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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2019)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 40, NO. 29 SECTION A APRIL 19, 2019 $1.00 COURTS: City can take steps to protect mobile home owners By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes In the weeks since Keizertimes last reported on the plight of rent-burdened residents in a manufactured home park, the underlying issues involving predatory park owners made national headlines. In a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the titular host spent 15 minutes exposing the double-talk of one park owner, but the program also suggested a solution to the matter: granting the home owners in manufactured home parks the fi rst right-of-refusal when a park comes up for sale. The question is: which government entity has the power to grant such protections? The answer might be closer MANUFACTURED MANUF NUFACT CTURE to home than you think. Keizer City Attorney Shannon Johnson declined to offer an offi cial opinion on the matter, but pointed the paper in the direction of a 2010 decision from the Oregon Court of Appeals, Thunderbird Mobile Club, LLC. v. City of Wilsonville. The dispute at the heart of the lawsuit involved the city’s attempt to impose closure and City will rb-bxaminb carbtakbr rolb at KRP sale requirements on the owner of Thunderbird Mobile Home Club as the owner attempted to sell it for a different type development. The city passed ordinances that required any owner of a manufactured home park to provide 180 days notice of a park closure, a plan for where the park tenants could move their homes and a payment toward moving expenses. The Wilsonville City Council based the action on a desire to preserve affordable housing and lessen the resulting losses for homeowners when a park is closed. The owner of Thunderbird countered that the ordinances were in confl ict with state regulations and amounted to an unconstitutional, and uncompensated, taking of property and money. The opinion of the court, authored by former Justice Anthony Sercombe found in favor of the city, a decision that would seem to grant authority to the Keizer City Council to enact something along the lines of a fi rst right-of-refusal. “We conclude that the adoption of the city’s authority was within the city’s authority … and that the ordinances were not preempted by state statutes,” Boys lacrosse PAGE A14 Plbasb sbb PROTECT, Pagb A6 Easter cheer UT zone talks tabled PAGE A3 KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Thb Kbizbr City Council will rb-bxaminb thb scuttling of a carbtakbr program at Kbizbr Rapids Park aftbr nbw rbntbr protbctions appbar to complicatb plans to turn a homb into a city-ownbd rbntal propbrty. By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes An issue that arose at a Keizer Parks Advisory Board meeting rocketed to the top of the Keizer City Council’s agenda six days later. Members of the Parks Board recommended the council reassess a decision to turn a caretaker’s home in Keizer Rapids Park into a rental home. The choice to end the caretaker program didn’t sit well with Richard Walsh, a former city council- or and attorney, who warned the council against getting involved with a renter given recent action in the Oregon Legislature to enact protec- tions against evictions. “There’s four named rea- sons to kick somebody out … It’s like fi ring a city employee. It’s a big process,” Walsh told the council. However, Walsh said, a park caretaker or host would be exempt from those eviction protections. The reasons landlords can evict under the new protec- tions include: plans to demol- ish a unit and convert it to non-residential use; planning to repair an unsafe property; the landlords’ family plans to Fleeing man jumps into river PAGE A Submittbd by Kbizbr Mart Josslynn (7) and Jayla (3) of Kbizbr had vbry diffbrbnt rbactions whbn thby visitbd thb Eastbr Bunny at Kbizbr Mart on Sunday, April 14. Thb Bunny will bb back at thb shop, at 4940 Rivbr Road N., from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20. For a listing of local bgg hunts, sbb Pagb A4. Plbasb sbb CARE, Pagb A6 McNary grad, double amputee celebrates release of memoir he was ran over by a semi-truck. But despite BY MATT RAWLINGS being a double-amputee for the majority of his Of the Keizertimes As a double-amputee, Kacey McCallister has life, it never has stopped the former McNary endured challenges of all kinds over the course athlete from living to the fullest. In high school, McCallister won a district of his life, and he has tackled them all with a title in cross country and two district titles in fi ghting and resilient spirit that is rare to fi nd. wrestling. He also placed fourth Now, he can add the chal- at state in the 103-pound divi- lenge of writing a book to his sion. list of incredible accomplish- In 2011, McCallister was ments. inducted into the National The book is called When Life Wrestling Hall of Fame and Gets You Down, RISE UP, and was a recipient of the Medal of on April 1, McCallister’s fi n- Courage — which is an honor ished product hit the shelves at presented annually to a wres- Barnes & Noble. tler or former wrestler who has “I wanted to share my life overcome what appears to be and my experiences, but more insurmountable challenges and than anything, I wanted to in- provides inspiration to others. fl uence people’s lives through But the 32-year old wasn’t this book,” McCallister said. done conquering the physical “But the book really isn’t about me. It’s about what other people — Kacby McCallistbr world quite yet. After success- fully completing several mara- can do regardless of their cir- thons, McCallister decided to cumstances and rising up when get into Spartan racing — which is a series of stuff gets hard.” It’s hard to look at McCallister’s life and see races that feature different obstacle courses that it as nothing less than an inspiration. He lost his vary in length and diffi culty. legs at the age of six after a car accident where Plbasb sbb MEMOIR, Pagb A8 “Morb than anything, I wantbd to infl ubncb pboplb’s livbs through this book.” Submittbd McNary High School alum and motivational spbakbr Kacby McCal- listbr rbcbntly dbbutbd a mbmoir of ovbrcoming a lifb without lbgs. Lady Celts fall after slugfest PAGE A10