opinion
october20
2016
2016 Election Endorsements
By Scott Laird
to prepare herself and is informed and
organized, two great characteristics for a
In a bit of an unusual move for City Councilor.
me, I’m going to try and be direct and to
While Mike Buffum is well
the point here. If you would like to know meaning and I appreciate his willingness
more about any of these candidates, to serve, he needs a better and more
please read my review of the “Meet the comprehensive understanding of the
Candidates” political forum starting on current issues facing the City and the
the front page.
way the City functions.
City Council: Bruce McNair and Mayor: Kim Tierney
Susan Wagner
Kim Tierney has been working
Bruce McNair has been one hard in her position as a City Councilor
of, if not the best, member of the City and has earned this opportunity. Her
Council in the 12 years I have been professional experience will be a bonus,
following it. He takes time to research and now that she is retired she will have
the issues and tries to understand all the more time to dedicate to working for
implications of the Council’s decisions. the City. She is familiar with the vision
He’s not afraid to ask the hard questions, of the current staff and the scope of
and while he can be a thorn in the side of current projects, and has a good working
the staff and other Council members, he relationship with the current Council.
does it for the right reasons - he is trying She will make the transition to a new
to do what is right for all the citizens of Mayor easy for everyone.
this community. We couldn’t ask for a
Mario Leonetti’s past experience
better public servant.
on the Council and as Mayor is a plus
Susan Wagner has the experience and his relationships as a business owner
to serve in this position – City Budget give him insight into the wants and
Committee, Planning Commission, needs of the citizens. He’s somewhat
School Board – this was the logical next out of the loop on current issues at City
step for her. She has been attending City Hall and has not attended a City Council
Council meetings for the last few months meeting in a long while – always a red
flag for me when someone runs for
these positions. He has some good
ideas and brings a fresh perspective, but
with things running so smoothly at City
Hall right now, why upset the apple cart.
County Commissioner: Margaret
Magruder
Margaret Magruder brings a
wealth of experience on various boards
and commissions that will help her
navigate the county’s business. While
she seemed to lack specific details about
the issues she would like to address, she
does have a vast knowledge about what
is happening in the County. She seems
like the safe bet in a year when two new
Commissioners will take office.
Wayne Mayo has always been a
bit of a wild card, but this election cycle
he has been much more on message and
to the point. He still has a tendency to
stray when discussing specific issues
and can get lost in his own head. He
is passionate and brings fresh ideas and
wants to help the citizens, I’m just not
sure which Wayne Mayo will show up
if he’s elected.
School Bond: The Vernonia School
District needs to get rid of this debt that
is slowly strangling them – VOTE YES!
be a benefit to the community. She
encouraged everyone to vote and use
their voice, whoever they chose to
support.
Mike Buffum says he is running
for office because he really likes
Vernonia and wanted to do something
to give back to the community. He says
the town has always been really helpful,
especially after the 2007 flood when
his home was damaged. He said he has
time to spend working as a Councilor.
He says he is not a politician, which he
thinks is a benefit.
Margaret Magruder is a long
time Columbia County resident and
farmer who has served on the Columbia
County Budget Committee, the Oregon
Board of Agriculture, the District 5J
School Board, the American Lamb
Board, and the Columbia County
Extension Budget Committee. She is a
small business owner and has served as
a 4-H leader. She says her knowledge
of natural resources and experience
in government provide her with the
background to work collaboratively
with the citizens of the County. She
believes Columbia County is a great
place to live, work, and play, with high
quality people.
Wayne Mayo is a Scappoose
businessman who has worked in
construction for 36 years. He raised
seven children in Columbia County. He
has served on the Scappoose Planning
Commission and St. Helens Parks
Commission. He says he got more
involved in County government around
the hospital issue, and says he is running
because he knows he can do better. He
said he wanted to keep taxes low, keep
county services as good as they can,
take care of the roads, and support the
Sheriff’s Office. Mayo added that he
helped deliver his youngest son when
he was born before they could reach
the hospital and joked that, “If you ever
need someone to catch a baby, I can do
it!”
The following are the questions
the candidates were asked and a
Bulletin Boards on Facebook as a way
that people share information and help
each other. “The people here make this
community,” said Wagner.
McNair looked at several new
projects that he termed “the three legged
stool” – the school campus, the Health
Meet the Candidates continued from front page
paraphrasing of their responses:
Name some positive things, or things
you think are going well in the City/
County?
Wagner talked about the people
of Vernonia, their generosity, devotion,
and willingness to pull together. She
praised the use of the Community
continued on page 10
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Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
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Scott Laird
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