FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9
Local
Citizen discusses length of Senate
County’s planning process
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
• SHERIFF’S OFFICE
COMPLAINT
PROCESS
ADDRESSED
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held
its first regular session
of 2018 on Wednesday,
January 3, 9 a.m., in the
Commission Chambers of
the Baker County Court-
house, which included
the approval of several
documents, and comments
from Stacy Nagy, Art Sap-
pington, and Baker County
Sheriff Travis Ash.
Present from the Board
were Chair Bill Harvey,
Commissioners Mark Ben-
nett and Bruce Nichols,
and Executive Assistant
Heidi Martin. Atten-
dance also included Baker
County Justice Court
Trial Administrator Mike
Finney, John Creighton,
Dave Hunsaker, and Tim
Kerns.
Harvey opened the
session, provided the
Invocation, and led in
recitation of the Pledge of
Allegiance. The agenda
was adopted, with no noted
additions or changes, with
a motion from Nichols, and
a second from Bennett.
Citizen Participa-
tion included frustrated
Halfway-based Nagy,
who said, in reference to
delays in applications he’d
submitted to the County
Planning Department, “I
don’t know what’s going
on. There’s a timeframe,
that it’s supposed to be
done...” He said they were
submitted in July 2016,
and mentioned some other
communications with the
Department since then,
including requests for more
information.
Harvey, a former County
Planning Commissioner,
said he’d heard the applica-
tions were being reviewed,
and Bennett, a former
County Planning Director,
said he’d check with the
Department to determine
what the status is (Current
Planning Director Holly
Todd Atriola / The Baker County Press
Mike Finney addresses the commissioners.
Kerns said that the applica-
tions involve complicated
issues, but the process is
moving forward).
Sappington, Coordinat-
ing Officer for the Jeffer-
son Mining District, said
he was unable to attend the
session in December due
to medical issues, and that
his focus associated with
mining now will be with
more of an emphasis on
passing on knowledge and
the history of mining in
Baker County to younger
generations. Efforts in-
clude establishing mining
training and local econom-
ic opportunities.
Bennett mentioned a con-
cern brought to the Board’s
attention by Adam Nilsson,
during a previous session,
who said that the Sheriff’s
Office lacked an adequate
complaint process, and
since Ash was present
during the current session,
Bennett asked him to com-
ment on that topic.
Ash said there actually is
a policy, and Nilsson was
afforded an opportunity
to go through the process
with a written complaint,
which is required, but that
at some point, Nilsson was
uncooperative in resolving
the issue.
The minutes from the
Wednesday, December 20,
2017 regular session were
approved, with no noted
corrections, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Nichols.
A Professional Services
Agreement, between the
County and attorney
Charles H. Gillis, for the
services of indigent de-
fense, was approved, with
a motion from Bennett,
and a second from Nichols.
The term of the contract
is from January 1, 2018,
through June 30, 2018,
with a renewal option if
funding is available, and
the County agrees to pay
Gillis a total of $10,000
for up to 30 cases, with
any additional cases billed
at a rate of $75 per hour.
Prior to the agreement’s
approval, Finney discussed
the details with the Board,
including expressing praise
for Gillis’s previous work
with the County.
Order No. 2018-101, Ap-
pointing A Budget Officer
For Baker County, was ap-
proved, with a motion from
Nichols, a second from
Bennett, and an abstention
from Harvey. Harvey was
appointed, his term set as
the 2018-2019 fiscal year
(July 1, 2018, through June
30, 2019).
Order No. 2018-102, Ap-
pointing A Member To The
Baker County Museum
Commission, was ap-
proved, with a motion from
Bennett, and a second from
Nichols. Camille Warner
was appointed, her term
set to expire on January 1,
2021.
Order No. 2018-103,
Re-Appointing Members
To The Baker County Mu-
seum Commission, was ap-
proved, with a motion from
Harvey, and a second from
Nichols. Steve Bogart, Hal
Huntington, and Mindy
Sherrieb were re-appoint-
ed, their terms set to expire
on January 1, 2021.
Order No. 2018-104, Re-
Appointing Members To
The Baker Valley Vector
Control Board, was ap-
proved, with a motion from
Bennett, and a second from
Nichols. Gordon Colton
and Fred Warner, Jr. were
re-appointed, their terms
set to expire on December
31, 2020.
Order No. 2018-105, Re-
Appointing A Member To
The Baker County Com-
pensation Board, was ap-
proved, with a motion from
Bennett, and a second from
Nichols. Steve Schauer
was re-appointed.
27 County Commissioners serving within Oregon Sen-
ate District 30 ( Baker, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Mal-
heur, Wheeler, and parts of Clackamas, Deschutes, Lake,
Marion, and Wasco counties).
Suzan Ellis Jones of Baker County was unable to attend
the January 4th meeting, and had made arrangements to
attend via phone, however, that connection suffered a
technical glitch, meaning she was unable to participate.
Jones and Dr. Eric Wattenberg each received the vote of
one commissioner within the District, with Bentz receiv-
ing the rest.
Bentz was sworn in, in Salem, last week.
With Bentz moving into the Oregon Senate, his vacated
seat as a Representative is now up for grabs.
The nomination process for that vacancy will be the
same as that of the senate seat, except this time the nomi-
nating convention will be held in Ontario, not John Day.
A notification letter from the Secretary of State’s Office
states, “ORS 171.051(2) requires each nominee to be
a citizen qualified to hold the office, an elector of State
Representative District 60 and a member of the Republi-
can Party for 180 days prior to the date of the vacancy. In
addition, Article IV, section 3 of the Oregon Constitution
requires that the appointee shall have been an inhabitant
of the district for at least one year prior to the date of the
appointment. It is the responsibility of the Republican
Party to ensure that all nominees meet these qualifications
before the submission of the “Willingness to Serve” state-
ments to the Secretary of State.
“You are required to notify the Secretary of State of the
persons nominated not later than January 29, 2018.
The notification to the Secretary of State shall be accom-
panied by a signed written statement of each nominee’s
willingness to serve in the vacated office. I have included
the required form (SEL 145).
“Once the three to five nominees are chosen, the Baker
and Lake County Board of Commissioners and the Grant,
Harney and Malheur County Courts must meet to select
one person. The vacancy must be filled by appointment
not later than February 7, 2018.
“Pursuant to ORS 171.060(2), the Secretary of State
shall set a time and place for the meeting, and name a
chair. When naming a chair for this purpose the Secre-
tary will 1) select a Commissioner or Judge of the same
political party as the party of the nominees. If there are
no commissioners who are registered as members of
that party, the Secretary will 2) select a Commissioner
or Judge that is registered to vote as not affiliated with a
party. If there are no commissioners that meet criteria 1
or 2, the Secretary will select 3) the Chair of the Board
of Commissioners or County Court of the county that has
the most registered voters in the district of the vacancy.
In accordance with ORS 171.062 when a vacancy occurs
in a legislative district encompassing two or more coun-
ties, each county is entitled to one vote for each 1,000
of its electors or major fraction of 1,000 (more than 500
registered electors, but less than 1,000) residing within
the district at the time the vacancy occurred. Based on the
number of registered electors on January 8, 2018, each
county commissioner is allotted the following number of
votes:”
Durkee’s community program rings in Christmas
BY CHUCK BUCHANAN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The annual Durkee
Christmas program, which
took place on the evening
of December 23rd, has
been an institution in the
community since the days
when the Durkee Com-
munity Hall was Durkee
Grade School.
The two room school-
house originally had two
teachers, one for grades
one through four and one
for grades five through
seven.
As enrollment declined,
this changed to one room
with one teacher. Cheryl
Buchanan, an alumnus of
the Durkee school, says
that due to low enrollment
the school closed in the fall
of 1973.
Before that time the
teachers would often
stage elaborate Christmas
pageants.
In 1974, Diane Bloomer,
a local Durkee resident,
took on the job of putting
on the Christmas program
and has been the organizer
of the program ever since.
Several generations of
Durkee kids, and some
from Baker Valley whose
families have ties to Dur-
kee, have grown up sing-
ing Christmas songs on
the stage in the building’s
gymnasium.
Each year’s program
begins with a potluck sup-
per and this year was no
exception.
Approximately eighty
hungry attendees, children
and adults, enjoyed ham,
various casseroles, salads
and desserts along with
coffee and lemonade.
When the meal was fin-
ished the crowd adjourned
to the gym for the fun.
Jabron Jones, youth pastor
of the Harvest Church
in Baker City, took the
stage after having been
introduced by emcee Dash
Bloomer.
Jones spoke about the
importance of being thank-
ful for the gifts the Lord
gives us every day.
He was followed by
many renditions of “Jingle
Bells,” “Rudolph the
Red-nosed Reindeer” and
“Santa Claus is Coming to
Town,” all of which were
accompanied by Diane
Bloomer on the piano
and all of which received
enthusiastic applause.
When the singing was
finished there was a short
curtain break during which
a living Nativity scene,
a long-standing tradition
during the program, was
prepared.
When the curtain opened,
Mary, Joseph and many
angels and shepherds could
be seen surrounding a
manger. Then it was time
for Santa to arrive.
While everyone on the
stage sang “Santa Claus is
Coming to Town,” the old
man with the red suit and
white beard made his en-
trance from the back of the
room, passing out candy
to the audience as he made
his way to the stage.
When he reached the
stage and took his seat the
kids lined up to let him
Chuck Buchanan / The Baker County Press
A living nativity scene composed of children from the community was part of the
evening.
know what they wanted
for Christmas. Each of the
children in turn received
a goodie bag containing
candy, a popcorn ball and
peanuts, another fun Dur-
kee tradition.
After Santa’s visit it was
time to gather up potluck
dishes, put on coats and get
the kids home to bed.