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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2020)
4A FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 The Observer OUR VIEW Legislators, don’t hide your bills Almost any Oregon legislator can launch into a passionate speech about how much they believe in accountability and transparency. But they don’t always deliver. Nowhere is that more glaring than in bills in the Legislature. Legislators conceal who introduced bills and who is behind them. Not every bill is like that. But no bill should be like that. And yet year after year, there are bills in the Legislature that don’t clearly declare which legisla- tor or legislators brought them forward. Go through the list of legislative concepts that lawmakers are talking about this week and it’s hard to fi nd any that say who is behind them. They are often what are called committee bills, meaning they are going to be introduced on behalf of a committee. That means no legislator takes direct responsibility. It means voters can’t hold legislators accountable. Why should that be allowed? We have never heard a satisfactory answer. Legislators do sometimes introduce bills on behalf of constituents. They may not agree completely with what a constituent wants in the bill. They should still have to put their name on the bill. Legislators also sometimes introduce bills on behalf of the governor or a state agency. They should still have to put their name on the bill. Legislators do work together on legislation, as well. Then put all their names on it. If you have the spare time to follow a bill as it moves through the Legislature, it usually becomes apparent who is supporting it and who is not. And in our experience, particularly with the Eastern Oregon delegation, individual legislators will be forthcoming about their legislative agenda. They don’t hide it. But there should be no mystery in any bills or draft bills in the Legislature. Voters should not have to play detective. When a bill or draft bill is discussed, it shouldn’t be a whodunit. Write to us LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters are limited to 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s address and phone number (for verifi cation purposes only). We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will not publish poetry, consumer complaints against businesses or personal attacks against private individuals. Thank-you letters are discouraged. Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks. Email your letters to news@lagrandeobserver.com or mail them to La Grande Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, Ore., 97850. MY VOICE My Voice columns should be 500 words. Submissions should include a portrait-type photograph of the author. Authors also should include their full name, age, occupation and relevant organizational memberships. We edit submissions for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We reject those published elsewhere. Send columns to La Grande Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, Ore., 97850, or email them to pwright@ lagrandeobserver.com. My Voice Grande Ronde Hospital on right road for 2020 Refl ecting on the past and look- ing forward to the future is a time- honored New Year tradition for many of us, but even more so in 2020 as we leave the teens behind for a new decade. For me and my family, 2019 brought many changes. Settling into a new job, new community, new schools and more. I look back on all 2019 held for us and one thing I can say for certain: This community and this hospital has welcomed the Davis family with open arms. We’ve come home. I tried to spend as much time as I could my fi rst year as president and CEO of Grande Ronde Hospital reaching out and meeting as many of you as possible to thank you for the warm welcome to Union County. All the places I’ve gone, and all the people I’ve talked to this past year, have convinced me the best ambassa- dors for Union County, and what we JEREMY DAVIS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF GRANDE RONDE HOSPITAL have to offer new providers, are the people who live here. More than 700 of these ambas- sadors work with me at Grande Ronde Hospital. We have been busy this past year making our newest employees feel welcomed and valued. Change always brings some chaos, but the integration of so many new faces — including mine — has gone well. My conversations and meetings with our staff here have shown me that as a team we are happy, ener- gized and ready to take on the new decade with passion and purpose. We welcomed an unprecedented number of new providers in 2019. Eight of these new providers are already on board and seeing patients, with a ninth starting this month. An additional three providers have recently committed to joining our community. Four new providers are family physicians who will offer much-needed primary care for our community. We continue to recruit as our patient needs dictate. For those of you who have heard me speak, you know of my watchful Your views Workers who are not respected or paid a living wage will not stay on the job The Imbler classifi ed union and the Imbler School District have been negotiating since last spring for a new contract. While we have found common ground on issues, the district has been unwilling to compensate experienced staff with longevity. These dedicated employees work hard to give students the best education and deserve fair compensation for their loyalty and experience. Like those in our community, we face rising costs for housing, groceries and necessities. We have asked the district for an increase of four steps to our salary schedule or compensation for longevity, which would encourage long-term employees to con- tinue working to better our schools. The district is not willing to provide these steps or longevity pay. The classifi ed staff are the lowest paid employees in the district with an average annual salary of $18,113. The district knows that funds are available. The local tax and state aid revenues have increased in recent years, and the district provided fi gures showing a gen- eral fund balance of 30.7% of its revenue SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Stopped account balances less than $5 will be refunded upon request. Subscription rates per month: By carrier...............................................$11.80 By mail, all other U.S. .............................. $15 A division of — fi ve times the rate recommended by the Oregon School Board Association. Common sense says workers who are not respected or paid a living wage will not stay on the job for long. Stu- dents need experienced and dedicated individuals who care about them — not a revolving door of new hires looking for better opportunities elsewhere. It is time to invest in our schools, students and staff. Let’s hope the Imbler School District recognizes this. Wendy Crow Imbler School District Classifi ed Union Bargaining Team STAFF Phone: SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 34% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 541-963-3161 to subscribe. eye on the state of rural and small hospital closures around the coun- try. We are strong and independent, and have every intention of remain- ing so, but we can never take our successes for granted. We know we cannot remain successful without the support of each and every one of you. Our community’s support will help us remain strong and independent, so we can continue to deliver on our mission to provide access to high- quality, cost-effective care for every person in need of our services. Over the past year, we developed a business plan that puts that time- honored mission statement front and center with a new vision statement that says: Quality health care is our mission. Patients are our passion. Our new core values statement is simple: The Four Cs of Creativity, Compassion, Collaboration and Cred- ibility. These new vision and value statements, along with our mission, were developed with input from many of our employees. I am proud to say this road we are on for 2020 is the result of teamwork from a group of people I am honored to work with every day. So, here’s to a new decade, Union County. I’m excited we are on this journey together. 541-963-3161 An independent newspaper founded in 1896 (USPS 299-260) The Observer reserves the right to adjust subscription rates by giving prepaid and mail subscribers 30 days notice. Periodicals postage paid at La Grande, Oregon 97850. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except Dec. 25) by EO Media Group, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260) COPYRIGHT © 2020 THE OBSERVER The Observer retains ownership and copyright protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. Toll free (Oregon): 1-800-422-3110 Fax: 541-963-7804 Email: news@lagrandeobserver.com Website: www.lagrandeobserver.com Street address: 1406 Fifth St., La Grande POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 Periodicals postage paid at: La Grande, Oregon 97850 Publisher........................................Karrine Brogoitti Classifieds ........................................ Devi Mathson Regional circulation director ....................Kelli Craft Home delivery advisor.................Amanda Fredrick Editor .....................................................Phil Wright Customer service rep ......................... Mollie Lynch News clerk....................................Lisa Lester Kelly Advertising representative...............Juli Bloodgood Sports editor .......................................Ronald Bond Advertising representative...................... Amy Horn Reporter................................................Dick Mason Graphic design supervisor................Dorothy Kautz Reporter....................................Sabrina Thompson Graphic design ..............................Cheryl Christian IT support ........................................Nicole Gilbride Chris Rush, Regional Publisher
