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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2020)
Opinion LABEL 4A Saturday, April 11, 2020 The Observer MY VOICE Pandemic, policy and politics A s I was nearing the conclusion of my first legislative session in May of 2013, someone asked me what my plans were for the interim. That caused me to pause. I had never even thought about it, because in my entire working life, I had never had an interim. But I quickly figured out the answer, which was to keep on serving the citizens of my Senate District, in any way I could. Had someone asked me in February 2020, “What are my plans for a pandemic?” I would not have had an answer. But I sure do now. So far in this interim, the COVID-19 pandemic is front and center in everything we BILL HANSELL legislators are STATE SENATOR doing. Most all of what I am doing falls into three categories of focus: pan- demic, policy, and politics. I have learned more about this pandemic, this disease, this plague then I ever imagined. But to formulate good policy you should know what you are fighting and what you need to fight it. The last pandemic was the Spanish flu of 1918 over a century ago. The one thing about the COVID-19 virus, that seems to be universally agreed upon, is the primary method of spreading is through breath droplets. Masks and physical distancing really do work, which I have been trying to do. When it comes to policy development and resource allocation, this is where the bulk of my time has been being spent. I would never have guessed that I would be on hours and hours of daily conference calls. But such is life in a pandemic. One of my high priorities and policy focus has been keeping our rural health care facilities func- tioning. Decrees from Salem, while probably good for the most part, have had serious impacts on rural hospitals and health care. I have made phone calls, I have worked with my colleagues, I have both authored and signed on to letters to the gov- ernor and other officials about the dire straits rural health care is facing. I believe funding, both state and federal, is beginning to be available, but it hasn’t been without its drama. The politics is the most frustrating. Why can’t we come together across the aisle to do what is best for the citizens of Oregon? The COVID-19 virus is not a Republican or Democrat nor does it pick and choose its victims by party affiliation. This pandemic has made for strange bedfellows at times. From my perspective, the Senate Repub- lican Caucus has been more aligned with Gov. Kate Brown much of the time than the other cau- cuses including her own. But at the end of the day, this pandemic battle would be a whole lot easier and more effective if we could leave politics out of the game plan both on the national and state level. However, until that time comes, it will be part of what I need to do, to make sure rural Oregon does not get the short end of the stick. The stakes are too high. Our office has been and will continue to help in any way we can. Please feel free to contact us. if you have issues with which you need assistance. The best way, since we are all working from home, is by email at sen.billhansell@oregonlegis- lature.gov. We will do all we can to be of help. In the meantime, stay safe, be smart, and mask up in public. About the Author Bill Hansell is state senator of Oregon District 29 and from Athena. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he is spending most of his time in his home on Third Street. Your views An Easter prayer of joy and comfort As we celebrate Easter, April 12, we praise our risen savior and give him all the praise and glory that he solely deserves for all he has done and is doing for us. Rest assured, our loving, gracious, merciful heavenly father is in charge of all that is going on now, and he is with us every step of the way. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). “For God so loved the word, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). What an awesome God we serve. May our loving, gracious, merciful heavenly father bless each of you this Easter with his joy, peace and comfort and keep you in his care. This is my Easter prayer. Janice Roberts La Grande The pleasure of anticipation — snail mail to the rescue Snail mail to the rescue. We’ve all seen numerous suggestions on how to creatively fill time while we are under what I call house arrest. Minus the global positioning device fastened to our ankles. A few years ago, my adolescent granddaughter and I decided to reinvent the wheel with a little handwritten snail mail. Not typed and printed, not emailed, not Facebooked, and not tweeted … whatever that is. I wanted her to feel the excitement of checking the mail each day, waiting for a letter from Grandpa, or a decoder ring, or a Betsy McCall cut-out doll, or news from the Buck Rogers fan club. Did I just date myself? In this new world of instant grati- fication, we might be missing out on something that was ordinary, and spe- cial: anticipation. During the reinven- tion, which was intended for Mya, I found that, unbeknownst to me, I was running a little short of anticipation myself. I loved getting those four or five lines of news with backward S’s, crossed-out words and a drawing of me (I think). I found myself walking a little more briskly to the mailbox wondering if there might be a letter from Hermiston, with a smudge, a handwritten address and a crooked stamp. Try it, if you don’t need to be instantly gratified. These are the good old days. Mike Hayden Cove Union County can count on Mike Barry I was mayor of Joseph from 2009- 2019. During that time I worked closely with Mike Barry, who was the go-to person for the Small City Allot- ment grants that all small cities count on to help with their street paving needs. Mike fought for Northeast Oregon against the other regions to ensure we got our fair share. Mike was always aboveboard, and you could count on him to do what he said he would do. I urge everyone to vote for Mike for Union County Commissioner. He knows the county and he knows how to work with Salem. Dennis Sands Sierra Vista, Arizona Bill Miller’s leadership skills would elevate quality of UCSO As a former circuit court judge, prosecutor and police officer, I sup- port Bill Miller for sheriff of Union County. During my tenure on the bench, I had the opportunity to work with Bill in his capacity as a detective with the sheriff’s office. I found him to be competent, honest, hardworking and, most important, fair in his investiga- tions. When he appeared in court, he brought those same qualities. I believe Bill has the leadership skills to elevate the quality of the ser- vices provided by the Union County Sheriff’s Office. I also believe Bill’s dedication to the job and his sense of fairness will improve the morale of the men and women he will lead. Brian C. Dretke Union/Wallowa Circuit Court Judge, retired CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS President Donald Trump: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washing- ton, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414; fax 202- 456-2461; to send comments, go to www. whitehouse.gov/contact. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. office: 313 Hart Senate Office Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224- 3753; fax 202-228-3997. Portland office: One World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503- 326-3386; fax 503-326-2900. Pendleton office: 310 S.E. Second St. Suite 105, Pendleton 97801; 541-278-1129; merkley. senate.gov. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. office: 221 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717. La Grande office: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden. senate.gov. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District): D.C. office: 2182 Rayburn Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-225-5774. La Grande office: 1211 Washington Ave., La Grande, OR 97850; 541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden. house.gov. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov. Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400. State Sen. William S. Hansell (29th District/Pendleton): Salem office: 900 Court St. NE., S-423, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1729. Website: www.oregonlegis- lature.gov/ hansell. Email: sen.billhansell@ oregonlegislature. gov. State Rep. Greg Barreto (58th District/ Cove): Salem office: 900 Court St. NE., H-384, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986- 1458. Website: www.oregonlegislature.gov/ barreto. Email: rep.gregbarreto@oregonleg- islature.gov. State Rep. Greg Smith (57th Dis- trict): Salem office: 900 Court St. NE., H-482, Salem, OR, 97301; 503-986-1457. Heppner office: P.O. Box 219, Heppner, OR 97836; 541-676-5154; Website: www. oregonlegislature.gov/smithg. Email: rep. gregsmith@oregonlegislature.gov. Oregon Legislature: Legislative docu- ments and information are available online at www.leg.state.or.us. City of La Grande: Mayor Steve Clem- ents, City Manager Robert Strope; P.O. Box 670, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-962-1309; fax 541-963-3333. Union County Commissioners: Don- na Beverage, Matt Scarfo and Paul Anderes; 1106 K Ave., La Grande, OR 97850; 541-963- 1001; fax 541-963-1079. Wallowa County Commissioners: John Hillock,Todd Nash and Susan Roberts; 101 S. River St., Room 202, Enterprise, OR 97828; 541-426-4543, ext. 11; fax 541-426- 0582. Elgin City Councilors: Mayor Allan Duffy, 501 N 11th St., 541-437-1016, mayor@ cityofelginor.org; Mary West, 260 N 5th Ave., 541-805-0443, councilor3@cityofelginor. org; Kathy Warren, PO Box 697, 541-786- 9611, councilor6@cityofelginor.org; Risa Hallgarth, PO Box 525, 541-437-9462, coun- cilor2@cityofelginor.org; Rocky Burgess, 800 N 14th St., P.O. Box 854, 541-786-2417, councilor1@cityofelginor.org; David Reed, 1011 Detroit St., PO Box 368; 541-975-3306, councilor4@cityofelginor.org; Ryan Martin, councilor5@cityofelginor.org. La Grande City Council: Mayor Steve Clements, Gary Lillard, Nicole Howard, Corrine Dutto, Mary Ann Miesner, Jim Whit- beck, Justin Rock; through the city manag- er’s offi ce, 541-962-1309. City of Cove: Mayor Del Little, 503-508- 6727, 504 Alder St., P.O. Box 8, Cove, OR 97824; City Recorder Donna Lewis, 541- 568-4566.