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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2020)
6 Columbia Gorge News Wednesday, October 21, 2020 HoodRiverNews.com • TheDallesChronicle.com • WhiteSalmonEnterprise.com OPINION that Dan Christopher is a liar. One of his lies is claiming Continued from page 5 that Jim Sizemore supports I-1639. I-1639 is a pretty historian Paul Johnson wrote Democratic law. Why would in his book, Modern Times, someone who says that he is that the greatest menace to a Pro-Democrat Republican the world over the previous be slandering another candi- century had been (and is) date for supporting that law? the rise of the professional A little further sleuthing politician. and you read more about Mike Goodpaster Dan Christopher in the voter Goldendale pamphlet. He’s a member of Sheriff Bob Songer’s “posse.” Who is more of a “Republican I’m wondering how many Good Old Boy” than Bob Songer? Port of Hood River custom- He doesn’t care about ers who have a “breezeby” Democrats or the truth any pass are being deluged with more than Donald Trump the wasteful bills being sent does. In fact he’s just like trying to nick us $5 for a $1 Trump — he’s doesn’t know bridge crossing. It seems what the truth is. that if your Breezeby sticker Ryan Dougherty does not cross-reference White Salmon properly (via computer) with the car/truck/motorcycle you happen to be driving, you get one of these bills in the mail trying to fleece an extra $4 out of us when we Voting’s not easy. There already have an account with are complicated ballot the port. And just how many measures,nonpartisan people are paying this when candidates, etc. You ask they don’t need to? your-self where do I drop the To me it seems like having ballot off and by when, which a “Sears” credit account envelope, has my signature and charging something in changed? There are voter Chicago and then something pamphlets/services, forums, in San Francisco. It’s an ac- newspapers, communica- count — who cares what we tion with candidates/your are driving, we have an ac- community, etc. This is a lot count with the Port and they of necessary work to use your charge our credit cards, they vote-power wisely. There still get paid. What a waste of are rare times when you time, effort and money ... and still don’t see a clear choice. then we have to respond to One race on my ballot that is this bill and waste our time to confusing is Klickitat County clean their mess up. Commissioner, District 3. Motorcycles were always Dan Christopher has confus- cheaper than cars/trucks as ing information out there. I we do ZERO damage to that went to Dan’s website in the bridge, now we are the same primary and found things as a car, ridiculous. about being a “constitution- And now the port has the alist” and promoting access “option” to buy the property to guns. I go there now and off Country Club Road (for- he’s talking about change mer potential Super Walmart and he won’t serve the “good property) to the tune of $4 old boys.” I saw a mailer he million. Why? What do you sent to Democrats where he’s need that property for and ... calling himself Bipartisan who’s paying for it? Oh that’s but in his application for right, the Port has a print- endorsement to the KCDPhe ing press for money called said he didn’t agree with the toll bridge. Aren’t you Democratic values. Who is supposed to be saving money this flip-flopper? in the “Bridge Replacement What is this deceit? Fund” to replace the 95-year- Where is the authenticity? old bridge? Democrats hold a lot of How much is enough Port power in this race and I know of Hood River? You have Danhas made it confusing (is the bridge, the marina, the he who says?), and tempting Waucoma buildings, the to others (maybe we should Sprint buildings, the DMV burn it all down?). The an- building, the airport, and I’m swer is we don’t know who he sure more than that (Odell is (and from what I’ve seen, Business Park), how much I’m worried), so how has he is enough? And why are you earned our vote? And no, we competing with the private should not burn it all down sector? You have a distinct (do you remember 2016?). advantage with your toll Let’s use our vote-power in bridge money machine. this race. Vote Jim Sizemore. The port is like an out of Vote for honesty, respect, control cancer gobbling up integrity, kindness, reliability. everything in it can, like the Sasha Bentley out of control medical system White Salmon in this country, they keep getting bigger and bigger and more bloated eating up everything in its path. Stephen J. Curley In the midst of a conten- Hood River tious and divisive election like this one, it’s easy to think that the parties have always been unable to work to together and that bipar- I recently received a letter tisan-ship is a pipe dream. from Dan Christopher in the But it hasn’t always been this mail in which he claimed way. that he is a “Bipartisan During the 2011 and 12 Candidate” despite being a legislative sessions, the Republican. Oregon House and Senate I was intrigued. Being a were nearly evenly divided progressive from the western with an almost equal number side of Klickitat County, of Republicans and Demo- I often lament my lack of crats. In the House it was representation in my county. and even 30-30 split and the For the past several elections Senate had a narrow 16-14 in District 1 the Democrat advantage for Democrats. has won the primary only to In the evenly split House it lose the county-wide election meant that every part of the for the very same seat to a legislative process was bipar- Republican that is supposed tisan. From the committee to represent the western side. hearings to the floor of the Now here is someone saying House every piece of legis- that I deserve a “seat at the lation had to have support table” which so many “Good from both Democrats and Old Boy” establishment Republicans in order to be Republicans have unjustly considered and passed into taken from me. Hell, yeah, law. There was no place for Dan Christopher! Tell me extremism on the left or the more! right and moderation ruled. Then I did a Google In short, it was a picture of search — “Dan Christopher collaboration. The legislative Goldendale.” The sixth result sessions were hailed far and is an article about another wide as an example of how one of Dan Christopher’s state government should letters which basically says function. LETTERS Bridge issues Vote for Sizemore Helfrich for balance Truth challenged Fast forward to today: Democrats in Salem now have super-majorities with a huge 38-22 advantage in the House and an 18-12 margin in the Senate. How has this impacted the process? The majority party completely dominates the committee process and can pass any legislation it wants from policy bills to new taxes. The minority party has little to no input. Rather than being known as a model for collab- oration, Salem is now known for its division and conten- tion as the majority party imposes its extreme will. That’s why I’m support- ing Jeff Helfrich for State Representative. Electing Jeff will help reduce the Democrat super-majority and restore balance to Salem. He will stand with us and not vote in lockstep with the Portland crowd as his op- ponent has done in her first term. Please join me! Rosemary Brown Parkdale ICG endorsements Indivisible Columbia Gorge (ICG) is pleased to endorse the following candi- dates and ballot measures at the local, state, and federal levels. Hood River City: Mayor — Kate McBride; City Council — Gladys Rivera, Megan Saunders, and Mark Zanmiller. State: Attorney General — Ellen Rosenblum; Secretary of State — Shemia Fagan; State Treasurer — Tobias Reed; State Representative (HD52) — Anna Williams. Yes on all state ballot measures: Measure 107 (campaign finance limits), Measure 108 (tobacco and e-cigarette tax increase), Measure 109 (psilocybin mushroom services pro- gram), Measure 110 (drug de-criminalization and addiction treatment). Federal: President/VP — Joe Biden/Kamal Harris; U.S. Senator — Jeff Merkley; U.S. Representative — Alex Spenser. Submitted on behalf of the ICG Steering Committee. Bonnie New Hood River Sizemore for Klickitat When I filed to run for Klickitat County Commissioner in District 3 back in May, I knew it was a long shot to win, but after years of serious effort and some success in advancing economic development in Klickitat County as both a paid consultant and a vol- unteer, I had to run. Though I’m sorry about the outcome of the election, it was worth effort, and I’d like to thank my supporters, former col- leagues who endorsed me, and the hundreds of voters who cast their ballots for me in District 3 on Aug. 4. The runup to the prima- ry was unlike any I’ve ever seen in a Klickitat County Commissioner’s race. With the restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, getting the message out to the voters wasn’t easy. But one candidate, Dan Christopher, stood out during this cam- paign for his inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims regarding his other opponent in District 3, Jim Sizemore. Dan Christopher garnered a majority of the votes in District 3 and I urge Klickitat County voters to reject his candidacy in the general election because of his lack of leadership experience. While Jim Sizemore and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on important issues such as EDA grants, and economic development, I’ve known him for years and respect him as a public servant who takes his position on the Klickitat County Board of Commissioners very seriously. In Klickitat County District 3, Jim Sizemore is the candi- date who deserves your vote this November. Miland Walling Goldendale of October.” I’ve spoken with several parents and district staff members regarding their return to the classroom. The reactions have covered a range from tentative eager- ness to outright fear, with impending anxiety felt by all who will make that personal decision for themselves and their families. The district website goes on to say, “Lastly, we are working towards bringing back K-6 students into a hybrid model, with board ap- proval, when state and local I first met Tom Lannen health department measures seven years ago when Tom are met.” The time is right was leading a volunteer community group exploring to elect the candidate best qualified to assist school dis- how to insure a more sus- tainable revenue stream from tricts in making these kinds our State and Federal Forest of community decisions; decisions that will affect the partners. Tom understood the delicate balance between health and well-being for all of our families. Dr. Tracy the timber industry and the Rushing is running to repre- recreational/environmen- sent us in Legislative District tal concerns and was an advocate of sustainable forest 14. She is the representative for these times. management. Dr. Rushing is well- During this time he de- veloped strong relationships equipped to tackle public health issues. As our LD 14 with both the State, Federal Representative, she will assist and private timber interests who control 98 percent of the our schools and communities in making tough decisions. land in our county. This re- lationship remains critical to Dr. Rushing relies on data, sustaining a balanced coun- research and best practices, while focusing steadfast ty budget. He has lobbied on behalf of the local school attention on the well-being districts efforts to find a long of the public. She’ll bring her calm, thorough deci- term solution to the Secure sion-making to Olympia and Rural Schools funding. And work in the best interests of Tom continues to work all her constituents. We need with staff to seek partners Dr. Rushing’s expertise now such as the Department and we’ll need it in the future, of Transportation or grant as we navigate the aftermath agencies to help with the of living through a pandemic. maintenance of existing Please join me in voting for infra-structure. Our county is unique and we need creative Dr. Tracy Rushing for LD14 leadership that understands WA State Representative. Michelle Mayfield the needs of its citizens while White Salmon preparing for potential new business developments and maintaining a good working relationship with our State What this letter’s not: This and Federal agencies. letter is not about the Good Mary Ann Duncan-Cole News, even though you’re North Bonneville having seen a sick person becoming the utmost in spirit is not an unwelcome experience. Seems just a few short Blood: Nor is this letter years ago (well, 19, actual- about the kind of blood we ly — remember 9/11?), law inherited — genes and all; enforcement were heroes; but about whether our blood praised and held up high. Today they have become the is — flowing — in our veins. What’s that got to do with it? villans in society, perpetra- Pardon my language but tors of all sorts of evil things, racists and who knows what we can gum it up with exactly what we eat, or not. else ... What has happened? It turns out that our bodies As one previous contribu- tor suggested, “Just the facts, and minds can feel health and vibrance to the end of ma’am.” our days by eating a lot of FBI UCR datea (fbi,gov/ certain things, not including services/cjis/ucr) 2018-19 meds. data: That is true based on years Last year — 10 milion of scientific evidence. The arrests by police. Of those 10 million arrests evidence is in “How Not To Die” by Michael Gregor M.D. — 1,004 officer-involved Check it out. fatalities. Donna Gray Davis Of those 1,005 officer-in- Hood River volved fatalties — 41 individ- uals were unarmed. Of those 41 officer iin- volved fatalities — 19 were white, nine were black (the data does not specify the cir- She has continued to be extremely effective as our cumstances of those killed). representative in represent- Number of police officers were killed in the line of duty ing small businesses, military — 89. (We certainly do not vets, those looking for often hear their stories.) employment and families in Want some scary num- Southwest Washington. We need more people in bers? Just check the week- congress that truly care about end shooting/death toll in the people they represent Chicago or New York — any and work on meaningful weekend will do. legislation, like our con- Are there racists? Of course, the reality is that evey gresswomen, Jamie Herrera organization/society/demo- Beutler. graphic has some, maybe yours? Institutional racism? Not so fast on that. If I dial Jaime Herrera Beutler 911 I prefer the police and was ranked by Vanderbilt not Ghostbusters! University’s nonparti- Steve Nybroten san Center for Effective White Salmon Lawmaking as the most effec- tive legislator in Washington State throughout the last two years. This is based on Lannen understands Health in blood Scary numbers Reelect Jaime Herrera Beutler Retain Beutler Rushing is prepared The White Salmon Valley School District website states, “The district is starting the planning process for bringing our students back into an in-person hybrid learning model tentatively for the end Yes to HR incumbents Mike Kitts and I developed Katie’s Way, Andy’s Lane and Cottage Lane in an effort to create housing for people who work in Hood River. They aren’t as affordable now, but at the time, they were a great option. Building these homes was complex and required discussion and negotiation with the City and neighbors because we needed to densify to make it affordable. A shorter process would have saved us some money, but the bottom line was that we could do it because the cost of the land coupled with densification allowed us to do it. I received a postcard in the mail today that said “If we want affordable/attain- able/middle housing to be built, we must be clear that Planning and Building department functions are time-critical priorities.” This naïve statement is disturbing because it ignores the biggest challenges — the cost of land and neighbor concern about densification. When lots cost over $200,000, a faster pro- cesses won’t create housing for the people who work here — we need thoughtful, creative solutions. Check out bigriverclt.org for what I’m working on now. My wife received a post- card that said “more parks, not less”. She was disturbed by this because it implies that the City is trying to decrease the number of parks. In fact, the City Council worked with multiple local and regional agencies to create a multi-ju- risdictional park plan for our area. The next step is working out how to move forward. We need people on the City Council who take the time to understand the complexity of land-use issues that affect our area. We need people who value all members of our community. We strongly support Megan See LETTERS,page7 Th ank you Hood River and Stevenson for your support! FRESH SALMON CAUGHT DAILY KLICKITAT DIP-NET TED FISH Dr. Cullen’s Student of the week Kramer Keegan Ku Benjamin Ku for Global Studies: as the Algebra 1 Student of the Week: Keegan comes class every Regardless of the to struggles present day in the distance learning attitude format, Benjamin has with a positive and works shown not resilience and determination in his hard, only improving himself, math studies. Thank you Ben for all your but classmates as well. hard fellow work and excellent communication! Congratulations her ability to work with her colleagues and get legislation across the finish line. Recently, Jamie Herrera Beutler reached across the aisle to pass legislation to cut the cost of prescription drugs. As a result, big pharma ran attach ads against her — but Jaime is going to keep stand- ing up to the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable. Jaime bipartisan ACE Kids Act that was passed, and signed into law by the President, makes it easier for children on Medicaid with medically complex conditions to access high quality health care services across state lines. As a result of ushering in this monu- mental legislation, Jaime received the “Champion for Children’s Health” award from the Children’s Hospital Association. Jaime Herrera Beutler helped introduce the Continuing Coverage for Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 which would ensure people with preexisting con- ditions are guaranteed health care coverage, regardless of the outcome of ongo- ing litigation related to the Affordable Care Act. Jaime Herrera Beutler Will keep working in the best interests of Southwest Washington to lower the cost of prescription drugs and make health care more accessible and affordable. Carl Keels Camas Benjamin Ku Kramer, TDHS Keegan Ku, TDHS Columbia View Dental Wild Columbia Salmon KING SALMON STEELHEAD BLUE BACK AVAILABLE FRESH & SMOKED WHOLE or FILLET 108 Hwy 35, Hood River - next to Lampoei’s columbiasalmon@gmail.com - Th is location closing for the season Nov. 1 S T E V E N S O N L O C A T I O N 230 1st Street, Stevenson, WA Commercial Kitchen, Cedar Smoker 1915 E. 19th Street | The Dalles Victor Cullen, DDS 541-296-5677 | Se habla español We Open buy mushrooms daily, 12-5 pm daily 9am-6pm We accept VISA and Mastercard
