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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 16, 2015 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM A yes vote for transit is a yes for economic development Anyone paying atten- tion to local issues might assume there is no one in favor of the transit payroll tax proposed by Salem- Keizer Transit to fund ex- tended service hours. The proponents have staged a poor campaign—out- manned and out-spent by the oppo- sition. The quality of the campaign, however, should not determine how one should vote. We favor a yes vote on the bal- lot measure 24-388. It is good for economic development and it is good for the thousands of people who must or want to rely on public transportation. Some opponents have taken a the-sky-will-fall stance on the ballot measure. If the 0.21 percent tax on employer’s payroll passes opponents warn that contributions to hundreds of area non-profi ts will dry up; small business will cut jobs. A business owner who does not ride a Cherriots bus might ask themselves why they should support and pay a tax that does not benefi t them. Approval of the payroll tax will add about $5 million per year to the transit district, which will allow restoration of weekend service, later evening service and holiday service. Those three alone are not insigifi - cant—employees and customers will be able to get where they need to go seven days a week. Evening and weekend service will allow those without reliable private transporta- tion to get where they need to go when they need to go. Every retailer should be happy to expand their customer base. In- creased bus service means more people can shop at more times in the evening and weekends. Economic development is the modern mantra of politicians and business at every level. A reputa- ble and reliable public transporta- tion system is key to that—moving people around easily is the hallmark of a contemporary city. Recruit- ing businesses to Keizer and Salem that will create new jobs will be a bit easier with a system that gets employees to work. A public transit sys- tem demonstrates to busi- nesses considering a move or expansion in the area that Keizer and Salem are as modern and conscien- tious as any other metro- politan area. Living in America—like free- dom—is not free. Our social com- pact dictates that we watch out for each other. Every adult pays taxes; they may not agree what their taxes pay for, but that is the trade off in a democracy—taxes pay for the things we rely on everyday. The payroll tax is a better funding mechanism than a levy which means a renewed debate on the merits of public transit every fi ve years. That is exhausting and expensive. If the district wants to increase the pay- roll tax it is required to hold public hearings before a vote of the board of directors, the district cannot raise the payroll tax indiscriminately. Proponents of the payroll tax have done a poor job in addressing the area’s single largest employer: the state of Oregon. The state of Oregon contributes about $5.5 million a year to the transit district and has done so for more than 30 years. Our largest employer has played their part. The payroll tax is part of the dis- trict’s Move Forward campaign. If voters approve the tax bus service will be increased next year. But the district should not be happy to let it end there. The district should work with large employers, public and private, to make the Cherriots ex- perience (inside the bus and at bus stops) as pleasant as possible. Low gas prices is not an incentive for people to get out of the single-occupant cars and hop on a bus. Getting daily city commuters out of their cars and onto public transpo- ration is good for the environment, good to decrease traffi c congestion and builds economic development. We support the payroll tax mea- sure 24-388. It’s good for the whole community. —LAZ editorial Say yes to fi re equipment Voters in the Keizer Rural Fire Protection District should vote to ap- prove ballot measure 24-389. If approved Keizer Fire District homeowners would pay 14 cents per $1,000 valuation to purchase needed equipment. In reality the levy would replace a levy that was used to con- struct the Chemawa Road fi re station; after two decades the fi re house levy was down to 15 cents. Revenue from this year’s bond levy will allow Keizer Fire District to purchase and upgrade equipment that is key to their mission—including a much-needed ambulance. With more than 4,000 emergency calls annually the district and its con- stituents are best served with equip- ment that operates as it should. Sever- al times this year ambulances have had maintenance issues that forced them to be towed. Not a good outcome for a public safety organization. The board of directors have been good stewards of the fi re district’s money and supplies. But when equip- Support for Keizer Fire To the Editor: As a business owner here in Keizer I am writing in support of the Keiz- er Fire District bond measure. It is important to me and the health of my businesses that the Keizer Fire District is able to respond quickly and effectively if and when I need their services. I know how impor- tant good, reliable equipment is to my businesses and I know the Keizer Fire District cannot do their jobs ef- fectively to keep us all safe with un- reliable and out-dated equipment. I’m urging all voters to vote yes on this important bond measure. Wayne A Thackery Lorens Sanitation WHEAT, LLC ment is down more than it is operable, it is past time to improve the situation. The fi re district responses to medi- cal emergencies and fi res within six minutes more than 90 percent of the time. It is crucial to the wellbeing of the community to assure those re- sponse times stay under six minutes— lives depend on it. Fire and medical vehicles are not cheap. A new ambulance (which is built to KFD specifi cations) can cost up to $250,000. The current ambu- lances are not built to take the pun- ishing regiments that are asked of it by the district. Fire trucks, with all their complexities, are much more. With a total 20-year outlay of more than $6 million there is little margin for error in purchasing and upgrading equipment. We are satisfi ed that the district and its chief, Jeff Cowan, have the public’s best interest at heart re- garding this levy. Vote yes on 24-389. —LAZ The letters legacy of Art Burr To the Editor: I fi rst met Art Burr when I was on staff at this newspaper. He had just taken over as interim director of the Keizer Com- munity Library, and he was unsatis- fi ed with both its status and its cover- age in the Keizertimes. I pointed to the numbers: How many times had we reported on up- coming library events, or on efforts to sustain, build up or even publicly fund the library? When he wouldn’t back down, I said he was being un- reasonable. Knowing Art, he likely took that as a compliment. The truth is that not having a li- Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com Lyndon A. Zaitz, Editor & Publisher SUBSCRIPTIONS One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon Views of those who protect us The distance in miles between Salem and Roseburg is about 120 miles, about two hours by car. After the shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College two weeks ago, the unsettling facts of that horrible event have caused some wondering here about similarities should some- thing like it take place at Chemeketa Community College or any other school or college in the area. Would we locals fi nd out that the Marion County sheriff does not fa- vor gun controls? That he, like his counterpart in Douglas County, feels so strongly against any limita- tions that he, too, has written a let- ter to the Vice President announcing that he will not enforce any laws on gun controls? Did he, as did Doug- las County’s Sheriff John Hanlin, establish a Facebook page where he argued that the Sandy Hook shooting rampage that took 26 lives in Newtown, Conn., 20 of them school children, was staged using ac- tors so that the federal government could gain the advantage in the gun controls debate? Would the full measure of facts be withheld so that an appar- ent grandstanding opportunity to express personal views could be achieved? Where leadership was called for, Hanlin chose to go per- sonal. If there’s a call for the public to provide information on the killer, as Hanlin requested, how is that pos- sible if the name of the killer is with- held? Further, what else will Han- lin withhold because whatever it is confl icts with his views? Guidance from those granted the public’s trust is undercut when secrecy trumps guidance. Media publications in our area have not, to my knowledge, been contacted by the Marion County sheriff to in- form us that he does not stand with Sheriff Hanlin. People liv- ing in Marion County know nothing about what our sheriff stands for or against in law enforcement except a list of generally acceptable objectives on his Internet page. It would be most helpful that we know where our guy would be found should we have an event like the one at UCC. Then there is the killer’s parent, a single mother who has left a re- cord of her views on guns for the whole world to know that nobody should mess with her and not ex- pect a bullet in return. She allowed her troubled son to have guns and acknowledged on the Internet that he struggled with autism but says she had no idea he was potentially a killer who’d go to a public place and open fi re. She said of herself, also, that “I keep two full mags in my Glock case. And the ARS & AKS all have lodaded mags. No one will be ‘dropping’ by my house uninvited without acknowledgment.” She also complained about gun-control ef- forts in “lame states.” More on the killer’s mother is that she should be held to some degree of accountability for having raised a monster who lived in her apart- ment with her and left that morn- ing with several guns and multiple rounds of ammunition? It’s just pos- sible that if more parents of those who carry out acts of slaughter were held accountable, perpetrators like Chris Harper-Mercer might think twice before acting; if they do not, it would be known far and wide what happens to parents who do nothing to stop their children’s evil deeds and even apparently prepare them to act on them. Meanwhile, one needs not won- der where most Oregon sheriffs stand as the Oregon State Sheriff ’s Asso- ciation web page announces support for Sheriff John Hanlin. Taking this further, are all Oregon’s sheriffs like Hanlin—that is, selective in the laws they enforce? It’s believed that many an Oregonian would feel safer and more secure if the sheriffs outside of Douglas County announced that they stand separate and opposed to views like Hanlin’s but their web site says they do not stand apart. What a person living in Oregon concludes is that county sheriff departments will not initiate proactive measures “to protect and serve” but will only serve after the fact or in reactive mode: Hence, what good are adver- tised good intentions when people are laying in pools of blood? A footnote on gun controls: It’s not possible here to explain why so many people throughout Oregon and the U.S. are opposed to some, even reasonable controls that would make a deliberate, ongoing effort to keep fi rearms out of the hands of those persons who may have a clean record but who are known to make threatening comments, includ- ing those with homicidal overtones. The big bugaboo on the part of gun owners is their fear, as repeatedly ex- acerbated by the leadership of the NRA that simply wants more guns sold, that the government will come for their guns. I’d like them to iden- tify one person who has had their guns confi scated by any government entity. brary in a city of 35,000-plus is un- reasonable, and Art was determined to meet that need. Many, many volunteers gave thousands of hours and generous fi - nancial contributions long before Art got involved, and will continue to do so now that he’s gone. But thousands of books, accom- panied by Internet-connected public computers—all of it available seven days a week and at virtually no cost to taxpayers? That simply would not have happened without Art. He accomplished more after re- tirement and left a greater legacy than most of us will compile in a life- time. It is a goal for all of us to aspire to—reason be damned. Jason Cox Salem the Portland metro area pay for their award- winning transit systems. That’s why it is hard for me to understand why our lo- cal business and community leaders seem so opposed to the plan. I know these people, serve on committees with them and we work on commu- nity projects together. Many are my friends. I’m convinced that if local businesses in Eugene and Portland have somehow managed to succeed and thrive for decades with a payroll tax three times higher, our local busi- nesses – who are even more capable – can withstand this modest proposal to help make our community better. The misinformation campaign put forth by opponents of the mea- sure has been disappointing. For in- stance, the State of Oregon, the area’s largest employer, is exempt from the tax. But what opponents convenient- ly forget to mention is that the State already pays an “in lieu of ’ fee of $5.2 million annually or 0.6 percent of payroll and has been paying it since 1980. It’s really Salem Hospital, the area’s second largest employer, that’s not paying its fair share. Salem Hos- pital as a non-profi t pays no property taxes. So while you and I help pay for Cherriots through our property tax bill, without this modest payroll tax, Salem Hospital pays nothing. That’s unfair. I started my professional career as a transportation planner and worked at Lane Transit District while attend- ing graduate school at the UO. In 1995, I moved to the area to become Salem’s bicycle/pedestrian plan- ner and to manage the Mid-Valley rideshare program. My wife Pat and I continue to use transit. That expe- rience has demonstrated to me the difference a good transit system can make in a community. But it also re- vealed that to be effective and more utilized, people need to be able to depend on it. Folks need to be able to get to work or play or shopping and know they can get home again at the end of the day, evening or on weekends. The restored/expanded service this measure provides brings that dependability. Vote yes on Measure 24-388. Chuck Fisher Keizer Opposition to payroll tax To the Editor: As a small business with a relative- ly small payroll of six team members, my “investment” into the commu- nity with another tax would admit- tedly be relatively small at this point. However, it still has to come from somewhere. It means I have to grow revenue, cut expenses, or take home less money—all to pay another tax that “may” increase ridership. As a small business that started as the Great Recession hit, we had to scrape, claw, sacrifi ce and work our tails off to even survive. We have al- ready “invested” a ton to get to the point where we have now been able to create new jobs and are able to give back to the community, and we’re incredibly thrilled to be able to do so. We love adding people to our team and growing our ability to serve more customers. A new pay- roll tax, along with other ways that small businesses are constantly being squeezed, would be one more dis- incentive to grow our business, add more jobs, and be able to give more to the non-profi ts that we support. We all want a vibrant community. I have lived and worked in Salem for most of my life. But it is already a tough place to do business in many ways. And just because you own a business, doesn’t mean you are rak- ing in the dough or have a bunch of extra cash sitting around. This tax targets businesses in a way that adopts that mentality and it gets tiring. That’s why I’ll be voting no. Tim Fahndrich Salem Yes on payroll tax To the Editor: I will be voting to restore and ex- pand Cherriots service in our com- munity, and I hope you’ll join me. The modest tax, 0.21 percent of payroll is less than 1/3 of what em- ployers in Eugene/Springfi eld and gene h. mcintyre letters (Gene H. McIntyre’s column ap- pears weekly in the Keizertimes.) No to payroll tax To the Editor: As the owner of a new small busi- ness, there are even more expenses and pressures to get the business off and running smoothly and to the point where it is profi table. The more taxes and fees that are placed on the back of small start-ups the more likely they are to be forced to close down before they have the op- portunity to grow and give more to the community around them. We have witnessed this time and again in our downtown core. I know the importance of hav- ing a variety of ways for people to frequent my business. Bicycle lanes, parking spaces, sidewalks and public transit. We need all of these work- ing in concert and funded in a man- ner that does not target one sector of the community. I am a business owner and pay property taxes that fund transit, now I am being asked to pay another tax for transit. How is that fair? As the former CEO of United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley I understand the socio-economic dy- namics of this community; and as a private business owner I understand the socio-economic dynamics of the business community. I want the best for the whole community. This employer payroll tax is not the fair way to fund expanded services. The whole community needs to explore other funding options. Please vote No on Measure 24- 388. Gayle Caldarazzo-Doty Salem The Keizertimes accepts all points of view on its Opinion page. Submit a letter to the editor (up to 300 words) by noon Tuesday. Email to: publisher@keizertimes.com