4
community bulletin board/letters to the editor
may10
2011
Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren
Columbia County grandparents
are invited to join grandparents from
Washington County to share a day of fun
and learning. This is a free event, lunch is
included. Friday May 20, 2011, 9:00 AM
to 2:00 PM at the former Hillsboro PCC
Center, 102 SW Washington St., Hillsboro.
Pre-registration required—503-846-3089.
New Full Sunday School
Program!
Vernonia Community Church
announces a long awaited answered prayer!
Starting April 3rd at 9AM Family Bible
Class, nursery thru adult. Learning God’s
Word! Family Bible Class from 9-10AM~
Family Fellowship 10-10:20~Family
Praise & Worship 10:30-11:45~ Youth
Group 4-5:45 PM~Biblical Eldership
6-8PM. 957 State Ave. 503-429-6790.
e-mail: saltn_light@hotmail.com
UNWC Annual Meeting
The Upper Nehalem Watershed
Council’s
(UNWC) Annual Meeting
has been changed from March 12th to
Saturday May 21, 10 AM- 2 PM The
meeting is open to the public. UNWC
will show the community what they have
accomplished and what is planned for
the future, explaining their goals, asking
for community input, electing new Board
Members and amending their Bylaws
Sande School of Horsemanship
2011 Summer Day Camps are
right around the corner! Camps have
filled for the past two years; registering
by 5/22 will guarantee your child a spot.
Additionally, anyone who registers and
pays their deposit by 5/22 receives the pre-
registration discount ($55 per camp or $525
for ten). Sande School pf Horsemanship is
located in Warren, OR.
Camps this year will be every
Wednesday from 10:00 - 3:00, beginning
6/15 and running through 8/31. As always,
the focus of camp will be on Riding, Horse
Care, Horse Control and Horse FUN!
For more information and
registration documents, check the
Summer Camps page at www.
sandeschoolofhorsemanship.org.
Readers Lend Their Voices...
city representatives! I am ashamed to
have them represent our community. A
community that is in horrific need of
the services of our present Interim City
Administrator. Bill Haack has stepped
up to the plate to help Vernonia recover
its equilibrium after the previous City
Administrator lacked the ability to
manage our city.
How the three culpable council
members can turn city meetings into a
three-ring circus by manipulating and
postponing important issues to slow up
city proceedings for their own benefit
and personal issues is unconscionable.
I applaud Sharon Bernal for
being “The Voice of Reason” by stating
personal issues should not enter city
business. She was patient, adult, and
reasonable in her presentation.
As it turned out, the three city
council people in question chose not
to listen to Sharon or the audience for
that matter. One of our newest council
people stated she did not have time to
read the 300 page packet nor could she
walk across the street to read the packet
at City Hall. Why is she continuing on as
a city council person if she does not have
the time????
These three council people
should not serve on council if they let
personal issues cloud the greater picture.
VERNONIA
E
C
I
V
R
E
S PAIR
E
R
&
LUBE, OIL
& FILTER
WHILE YOU WAIT
STARTING AT
$29.95
UP TO 5 QT.
58605 NEHALEM HWY. S.
503/706/9409
Upcoming
Events
“Alice In Wonderland,” May
21, 7:00 PM-10:00 PM—
Presented by the Vernonia Ballet at
Washington Grade School.
Pancake Breakfast, May 22,
8:00 AM-1:00 PM in the school
cafeteria.
Fire truck rides plus
pancakes, ham, eggs, biscuits and
gravy and more!
First Friday, June 3, 5-8:00
PM at the Vernonia Scout Cabin.
Celebrating arts, entertainment and
culture in our community.
Banks Brave Run, June 4,
9:00 AM —Starts at Banks High
School track and continues out and
back on the Linear Trail. 5K/10K
Walk/Run. Fundraiser for Banks
Elementary School technology
program. For more info contact Jodi
Privatsky 503-747-0188. Register
on-line at: www.signmeup.com/site/
online-event-registration/74523.
Recall
Petition Filed
continued from front page
not exceed 200 words, explaining the
public officer’s record in office.
If the public officer decides to
resign, the resignation is accepted and
takes effect on the day it is offered. If
the public officer does not resign, a
recall election must be held thirty-five
days after the resignation period has
expired. The City of Vernonia would
be required to pay expenses involved
in a special election.
A public officer can not be
recalled until after they have held
office for six months. In Vernonia,
officials who took office on January 2,
2011 would be eligible to be recalled
beginning July 2, 2011.
Vernonia’s Voice is
published twice each
month on the 2nd and
4th Tuesday. Look for
our next issue
May 24th.
continued from page 2
That picture being the greater welfare of
Vernonia and its citizens. After all, these
council members are supposed to be
working for us! Our entire community
is going to suffer as a result of their
attitudes and decisions.
We voted them into office
to represent the populace of our
community - not themselves! If anyone
should be fired from their jobs for non-
performance, it should be them and not
Bill Haack!
I suggest we begin the “Recall”
process to rid City Council of these three
members.
Janelle Thomas Cedergreen
Vernonia
To the Editor
I have 4 questions for Kevin
Hudson, Marilyn Nicks, and Willow
Burch:
#1 Did you swear an oath to do
the best of your ability to serve the city
of Vernonia and it’s citizens?
#2 Did you listen on April
th
18 , 2011 when in a crowded counsel
meeting the leaders of Vernonia and
citizens testified to what they want and
what is in the best interest for Vernonia?
#3 Can you see the serious
mistakes you made that caused a chain
reaction of damage to Vernonia and to
yourselves?
#4 Are you now willing to
stop dragging our town and yourselves
through the mud and repair the
damage you have caused by resigning
immediately so our town can begin to
rebuild for a better future?
Sonia Spackman
Vernonia
To the Editor
I urge the voters’ support for
Deanna Palm as she seeks re-election
for Zone 7 - Portland Community
College Board of Directors. Deanna was
appointed to fulfill my term of office upon
my resignation in 2009, and she has done
an excellent job in representing our area,
specifically Western Washington County
and Columbia County. Deanna brings a
unique set of skills to the position. She
graduated from PCC with an A.A.S.
degree in Business and Information
Systems that prepared her for her role
as President of the Greater Hillsboro
Chamber of Commerce. Her extensive
background working with the business
community make her solidly qualified to
assist PCC in job creation and workforce
development for residents of our area.
She is committed to fiscal responsibility
to ensure that limited resources are
wisely spent to keep student tuition as
low as possible. On a personal note, I
have known Deanna Palm since her
childhood in the Banks community,
and can attest to her work ethic and
integrity. She is a positive example of an
individual who sees her role as that of
service to her community and not as a
political stepping stone. Thank you in
advance for your valued vote for Deanna
Palm.
Marilyn McGlasson
Hillsboro, OR
To the Editor
A stable and civil society depends on
laws and regulations. These guidelines
govern how we as people function in our
daily lives. If everybody followed the
rules and lived like angels, life would be
simple. Since we all know this is not the
case, then there is the need for deterrents
and enforcement. A Nation can have all
the laws it wants, but they are symbolic
and useless without the concept of a
possible police presence. It has been a
generation since the Columbia County
Sheriff has had adequate funding and it
shows. Join me in voting for a more
orderly and predictable future.
Jeff VanNatta
Ranier, OR
To the Editor,
I admit
I’m
not
all
that
smart even on my best day, but the
following sentence on page 15 of the
April 26 edition regarding raves got
my head spinning: “ Unfortunately,
while in itself not harmful, the culture
surrounding it is devastating.”
Look, it’s either not harmful or
it’s devastating, but it’s not both.
In the 1920’s, the jitterbug was
demonized by the media as a scandalous
dance craze that would destroy the
nation. It didn’t. In the 1950’s, Elvis
Presley had gyrating hips! America was
doomed! It wasn’t. In the early 1960’s,
young people listened to Chubby Checker
and danced “The Twist”. OMG!!! More
hip shaking!!! America was destined to
fall off the edge of the planet! So far, it
hasn’t. And please don’t even mention
the Rolling Stones because that would
surely end the universe as we know it.
Then, sadly, disco and John
Travolta. Then, sadly, the Bee Gees.
Then, for whatever reason, break
dancing and rap. Etc., etc., etc, gag,
gag, gag.....
Get it? The planet continues to
spin on its axis, musical tastes change
and popular culture changes. But the
one thing that seems to remain intact is
the ability for people to predict doom
and destruction even when no empirical
data exists to support the hypothesis.
Here’s the kicker regarding
raves: “ ...youth having access to alcohol,
drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana, GHB,
and heroin.” Look, take a real deep breath
and try using your intellect just for one
very brief moment. If raves didn’t exist,
would access to alcohol, drugs such as
ecstasy, marijuana, GHB, and heroin
disappear?
Hmmm, don’t interrupt
me, let me think for a second.... Is “No”
the right answer? Yeah, I think it is.
I’m in my 60’s, have never been
to a rave, probably wouldn’t have much
fun if I showed up, and totally get the
concept of property liability. But selling
fear as a commodity is a profitable
venture only for special interest groups.
Miles Wickstrom
Vernonia