The S^ndy Post
Editorial & Opinion
Von Braschler, Publisher
Caroline Duff Office Manager
Dan Dillon. Editor
Scott Newton. News Editor
SANDY. OREGON THURSDAY, MARCH 18 1982
Voter registrations ‘lost’ in mail
A voter registration foul-up on
Mt. Hood resembles your classic
case of government’s right hand
not watching what the left was do
ing
The county’s planning depart
m ent gave m any m o u n ta in
residences new street names and
numbers as improvement on lot
numbers and duplicate road
names However, the county’s
elections office wasn’t fully aware
of the implications. They found
many voter memorandum cards,
routinely mailed to update resi
dent p re c in c t a ssig n m e n ts,
undeliverable as addressed by old
mail lists
County Elections instructed the
Postal Service not to forward the
voter registration check-up cards
In question are some 2,100 ad
dresses in Brightwood, Welches,
Rhododendron and Govt. Camp.
There renters not notified of
street address changes, mere
mailing address change or postal
box and star route confusion may
have befuddled the Elections Of
fice.
If a county voter received the
memorandum card with precinct
information, then he’s set to vote
w ithout question. Those who
didn’t receive the card in the
mailing foul-up still may take ac
tion to vote.
New voter information cards
can be filled out at normal
re g is tra tio n sites, in clu d in g
Hoodland fire station and Sandy
Public Library. Misplaced voters
in Estacada and Boring can
register again at Estacada City
Hall, the school or Boring fire sta
tion. Another approach would be
to wite the elections board to
verify residence for polling.
The county is aware of the pro
blem and w ill take precaution at
the poll to avoid losing any voters
through confusion, Clackamas
County Elections Supervisor John
Kauffman said.
Questioned voters the county
feels simply got lost in the shuffle
may find their name on a list for
verification at their same polling
place the day of election. At that
time, election deputies can assist
voters in verifying their resident
qualification by fillin g out new
voter precinct cards. However
Kauffman said he’d rather avoid
any hassle at the poll by having
misplaced voters fill out new
cards before March 30.
Altogether some 18,000 voter
registrations out of 142,000 check
ed by m ail loom in question. For
Mt. Hood this prim ary election
poses m ajor political changes in
cluding new federal Congres
sional D istrict 5, new state Senate
D istrict 14 and new House D istrict
23.
One candidate who figures he
may have lost in the Mt. Hood
registration foul-up is Welches
Republican John Thompson, who
figures his home tu rf to be logical
support base in his bid for the new
Senate seat.
However, misplaced voters on
Mt. Hood w ill not receive their
voters’ pamphlet or any other
elections informaion from County
Elections' outdated mailing list.
Personally speaking:
Thumbing Bluff Rd. wild
I ’ve hitchhiked up and down North Bluff
Road a lot during the pant three years
It's the kind of situation you find yourself
in when your car works less well than
Reaganomics
Its wheel bearings lost their bearings
Its brake shoe lost its sole Its fuel pump
has so many problems that precious bodily
fluids don’t get pumped to parts of the
body where they can do some good like
make the sucker run
So, I hitchhike from time to time
I ’d like to say I have a Sissy Hankshaw
thumb She's the heroine of a Tom Rob
bins' novel, "Even Cowgirls Get the
Blues,” and she's got a banana sized beau
ty
She plucks rides from Eerraris three
lanes over like fishermen after trout at
their favorite hole by waving her fruity
appendage in the driver’s general direc
lion before she reels them in
Such is not my luck
In the past three years, I hltchhikd North
Bluff Road at least 120 times I got seven
rides that I can remember
However. I must admit, my earlier hit
chhiking experience had been limited
Previously, my car ran When it didn t, I
ran laumesa wasn't yet my modus
operand!
Oh. there was the time J C and I hitched
a ride from Linnton to downtown Portland
along the St Helens Highway
It helped that he remembered he had a
pair of crutches in his closet He climlied
back up the flight of stairs we called our
street about an hour after we put our
thumbs out. gathered the crutches up and
rejoined me at the curb
The firs, passing motorist was sym
pathetic, stopped and proffered us a ride
Caveat emptor
Another time, my car accidentally kiss
ed a curb and hen, its axles I was forced to
use my thumb for a week to find a way to
school
It didn't matter I was in the midst of a
hot streak on the Mt Helena Highway
Indeed, the first car stopped, even
without the crutches The driver wen, out
of his way to take me over the Mt John a
Bridge above the Willamette River
Il might have t»een a more pleasurable
experience for him had we made it. t>u, I
told investigators his version of the acci
dent
I was just thankful for the ride.
After that hitchhiking experience I
didr. t put out my thumb again until I mov
by DAN DILLON
ed to Sandy and, for the most part, my ef
forts here have been futile.
That is, they were futile until recently.
Earlier this month I took a week off to
sort some things oul and try to discover the
bottom of my kitchen sink where some of
the dishes had been stacked since last
year early Iasi year
Because my car was in the shop for the
first few days of vacation. It meant a few
trips up and down the road
It's gotten to the point now that I usually
don’t even stick out my thumb I'm resign
ed l(> the fa d that it s easier to walk and
look energetic than it is to grovel at the
side of the road, trying to lure a ride
I was making my way along Bluff one
morning when a car pulled up behind me
and honked excitedly I gingerly stepped
further off the shoulder of the road, ex pet
ting it to roar past I muttered a few
choice, uh. phrases
The car, however, pulled up short and its
driver and passenger peered oul into the
ram at me, saying something shout
something
I was a bl, annoyed because they d honk
ed at me when I was clearly off the road
minding my own business and it was rain
mg the way it only rains when you’re a half
mile from home without a coat
They asked me if I wanted a ride
I was overwhelmed I couldnl believe It
After ail those times I tried to hitch a ride,
this couple actually stopped unsolicited I
was nearly ecstatic. but I had to decline
There were less than 2«) yards left in my
two mile run I derided to tough it out.
The Post grslefully *< knowledges essays and written opinions from readers to sp
pear on this page seper ale from the unbiased news reports on other pages of this
newspaper Your opinions generally will be printed as letters to the editor, while
ours generally will appear as editorials Occasionally, we are able to print guest
editorials We attempt to print all signed letters of good taste legible form and
reasonable length Our deadline is noon on Tuesdays
1 ¡
3 H
New war, schools, levies draw focus
A major reason Oregon's
economy is in such bad
shape is the expensive
Reagan and Denny Smith
m ilitary buildup, causing
massive federal deficits
andhigher interest rates
We must work for an im
mediate freeze on the fur
th e r d e v e lo p m e n t of
nuclear weapons, savings
from which could cut the
federal deficit or fund vital
d o m e s tic needs
The
United States needs new
policies of global coopers
tion to protect our economy
and planet
With new revelations of
R e a g a n 's se c re t w a r
against the government of
Nicaragua, my concern
over the possibility of
another Vietnam in Central
America has reach a new
level The Reagan and
Smith policy of confronts
tion and m ilitary solutions
eventually may lead to
spilling of American boys'
blood in yet another foreign
land, just as Wayne Mo. se
predicted would happen in
Vietnam.
The Reagan certification
of an improved human
rights situation by E l
Salvador s military junta
im m e d ia te ly was con
tra d ic te d by both the
United Nations and Amnes
ty International Yet our
contry still is sending
millions of dollars in high
technology military hard
ware to an undemocratic
m ilita ry ju n ta c le a rly
responsible for deaths of
four American Catholic
nuns, as well as thousands
of their own countrymen
We must fight hack to
save
A m e ric a
fro m
another tragic situation
On
M a rc h
21
th e
Democratic National Com
mittee will consider my
proposal to join the call for
peaceful negotiations
leading to democratic elec
Rons in El Salvador and an
honest appraisal of the real
human rights situation.
Dave Me Teague
Demornocratic National
Committeeman
Salem
Cuts crafty?
The Oregon School Board
Association at a recent
meeting decided to release
probationary teachers as a
tactic in their effort to win
budget approval in local
school districts This tac
tic. that has been accepted
by the Sandy Union High
School B o ard , is yet
a n o th e r
m ethod
of
m anipulating the com
munity into swallowing a
proposed budget.
The budget is not being
put up for voter approval
on its own merits, but in
stead Is ueing promoted on
the backs o, the released
teachers.
Apparently the school
board believes the budget
will not fly except into its
own face; therefore, the
non-renewals.
In fact, the release of
these teach ers is not
necessary at this time If a
local school district doesn’t
ge, a levy approved, it has
no obligation to any techer,
classified personnel or
management in terms of a
job This is spelled out in
state law It also is stated
w ith in the c o n tra c te d
agreement between the
school district and the cer
tified staff
If the school hoard in
deed believes in the budget
He exemplifies what an
athletic coch should be He
does a very low key, com
petent job at both teaching
techniques of skiing and
stressing healthy attitudes
about winning, losing and
improving oneself
He has g a in e d th e
respect of all coaches in the
state with his presidency in
the Inter Scholastic Ski
Racing Association.
He is a credit to our high
school
Suzanne Marter
Welches
Open tryout
This letter talks about a
major concern at Sandv
Water coming
The Alder Creek Water
Districts have survived
another major hurdle with
the a p p ro v a l by the
Metropolitan Service Boun
clary Commission to form
five separate and distinct
water districts under the
264 special service district
Thousands of hours con
tributed by a great many
people have brought us to
this point where we now
can see our way clear to
solve our own problems
and make the five systems
individually responsible to
their own people without
having a grandiose plan
shoved down our throats
Letters to the editor
that has been prepared,
then present it and allow
the community to decide
the outcome Should the
budget be defeated, then
the board shold analyze the
budget for possible cuts
that will maintain the best
p ossible
c u r r ic u lu m
without being arbitrary or
m a n ip u la tiv e and r e
submit it to the communi
ty
W’e
need
to
rem em b er—even though
teachers have had to cut
from their budget all field
trips and 10 percent from
t h e ir
s u p p lie s
and
materials that the school
has run all year within con
fines of an A levy and two
loses of expected funding
with no layoffs
A, the same time, the co-
cum cular program at the
high school has taken a cut
in funding, but with no ap
parent reduction in activi
ty. It still has a budget of
close to a quarter million
dollars for 628 participants
I believe the school has to
make up the funding lost
from the state, but the tac
tic being used by the Sandy
Union High School Board to
gain levy approval is not
the way to influence people
and gain friends for Sandy
High School
Paul Montgomery
Sandy
Honor coach
As the ski season draws
to an end. I think the com
munity should know what a
fine ski conch Sandy High
School has representing its
school and community
I have had the pleasure
at w o rk in g w ith Bob
Karsten as a fellow conch
for the pest several years
and than thin year as a
parent ef a team member
Union High School I've
been going to this school for
two years, and all through
these two years I've heard
and seen how coches don t
give athletes the same op
portunity to try out for a
position
Parents who have strong
influences with coaches
and come to practices
seem to cause a lot of pro
blems for the team mental
ly If an athlete had an
equal chance to try out for
a position and made it
because he earned it or was
better than another athlete
mentally and physically,
then maybe Sandy would
have a better team that
would work together and
have a better attitude
toward the rest of the
athletes on the team and
coaches
That way noboby would
get a position because of
his name or because his
family is wealthy Students
who go out for sports and
activities use these ex
periences to make school
more enjoyable and help
them deal with school and
peer-pressure problems
that students get from their
families and friends
An athlete who is going to
be cut from a team first
should be given a chance to
p ra c tic e a t least tw o
weeks, because it takes at
least two weeks to get in
shape and understand the
team plays
I am trying to state that
when an athletes goes out
for a sport, the coach
should influence and give
each athlete on the team
the same opportunity to try
out for a position and a
chance to learn that posi
tion before he is cut.
Chris Crabtree
Sandy
We really are just begin
mng Many hours of plann
ing and work lay ahead yet
It is time to express a great
deal of gratitude to Jock
Stewart and Nan Slenning
Without these two people
h o ld in g
n um ero u s
meetings spending hun
dreds of hours of work and
attending all the hearings
that have been required,
the people of the area
would not have the oppor
tunity we have now
Darrell and Margo
Dempster
Sandy
Carnival big
I would like to express my
appreciation for all the
time and effort given for
our F irw o o d W estern
Hoedown
I'm really proud to he
associated with Firwood
School and the parents in
volved
We asked for
volunteers, and I was very
pleased with the response
Parents in this community
do care enough to give their
time and money Thank to
you all. the hoedown was a
success
The area merchants as
always were generous in
their donations You make
Sandy a nice town to be a
part of!
A special ‘ Thank you” to
Bob and Jan Evans for all
their work. We h id new
games build especially for
us this year, because they
cared
Jean H am s
Carnival chairperson
Vote *yes*
The city of Sandy is
p re s e n tin g its an n u a l
operating budget for fiscal
year lM S -tt to the voters
for approval The election
will be conducted within
the city from » a m until 8
p m Tuesday, March 30
Again this year, a budget
has been prepared and ap
proved by a budget com
mittee and stays within the
ballot A statewide lim ita
tion This means a tight
operational levy with no
fnlls Expenditures have
been kept at a b are
minimum to provide only
continuation of current
level of services in most
cases
Without an adequate tax
base,
the
c ity
now
generates revenues of only
$14,142 IS and must go to
the voters each year to gain
approval of funding to
operate for each new fiscal
year
This election will be the
third year under the new
state law controlling pro
perty taxes and elections.
The new law provides for
the state to pay up to 30 per
cent of the property taxes
for operating purposes,
However, the state has set
the lim it in which they will
participate as last year's
levy—plus inflation and
growth
T h is proposed c ity
budget total is up only 2 of
1 percent from the current
y e a r 's
a p p ro p r ia te d
budget The general fund is
up a little more than 6.7
p erc en t fro m the a p
propriated budget last year
and is approximately the
same amount as last year's
revised budget
T his com pares v e ry
favorably when comparing
this to the overall 19 per
cent increase to city ser
vices created by growth
and inflation While infla
tion in our area this year
was reduced to approx
im ately 8 percent, our
grow th ra te increased
almost 11 percent.
The combination of these
two items has made it dif
ficult to maintain all of the
existing services
With approval of this pro
posed operating levy, the
city would be able to main
tain existing operations in
the police department In
these try in g tim es, a
24 hour coverage for the
cty is moat necessary
Also, in public works which
functions in a variety of
maintenance for the city,
including water, sewer and
streets
I would urge the local
electorate to get out and
vote on Tuesday. March 30.
in support of their local city
operational levy, aa well as
the county's special three
year aerial levy supporting
services to our senior
citizens
Ruth M Loundree
Sandy mayor