opinions/letters to the editor
august
2009
5
An Opinion: Part-Time Department Heads Are a Good Solution-- Right Now
By Scott Laird
street.
Vernonia is currently in the process of hiring a
new permanent Police Chief and Public Works Director.
Previous City Administrator Jim Johnson suggested that the
City Council look for part-time employees to fill these two
critical staff positions, and they agreed. The thought behind
this strategy was to find retired people not ready to end their
work careers, that could bring a strong background and years
of experience and knowledge to these two positions, while
saving the city the payroll expense of full-time employees
and full benefits. I like this on a trial basis as a temporary
solution.
The city has been without a Public Works Director
for a number of years. Jeff Burch, the department Foreman,
stepped up and has filled the role of Director for a long
stretch. He was responsible for helping direct the city
through the flood of 2007 and the recovery. Burch has done
a fine job given the circumstances, and is to be commended
for the effort and sacrifices he has made on behalf of the
city and the community. But it’s time we got ourselves a
permanent Director, someone with administrative experience
and the background to run a Public Works department, and
let Burch go back to being the Foreman, a job he does very
well-- especially given the potential for some major Public
Works projects for the city in the near future. There is only
room in the budget right now for a part-time Director, and
Burch’s experience can help smooth this transition. I think
Vernonia can make this work.
The Police Chief is a more complicated story.
By hiring a part-time Chief, the city frees up funds to hire
another full-time police officer, an officer who will be in the
community, patrolling and doing police work full-time. The
Chief would mostly be responsible for administrative duties,
and available to hit the street in the event of a major situation
or emergency. A new position of Police Captain would most
likely be created to oversee day-to-day operations on the
One argument that I’ve heard against this strategy
is that we need a Police Chief who lives in this community.
Someone who knows the ins and outs of what is happening
here. Someone who will get to know the people and the
players and the personalities. Under the current plan, a part-
time Chief would not be required to live in Vernonia. This
is similar to the discussion I started last month-- should we
encourage all our police officers to live here in town?
As far as the Chief’s position is concerned, I think
the benefits of having a fourth full-time patrol officer on
staff outweigh having a non-resident Chief. As you may
remember, one of the reasons our last full-time Chief, Mat
Workman, gave for leaving Vernonia was that he was often
called out at all hours because of manpower shortages. The
administrative and on-call work load took its toll, and he
went looking for another job in a larger department. And
besides, the new Captain will be the Chief’s eyes and ears in
the community. More feet on the street and experience in the
office seems like a good balance.
Which brings up another point, and I’m going
to digress here a bit. Many people in the community are
assuming that current Interim Chief Mike Kay will be
promoted from his Sergeant’s position into that new Captain’s
role, once a new Chief is hired. That would give a new Chief
someone familiar with the community in a top role in the
department. But let’s look at a different scenario. New City
Administrator Bob Young, with just over a month on the job,
is a virtual newcomer to this community. The new part-time
Chief is almost assuredly going to come from outside of
town. What if that new Chief, who will be given the power
to make their own hire for Captain, decides to bring along
someone they are familiar with, someone they have worked
with before? Someone not familiar with Vernonia. Would
it be a problem if our top two police positions, plus their
boss, the City Administrator, were all basically newcomers
to Vernonia?
Personally, I’m not worried about Bob Young.
After a month on the job, he seems like a smart, no-nonsense,
and very capable administrator. He seems invested in the
community and is easy to get along with and a genuinely
good guy. He also comes from a city that experienced a lot
of growth, change and controversy. I think he will do just
fine here. But of course, it’s only been a month and time will
tell how our new administrator fares.
One of Bob Young’s first tests is who he chooses
to hire to fill the roles of Public Works Director and Police
Chief. New staff hires for Department heads are almost
always a crap shoot, especially when hiring from outside the
community. You can do extensive interviews and background
checks, but in the end, you never really know what you’re
getting until the person is on the job. And, as Vernonia has
proven in the past, even when you have experience with an
employee, promotions don’t always work out. It’s a tricky
business, hiring people to run your city.
Interim City Administrator Jim Johnson used a
very thorough and patient approach when he guided City
Council through the process of hiring Young as permanent
Administrator. I hope Young takes the same approach and
tries to find the right people for the positions he is looking to
fill.
With the right choices to fill those positions,
this community could benefit greatly from someone with
experience, knowledge and know-how, at a fraction of
the cost for full-time employees. And we already have
experienced staff members on board to help our new staff
find their way around.
Next, how about a part-time Director for the
Vernonia Community Learning Center, which is currently
being run almost exclusively by volunteers?
It is certainly a time of big change in Vernonia, and
our staff at City Hall is no exception. It will be interesting to
watch this process, and the decisions that are made.
Real or Not? A Plea for Caution…
By Bob Young, Vernonia City Administrator
Last week, two officers interrupted my meeting. The look
on their faces told me this was important. They held a .357
Magnum pistol with belt and holster, a 24” machete, and two
dagger knives. They had just apprehended two juveniles with
these weapons. Had the young man with the pistol raised the
gun or aimed it at the officer, he would have been shot, and
most likely killed. No, the gun was not real, but I did not
know that, and neither did the officers as they apprehended
him in our City park.
This is a serious concern to law enforcement across our
country. A number of people, juveniles as well as adults, have
been killed when it appeared they had a lethal firearm which
threatened the life of an officer. The same goes for citizens
with concealed weapons permits. Can we blame them for
protecting themselves from what looks to be a lethal firearm?
No matter how you approach it, it is a scary thing to apprehend
someone who is armed, whether it is a gun or knife. Both are
lethal. “Replica firearms” being produced today cannot be
differentiated from real weapons by an officer in the middle
of an encounter. That gun, whether real or not, if used in a
threatening way, will force the officer to shoot to protect his
life or the life of a citizen. It is a horrible thing for an officer
to have to shoot someone, even in self-defense. It is even
more traumatic when they find out the weapon was not a real
firearm.
Guns known as “airsoft” weapons abound today, and they
are identical to the genuine weapon. These “replica firearms”
have been used to terrorize victims and compromise the safety
of the public. In many cases, there has been a regrettable
need for police officers to resort to the use of deadly force
in situations where they believe these replica firearms to
be authentic. There is a concern among police that such
use of deadly force will result in the preventable tragedies
associated with persons who brandish replica firearms for the
Readers lend their voices...
To the Editor:
What would Vernonia look like
without schools?
Families would move out, and as
a result property values would go down.
There would be no sporting events, which
are such a popular entertainment event for
our community. Due to lack of population,
the health clinic would close, and our
market would likely be gone, along with
other businesses we depend on every day.
We can have a beautiful new
school that would attract new families to our
community. Of course, grant providers need
to see community participation in projects
before they dispense any money. That is
why it is so important to pass our school
bond measure--we need that grant money!
We realize that times are tough
right now for everyone, but we can tighten
our belts and do what’s right to keep our
beautiful community alive and vital.
We urge everyone to attend the
Town Hall meetings to ask questions and
learn more about the plans for new schools,
and the school bond we must pass. A Town
Hall meeting is planned for sometime in
August, please watch for the date.
The Vernonia Health Center Board
is committed to providing health care to our
community. Passing the school bond issue
is vital to that commitment.
Let’s work together to keep what
we are blessed to have.
Vernonia Health Center Board of Directors
Carolyn Keasey, Chairman
Barbara Irvin
Marie Krahn
Darlene McLeod
Wendy Sears
Debbie Snook
Robert Wagner
To the Editor
Thanks to the Vernonia Community Garden
Project and thanks for the raffle ticket I won.
what a great job you guys did. The yard has
never looked better. Where do I buy the
next ticket? Thanks to Nikki and Zachary
Larke, Kelli and Ben Shulte, Mark Lemay,
Jeana Gump, Marilyn, Abigail and Hannah
Nicks. Thanks Gang!
Ann Mitchell
Vernonia
To the Editor
A big thank you to everyone who has
supported the Vernonia Senior Center Plant
and Garden Sale. Your donations of plants,
financial donations, volunteer support and
prayers are very much appreciated. We
thank you for partnership as we continue to
grow.
Gratefully,
Romanna Manusor
Vernonia Senior Center
Project Chairperson
purpose of enticing police into shooting them. But enticed
or not, if you brandish a weapon at an officer, you are most
likely going to be shot.
The community has been concerned about the use of force,
and in particular, tasers, by our police department. Though
this is a valid concern, I am far more concerned today about
the use of these “replica weapons” and the impact on our
officers who are seeking to do their best to protect the citizens
of our community.
Parents, please do not allow your children to play, in public,
with these guns. I know there are situations and games where
these guns are used in a safe manner. But when brandished in
public, they can only cause trouble, and perhaps death.
As your City Administrator, I really do not want a tragedy to
occur needlessly because someone raised a “replica” weapon
towards an officer, or a private person with a concealed
weapons permit.
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