Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Life in the
Valley
of Riches
By DAN MANCUSO,
Publisher
I’ve
gotten
some
questions
lately regarding my beliefs about
politicians, police and public records.
I’ve been paraphrased as saying,
“Publicly elected officials work for me and
they need to tell me what I want to know.” The
aforementioned statement is true — elected
officials do work for me, for you and every
member of the Valley. When they forget that
important fact, it creates a lack of public trust
Page A-3
and confidence, or the perception thereof.
Not to be confused with the Freedom
of Information Act, which is federal, the
spirit of Oregon’s Public Records law
(ORS 192.410. to 192.505) is this: “The
state of Oregon has a policy of openness.
The most important advocate for open
government is the public itself. The news
media often acts on the public’s behalf in
seeking public records to inform citizens
about the work being done in their name.”
The original purpose of newspapers
was to tell the public about what elected
officials were doing. Each state has open
record laws and Oregon, in my experience,
has one of the best models in the country.
Like other states, there are always exceptions.
Here in Oregon, any public body is
subject to the open records law. A public
body is defined as, “every state officer,
agency, department, division, bureau board
and commission. Every county and city
governing body, school district, special
district, municipal corporation, and any
board, department, commission, council
or agency thereof; and any other public
agency of the state. Schools, police and fire
departments, county and state agencies, cities
all are subject to the public records law.”
So, yes, I do think our elected officials
work for me (and you). And, yes, in most
cases, they need to answer our questions. It’s
important to understand that a good working
relationship between the newspaper, city
and county officials is much more ideal than
the alternative. Regardless, there are bound
to be times when tension arises between
the press and the public agencies we cover.
The purpose of this column is not to
create or fuel any controversy over the
death of Dennis Hofer. The sheriff and
I have talked at length and reached an
understanding about how this paper and
his agency will interact professionally.
We’ve buried the hatchet and are moving
on. I ask that the rest of you do the same.
On another note, it’s time for me to
eat some crow over some recent mistakes.
Last week, I sent two of the wrong pages
to the press and they were missing photo
cut lines. Myles Hodge and Gabe Hearn
were the welders on page B-2. On B-
6, I left off the name of Brelyn Dhenin
protecting the paint during an IVHS JV
basketball game. In addition, Kenny Houck
was incorrectly named Jenny Houck in
the February 2 edition. I regret the errors.
Thanks for picking up this week’s
paper, enjoy!— djm
Selma Quick Stop closing
up shop
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
(Photo by Darcy Wallace, Illinois Valley News)
Larrick Jones is all smiles as he poses with his retirement cake. Jones served on the
IVFD commission for 11 years.
Community member
to join fire board
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
The
Illinois
Valley
Fire District added a new
member to its board during
the
February
meeting.
Dr. Jim Minervini D.C., a
chiropractor in Cave Junction,
hopes to contribute business
experience and administrative
knowledge to the board after
owning a small business in
the area starting in 2001.
“I’ve been looking for
an opportunity to plug into
the community and I met with
the fire chief to discuss the
opportunity and obligations,”
Minervini said. “I think
[fire and safety] is the most
important issue in the Valley.
It seemed like it would be
exciting and I could help out.”
Minervini will most
likely be appointed during
the next fire board meeting on
March 10. He said he talked
with Chief Harry Rich about
possible seminars in the future.
Although
Minervini
isn’t a firefighter and said he
was a “newbie” on some fire
safety issues, he hopes his
background in business and
as a physician will bring
a different perspective.
“My job on this board
is mainly figuring out the
budget
and
delegating
different funds,” Minervini
said. “I’ve had a small
business for about 15 years
so I think they’re looking
for
that
experience.”
“I think I bring creative
thinking and common sense
so I plan to bring those
to the board,” Minervini
added. “I’ll see where I
plug in and I’ll do my best.”
After nearly 11 years in the
Valley, the Selma Quick Stop is
scheduled to close on Monday, Feb. 28.
Owner Chris Mautin said the business
did fairly well at first, but like several others
the recession has hurt the bottom line.
“It was just too much in the red,” Mautin
said. “I think we got into the business at the
wrong time. The recession hit earlier than
most people think; if you own a business,
then you know about what time it hit.”
Fortunately, Mautin said she owns
the property and doesn’t have to worry
about payments on the building. For now,
she plans to enjoy her time and might open
a different store if opportunity allows.
“I’m going to let it sit for a while and
either sell it, or maybe at another time and
date open something else here,” Mautin said.
JOCO seeks applicants
for housing council
The Josephine County
Board of Commissioners
announced Wednesday, Feb.
9, that it is seeking applications
to fill two open spots on
the Josephine Housing and
Community Development
Council
(JHCDC).
Open positions are for
one member representing
the public at large and
one member representing
the
Illinois
Valley.
According to the board’s
news release, the JHCDC
administers federally funded
Section 8 tenant-based
assistance programs for the
county, helping low-income
residents get affordable housing
and become self-sufficient.
Board members generally
set the tone and direction of the
JHCDC, giving direction to the
executive director as needed
and reviewing situations
brought to their attention.
The news release states
that the board reviews,
sets and amends general
operation policies, analyzes
new programs and decides
whether to apply them and
reviews progress reports from
staff at monthly meetings.
Those that are interested
can get an application at the
commissioners’ offices in the
Josephine County Courthouse,
located in Room 154 in Grants
Pass, or on the County website
at
www.co.josephine.or.us.
The
board
holds
meetings at 1:30 p.m.
on the fourth Tuesday of
each month in the JHCDC
conference room at 1205 NE
7th Street in Grants Pass.
Those
that
have
questions can call the
courthouse at 541-474-5221.
Events Calendar
pper
o
Dale H
“Just plain good eatin!”
(with this coupon)
“Claud”
Hopper
Free Dessert
with purchase of entree
~ Dine In Only ~
Fast & Friendly, Home Cooking ~ Open Every Day
541-597-2111
Saturday, Feb 19th
5:00pm to 8:00pm
Friday, Feb 18th
Every Wed - Open Mic Night
from 6-8pm with Jim Nolan
5:30pm
at Taylor’s Country Store
To add an event to this calendar call 541-592-2541
IT’S ONLy $5!
@ the Chevron in Cave Junction ~ Mon, Fri & Sat 11-6
541-415-0517
0433
0452
18101 Redwood Hwy., Selma
Tim & Michelle
Solo Acoustic favorites on
Guitar & Vocals