Page A-2
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Life in the
Valley
of Riches
By DAN MANCUSO,
Publisher
Lately, a topic of conversation has been, “Why don’t
business owners get a voice in city politics?” because most
business owners live outside of the city, while maintaining
a business in the city. One solution was to put a chamber of
commerce member on the city council in a nonvoting position.
While it’s a fine idea, it really does not mean much because
they won’t get to vote.
Currently the chamber has a person assigned to be the
liaison. When I was involved it was called the Government
Affairs Committee also known as GAC. The GAC could speak
at meetings when it comes time for comments from citizens.
GAC also would report back to the chamber about what was
going on.
Many may disagree with me but by definition a chamber
of commerce is a political action committee. A chamber is
supposed to lobby the government for policies that have a
positive impact on the local business community.
Yes, the tourism role is important, but unless you take
care of your members by encouraging good policy on the local,
county and state level, you won’t have any tourists to garner.
Harping on the crime levels and lack of law enforcement
will change nothing. My suggestion would be for the chamber
to lobby the city to enforce the current ordinances in place that
would clean up “Main Street,” and attract more locals to spend
time downtown, therefore causing tourists to stop. Activity is
the easiest way to decrease crime.
The city could hire a code enforcement officer who in turn
would pay for themselves through fines. For example, there are
plenty of abandoned homes in the city that could be taken from
the owners and sold to pay for the officer. Also, parking tickets
and other misc. violations could bring in revenue. As a result,
they could get the vagrants to move along and police the park.
And, cars left where they do not belong could be impounded
and sold, if the fines are not paid. You see, the revenue sources
are endless.
It’s a pretty simple solution. The problem in government
is they tend to make things far more complicated than they need
to be.
I don’t subscribe to the doom and gloom future frame of
mind. The Valley is a collection of great minds and certainly,
we can come up with a solution. Paralysis by analysis is a
common problem; the chamber already has the pieces in place,
let’s not complicate the issue.
Solutions are not always pretty, but the results can be
glorious.
Thank you for picking up this week’s paper, enjoy! ~
Daniel J. Mancuso, Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce
past president
Letters to the editor
Illinois Valley News welcomes letters
to the editor.
Please e-mail them to
dan@illinois-valley-news.com.
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters
to the editor provided they are legible
and not libelous or scurrilous. All letters
must be signed, including name, address
and telephone number. The latter need
not be published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The “News” reserves
the right to edit letters. Letters are used
at the discretion of the publisher.
***
(Editor’s note: Views and commen-
tary, including statements made as
fact are strictly those of the letter
writers.)
What’s the hurry?
On Wednesday, 11/16/2016,
Commissioners Cherryl Walker
and Keith Heck hurriedly passed a
Resolution to implement a process to
expand the authority of a Hearings
Officer.
These two Commissioners,
Walker and Heck, put this before
us as a “Junk Ordinance” on Nov.
5, 2013, and it was resoundingly
defeated by over 80 percent of the
electorate!
The overwhelming defeat
was because a Hearings Officer is
appointed, rather than elected by the
people. If such a person made bad
decisions, we’d have no recourse to
directly remove him, or her, from
office.
But Walker and Heck once
again disregarded the will of the
people they supposedly represent.
They justified such betrayal by
saying the public will have three
opportunities to weigh in on the
issue, once during a Rural Planning
Commission meeting and twice
before the Commissioners during
noticed Public Hearings.
What they neglected to include
in the whole process was allowing
the people to vote on this issue at an
election. Instead of a referendum,
they want Commissioners to simply
listen to the public during a couple
of meetings as they yawn, doodle
and look at the ceiling, and then
implement it by a stroke of the pen.
At Wednesday’s meeting,
Walker and Heck disregarded our
objections, railroaded it through
the Weekly Business Session and
imposed their will on a future Board.
Ghee, I wonder why? With
Walkers’ background, could it be
that they wanted to create a job that
Cherryl might fill after her term as
Commissioner is up?
Sandi Cassanelli
Merlin, Oregon
Obituaries
Don J. Penasso ,
63, of Grants Pass, died
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
at Asante Rogue Regional
Medical Center.
Arrangements are
pending at Illinois Valley
Funeral Directors.
Celentha
“Cindy” Jones , 82, of
Grants Pass, died Tuesday,
Nov. 15, 2016 at Kinsington
at Redwood Park.
Cindy was born May
1, 1934 in Fairmont, West
Virginia to William and
Anna Wilfong. She married
Denzil Alkire and they
had three children, Nancy,
Delinda and William. They
later divorced. She then
married Floyd Samuel Jones.
Cindy attended cosmetology
school and worked as a nail
technician. Cindy and Floyd
served a mission for the
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in Houston,
Texas. In 2005 she moved
from Cave Junction to Grants
Pass.
Cindy was a breast
cancer survivor.
She loved to do
volunteer work. Her passion
was working with children
helping them learn to read.
She played the piano for
the Western Star and for her
church. She knitted many
stocking hats for Josephine
County foster children
and purple baby hats for
Providence Birth Center.
Cindy was a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and Western
Star of Cave Junction.
She was a volunteer
grandparent at Lincoln
Elementary; made 150 hats
stocking hats for foster
children and 160 baby hats.
She also enjoyed playing
piano, knitting and crocheting.
Survivors include her
children, Nancy Ann Barger
and William Boyd Alkire; 11
grandchildren and 15 great-
grandchildren.
Preceding her in death
was her husband, Floyd
Samuel Jones; daughter,
Delinda Harrison; sister,
Metha J.; and two brothers,
Richard Guy and William.
No services are planned.
Illinois Valley Funeral
Directors are in charge
of arrangements. Private
interment will be at Laurel
Cemetery.
Memorial donations may
be made to any breast cancer
charity.
Please visit Cindy’s
tribute wall and sign the guest
book at www.since1928hull.
com.
Max (Rahier)
Carter
May 9, 1925 to Nov. 14,
2016
Max was born in
Sultan, Wash., to George and
Marguerite Rahier along with
his brother Dale. After George
died Marguerite remarried and
Max took the last name Carter
and lived in Bremerton, Wash.
At the age of 18 Max
enlisted in the U.S. Navy
assigned to the Seabees and
became a signalman.
Max served in the
European theater during
WWII mostly in Africa,
Italy and France. Max also
performed signal duty during
the D-Day invasion.
After an honorable
discharge in July 1945, Max
returned to Bremerton where
he married Betty Herrick
in 1946. The Carters had
two children, Ronald and
Candace.
The family moved to
Missoula, Mont. where Max
attended Montana University
and then transferred back to
Wash. to attend University of
Washington (UW), majoring
in journalism. During Max’s
time at UW he interned at the
Seattle Times as a copy boy.
Max and his family
moved to Southern California
in 1956 and worked for the
U.S. Postal Service. After that
he sold industrial medical
insurance which led him
to open his own medical
insurance billing company.
In 1985 Max retired and
moved to Kerby. He lived in
the Cave Junction area for
30 years where he had many
friends.
Max enjoyed gold
mining and horse racing/
handicapping. As a member of
the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Max served two terms as post
commander in Cave Junction
Max was killed Nov. 14,
by a hit-and-run driver while
walking near his apartment.
He is survived by his
son, Ronald; granddaughter,
Samantha; and great-
grandson, Sage.
Max Carter and his great-grandson, Sage
I llINoIs V alley F uNeral D Irectors
www.since1928Hull.com
541-592-4110
Save the date
Thanksgiving, Nov. 24
Free Thanksgiving dinner in Cave Junc-
tion will be at Jubilee Park from 11 a.m. - 3
p.m. sponsored by the Doug Hoskins Resource
Center the Cultural and Ecological Education
Network. Volunteers can call 541-291-8860.
I.V. Grange will also provide a free
Thanksgiving dinner from 1 - 4 p.m. The
Grange is located at 3763 Holland Loop
Road. Bridgeview Church will be providing
free rides to the Grange. Please call 541-295-
7579 to make a reservation.
Dec. 5
Neighborhood Watch Leadership Meet-
ing, Monday – Dec. 5, 6 p.m. at Wild Rivers
Pizza. I am reaching out to all the leadership
in the Illinois Valley neighborhood watch
groups, and to those that wish to help form
their Watch.
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
We need to have a means to share infor-
mation and resources between all groups. I am
hosting a communications meeting to address
our concerns, organize ourselves, our infor-
mation, and to get it to the appropriate au-
thorities. Can you please help us by spreading
the word of this meeting. Contact me, Dennis
Hoke, at 541-287-0021
Dec. 10
The Dell’Arte Company’s annual holi-
day show tour returns for its 36th year with an
adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, re-imag-
ined for the unique struggles of growing up
in Northern California. A nimble new piece
from the Dell’Arte Company featuring origi-
nal music and athletic acting, this isn’t your
everyday Alice! Lorna Byrne Middle School
Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
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Illinois Valley News is published at
221 S. Redwood Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone (541) 592-2541
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Continuing
*The I.V. Senior Thrift Store is under
NEW MANAGEMENT and is looking for
new volunteers. Join the crew and make new
friends. You don’t need to be a senior citizen
to join the store. Call us at 541-592-6630.
Open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
*The C.J. Substation hours are changed.
We are now open on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays (closed Wednesdays)
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number at
the Sub is 541-592-5151. We are looking for
more volunteers to expand the hours; applica-
tions to become a volunteer can be picked up
at the Substation.
*Cave Junction Patrol, LLC is looking
for volunteers. CJ Patrol is a private citizen
volunteer ornaization dedicated to effectively
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Editor -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Classified Ads -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Kimberly Potter
office@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising / Composition -
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
addressing heretofore-unchecked property
crime in our city and neighborhoods. The pri-
mary mission of CJ Patrol is to prevent, in-
terrupt, report and decrease property crime
in the city of Cave Junction. Call 541-592-
9665, cjpatrol.org. Monthly meetings are first
Thursday at 6 p.m. at Wild River Pizza, 249
Redwood Hwy.
*The Senior Health Insurance Benefits
Assistance (SHIBA) program will be offering
free assistance with Medicare Open Enroll-
ment at the Illinois Valley Family Coalition
every Monday from Nov. 7 to Dec. 5. You can
add, drop or change how you receive your
Medicare benefits. Call 541-956-4472. Be
sure to specify that you are calling for an ap-
pointment in Cave Junction.
DEADLINES:
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4 P.M. FRIDAYS
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor pro-
vided they are legible and not
libelous or scurrilous. All let-
ters must be signed, including
name, address and telephone
number. The latter need not be
published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The ‘News’
reserves the right to edit letters.
Letters are used at the discre-
tion of the publisher.