FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Opinion
— Letters to the Editor —
Hoopes is good for Baker Co.
To the Editor:
I am writing this letter to endorse John
Hoopes for Baker County Sheriff. John
has shown his passion and drive to work
hard for the betterment of Baker county.
While serving as a deputy at the Baker
County Sheriff he has served the com-
munity with genuine care, compassion
and pride. He is always willing to lend a
helping hand to those in need.
John is an outstanding grandfather and
family man that is willing to do what
it takes to take care of the community.
He strives to treat everyone he serves as
family. John will work to improve com-
munity moral and concerns to take care
of business with heart. There is a time in
everyone’s life that we need someone to
stand up for us whether it is a neighbor’s
barking dog, a major crime or even just
someone to listen to your concerns. John
Hoopes can be this person for you with
care and action to back it up.
John Hoopes is someone you want in
your corner. He is going to make Baker
County a better place to live and raise
your family. Today is a day for change.
Let’s take a stand and elect John Hoopes
for Sheriff of Baker County. He is a stand-
up man with a heart of gold. No one will
work harder at serving your community
from small to big concerns he is there.
If you are ready for changes let’s make
it happen! Please stand with me and sup-
port John Hoopes for Sheriff.
Natalie Smucker
Redmond, Ore.
Hoopes has solid financial plan
To the Editor:
Sheriff candidate John Hoopes has
a very workable plan to make Baker
City the regional training center for law
enforcement training. His plan will save
huge sums of money while keeping our
law enforcement personnel at home
instead of sending them away for distant
training. His plan will be a big boost for
the local economy, as you can imagine.
This is but one of the many positive
changes John Hoopes will bring to the
Sheriff’s Office and Baker County. Vote
for a man whose life experiences, strength
of character, family and community
values, and common sense make him the
most qualified candidate for Sheriff: John
Hoopes!
Mike Crews
Richland
interfered with BLM taking Mr. Michael’s
equipment. BLM also destroyed his dis-
covery post, which is a federal offense.
Did Southwick pass this kind of protec-
tion on to Ash, about letting federal agen-
cies take personal property? Southwick
had all of the State and Federal mining
laws laid on his desk. Who wants to take a
chance, it could be your personal prop-
erty next time, and maybe the EPA, IRS
or other federal agency? I also know that
Sheriff Ash has his deputies riding with
BLM Rangers. I recommend a vote for
John Hoopes!
Second, in Malheur County, their
District Attorney has resigned and the
Governor is now making the decision on
the replacement. This story has a lesson;
do you want the Sheriff, District Attor-
ney and even the County Commissioners
appointed by the Governor? Vote no on
measure 1-74. Keep our county govern-
ment transparent and local; please vote
John Hoopes for Sheriff and no on 1-74.
Ed Hardt
Baker City
My vote goes to Ash
To the Editor:
My vote for Baker County Sheriff is
going to Travis Ash who has held that po-
sition since being unanimously appointed
in May 2015.
His resume showing his dedication to
law enforcement for the past 20 years
reads like the dedicated person he is. Serv-
ing in police work since his first hire at
age 20 by Oregon State Police as a Fish
and Game cadet, he has continued his
education and gained experience through
many venues.In 2007, as all of Baker
County held its breath that 76-year-old
Doris Anderson, reported missing for 13
days in the Eagle Cap Wilderness area
could be found alive, Travis Ash and OSP
Senior Trooper Chris Hawkins found
her. Travis was given many awards and
honors including being the first non-OSP
recipient of the Harold R. Berg Lifesaving
Award.
To read more of this man who has
shown integrity, compassion and certainly
experience being involved the past 11
years with the Baker County Sheriff’s
Office, go to www.electsheriff.com. He
deserved to be elected. Experience does
matter.
Evelyne Fisher
Haines
I support Ash for Sheriff
Hoopes will go extra mile
To the Editor:
Vote for John Hoopes. Over the years
that I have known and witnessed John
Hoopes actions, I have seen his love of
being of service to many people. As a
youth he would go to help anyone with a
project that they could not do themselves
because of age, illness, or just did not
know how to do it.
As a teenager he learned from his father
that doing his best to help others was re-
ward enough. He joined the Marine Corps
to serve his country that includes you and
I. When he was released he trained to be
a mechanic like his Father. Many times
I witnessed him giving advice, showing
them how or doing it himself to people
that needed help but could not afford to
pay for the service. He did it because it
was reward enough to see the appreciation
of those that were in need.
As a deputy in the Sheriff’s department
he has helped many people, and been of
service to the entire population of this
county. His biggest concern is for you and
I. He will do all that is possible for anyone
of us that are in need of his service. You
can be assured that as Sheriff all Depu-
ties and Personnel of the department will
be trained to do their very best for you to
keep you safe and give help when needed.
He has a love for Baker County and
everyone in it and a willingness to serve
each one of us in the capacity of a great
Sheriffs. Please vote for John Hoopes.
Bob and Marilyn Harrison
Baker City
Ash supports Feds not miners?
To the Editor:
Approximately 18 months ago, Travis
Ash was appointed Sheriff upon the early
retirement of Mitch Southwick. As the
Sheriff position is a nonpartisan position,
the decision was made only by the three
County Commissioners. Southwick put
in a recommendation letter for Ash to the
Commissioners.
Personally, Southwick is one to ride the
trail with, but he does not know min-
ing law. He let the Forest Service take
equipment from the Orion mine and the
BLM from the Round Butte mine without
the due process based on State law. He
even had a deputy to guard so that no one
To the Editor:
As Election Day approaches, the rheto-
ric in the candidate races grows more
pointed. In the Sheriff’s race, for anyone
who has been watching, Sheriff Travis
Ash has maintained a consistent message
and a high standard of performance and
public trust throughout his campaign. At
the same time he has performed his duties
and lived up to his commitment to the citi-
zens of Baker County as their Sheriff. We
have not seen him engage in anything but
positive and optimistic claims about his
commitment and obligation to the public’s
safety and welfare.
I have, as objectively as possible,
tried to evaluate the qualifications of Mr.
Hoopes, however, he has avoided most
public opportunities to answer specific
questions about his position. He offers
to answer any question in person; easy
enough to do in the presence of family,
friends or the safe and secure environment
of known supporters that don’t expose
him to criticism or tough questions requir-
ing an unrehearsed response. He was
protected from questions at the Repub-
lican Central Committee “Open House”
and he failed to appear at the AAUW
Forum, where he could have been asked
questions. This seems problematic, com-
ing from an individual who claims Open
Communication as one of his qualifica-
tions and who wants to hold the public’s
trust in the position he seeks.
Sheriff Ash has undertaken many initia-
tives since being appointed sheriff in May
of 2015. He has taken advantage of every
public opportunity to describe his efforts,
initiative, and vision, face to face with his
critics and supporters alike. Mr. Hoopes
talks with pride of his family, his love of
Baker County, and term as a U.S. Marine.
I sincerely commend him for these senti-
ments, as every man should be so lucky to
be able to claim these accomplishments—
he should be proud. But it takes that and
much more in the way of professional
accomplishment, interpersonal skill,
emotional and physical fortitude, and a
life-long demonstration of public commit-
ment as demonstrated by Travis Ash, to
hold such a position of public trust. Vote
Travis Ash for Baker County Sheriff.
Steve Fiddler
Baker City
— Special Column —
So I was
thinking ...
‘Tis election
season—
Oh joy!
By Jimmy Ingram
Special to The Baker County Press
Election season. It’s here. And the
only good thing about it being here
is that it will eventually be over.
While I appreciate the fact that
we live in a representative republic,
that doesn’t mean that we have I
have to love all the baggage that
goes along with the process.
Regardless of what candidate(s)
you may or may not like, or what
ballot measures you may be pas-
sionate about, most of us share a
disdain for the political bombard-
ment we must endure every couple
years.
Signs: They’re everywhere.
Lawns, porches, billboards, fence
posts, in the middle of manure-
filled pastures (I love the irony).
Vote “yes” on this, “no” on that.
“Make America Great Again. “I’m
With Her.”
Ugh.
At some point this may have been
a proven way of getting out the vote
but ask yourself this: Has your
vote on anything ever been swayed
based upon seeing a sign? Were you
going to vote for candidate “X” and
changed to candidate “Y” at the last
minute because of the sign in your
neighbors yard? Did the font on a
billboard hypnotize you into vot-
ing differently on a ballot measure?
Probably not. Mostly it just seems
like a way of reaffirming that you
and your neighbor don’t see eye-to-
eye politically. That and cluttering
up our beautiful landscape with
cardboard.
TV Ads: These are the worst,
having become so incredibly predi-
cable over the years.
The political opponent in TV ads
is always portrayed in black and
white; snarling, moving in slow
motion while pointing their finger
angrily at something in dictator-
like fashion. The ad leads you to
believe they hate kittens, apple pie
and freedom. They make babies cry,
skies gray, and unemployment lines
longer.
Then, suddenly the sparkle of up-
lifting piano music is cued to give
you hope, reminding you to vote
for the ad-sponsored candidate. And
how can you not? After all they are
reading to children, shaking hands
with factory workers in hard hats,
and waving gleefully at their ador-
ing, inspired minions.
Easy decision, right?
That is until you see the exact op-
posite ad 30 seconds later. My name
is Jimmy Ingram and I approve this
message of TV ad frustration.
Fashion: While not at the top of
the importance scale, this is every
bit as annoying. My favorite in this
category is what I call the “Midwest
Denim Tour.”
When each candidate appears
in states like Iowa, Wisconsin,
and Ohio they are sure to drape
Submitted Photo
Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and
father of two who enjoys people
watching within our wonderful
community and beyond.
themselves in denim from head to
toe—clearly a fabricated attempt at
appearing to be “folksy” when talk-
ing to farmers, factory workers, and
blue collar America in general.
I’m convinced that every political
campaign in the US has a “denim
budget” figured into its campaign
costs.
Wanting to appeal to the working
class is fine, but dropping into rural
Kansas on a private jet may have
been the first sign that a candidate
has little or nothing in common
with most of us who get our hands
dirty at work.
The media: Anyone who thinks
that media sources don’t have it in
for one of the two current major po-
litical parties is kidding themselves.
A quick Google search of any
Republican or Democratic candi-
date nationwide will lead you to
thousands of news sources, each
with their own brand of biased,
self-serving promotion of one party
and demonization of the other.
By now most of us are savvy
enough to consider the source, and
therefore the amount of likely bull
thrown in our direction.
For many of these news sources,
any intention of remaining balanced
is not very well hidden in the con-
text of what they choose to report.
I never thought I’d look forward
to hearing about what Lady Gaga
wore to her last concert but after six
months of nonstop political report-
ing I’m dying to know what she did
wear.
Thanks, Yahoo!
Celebrity Endorsements: Funny
thing, I thought I had my mind
made up as to who I was voting for
this November until Kanye West
endorsed someone different. His
recent political endorsement has me
second guessing my decision. Am I
being serious? Obviously not. But
Kanye West is.
We get to hear the wonderfully in-
formed political opinions of people
such as Kim Kardashian, Scott
Baio, Mike Tyson, Tommy Chong,
and Katy Perry.
I’ve often wondered at what point
Hollywood celebrities consider
themselves important enough to
officially “endorse” a candidate
for office. Evidently having talent
isn’t a requirement. So thank you
celebrities ... if there’s one demo-
graphic whose opinion we all seek
for political guidance, it’s people
whose lives revolve around money,
fame, plastic surgery, fashion photo
shoots, personal assistants, and just
general narcissistic behavior. What
would we do without your input?
Be sure and go to the polls on
November 8, everyone.
I would hate to know that anyone
has endured this marathon of an
election year without having their
voice heard when it counts.
Happy voting, America.
More opinions are continued on Page 9!