4A
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020
The Observer
OUR VIEW
Why public
records law
matter
There couldn’t be a clearer case about both the
value and fl aws in Oregon’s public records law than
the current one in Douglas County.
The Oregonian, having spent about $2,000 to
obtain records of how the county spent some $43,000
in federal Secure Rural Schools Act funds, reported
this week on what it found. The newspaper has
since been billed another $693.77 to have a county
offi cial spend 13 hours reviewing it so the county
could answer questions about records the newspaper
received.
The newspaper found plenty. Some of the $43,000
went to pay a $75 fee to Sunriver Resort to allow
County Commissioner Tim Freeman to keep a dog
in his room. Another $205 went to the Brix Chill, a
Roseburg cocktail lounge and restaurant. The receipt
was not itemized, as county policy requires, making
it impossible to tell if he had purchased alcohol as
part of the meal. County policy forbids the purchase
of alcohol with public funds. Freeman also fl ew fi rst
class to Washington, D.C., in 2019 because he was
invited on short notice to hear a speech by President
Donald Trump. Federal funds paid for part of the
upgrade from the standard coach seat that Oregon
offi cials usually use. A county spokeswoman said no
coach seats were available for the fl ight.
If private businesses want to spend their money
that way, it’s one thing, but for public offi cials from a
poor county in rural Oregon to do so, it’s unconscio-
nable.
We don’t know what voters in Douglas County will
do about the situation, but one thing is clear. Had it
not been for this state’s public records law and The
Oregonian’s willingness to spend nearly $3,000 get-
ting information that’s supposedly available to the
public, voters may never have found out about the
commission’s free-spending ways.
That brings up a problem with the current law. It
allows a requester — in this case, The Oregonian —
to appeal proposed fees to the local district attorney,
Richard Wesenberg. Wesenberg refused to reduce or
cancel the fees, arguing the newspaper’s parent com-
pany could well afford them. That’s despite the law,
which says reducing fees is what should be done if
making the record public benefi ts the general public.
It’s hard to see how spending of government funds
doesn’t qualify as information that meets that test.
Lawmakers may not have time to change the law
so that getting records is both fast and relatively
inexpensive in the coming 30-day session. If not, it
should be put at the top of the 2021 to-do list. The
law does not require means testing to determine if
fees should be waived, and public interest, not a re-
quester’s fi nancial statement, should be the standard
by which the request is judged.
Your views
Teenager inspires nation to
show that it’s united
There is a 14-year-old young Ameri-
can man who is getting this nation to
wake up. His name is Charlie Hecht
and he is on a mission to get all Ameri-
cans nationwide to buy an American
fl ag and fl y it with its blessings on their
front porch. There is much evil in the
world and it is a spiritual war. For we
wrestle not against fl esh and blood but
against chief rules, against authority
in high places, against the rulers of the
darkness of the world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places (Ephesians
6:12). In other words, we are in the time
of all Christians to unite in spirit and
get ready to fi ght Satan’s one world
government and Satan himself. He will
control the four dynasties of the world.
What are the four dynasties? Politics,
economics, education and last but not
least, religion.
America, listen up, united we stand,
divided we fall. Thank you, Charlie
Hecht, for standing united. Fly your
fl ag and show the world that this Chris-
tian nation stands united, with the one
true God of everything.
Gary Robinson
Baker City
Hansell should back
climate legislation
Sen. Bill Hansell, I am an Oregon
grandfather writing on behalf of my
kids and grandchildren — and yours
— and children and grandchildren
everywhere. While, as an 80-year-old,
I will not live to see the full impact of
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the climate crisis, I am committed to
bequeathing a habitable planet to our
children and grandchildren.
We are in a climate crisis that
demands strong climate action.
Oregon’s oceans are becoming more
acidic and wildfi res are growing more
frequent and massive.
Senate Bill 1530 is a good framework
but currently is too weak to meet the
demands of the climate crisis. It pro-
vides too many giveaways to the fossil
fuel industry, allowing these corpora-
tions to continue polluting as usual,
harming our health and the climate.
SB 1530 needs to be stronger to
reduce pollution from fossil fuels and
increase investments in a clean econ-
omy. It needs to be stronger to reduce
greenhouse gases from oil companies all
across the state. Investments in commu-
nities most affected by climate change
— rural, low-income, tribes and commu-
nities of color — need to be guaranteed.
Oregon’s young people need strong
climate action. They need leaders to
pass strong climate legislation that will
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 900 Court St.
N.E., Salem, OR 97301; 503-378-4582.
Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno:
136 State Capitol. Salem OR 97310-0722;
503-986-1523.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Reed: 350
Winter St. N.E., Suite 100, Salem, OR 97301-
3896; 503-378-4329.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosen-
blum: Justice Building, Salem, OR 97301-
4096; 503-378-4400.
State Sen. William S. Hansell (29th
District/Pendleton): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. NE., S-423, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-
1729. Website: www.oregonlegislature.gov/
hansell. Email: sen.billhansell@oregonleg-
islature.gov.
State Rep. Greg Barreto (58th District/
Cove): Salem offi ce: 900 Court St. NE.,
H-384, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1458.
Website: www.oregonlegislature.gov/bar-
reto. Email: rep.gregbarreto@oregonlegis-
lature.gov.
State Rep. Greg Smith (57th District):
Salem offi ce: 900 Court St. NE., H-482, Salem,
OR, 97301; 503-986-1457. Heppner offi ce: P.O.
Box 219, Heppner, OR 97836; 541-676-5154;
Website: www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithg.
Email: rep.gregsmith@oregonlegislature.gov.
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protect the air they breathe, the water
they drink, and the soil that grows
the food they eat. That’s why Oregon’s
youth have been taking to the streets
in record numbers in all parts of the
state. They are calling for leaders to
pass strong policies that will give them
a future free from devastating climate
disasters and collapsed economies.
Oregon’s most vulnerable popula-
tions need strong climate action. People
in poverty have the most to lose under
climate crisis disasters.
Rural Oregon needs strong climate
action. We are on the front lines of cli-
mate change. From ranchers in Union
County to tree farmers in Clackamas
County to farm workers in Hermis-
ton, there are strong voices from rural
Oregon calling for action. Please listen
to our voices.
Please build upon the work you have
started by strengthening SB 1530 and
passing bold climate legislation in 2020.
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Publisher........................................Karrine Brogoitti
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