MAY 21, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
$2 million in projects
FROM
THE
Capitol
By BILL POST
As part of the American Rescue Plan
Act (ARPA), Oregon stands to receive
more than $4 billion in aid for state and
local governments courtesy of the stim-
ulus bill signed in March. The funding is
split between the state, counties and cities,
with the state receiving about $240 million
which is separate from the revenue being
used to balance Oregon’s budget of about
$25.6 billion.
The Oregon House and Senate
Leadership, (Senate President Peter
Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek)
have allotted each Senate and House dis-
trict the authority to spend the money
throughout the district via the State
Senator and two House Representatives.
Senate Districts each received $4 million
and House Districts received $2 million to
disperse, which means I have been given
the opportunity to find projects throughout
House District 25 that desperately need
additional funding. Two million dollars
might sound like a lot, but when it comes
to infrastructure, restoration, and invest-
ments—$2 million can only go so far. For
example, the Newberg-Dundee Bypass
we’ve been working so hard to complete...
just Phase 2 is $160 million.
Finding a way back
To the Editor:
Americans widely recognized for their
knowledge, understanding and insight
recently commented that, had voters
retained the former chief executive, we
would likely, ultimately, have lost the U.S.
Constitution, rule of law, system of justice,
and American freedoms. They concluded
this development based on the former
president’s daily practice in use of mislead-
ing, false, misrepresentational, and untrue
statements accompanied by his penchant
for the immoral and unethical while break-
ing laws and norms, evermore often mov-
ing from his sworn duty as a four-year,
public-elected office holder into behaviors
and actions of an autocratic head of state.
However, by what’s transpired since the
United States inaugurated a new president,
it appears that what was feared, if the out-
going administration had won re-election
has, in fact, in places throughout the coun-
try and, specifically, in Keizer, come to pass.
Here, several of our local public officials
have, apparently, borrowed some behaviors
from the former president a great many of
us hoped would disappear from use with the
presence of a new administration. Finding
our way back to a firm embrace—on what
has been valued and appreciated for years
and years—has not yet established a firm
grip in this mid-Willamette community.
Gene H. McIntyre
Keizer
Political signs
To the Editor:
In the seemingly endless run-up to last
November’s election, my neighborhood
was cluttered with yard signs supporting
the former president and members of his
Additionally, there are some rules
regarding the use of funds. Only four
projects may be proposed by each legisla-
tor, which means the $2 million must fall
within four projects. At one point, there
was about 10 different projects I would
have liked to see the money be dispersed
to in HD 25, but that is not within the rules.
Lastly, under ARPA guidance, the projects
must fall within certain criteria of either a
Capital Project, Grant Program, Support
Services, or Technical Assistance.
All funding requests were to be sub-
mitted by May 10 and now go to the Joint
Committee on Ways and Means to approve.
They and the Legislative Fiscal Office will
then craft a budget bill with all of the items
from the legislators in it, that we will vote
on in both chambers and hopefully pass
and thegovernor will sign, then the funds
will be dispersed later this year. After meet-
ing with constituents and community part-
ners, I have asked funding for HD 25 to be
dispersed accordingly:
1. St. Paul Water System (connecting
the Rodeo well to the city water system and
more;
2. Butteville Landing Restoration
Project;
3. City of Newberg (ADA ramps along
with sidewalk and bike lane improvements);
4. City of Keizer (Marion County CASA
which is located in Keizer, ADA ramps and
police vehicle storage building).
(Bill Post represents House District 25. He
can be reached at 503-986-1425 or via email
at rep.billpost@oregonlegislature.gov.).
Letters
cult running for local offices. While I may
have saluted those signs with an occa-
sional rude gesture, I would never have
considered stealing them. That’s just not
done.
But, it was done by some who seem to
have lived in fear of school board candi-
dates who favored reality-based sex educa-
tion and safe return to the classroom.
Ashley Carson Cottingham signs, in
particular, were targeted by thieves.
Apparently, she was considered a major
threat to the tightly wound opposition.
Pretty small, sign thieves, pretty small.
Martin Doerfler
Keizer
PUBLIC SQUARE welcomes all points of view. Published submissions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Keizertimes
The magic of Paul Morgan
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Paul Morgan was a magician.
Paul, who passed away May 13 at the
age of 95, was one of the early leaders of
the John Knox Presbyterian Church’s
community food bank, which is now
known as the Keizer Community Food
Bank housed at Faith Lutheran Church.
I met Paul on a Thursday morning,
about 15 years ago, before the food bank
opened for the day. Paul talked at length
about the work being done, what was
needed in terms of community support
and his plans to expand capacity to meet
growing hunger. His enthusiasm was
boundless and infectious. He introduced
me to volunteers from the John Knox
congregation, others who had walked
in off the street with a yen to help and
still more who were former clients of the
food bank. As I departed, Paul was overly
appreciative for an article I hadn’t even
started writing much less published.
The sum of the experience that day
instilled in me a mission to write the
best story of my career to honor the work
that was being done. I still remember the
burning tears in my eyes trying to digest
what I had seen: magic, in the real world,
as tangible as anything the five senses
can detect.
Paul and I remained in relatively close
contact. We attended meetings together
to talk about the future of the food bank,
expanding partnerships with Marion
Polk Food Share and strategizing how
the paper could help in all of it. We con-
spired together to help people in need.
Precious little in my life before or since
felt so pure.
Even when health concerns kept
him from taking part in the daily affairs
of the food bank, Paul was stalwart. He
and his wife Nancy were present during
the service hours as often as they could.
Together they were an even greater force
to be reckoned with.
I’ve returned to the food bank too
many times to count since that first story.
moments
of
LUCIDIT Y
Usually to write about it, but sometimes
just to volunteer, to help clients shop and
load their cars the way Paul taught me.
Paul is the reason I started taking my kid
to the Marion Polk Food Share to sort
food when she was in kindergarten. He
is the reason they still ask to help out at
food banks when the time is available
and the mood strikes.
Frequently, I think back to that first
day in Paul’s orbit and try to dissect its
resonance. Paul taught me to believe in
magic. Or reminded me how to see it. Or
simply revealed its true form.
Magic isn’t the sleight-of-hand of
Houdini and David Copperfield. Magic
requires at least two people, always.
Magic is bringing people together
despite every reason to remain apart for
the common purpose of helping strang-
ers. We summon magic together and it
lives on long after the curtains close.
Paul Morgan was a magician.
(Eric A. Howald is the managing
editor of the Keizertimes. His family is
donating $100 to the food bank this week
in honor of Paul Morgan. We encour-
age everyone in the Keizer community
to join us in whatever capacity you can.
Donations can be made online at tinyurl.
com/kcfb-morgan or in person at Faith
Lutheran Church.)
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