10
community
october20
2016
Meet the Candidates continued from page 3
Center, and the proposed Senior Center/
Food Bank – and said those projects
give the City something to build on and
help grow the community and relieve
some of the stress of high utility rates.
He also expressed pride in seeing the
last two Councils work to complete the
$7 million Waste Water Treatment Plant
Upgrade, bringing it in under budget and
hopefully without a rate increase. “That
took a lot of watchfulness on the part of
the Council,” said McNair.
Buffum said moving the school
out of the flood plain was a positive thing
for Vernonia and said he wants to see
the school bond passed and the campus
completed.
Tierney discussed the progress
the City has made towards completing
projects that were included in the Capital
Improvement Plan adopted in 2013.
“We’ve done a lot of work since 2011,”
said Tierney. Tierney praised the work
of the city staff and the effort to cross-
train staff. “They are very competent
and dedicated and I am so proud of this
staff.”
Leonetti talked about the way
Vernonia citizens care for each other
and work together during hard times and
disasters. He also noted the work that
has gone into Spencer Park and the high
amount of use the fields are receiving.
Mayo discussed the economic
turnaround that Columbia County, and
Vernonia, has experienced and noted the
recovery of the real estate market as a
real positive for local property values and
the tax base. He said he liked Vernonia’s
festivals and the groups of people, like
car and motorcycle clubs, who visit, and
others who use the trails. He mentioned
that Vernonia has some growth steps in
place and said as County Commissioner
he would work to improve Vernonia’s
infrastructure that the county controls –
roads, culverts, and parks.
Magruder also noted the
economic turnaround and mentioned
County offices being open five days a
week again, the Cascade Tissue plant
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the Clatskanie City Council’s recent
decision to contract with the County
Sheriff’s Office for local police services,
the Columbia County Fair, the high level
of community service by volunteers, and
the CZ Trail, as all positive things going
on in the County. “I just think we are
on a trajectory to do some wonderful
things,” said Magruder.
What are some specific issues or
concerns you would like to try and
address if elected?
Mayo said he would like to try
and simplify the County budget and
provide more detail so it can be better
understood. He said he would like to have
an accounting of the gravel depletion fee
and the amount of gravel leaving the
County. He said he would like to halt
any new enterprise zones in the County.
“They are nothing more than welfare for
big business,” said Mayo.
Magruder said it was important
for the County to raise tax revenues
without raising taxes and provide the
County services that we all benefit from,
mentioning roads, public safety, and
veterans services. She said we need
to attract new business and industry to
the County because they pay the same
tax rates but cost less for the County to
provide services to them. She mentioned
Right Line Equipment in Rainier as
a local business that is expanding.
“We have some great opportunities
throughout the County to increase our
tax revenue,” said Magruder. She also
said she would like to see the County
improve communication and include all
citizens in the decision making process.
Leonetti said the City needs to
maintain their parks, because they are a
draw and will bring visitors. “There has
been an increase of people coming into
our little town and enjoying their stay
here so I would like to see the parks step
up, clean up, and make things available
to our visitors,” said Leonetti. He also
expressed concern about the growing
transient population, safety, and crime.
He suggested a “Neighbors Night Out”
to bring people together and share ideas
and get to know each other.
Tierney suggested that street
conditions and storm water are the next
two major infrastructure issues for the
City to address as part of the Capital
Improvement Plan. She also said she
would like to resolve the downtown
tree issue and replace the current trees
with something appropriate. She also
mentioned finding grants to complete
the City Park Plan, replacing the City
water meters, and continuing policies
that designate Vernonia as a Healthy
City, as priorities.
McNair commented on the way
past generations stepped up, even though
the community has never been wealthy,
to complete public works projects. “It’s
part of our duty to do the same for the kids
and future generations that come along,”
said McNair. “We need to come up with
a way through the budgeting process to
repair the streets. Just because you can’t
do it all at once, doesn’t mean you don’t
try and do it a little bit at a time.” He
mentioned investing in and maintaining
the park system as a priority, particularly
Spencer Park. He also suggested freeing
up some money in the budget to provide
micro loans for economic development.
Wagner said she would like
to see more places and activities for
youth. She said she was concerned
about abandoned homes and would like
to see the police given more authority
to deal with squatters, and also see the
City work with their partners to provide
services for people living in abandoned
houses and help them “become
successful citizens as opposed to just
doing damage.” She would also like to
find ways to encourage more community
participation in government.
Buffum says he is concerned
about the lack of rental properties in the
community and the number of homes
that were lost in the 2007 flood. “A lot of
those people worked in Vernonia, which
means businesses have a smaller pool of
people to choose from as employees,”
says Buffum. He also said he would like
to see the City’s urban growth boundary
expanded to include more area outside
the flood plain so more homes could be
built.
Please choose one of the following
topics and explain your position on
the issue and how you would try to
address it? City: 1) Restricting hours
in City Parks at night to prevent
vandalism, 2) Cutting down trees in
downtown, 3) High water and sewer
rates. County: 1) Funding for jail
operations, 2) Funding Columbia
County Rider transit system, 3)
Transporting dangerous fuels across
the county.
Tierney is concerned that
restricting parks hours will not allow
people to get the exercise they need,
impacting the health of the community,
continued on page 11
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