Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Page 3
CJ Council looks askance at new ethics reporting form
ASK THE CANDIDATES - Those with questions for candi-
dates seeking two seats on the Josephine County Board of
Commissioners in the May 20 primary election can submit them
for a public forum on Monday, April 28. The forum in the Jose-
phine County Bldg. in Cave Junction is co-sponsored by Illinois
Valley News, I.V. Chamber of Commerce, and Community Me-
dia & Education Center. Questions can be brought to the News
or chamber offices, or emailed to letters@illinois-valley-
news.com.
POETIC EVENT - A free presentation of music, poetry
and food featuring John Amen, a poet and singer/songwriter,
will be held Wednesday, April 16 at The Weeping Spruce at
the south end of Cave Junction, near Great Cats World Park.
A dinner, with a vegetarian option, will be available at 5:30.
Other food and beverage items also will be on hand. The pro-
gram will begin at 7 p.m.
CHAMBER MIXOLOGY - Sterling Savings Bank in Cave
Junction will host a mixer on Friday, April 18 from 6:30 to 7:30
p.m. for Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce. Free fellow-
ship, fun and food for members, prospective members and
others in the community are provided by chamber mixers.
HEADIN’ ’EM UP - Headers Tavern in Selma is sponsor-
ing a fund-raiser to assist with funeral expenses for family
members who died in a March 27 car crash in Selma. The
benefit will be held Saturday, April 19 from 1 to 9 p.m. There
will be a raffle, and donations of items are requested. For
more information phone Headers at 597-4100. And see the
ad elsewhere in this issue.
SOUP FOR THE SOULS - Saturday, April 19 is on the
calendar for the Illinois Valley Safe House Alliance (IVSHA)
second annual Soup for the Souls event in support of Sexual
Assault Awareness Month. Illinois Valley Senior Center once
again will be the host for the soup-and-bread dinner donated
by valley restaurants and supporters. And there will be Kate
Dwyer cakes for dessert. There also will be a silent auction
“with lots of great stuff.” Food is served in artisan-crafted
bowls “and great second-hand store finds” that attendees can
keep. The event will benefit IVSHA’s efforts to provide a
safety net for victims and survivors of domestic violence and
sexual assault. Tickets are available from IVSHA on Lister
Street next to DMV in the former location of Home Valley
Bank.
HOPIN’ FOR VOLUNTEERS - Hope Mountain Barter Faire
will hold a Volunteer Round-Up on Saturday, April 19 at Dome
School in Takilma. A potluck meal will begin at 6 p.m., followed
by a 7 p.m. 2008 Faire update with volunteer signups. Games
and desserts will begin at 8; and a dance party at 9 with the
Frankie Hernandez Band. Volunteers will be admitted to the
dance without charge. For details, phone 592-3911.
EAT & ‘GET SMART’ - SMART (Start Making A Reader
Today) is a nonprofit book and reading program in five schools in
Three Rivers School District, including Evergreen Elementary
School in Cave Junction. A fund-raiser will include Wild River
Brewing & Pizza Co. in CJ. Co-owner Bertha Miller has sup-
ported the program’s “Dine out for SMART” program since it
started and will continue Wednesday, April 23, designated
SMART Restaurant Day. A portion of proceeds that day will
benefit youth literacy and help supply books.
IT’S A WOW - Herbal remedies for moms, and making leaf
prints (by children) will be featured Wednesday, April 23 during a
Women Of Worth (WOW) program at the Illinois Valley Safe
House Alliance Center in Cave Junction. The program will begin
at 6 p.m. Tea and cookies will be provided. Phone 592-4147 for
more information.
RELAY FOR LIFE - The annual American Cancer Soci-
ety fund-raiser is set for May 31 and June 1 at the Grants
Pass High School track. Cave Junction resident Susan Hoteb
is a team captain. She can be contacted for signups and do-
nations at 592-4705. Or contact Anna Malloy, team develop-
ment chairman, at annarelay@charter.net.
IDENTITY SHIELD - Farmers Insurance has announced
that two of its agents in S.W. Oregon now offer Farmers Iden-
tity Shield. It’s described as a comprehensive package of cov-
erage and services to help combat ID theft. The agents are
Irene Guerrero-Acevedo, of Cave Junction; and Terry Spitz,
of Grants Pass.
TREES, PLEASE - American Forests’ Global ReLeaf For-
ests said that it will plant 33,000 trees in Rogue River-Siskiyou
National Forest to replace those burned in the 2002 Biscuit Fire.
And neotropical migrating birds are to benefit from plantings
along Yale Creek, a tributary of Little Applegate River “that has
been degraded by logging.” This partnership with the Applegate
River Watershed Council also will convert existing pastureland
into oak woodlands. ReLeaf said that it will plant 1.7 million trees
in nine western states during 2008, part of a total of nearly 4 mil-
lion trees planned for the United States and abroad. Involved are
Oregon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, New Mex-
ico, Nevada and Utah.
NOTEPAD - Kerbyville Museum, to celebrate its reopening
for 2008, will present a free Oregon Chautauqua program,
“Magic Carpet Made of Steel: Songs of America’s Railroads,” on
Saturday, April 26, at 1:30 p.m. at the RCC Kerby Belt Bldg. De-
tails in next week’s issue ... Siskiyou Bluegrass Festival,
sponsored by Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce, is set for
July 19 at Lake Selmac. Watch the Noose for details … Con-
certs in the Park, also sponsored by I.V. Chamber, are on
tap for this summer. Again, watch the Noose for details (and
de-heads) ... Overheard: Yeah, I believe in God, but I’m not
ready to put a fish on my car … A free Spring Garden Fair is
taking root for Saturday and
Sunday, April 26 and 27 at
Am I Pregnant?
the Josephine County Fair-
What are my options?
grounds. Sponsored by OSU
Extension Service JoCo Mas-
I need information…
ter Gardeners, there’s an ad
where can I go?
with details this issue … The
Questions?
I.V. Visitor Center count for
We can help you find answers. March was 639, a decrease
of 11 from March 2007, re-
Free and Confidential
ports Dulcie Moore, chamber
Pregnancy Tests
office manager … A Sacred
Salmon Ceremony will be held
along Rogue River in Gold Hill
on June 13 to 15. For informa-
tion about camping, phone Ag-
gie Pilgrim at 474-0334, or
Lucie Griffin at 474-2690 … T-
shirt: *With a shirt like this, who
needs pants?
LAST WORDS - Ever notice
Pregnancy Center
that anyone going slower than
592-6058
you is an idiot, but anyone
319 Caves Hwy., Cave Junction going faster is a maniac?
(George Carlin)
PregnancyCenterIV.org
As a sort of exodus in-
volving Oregon public offi-
cials continues because of a
new ethics form many call an
invasion of privacy, Cave
Junction city officials are tak-
ing their own special stand.
Near the end of the hour-
long meeting in city hall Mon-
day night, April 14, City Re-
corder Jim Polk stated that
more than 100 public officials
have resigned statewide be-
cause of the new law, Senate
Bill 10. Included is the entire
council from Elgin, and two
members of the Brookings
City Council.
Polk told the approxi-
mately 18 persons who at-
tended the meeting that he is
fighting the request for new
information for himself. The
state apparently feels he
should be included in the eth-
ics reform situation because it
considers him the city man-
ager. He indicated generally
that he feels that the form
demands inappropriate data in
that it is too personal.
Councilman Margaret
Miller noted that at the advice
of City Attorney Patrick
Kelly, she is returning her
form with the notation:
“Under ORS 192.502 (2)
information withheld under
privacy concerns. Information
will be provided to the appro-
priate government officials on
a need-to-know basis where
privacy can be protected.”
The new form was cham-
pioned by Speaker of the
House Jeff Merkley (D-
Portland), representative of
District 47, who is now run-
ning for the Senate. The law
requiring more information
was passed by the 2007 Leg-
islature for ethics reform,
apparently because some leg-
islators were caught a couple
years ago accepting gratuities.
The new law affects all
city managers, city councilors
and planning commissioners
statewide. Information now
required:
Name, address and de-
scription of business owned,
partly owned or directed by
the filer or member of house-
hold; names under which the
filer or a member of his/her
household did business in the
previous calendar year.
Plus, the five most sig-
nificant sources (not
amounts) of income in the
filer’s household.
Also, the names of adults
in the filer’s household;
names of relatives of the filer;
real property the filer or
member of his/her household
owns or has an interest in,
excluding the primary resi-
dence; any shared business
with a registered lobbyist.
Also, value received by
the filer for an office-related
event such as a trip or confer-
ence; source of income
greater than $1,000 that was
derived from a person or
business with a legislative or
administrative interest; source
of debt owed a person or
business with a legislative or
administrative interest;
amounts of honoraria more
than $50; and business invest-
ments of more than $1,000
made by the filer or a mem-
ber of the filer’s household.
Mayor Tony Paulson
commented several times
about his intense personal
dislike regarding Senate Bill
10. Councilors Dan Fiske and
Trisha Arias made no com-
ment about the new law.
Councilman Don Moore was
not present; Paulson said that
he had asked for an excused
absence.
In information provided
the council by Polk, Mike
McCauley, executive director
of the League of Oregon Cit-
ies, said that, “While the pro-
visions of the new law are
over-reaching and are legiti-
mately causing consternation,
the requirements remain the
law.” He also addressed
“gaming the system.”
McCauley noted, “…
trying to create a technicality
intended to avoid the law is
probably not really going to
work in the long run.”
Polk said that a civil fine
of up to $10,000 could be
levied against those not ful-
filling requirements of the
new law. Additional daily
penalties also could accrue,
he stated.
Water, Sewer Bills
Responsibility Issue
The council held the first
reading of Ordinance 514 that
would make property owners
ultimately responsible for
water and sewer bills. Polk
and the mayor felt that the
second reading would occur
Monday, April 28.
But it was pointed out
that the date conflicts with a
forum for candidates for the
Josephine County Board of
Commissioners. Polk and
Paulson probably will ponder
the problem and proffer a
pronouncement.
During a public hearing
on the draft ordinance, prop-
erty owner Sally Palmer re-
quested a number of changes.
The mayor said that they will
be considered, and could be
incorporated into a revised
ordinance.
The mayor said that non-
(Continued on page 4)
Great Produce for Great Prices!
Jumbo Yellow Onions 25¢ lb.
Cauliflower $1 68 head
Organic Bananas 99¢ lb.
PRODUCE+
across from 76, downtown CJ
Mon.-Sat. 8:30-6, Sun. 11-3
(541) 592-5473
Saturday:
Farmers’ Market
Vendors
$10 space rental
Benefit & Raffle
to assist with funeral expenses for
Nicole, Sierra, & David
Selma car crash victims
Saturday, April 19, 1-9 p.m.
(Continued from page 2)
Gore supports this pro-
posal. And he may have the
opportunity to implement it
nationwide, as Barack Obama
has expressed interest in add-
ing Gore to his cabinet, if
elected. But Obama and Gore
fail to realize that mandating
a drop in emissions of that
magnitude by 2050 would
wreak havoc on the economy.
The rush to rein in GHG
emissions is all the more
backward when you consider
that America’s environment
has improved precisely be-
cause of the nation’s eco-
nomic growth.
Growing economies allo-
cate resources more effi-
ciently and produce new tech-
nologies that strengthen their
abilities to control pollution.
Hard-and-fast caps on emis-
sions amount to hard-and-fast
caps on growth, making eve-
ryone poorer and handicap-
ping one of the best ways to
improve the environment.
So as Earth Day is cele-
brated next week, remember
that the sky isn’t falling. The
reality is that the United
States of America is making
great strides in its quest to
improve the environment.
Supports Barack Obama
From Polly Hart
Cave Junction
I often hear people say,
when talking about Barack
Obama, that they would
never vote for a Muslim, but
don’t worry, he isn’t and
never has been one. He is a
Christian and goes to church
just like other Christians.
He was born in the United
States (a requirement to be
president). He is half white and
half black. His mother was a
white Irish woman and his
father a black man with roots
from Kenya, Africa.
A lot of people are getting
excited about him becoming
president. I would hope that
before anyone believes a bunch
of nonsense about him that
they listen to him speak. He is
being compared to John F.
Kennedy. I think that after
hearing what he has to say,
people might begin to agree
that he is a remarkable man
who, in my opinion, is just
what this country needs.
Large businesses do not
want him to get elected be-
cause he favors the ordinary
citizen (like us) over them.
There is a lot of false and
misleading information out
there about him.
Bring them to the I.V. News office
or email them to letters@illinois-valley-news.com
(subject: forum questions)
Questions
will be
submitted to
candidates
for County
Commissioner
at the public
forum.
PUBLIC FORUM
Monday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Josephine County Building
Downtown Cave Junction
Forum co-sponsored by Illinois Valley News ,
I.V. Chamber of Commerce, and
Community Media & Education Center
call for more information
I.V. Men’s Golf Club
Begins the last week in April.
Some openings on Wednesday
nights for 2-man teams.
Put a team together, get a sponsor
and sign up now.
Information: 592-3151, pro shop
592-6573, Marv