2 billion. He will continue carrying out projects funded by a major bill lawmakers passed in Acting independently In a statement the after- noon of Sept. 9, McCall said that it had been a “pleasure serving the people of Oregon” and expressed pride for the work of the council. She said she is taking a job with the federal government in Wash- ington, D.C. McCall also provided two memos of recent meetings with governor’s offi ce staff. McCall met with Brown’s general counsel, Misha Isaak, and Emily Matasar, the gov- ernor’s government account- ability attorney on Jan. 15. Isaak told McCall that he interpreted state law to mean that the advocate works for the governor’s offi ce, McCall wrote in a memo penned the day after the meeting. “None of this had previ- ously been conveyed to me,” McCall wrote. “In prior con- versations with multiple par- ties, including the governor’s offi ce, it had been stated that the advocate was intended to be independent. When I had asked in Spring 2018 who I would report to, the Gover- nor’s offi ce replied that I did not report to them.” Isaak told her that the independence was limited to the day-to-day operations of the offi ce, but that “for political matters and mat- ters of policy, the advocate worked for the governor and the governor’s offi ce is free to intercede.” Isaak also “implied” that it was McCall’s job to “control what proposals were put forth to the council and, ulti- mately, what proposals were agreed upon by the council, and in doing that, I should be operating with the governor’s offi ce agenda in mind,” Mc- Call wrote. “I stated my discom- fort with being put in the position of advocating for an agenda which I was not free to disclose or discuss with the council,” McCall wrote. “This objection was not really discussed.” Brown “I’m eager to lead the agency in this dramatic time of growth in our state and to work to modernize our transportation network, diversify the department’s workforce, and bring innovative solutions to achieve Oregon’s transportation, environmental and economic goals.” — Kris Strickler, head of ODOT’s highway division 2017 that raised $5 billion for a decade’s worth of transportation projects. In a statement, Gov. Kate Brown called Strickler “the right person to help ODOT continue its transformation.” “He has driven the agen- cy’s vision for how to address the complex mobility needs of our region and brings strong interstate partner- ships to bear,” Brown said. Photo courtesy of Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce The Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce responded to a hit-and-run crash on Mt. Glen Road north of La Grande at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. A silver Chevrolet Impala had driven into a fence, causing signifi cant damage to the structure and the car. The driver, Cody Hatley, a transient from Pendelton, fl ed on foot from the scene of the accident and was found and arrested later that morning. He will be arraigned at the Union County Circuit Court on charges of failure to perform the duties of a driver and a state-wide parole violation warrant. The three other occupants of the car did not report any injuries. RALLY Continued from Page 1A cold out there shows how passionate these fans are,” Hurd said. Calabro said events like these are con- ducted to let fans know the Trail Blazers belong not to Portland but to all of Oregon. “We’re trying to reach people who can’t make the fi ve-hour trip (to Portland) from Baker City or the four-hour trip from La Grande,” he said. “We are paying them back (for their loyalty).” Calabro will soon begin his fourth year as the Trail Blazers’ play-by-play TV announc- er. Before joining the Blazers, he was with the Seattle Supersonics for many years as an announcer and also broadcast games on the ESPN and TNT networks. He estimates that he has broadcast 2,700 NBA games. “I used to think I would be happy if I could just broadcast one game,” Calabro said. One of his most memorable broadcasts was Portland’s series-clinching win over Oklahoma City in the fi rst round of the NBA playoffs when Lillard hit a tie- breaking long three-pointer at the buzzer. Calabro and Hurd both made riveting calls of the shot and then went silent for about 90 seconds, letting the sights and sounds of celebrating fans tell the story of an unfor- gettable moment. “Less is more in broadcasting,” Calabro said. He said there is a lot to like about this year’s Blazers team, including the leader- ship provided by Lillard. Calabro said he is impressed by the efforts Lillard makes to ensure everyone in the organization feels included. “He wants to know the name of everyone, including the ball boys,” Calabro said. The downtown rally was just a portion of the Blazer activities on Tuesday in La Grande. Trail Blazer representatives were busy in the morning and afternoon teach- ing basketball skills to students at Central Elementary School and joining a career panel in a class at La Grande High School. Members of the career panel, most from the Blazer organization, told students of the careers available in sports-related fi elds. Early Tuesday evening, members of the Blazer organization conducted a 45-minute basketball clinic for youth at La Grande Middle School. Hurd, who participated in many of the activities, said he knows of few NBA teams that put on community festivals like those the Blazers do each year. “It is very unique,” he said. “It is special.” Imagine The Difference You Can Make DONATE YOUR CAR 1-844-533-9173 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!! Serious speed! 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Physicians Mutual Insurance Company ZONING Continued from Page 1A buffer zone along the edge of the land affected by the zoning change. Lindley Con- struction will not be allowed to put equipment in this area or construct buildings there, Wiggins said. A number of people ex- pressed concerns at a hear- ing for the ordinance change prior to the council’s vote. Some said they believed the buffer zone was not wide enough to suffi ciently reduce the impact the zone change would have on the neighborhood the construc- tion company is next to. Others said they believed the zone change would result in Lindley Construc- tion using adjacent College Street instead of State Highway 237 more often to get heavy equipment to and from its facility. This would generate more dust because College Street is a gravel road. The city council was asked during the hearing to take steps encouraging Lindley Construction to use Highway 237 instead of College Street when moving heavy equipment. Anyone who opposes the zoning change now has 30 days to appeal the city coun- cil’s decision to Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals. If an appeal is not fi led, the zone change will take effect following the 30-day period. During the city council meeting’s public comment session, Union’s large deer population was one of the topics discussed. Timothy Cox of Union said he is concerned about the number of deer in Union and how the animals are becoming more bother- some. Cox urged the city council to address this issue before someone is seriously injured. He said the deer issue has gotten worse since he and his family moved to Union two years ago. “They are getting a lot tamer,” he said. Cox said that once a doe was following his daughter 10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City and would not leave her until he drove his vehicle between them. On another occasion, he was riding his bike with his family’s dog when a deer began follow- ing him. Cox said the deer got to within 10 to 15 feet of him. 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