Opinion
A4
Saturday, May 7, 2022
OUR VIEW
Sen. Wyden
committ ed to
representing all
O
regon U.S. Sen Ron Wyden isn’t going to
collect a huge majority of votes from the
Eastern Oregon counties he represents
because of his party affi liation, but his continued
focus on sponsoring town hall sessions in even
the most conservative areas of the state show he
is committed to democracy.
Wyden was in La Grande last month for a
town hall meeting where he discussed a range of
issues, including the lack of aff ordable housing
and homelessness across the state.
Eastern Oregon is a deeply conservative area
and the majority of its voters subscribe to Repub-
lican values. Wyden, a Democrat, visits this sec-
tion of the state on a regular basis for town halls
and other information-gathering exercises.
Wyden has repeatedly stated he represents all
of Oregon, not just the voting block that elected
him. That should be good news for voters.
Wyden and his Senate Democratic colleague
Sen. Jeff Merkley both spend a lot of time in
areas where their brand of politics probably isn’t
very popular, and they do it because they view
their job as one that encompasses all residents,
not just the ones who adhere to their own political
views.
The nation needs more of that kind of polit-
ical outlook. At the end of the day, whatever an
individual’s political persuasion, the issues in
Enterprise, La Grande or Pendleton are the issues
faced by all Eastern Oregon residents. Whether a
senator is a Republican or a Democratic doesn’t
really matter when viewed against issues such as
the availability of water or other natural resource
challenges. No, what matters is whether our
elected representatives — be it at the state or fed-
eral level — get things done.
The nation has become a polarized entity polit-
ically where a commitment to blind dogma is
pushed across all political spectrums. Our issues
— the problems we face at the local, state and
federal level — demand more than just a busi-
ness-as-usual, narrow political view. Instead, we
must face each problem from a holistic point of
view and seek solutions that cover a broad spec-
trum of ideologies.
Wyden’s visits are a testament to a lawmaker
that cares about all Oregonians. You might not
agree with his politics, but his commitment to
traveling to areas such as Eastern Oregon to
gather input is a good sign democracy is vibrant
in our corner of the Republic.
EDITORIALS
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opinion of The Observer editorial
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opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of The Observer.
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OTHER VIEWS
Anderes has proven to be
fair-minded champion
of Union County
As business owners involved
in agriculture, we support Paul
Anderes in his reelection for Union
County Commissioner. Paul’s com-
mitment to serving all of Union
County has not wavered, guiding
the county through the challenges of
COVID-19 and advocating for safety
measures that balanced public safety
with local control and personal
rights of citizens.
Paul’s work on the improvements
for wildland fi refi ghting capacity at
the Union County Airport will ben-
efi t the entire region and help make
it a better facility to base operations,
protecting our communities and
forests.
His support of the MERA man-
agement plan affi rms the county’s
commitment to its constituents that
it will be managed as it was intended
when passed by voters: a managed
forest that supports recreational
opportunities for the region. His
involvement with the Blue Mountain
Forest plan ensures that local citi-
zens who use and enjoy our forests
have a say in their management.
In his time as commissioner,
Paul has proven to be a fair-minded
champion of our county and its
citizens.
Wade and Ange Bingaman
Imbler
Anderes has sincere desire
to help small businesses
and citizens
I am writing this letter as an
endorsement for the reelection of
Paul Anderes as Union County
Commissioner.
I became directly acquainted
with Paul during his previous term
as county commissioner after the
Union County Search and Rescue
unit, in which I am a volunteer
member, was asked to help on the
COVID Incident Command Team.
That team was started at the very
beginning of the pandemic over two
years ago. During the many months
the command team was operational I
had an occasion to work with all the
commissioners as logistics offi cer,
setting up drive-thru testing, drive-
thru clinics, all associated with the
COVID pandemic. Commissioner
Anderes was always on top of things
making sure our team had the tools
necessary to operate eff ectively.
During the pandemic I could
see Paul had a sincere concern and
desire to help the small businesses
and the citizens of Union County
who were being fi nancially and per-
sonally aff ected by COVID.
There have been other times
through the years that our volunteer
SAR unit has worked with Paul and
the other commissioners on diff erent
projects where our manpower was
needed. Paul has always been sup-
portive of our volunteers and their
eff orts.
I wholeheartly endorse Paul
Anderes to his reelection to
the Union County Board of
Commissioners.
Fred Hawkins
Union
New school district facility
would be a gift to youth
and community
The La Grande School District
is in a unique, rare situation. When
interest rates recently dropped, the
district took advantage of the oppor-
tunity to refi nance the bond passed
by voters in 2014. That refi nance less-
ened the repayment amount by more
than $4 million and did not extend
the life of the bond. Additionally, La
Grande School District applied for,
and was awarded, a capital improve-
ment grant of $4 million. That grant
can only be utilized if matched by
district funds. LGSD is now in the
position to reinvest the savings of the
refi nance. If we don’t take advantage
of this great opportunity now, we
may never see the opportunity again.
When taxpayers passed the bond
in 2014, La Grande School District
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was able to make many upgrades
and additions to existing schools and
was even able to build the beautiful
new Central Elementary School.
With all that being done, there
wasn’t enough money left to con-
sider what needed to be done with
the two oldest buildings in the dis-
trict. The Annex and maintenance
buildings are old and need to be
replaced. That’s all there is to it. The
cost of repairs would far outweigh
the cost of replacement.
The Annex has served the com-
munity of La Grande for almost 100
years. If we vote to pass bond mea-
sure 31-105, a new multipurpose
facility can serve our community for
100 more. What better gift can we
give our youth and community, and
at no added cost to us at all?
The community of La Grande
needs to realize that the Annex is not
ADA accessible. Our youth deserve
to have a multipurpose academic/
athletic facility that provides access
to everyone, and we have the oppor-
tunity to give that to them. I strongly
encourage you to educate yourself.
Visit www.citizensforschoolrenova-
tions.com.
This really isn’t about La Grande
School District and how they
responded to mask mandates or how
they’ve decided to allocate funds.
This is about our youth and the com-
munity of La Grande. The time is
now. Let’s pull together and give our
community what it deserves. Please
join me in voting yes for Bond Mea-
sure 31-105.
Dena Tams
Island City
STAFF
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ENDORSEMENTS
The Observer runs local letters of endorse-
ment on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis.
Please submit your endorsement letters to
the editor by 5 p.m. Monday, May 9. You can
email them to letters@lagrandeobserver.com,
or mail them to Editor, 911 Jeff erson Ave., La
Grande, OR 97850. We will publish our last let-
ters on Saturday, May 14. Any letters received
after the deadline will not run. Election Day
is May 17.
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