letters to the editor/city news
august1
2019
5
Readers Lend Their Voices... continued from page 4
To the Members of WOEC,
I feel honored to introduce you
to Erika Paleck for those of you who
don’t know her. Erika is running for Po-
sition #5 on the WOEC Board.
I have known Erika for 10+
years and have known her to be very
ethical, honest, informed, and willing
to learn. Her husband Bob had held the
same position for nine years and learn-
ing about WOEC and the inner workings
was a joint effort.
I met Erika while being a part
of the Ford Family Leadership Cohort
2. Erika excelled during the conference
and was a driving force to get the court-
yard built next to the Learning Center
(currently the Senior Center thrift store).
She is also a leader in the Junior Salmon
Auction for the past 11+ years. She is
a member of the City Planning Com-
mission, the Vernonia Health Center
Board, and other organizations. When
she commits to be a part of the organiza-
tions she researches and becomes very
knowledgeable about what needs to be
done and how to do it. She is always
willing to listen to other points of view.
You will notice that when she becomes
involved in something it’s a long-term
commitment.
Erika Paleck is a genuine good
person and will be a valuable asset to the
WOEC Board. I urge you to vote for Er-
ika Paleck for Position #5 on the WOEC
Board.
Carol Davis
Vernonia
To the Editor,
The recent article about the mi-
litia in the Voice intrigued me as it began
with the local militia’s aim to be a com-
munity support group. Their members
are vetted and they deny any racist ideol-
ogy. They meet regularly to get “better at
what we’re doing….” “The weaponry is
way down the ladder of importance....”
The group states they are training for
good support, but it is not clear how this
is being accomplished, what standards/
certification might be involved, and how
coordination with local entities would be
accomplished on an everyday basis, let
alone in an emergency.
I truly have respect and grati-
tude for those in our community who do-
nate time and effort to volunteer to help
with the myriad of social responsibilities
and obligations. People undergo specific
training and must display commitment
over time. These people serve quietly
and some are elected by the public. Vol-
unteers do not insist on anonymity. It is
unclear to me why the militia members
did not name themselves. I do not un-
derstand the “security and privacy” con-
cerns. I don’t know a single community
volunteer who feels this way when pro-
viding public service.
The purpose of a militia is clear
in the word. The possession and use of
weapons is essential. Our local militia
has worn uniforms and have, until re-
cently, carried weapons while walking
around town in groups. Being able to
assist authorities will entail much more
than the militia introducing themselves
or having “contact” with local govern-
ment, business owners, and community
groups.
I am all for a group that trains
and is able to “assist the local authori-
ties” in “the event of an earthquake or
forest fire.” But our militia states that it
plans to use weapons to protect the com-
munity. They will “defend themselves
and the community” from “looters and
outside attack.” I don’t know who these
looters and attackers might be. The mi-
litia has not asked me if I want this de-
fense. As a member of this community,
I do NOT want this type of protection
from a militia.
I would like to learn more about
the local militia and get the opportunity
to meet and talk with them. A commu-
nity meeting with a moderator, predeter-
mined questions and discussion points,
and also an opportunity for less formal
verbal exchange might be arranged.
Other community groups and officials
could attend. I’m not sure how to orga-
nize this, but I’d be willing to team up
with someone to pull it together if there
is interest.
Vernonia.” Without open representation
of your views, there is no way to have
this important community conversation.
As some members and allies
of minority groups in Vernonia, we
feel uncomfortable with an anonymous
militia saying they are “here to help.”
There are many examples of militias in
Oregon and across the country perpe-
trating hateful speech or attacks against
people of color, immigrants, religious
minorities, women, members of the LG-
BTQ community, or simply people with
views different than their own. Know-
ing anonymous members of a militia
are walking around town “protecting”
Vernonia leads us to assume that ver-
bal or physical violence could be di-
rected towards minority groups, whether
residents or visitors. If you truly have
nothing to hide and don’t share these
views with other militias, then being
open about your identities and opinions
could alleviate some of these concerns.
Vernonia has experienced sev-
eral natural disasters in recent history,
and demonstrated extreme generosity
between members of the community.
We have volunteer groups that train in
different skill sets that will be able to
help in future natural disasters. Instead
of training in a militia setting that has
raised many concerns, why not plug into
those already existing organizations?
We are withholding our names
out of concerns for personal safety until
we hear more information about the mi-
litia’s views and a willingness to be open
about their identities.
Finally, thank you Vernonia’s
Voice for your work on community in-
formation and conversation.
Jana Swedo
Vernonia
Concerned Citizens
Vernonia
To the Editor,
A group of us have some con-
cerns after reading the recent article
regarding the militia. Most concerning,
members of the militia want to remain
anonymous, but say they are supporting
the community.
This brings up a few questions:
Who are you helping? How do you know
what our collective views and opinions
are in Vernonia where we have a wide
variety of views? What is the outside at-
tack you are protecting from? How do
you determine who is part of our com-
munity and who is not?
We appreciate and absolutely
need volunteers in the community but
are not endorsing a militia taking action
against others in the name of “protecting
Editors note: Vernonia’s Voice has a
policy of not publishing Letters to the
Editor that are submitted anonymously.
In the article this letter references (Ap-
pearance By Local Militia Raises Ques-
tions, Militia Provides Answers, July 4,
2019), the organizers of the militia de-
clined to be identified and asked to re-
main anonymous. Because we agreed
to that condition, we have decided to
waive our policy, if requested, for let-
ters we receive on this issue at this time.
Fellow WOEC Members,
I’ve had a chance to at least
chat briefly with the candidates vying
to be our next Board Directors repre-
senting Districts 2 and 5. I still recom-
mend keeping our powder dry and hold
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off deciding until we hear more directly
from them, unless you already know
them of course. But here’s my take so
far:
For a breath of fresh air and new
ideas, and a better shot at eventually get-
ting control of our rates with better ac-
countability, I like Jennifer Johnson for
District 5 and Dave Crawford for Dis-
trict 2. I’ll have more to say later once I
get to know all these folks better. Thank
you for sharing my concern about our
Co-op. It’s time for a change!
Nick Galaday
Vernonia
Outgoing Director Dist. 5 -WOEC
City Council
Meets to Address
Complaint
The Vernonia City Council
met with their Legal Counsel, Rueben
Cleaveland, in Executive Session on
July 29 under ORS 192.660 (2)(f): “To
consider information or records that
are exempt by law from public inspec-
tion.” Upon returning to open session,
the Council directed Cleaveland to
draft a letter to City staff in response
to a complaint filed by the City Ad-
ministrator. Council also requested
Cleaveland research training resources
provided by the City’s insurance com-
pany, CIS, to improve future interac-
tions between Council and staff.
Vernonia Police
Blotter
July 15-30, 2019
Reports Taken/Arrests
• July 18, 2019 Arrest on a Warrant near
HWY 47
Citation/Other
• July 15, 2019 Cited for Driving While
Suspended, Driving Uninsured, and
Switched Vehicle Plates near Riverside
Drive
• July 19, 2019 Cited for violation of the
Posted Speed 41/20 mph near Cougar
Street
• July 20, 2019 Cited for Driving While
Suspended, No Insurance, and Expired
Registration near Madison Avenue
• July 22, 2019 Cited for Driving While
Suspended near State Avenue
• July 24, 2019 Cited for Dog at Large
near Maple Street
• July 24, 2019 Cited for Driving While
Suspended, No Motorcycle Endorsement,
and Driving Uninsured near Jefferson
Avenue
• July 25, 2019 Cited for Driving While
Suspended near Rose Avenue
• July 26, 2019 Cited for Driving While
Suspended and Driving Uninsured near
Bridge Street
Vernonia Police Department responds
to calls that do not always end in
Arrest, Report, or Citation. 7/15/2019
through 7/30/2019 VPD had 132 calls
for service.