Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2011)
4 community bulletin board/letters to the editor june14 2011 Vernonia Open Air Market Vernonia Open Air Market is a combination of local farm products, crafts, food and more held every Saturday June through October 1st from 9 AM - 1 PM on Madison Avenue south of Bridge Street. Summer Recreational Sports Program The Vault Climbing Gym & Fitness Center in St. Helens wants to help keep kids safe and active this summer. Enroll today in their summer recreational camps for kids ages 8-13. Camp 1 is June 21-July 21; Camp 2 is July 26-Aug 25. Tues & Thrs from 1-4 PM. Outside activities, rock climbing, healthy snacks, sports drills. For more info 503-396-5605. Henna Art for Teens Teens, come and visit the Middle East and make a henna journal. Get a free design by a local henna artist! This free event is part of Teen Summer Reading 2011, sponsored by the Friends of Forest Grove City Library. Sat, June 25 from 2-3:30 PM at 2114 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove. Jamboree Logging Show The Logging Show committee wants everyone to know the Logging Show is happening this year. An account has been opened at Wauna FCU to accept donations to help fund the show. For more info contact Kelly Baska at 503-869- 4188. Cowboy Day at Stub Stewart School Site Construction The Vernonia School Construction appearance is changing almost daily. You can follow the progress via the Construction Webcam at this link: http://oxblue.com/pro/open/builtbypandc/vernonia Experience a taste of cowboy life at Stub Stewart State Park on July 16 starting at 10 AM. Come and play for the day: Cowboy Skills Challenge, Dancing Horses, Oregon Mustangs, Cowboy Memorabilia and more. For more info go to www.oregonstateparks.org Upcoming Events Omsi Star Party - Summer Solstice Celebration, June 18 at Stub Stewart State Park. Meet other people and share your interest in astronomy. View the planets, moon, stars and other celestial sights through telescopes and binoculars. Check the Omsi Star Party’s website for possible weather related cancelations. www.omsi.edu/starparties Jamboree Planning Meeting, June 30, 6:30 PM Come help make this year’s Jamboree a success. For more info contact Joann Glass 503-429-5291 Vernonia First Friday, July 1st, 5-8 PM at the Scout Cabin. Come join your friends and neighbors in celebrating the arts, entertainment and culture in our community. 4th of July Parade - Stage at City Hall. Parade starts at 4 PM, ends at State Avenue. Vernonia Friendship Jamboree and Logging Show, August 5-7 Voices From the Crowd: Total Recall - Something Less Than Democracy By Eric Larke the political climate in our community. This disquiet falls equally on both the recent actions of our council With one recall election in the books and two and the subsequent reactions of many local citizens. more apparently pending, I have borrowed a title from Unexplained decisions, picketing, loud city hall rants, pop culture to label the mania that now preoccupies our concealed agendas, vandalism, and rumor of threats town. I call it “Total Recall.” It seemed a fitting title are less than what I have come to expect from this considering that the majority of our elected city council community. If civility and cooperation are to be the may ultimately feel the effects from it. hallmarks of a polite society, I truly wish someone Lately it has been easy to be troubled with would return to the wayside and pick them up. The late and future recall efforts have only added to my unease. In the headlong rush to redirect Vernonia’s Voice is published and distributed twice the effects of council decisions, I fear that little each month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday. thought has been given to Subscription rates are $35 for one year (24 issues). the post election fallout of these efforts. Name On the surface, Address the recall sounds great as a means toward City State Zip democratic accountability. Phone The rationale is pretty straightforward. The This is a gift subscription. Send renewal information to: recall provides a means Name with which voters can Address remove officials who are City State Zip not representing the best Subscription Form Phone SEND TO: Subscriptions, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064 Readers Lend Their Voices... Dear Letter Carriers, Thank you for running the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on May 14, 2011. Thanks to your efforts and the generosity of the Vernonia people, 1,066 pounds of food was delivered to this food bank. Thank you so very much for your organization, work, and generosity to make this event happen. Special thanks to Peter O’Leary for taking the lead for this project. In 2011, Vernonia Cares Food Bank assisted an average of 394 people per month with three days worth of emergency groceries. We can only do this through generous donations like the food the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive brought in. Gratefully, Sandy Welch Executive Director HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters, space permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email to: scott@vernoni- asvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064. interests of their constituents, who are incompetent, or unable to perform the duties of office. The problem is that, in our political culture, we have agreed that elections signal the beginning of democratic legitimacy. Once an election is won, it is generally understood that a representative is entitled to serve their full term. The recall throws a wrench into this equation. Legitimacy begins with elections but can be revoked at any time, for any reason. As such, recalls undermine the independence of elected officials, who begin to fear reprisal for their choices, and dissuade good people from public service. Worse, citizens in our community will not be given the opportunity to vote for new council members until the terms of the recalled members expire. Vernonia’s recall efforts may ultimately result with the majority of our city council being comprised of hand picked, appointed, un-elected members until such time that new elections are held. There is a certain virtue to direct democracy, and it’s hard to fault the citizens of Vernonia for working to make our city council more responsive to the people it serves. Unfortunately, the recall’s good intentions can’t make up for the fact that it is ultimately a lousy way to keep our council accountable and does more to harm democratic legitimacy than it does to help it. Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday. Look for our next issue June 28th. The second First Friday of the Season, June 3rd, brought crafters, musicians and visitors to the Scout Cabin for an evening of shopping, cookie decorating, visiting neighbors and enjoying music. Even Mother Nature showed up with a bright sun and warm weather. Thank you to the many vendors and visitors that participated in the event, and to the volunteers that made the evening run like clockwork. Special thanks to our musicians from the high school that entertained us in the gazebo: MacKenzie Brown, Brandon Krause, Dylan Taylor and Quin Johansen. First Friday supports Hand on Art in Vernonia and couldn’t happen without the generous efforts of all who contributed their time, talent and treasure. Thank you, Vernonia First Friday To the Editor We would like to say a big “Thank You” to everyone who donated, volunteered their time, and all the wonderful people who came and purchased plants and things at the Senior Center Plant sale. We were able to raise well over $1,000 much needed dollars for the Senior Center. Good Job Vernonia! Jack Harvey Vernonia Senior Center
