THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Democratic values
11,000 or so birds who dare to
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area in the thousands and now
number in the dozens, search
for some place out of reach of
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tunately, herds of idle people
who drive little carts on perfect-
ly manicured paths and grass in
search of their balls do not want
to share their green space with
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cull them.
Is it possible that we can
solve the problems we created
in an intelligent and humane
way without resorting to vio-
lence and bloodshed as usual?
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Warrenton
I
t was shocking and dismay-
ing to see the partisan attack
letter to the editor, “Dems elect
despot,” from Jason Kost, a
Republican, printed in the Feb.
20 edition of The Daily Asto-
rian.
First of all, John Kitzhaber
was no despot. Secondly, the
Clatsop County Democratic
Central Committee has been a
role model in the state for safe-
guarding democracy. Over the
past decade, they have worked
tirelessly and successfully to in-
crease voter participation and to
recruit and support candidates
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the majority of residents in
Clatsop County.
Political parties embody a
set of values rather than actions
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Democratic Party represents
the values of equality and fair-
ness, which are embedded in
the party platform (see www.
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Party can be easily joined on-
line, and the Clatsop County
Democrats welcome anyone
who shares these values, rather
than the values of hatred, deri-
sion and contempt.
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Chairman, Clatsop County
Democratic Central Committee rooms, set with 80 rounds of
Astoria 10 tables, could hold 800 for a
plated dinner.
What’s typical of one event
Center capacity
may be unrealistic for another.
everal questions have been Does a group require break-
asked of the Seaside Civic out sessions (where a large
and Convention Center since group splits into several small-
WKH UHOHDVH RI D ¿QDQFLDO IHD- er groups)? Perhaps a group
sibility study for the possible will not be using the center
expansion of the center. In for meals, choosing instead to
response to a couple of items only host its meetings and trade
that appeared in a story Feb. show functions inside the facil-
16 in The Daily Astorian and ity. A group of 500 could meet
Feb. 20 in the Seaside Signal WRJHWKHU LQ WKH ODUJH 3DFL¿F
(“Seaside businesses object to Room and then split into break-
proposed sales tax”), we felt out sessions, in the smaller
it was important to clarify ac- 1HFDQLFXP 6HDPLVW 6HDVLGH
cordingly.
Riverview, Seahorse and Hay-
Although the article stated stack rooms.
that the center “can handle only
However, a group of 500
200 people,” this is not 100 would not be able to assemble
percent accurate, and there are as one large body in multiple
actually many scenarios that rooms (and thereby allow for
impact total volumes much an immediate transition from,
larger than that. A theater-style say, a meeting space to a meal
XVHRIWKH3DFL¿FDQG1HFDQL- space).
cum rooms (main level rooms
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at the center) could hold up are numerous scenarios and
WR SHRSOH 7KRVH VDPH caveats that affect the size ca-
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5A
Light at the library
I
am certainly in favor of a new-
er, updated Astoria Library. It
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is nothing so important to the
nucleus of a community as a
library — for research, reading,
some soundproof listening and
viewing rooms, community
meeting rooms and the equal
education of humanity.
It seems a simple matter to
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%DFN KRPH , JRW D GRFWRU shape. We have Life Flight keep the look of the shell of the
complete list of room capacities and got blood pressure medi- coming for you. You could die Waldorf with modern insides,
and sizes can be found at sea- cine. After about two weeks, ZLWKRXWLW´,WROGWKHP*RGKDV but I have always disliked the
sideconvention.com
design of our current library
I took the test, passed easily me alive for a reason.
58669$1'(1%(5* and went back to work. After
I was told after a short time building. It is gray in color,
*HQHUDOPDQDJHU6HDVLGH around two months, the job I’d had blood on my brain, a dirty-looking to me, with little
Civic and Convention Center ended, and the pills ran out stroke and my blood pressure light, not a beautiful building
about the same time. I don’t re- ZDV , WKDQN *RG , to look at, and just because it
call anyone telling me to keep drove myself to Astoria when might be a historic period, it is
Under pressure
not the look we are famous for
taking these blood pressure I did.
ive years ago, I was work- pills for the rest of my life, so I
Please, everyone, get your — Victorians.
ing a construction job on let them run out.
Seaside did a fantastic job
blood pressure checked. If you
the jetty on the Washington side
Recently, I almost passed take medicine for blood pres- raising monies and creating a
of the Columbia River. After out in my driveway and my sure, take it, and don’t stop. I whole new structure, so it can
three weeks, my boss told me I bedroom, was dizzy and felt almost found out the hard way be done. We don’t want to get
QHHGHGWRWDNHD¿WQHVVWHVWWR strange. It was bedtime, so I why they call high blood pres- rid of the Waldorf image, so I
am not advocating that we start
keep working for the company. WKRXJKW,MXVWQHHGHGVOHHS7KH sure the Silent Killer.
I thought, no problem, seems next morning I told my daugh-
52%(575(*,67(5 new like Seaside, but that we
I’m always hyper, with lots of ter I was going to the hospital
Warrenton raise private and public funds
for whatever is decided for our
energy.
— something wasn’t right with
community.
7ZR PLQXWHV LQWR WKH WHVW my body.
Culling
Frankly, I vote for lots
the instructor asked me if I felt
In Astoria, they told me I did
ormorants and other sea- of light internally, a corridor
all right. Did I need to sit down? not look right, and to please sit
birds thrive on an island that runs vertically through
Did I feel dizzy? I asked why. down. Shortly I was heading
He said, “Your blood pressure down the hallway in a wheel- in the Columbia River creat- DOO ÀRRUV RXW RI RXU IDPRXV
is extremely high. You cannot chair to the far end of the hospi- ed by the U.S. Army Corps of weather, and air conditioning to
take this test. You can’t work tal. I asked, “What is going on (QJLQHHUV,QDEDWWOHRYHUZKR make it more inviting in sum-
for this company till you pass with me? What are you doing?” gets to eat the most salmon, mers as they heat up.
6$/,',$021'
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After my blood pressure the corps has decided to cull
Astoria
puts it mildly.
test, they said, “You are in bad (euphemism for kill/slaughter)
F
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Know the facts
about mayor’s recall
I
am writing this letter to eliminate confusion and high-
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As some of you may know, a petition was circulated
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city councilor and mayor. She has worked all these years
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does this without pay. She is being accused of violating
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do that? It is our responsibility as voters to ferret out the
truth before casting our ballots.
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owners do not want to politicize their business. A new
business owner, however, did put up a sign for candidate
Kevin Willet. Willet is not the issue here.
Dianne used to work in that store. Dianne reached out
to the owner with advice as she was opening her new
store earlier in spring 2014. Dianne thought of her as a
friend. On Oct. 17, Dianne talked to this friend about
the campaign sign in front of her store. Dianne, per tran-
scripts on record with the city, stated that she told the
business owner “…it’s a bad idea to put out campaign
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put out signs, as it is a no-win situation.”
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had said the same thing, but she could put up a sign if she
wanted to. Dianne stated (per transcripts) she never told
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EXVLQHVVRZQHUGLGOHDYHWKHVLJQIRU:LOOHW2Q1RYDW
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that Dianne neverWROGKHUWRWDNHWKHVLJQGRZQ7KLVFDQ
EH IDFWFKHFNHG E\ *HDUKDUW &LW\ &RXQFLO PHHWLQJ PLQ-
utes.
At some point after Dianne talked to the business
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people included Joy Sigler, a past city councilor, and shop
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these eight people who asked for the recall petition.
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months, a period of time where the people we all elected
could have been getting other things done.
We are now being asked to deal with their claim of a
freedom of speech violation by a mayor who has worked
hard for us for almost 20 years. Suggesting that someone
take down a sign as a matter of business protocol, but not
saying they had to, does not mean legally or logically that
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case, unless we all understand and react to the truth, it
could unfairly affect all the good that Dianne Widdop’s
long public legacy has been about and send the message
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:,/6210$5.
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