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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2020)
Opinion 4A Tuesday, April 14, 2020 The Observer FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK Passing on local endorsements T he race for Union County sheriff is the hottest local election going. Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen seeks a fifth term. Three challengers look to end Rasmussen’s streak. Shane Rollins of Cove is the outsider in the election, having returned to the county in 2014 from a career in military policing and private high-end security. Bill Miller of Elgin is a former sheriff’s sergeant who worked under Rasmussen. He is orchestrating quite a letters-to-the-editor campaign. And Cody Bowen is a deputy now in the sheriff’s office. He headed up the law enforce- ment union that endorsed Rasmussen in late 2019. He entered the race in January, stepped down as head of the law enforcement association, which soon pulled its endorsement of Rasmussen and in a non-unanimous vote threw its support to Bowen. All of that going on in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has dominated the news for more than a month. As editor, I make the call on whether the news- paper goes forward with endorsements. Previous editors held editorial board meetings with the can- didates and went the endorsement route. I will not. Some of this is due to the consequences of the virus outbreak. Holding a small edit board meeting with each candidate in the presence of a reporter probably would be the best. But that’s too a big lift right now as we strive to work remotely to cover news under restrictions to maintain safe social distance and to watch hours and the bottom line. I also think I’m too new to Union County to give an informed opinion on who the best candi- date is to serve as sheriff. So we’re asking the four candidates instead to provide brief answers to the following questions: 1) What are the top three qualities or character- istics that make you the right person to be Union County sheriff? 2) What is an example from your career that shows you would be a good sheriff? 3) Some candidates have stated other candi- dates are relying on misinformation, obfuscation or rumor to persuade voters. What do you have to say about that? 4) What is the most pressing issue in the race that you want people to know more about and why? 5) If you win, what is the first change you plan to implement in the sheriff’s office and why? 6) Which candidate (excluding yourself, of course) would you endorse for Union County sheriff and why? I emailed the candidates the questions Monday and asked them to respond by the following Monday. The Observer, then, will publish their answers, editing for grammar, punctuation and style. We also have a race for Union County commis- sioner between incumbent Donna Beverage and challenger Michael Barry, and we soon will send questions their way. City councils have races as well. We’ll aim to provide brief profiles of those candidates. I’d also like to remind readers, candidates and their supporters that the deadline for polit- ical letters is noon April 22, and the final day we will run them in print is April 25. Limit letters to no more than 400 words. Letters must include the name of the author, their city of residence and a daytime phone number so we can verify the letter. You can send letters to The Observer, 911 Jefferson Ave., La Grande 97850, but we prefer you email letters to news@lagrandeob- server.com. Having the letter directly in the body of an email makes it easier to place opin- ions in the paper. OTHER VIEWS The ‘thank you wave’ makes a comeback W alking my dog Dorothy a few months ago, I didn’t recognize the fellow waving from the white car until he stopped to say hello. Turns out it was Ed, a casual acquaintance, whose wave I hadn’t acknowledged because I couldn’t see him through the tinted glass. Since then I’ve made it a point to wave at every car that passes on our quiet street. Maybe I know the driver, perhaps I don’t. But the wave can’t hurt; in fact, it’s rather nice. Nowadays, with social distancing, we’re all doing a lot more waving. Folks keep their distance but most wave, salute or signal — acknowl- edging that we’re in this together. Jerry Seinfeld’s old complaint that people don’t offer a proper “thank you wave” doesn’t hold in corona- virus times. I’ve long been intrigued by simple hand signals. As kids we thought we knew a big secret: If you made a pulling motion with your arm as a truck passed, the driver would respond with a blast of his air horn. Sitting on the observation deck at our local airport I’ve noted that the ground crew — those folks with the orange flashlights — give each pilot a final salute, which is always About the Author Peter Funt is a writer and speaker. His book, “Cautiously Opti- mistic” is available at Amazon.com and CandidCamera.com. acknowledged with a salute from the cockpit. It’s a civilian version of scenes in “Top Gun” when Tom Cruise and the other fighter pilots salute the guys who send them off the aircraft carriers. Another old film, “The Sting,” features a band of lovable con men who identify each other with a forefinger salute across the nose. It’s believed the origin of hand saluting was in Roman times. A citizen who wished to approach a public official raised his right hand to show he was not carrying a weapon. According to the Armed Forces Museum, the modern salute evolved as a show of respect. “By 1820, the gesture was officially mod- ified to the current version still used in the military today — the touching of the hat. Hand salute, palm down is believed to be an influence of the British Navy, as deck hands were often dirty and to expose the dirty palm was regarded as disrespectful.” Many of us will never forget the sight of 3-year-old John-John Ken- nedy saluting his father’s casket as it was carried from St. Matthew’s Cathedral. During the crisis, President Trump favors the simple thumbs-up. Some give the A-OK sign, forming a circle with thumb and forefinger. You might use two hands to make a hand-heart gesture, popularized by the singer Taylor Swift. Or maybe the Hawaiian shaka, a waggle of the upward thumb and forward-pointing pinkie with the middle three fingers curled to the palm. Perhaps just a nod to strangers crossing the street. A hand on the heart, often accom- panied by a soft pat-pat on the chest, is better than words when it comes to saying “thank you” and “I really care.” While walking Dorothy the other day I stopped to watch the mail car- rier make a delivery across the street. As he pulled away, I felt compelled to offer a military-style salute. He slowed, turned slightly and saluted back. Sometimes the smallest gestures have the biggest meaning. 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, Washing- ton, 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. 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.
