Opinion
A4
Saturday, May 14, 2022
OUR VIEW
Take time to
fi ll out ballot
M
idterm elections have a habit of col-
lecting less than stellar results in
terms of voter turnout, but we hope
this year residents make becoming involved in
their democracy a priority.
This year’s election is of course on Tuesday,
May 17, and many have probably already cast
their ballots in the local and state elections.
Elections, especially off -year elections, tend to
be regulated to a kind of weird purgatory where
there is a sense they don’t matter as much as a
year when American voters choose a president.
Yet, every election matters.
That’s because our system of government
functions well when
an array of diff erent
mechanisms work in
concert. One of those
mechanisms is the
press. There must be
an active, free press
that functions to hold
elected leaders and
MORE ELECTION
INFORMATION
others accountable.
Another mechanism
Deadline: Election ballots for
Oregon’s May primary deliv-
is interaction between
ered by hand must be placed
voters and elected
in a drop box or returned to the
Union County Clerk’s Offi ce by
offi cials. Voters need
8 p.m. Tuesday, May 17.
to be able to talk to
Mailed-in ballots must be post-
marked on or before May 17.
and, at times, even
debate with their
elected representatives.
Voting and elections represent one of the key
pillars of our democracy. When we, as a nation,
do not exercise our right to vote we are short-
changing democracy and sending a subtle mes-
sage of indiff erence.
Democracy can’t function inside a pool of
indiff erence.
Granted, the May primary doesn’t have — at
least on the surface — any fl ashpoint, contro-
versial issues. Oregon’s primary is a closed one,
which means voters must choose along party
lines. So, in a sense, choices may seem limited
but they are in reality not so.
Every citizen of the nation, state and county
carries a sacred obligation to cast a ballot. That
privilege — and make no mistake, it is a privilege
— isn’t some obscure, pie-in-the-sky type of con-
cept. Our right to vote is the single key element
to our democracy, and a down payment on that
right has been put down by millions of men and
women of our armed forces over our 200-plus-
year history.
If you haven’t yet cast your vote, dig out that
ballot and spend a few moments going over the
selections and then take the ballot to a drop-off
box in your town. Oregon has made voting
extremely easy, and there’s no excuse for passing
up the opportunity to participate in our system of
government.
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the
opinion of The Observer editorial
board. Other columns, letters and
cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of The Observer.
LETTERS
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• Longer community comment
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must be no more than 700 words.
Writers must provide a recent
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OTHER VIEWS
Anderes does not toot
his own horn
I am writing this letter in support
of Paul Anderes who is one of Union
Uounty’s current commissioners. I can
tell you from my experience any deci-
sion made will never please 100% of
those involved. We must look at the
objectives in mind and make choices
that will help us reach them.
The work that has been done on
MERA was done to proactively pre-
vent possible fi re issues. La Grande
experienced one of those in the early
1970s. Thankfully it was not to the
extent of the recent Southern Oregon
and Detroit Lake fi res. Initially our
MERA property shows the eff ect of
the machines used to create the safety
zone, but like other fi re buff er zones
established, in time it will not look as
it does right now. The contractor who
is still under contract will return and
make changes when weather and soil
conditions permit.
Paul Anderes is the point person on
our county’s forestry issues because
of his experience in forestry including
education (OSU), personal working
with his family in logging and forest
management, a wildland fi refi ghter
as both a contract agent and for the
Federal Forest Service, as well as an
instructor training our youth to receive
certifi cation to work on the fi re lines.
Paul Anderes probably did not
take band in his educational career as
he does not toot his own horn. Ask
someone from our county food bank
what Paul has done. Paul worked to
assist our schools to return to in-person
learning for our children. As super-
intendent of the Imbler School Dis-
trict I saw fi rsthand that we were able
to return to fi eld trips, local, state and
national competitions in both FFA and
FBLA, athletics and other activities
through his eff orts.
I trust Paul to do what is best for
our children, our local employment,
our businesses and all of our com-
munity members. He has the experi-
ence, education and knowledge to go
to the source to assist each of us. Please
remember to turn in your ballot and
choose what you believe to best for the
next four years. I strongly urge you to
consider Paul Anderes.
Doug Hislop
La Grande
Dedication, skills and
compassion make Anderes
a ‘great’ commissioner
Being private agricultural land-
owners in Union County, we
highly recommend the reelection
of Paul Anderes to his current posi-
tion on the Union County Board of
Commissioners.
Good candidates are hard to come
by and “great” candidates are ones to
keep in their position. We recognize
Paul Anderes as the latter! We have
been personally involved with Paul
for 25-plus years and professionally
involved throughout his fi rst term as
commissioner.
Commissioner Anderes has many
excellent qualifi cations that enhance
his performance in this offi ce. First
of all, he is dedicated to his job. If he
doesn’t have a good understanding of
a situation, we’ve seen him research
and fi nd the answers needed to move
forward. He has a wide range of skills
such as good communication skills,
excellent presentation skills and com-
passion for the community he serves.
His years as an educator have greatly
enhanced his ability to serve us all.
Paul is thorough and doesn’t leave sit-
uations undone. Striving to investigate
and secure full knowledge of the issues
brought before him are qualities that
have helped create a well-rounded team
of commissioners in Union County.
Personally, Commissioner Andres
has gone the distance with the con-
cerns of elk damage in Union County.
We observed his skill in making a pre-
sentation in Salem, Oregon, regarding
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Vote for candidates who
understand pressing need
to get to ‘carbon zero’
This morning, I read about oil
companies taking advantage of the
global problems created by Russia’s
attack on Ukraine to make unimag-
inably huge profi ts in the past month.
Of course, their industry windfall is
causing the rest of us to suff er fi nan-
cially, as prices for everything else
are currently tied to the cost of trans-
portation. As our gas prices rise,
so does the cost of food and other
essentials.
Won’t it be a more wonderful
world after we transition away from
fossil fuels? Depending on wind,
solar, hydro, geothermal, wave and
tidal energy and other renewables
will allow every community in the
world to locally source their power,
and cut the tether to the price of oil.
As we reach for the voters guide
and cast our ballots, I encourage
everyone to join me in voting for
candidates who understand the
pressing need to get to “carbon
zero.” Not only will we be saving
what is left of the stability of Earth’s
climate, but we’ll be bringing local
control to our essential energy infra-
structure, cutting the ties that bind
us to oil company policies and
prices.
Kay Firor
Cove
STAFF
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this problem. We confi rm that his
performance there demonstrated his
ability to prepare and deliver a strong
case in trying to infl uence and make
others understand a situation. He is a
talented speaker and advocate for all of
Union County.
We encourage you to make Paul
Anderes your choice for Union County
Commissioner. He is without reserva-
tion our choice.
Bill and Donna Tsiatsos
La Grande
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