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