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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2015)
OPINION 6A T HE D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager Astoria enjoys LQQRYDWLRQERRVW T Generating electricity at Bear Creek Dam helps water users he dedication of a new hydroelectric system at Bear Creek Dam Monday is testimony to the ingenuity at Astoria City Hall. The new system, as reported by Derrick DePledge last Thursday, will JHQHUDWHHOHFWULFLW\RIIZDWHUÀRZWKDW has been an element of the city’s water system for decades. The monetary EHQH¿WRIWKLVHOHFWULFLW\LVHTXLYDOHQW to the cost of operating the city’s water treatment facility plus undetermined UHYHQXH IURP 3DFL¿F 3RZHU IRU “running the meter backward.” $OO RI WKDW ZLOO VDYH ZDWHU ratepayers money. And the new technology was planned and installed with grant money Former City Manager Paul Benoit and the prior City Council laid the JURXQG ZRUN IRU WKLV LQQRYDWLRQ City Manager Brett Estes and Public Works Director Ken Cook carried it to completion. Benoit also examined the potential for generating electricity off a wind farm near Wickiup Ridge, in the ZDWHUVKHG 0RYLQJ WKH HOHFWULFLW\ WR WKH SRZHU JULG SURYHG WR EH SURKLELWLYHO\H[SHQVLYH In a similar leap forward, the (2011- UHQRYDWLRQRI&LW\+DOOEURXJKW that early 20th century building into 21st FHQWXU\WHFKQRORJ\HQHUJ\VDYLQJV7KH renewed building is more accessible to the public than its predecessor. It is fashionable to assert that city JRYHUQPHQW GRHVQ¶W NQRZ ZKDW LW¶V doing. That sentiment was represented LQ WKH 1RYHPEHU HOHFWLRQ %XW WKH record indicates otherwise. The gains at Bear Creek Dam happened because of smart city management systematically SODQQLQJRYHUDVXVWDLQHGSHULRG And now there are more opportunities if the city will seize WKHP 7KH SURVSHFWLYH UHQRYDWLRQ of the Astoria Public Library or the construction of a new library is one of them. It demands the same spirit of LQQRYDWLRQDQGLWRIIHUVVLPLODUJDLQV LQHQHUJ\HI¿FLHQF\ THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015 GUEST COLUMN The Gearhart recall decision B By DIANNE WIDDOP allots will be mailed to *HDUKDUW YRWHUV RQ 0DUFK UHJDUGLQJ WKH TXHVWLRQ RI whether I should be recalled IURPRI¿FH The ballot will contain a statement from the petitioners, and one from me. The petitioner’s statement makes some ominous sounding allegations including one that states “October D FRQYHUVDWLRQ EHWZHHQ Mayor Widdop and a citizen was UHFRUGHGRQDKLGGHQGHYLFHGXULQJ ‘Coffee with the Mayor’ without the citizen’s knowledge or authoriza- tion. Mayor Widdop then attempted to distribute this recording, con- WUDU\ WR )RXUWK$PHQGPHQW SULYDF\ rights, contrary to city council rules and against Oregon law.” Joy Sigler elaborated on this charge at the Dec. 5 council meet- ing, saying “Our community does not need any interpretation for an DFW RI DQ HOHFWHG RI¿FLDO WR VHFUHWO\ record a citizen during coffee with the mayor. Nor do we need any fur- WKHULQYHVWLJDWLRQZKHQZHOHDUQWKDW DQHOHFWHGRI¿FLDODWWHPSWHGWRWKHQ distribute the recording that was se- FUHWO\REWDLQHG7KLVFRPPXQLW\YDO ues transparency. Illegal or not we know that any secret recording is not consistent with any code of conduct elected or otherwise ... A complete report of this incident was reported to the Clatsop County District Attor- QH\¶VRI¿FH´ %HIRUH GHFLGLQJ RQ WKH VLJQL¿ cance of this charge, a few additional facts may be helpful. The “citizen” LQTXHVWLRQZDVWKHQ&LW\&RXQFLORU Joy Sigler. She asked to record the FRQYHUVDWLRQ DQG , GLG QRW REMHFW , GLG QRW UHFRUG WKH FRQYHUVDWLRQ QRU cause it to be recorded. Roughly a minute into her rant, the city admin- istrator, who was also present, turned on his cell phone in the belief that it ZDVLQWKHFLW\¶VLQWHUHVWWRKDYHLWV own record. :KLOH,ZDVJLYHQDFRS\RIWKH city’s recording and told the remain- ing council members of its existence, I did not attempt to distribute the re- cording to anyone. I was informed law, but don’t just ignore later that both the city attor- the law. ney and the Clatsop Coun- $W WKH KLJKHVW OHYHO ty district attorney had de- WUDQVSDUHQF\ LQYROYHV WKH termined that the city’s debate of public issues. It recording was perfectly le- LQYROYHV ERWK WKH FRXQFLO gal and could be distributed or planning commission to anyone. DQG WKH SXEOLF JLYLQJ WKHLU At the time I had won- RSLQLRQ ,W LQYROYHV PDN dered why a second record- ing arguments that seek to ing seemed so threatening increase clarity rather than WR 6LJOHU HVSHFLDOO\ JLYHQ Dianne FRQIXVLRQ ,W LQYROYHV IR the fact that all council Widdop cusing on facts rather than proceedings are recorded. I EHOLHYH , UHFHLYHG WKH DQVZHU ZKHQ SHUVRQDOLWLHV,W LQYROYHV QRW RQO\ RI she posted her recording on the Re- ¿FLDOV VKRZLQJ UHVSHFW WR WKH SXEOLF store Trust Gearhart website. Her but also the public showing respect for UHFRUGLQJUXQVURXJKO\¿YHPLQXWHV HOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVHVSHFLDOO\DWWKHORFDO 7KHFLW\¶VUHFRUGLQJUXQVDOPRVW OHYHOZKHUHDOOHOHFWHGDQGDSSRLQWHG RI¿FLDOVDUHXQSDLGYROXQWHHUV minutes. The use of rumors, innuendos, I agree with Sigler completely on RQHSRLQW²RXUFRPPXQLW\YDOXHV DQG YDJXH XQVXEVWDQWLDWHG FODLPV DQG GHVHUYHV WUDQVSDUHQF\ LQ WKH RI ³UHWULEXWLRQ´ LV D JUDYH WKUHDW WR conduct of the public business. To transparency. The recall petitioners PH WUDQVSDUHQF\ LQYROYHV VHYHUDO KDYHPDGHFODLPVWKDW,KDYHWXUQHG FRQFHSWV $W D YHU\ EDVLF OHYHO LW Gearhart into a place where people means that the public has access to need to be in fear of something or accurate information in as simple a someone, but don’t really say what WRIHDURWKHUWKDQWKDW,KDYHVLQJOH manner as possible. 2YHU WKH ODVW WZR \HDUV , KDYH handedly undermined the Constitution in Gearhart. worked to increase the amount of As anyone who has attended City LQIRUPDWLRQ DYDLODEOH RQ WKH FLW\ website, including the complete in- &RXQFLO PHHWLQJV RYHU WKH SDVW formation packet council members months can attest, constitutional- UHFHLYH IRU PHHWLQJV :H KDYH DOVR ly guaranteed freedom of speech set up a blog that allows anyone to LV WKULYLQJ LQ *HDUKDUW 7KH )LUVW UHFHLYHDQQRXQFHPHQWVDQGLQIRUPD Amendment says that people can tion automatically by email. There is say pretty much anything they want PRUHWRGRLQERWKDUHDVEXWZHKDYH WRVD\DQGWKRVHDWWHQGLQJKDYHFHU tainly exercised that right. started the process. A recent commentary in The Dai- 7UDQVSDUHQF\ DOVR LQYROYHV DF FHVVWRSXEOLFRI¿FLDOV,DPDW&LW\ ly Astorian described recent meet- +DOO HYHU\ :HGQHVGD\ PRUQLQJ ings as “nearly unbearable” (“The $Q\RQHFDQFRPHLQWRDVNDTXHV GDUN VLGH RI *HDUKDUW´ -DQ $V WLRQ YRLFH DQ RSLQLRQ RU MXVW FKDW the main target of most of the speech, DERXW WKLQJV LQ WKH FLW\ 1RW HYHU\ I can certainly agree. There is a dif- RQH LV VDWLV¿HG ZLWK DQ DQVZHU EXW IHUHQFHKRZHYHUEHWZHHQWKHULJKW WKH\KDYHKDGWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WREH to say something and whether listen- ers should take it seriously. This is heard. $W D KLJKHU OHYHO WUDQVSDUHQF\ WKH NH\ WR WKH UHFDOO LVVXH WKDW YRW means that the public can see the pro- ers will decide. Do their accusations cess by which the council, Planning VRXQG SODXVLEOH" 'R WKH\ KDYH DQ\ Commission, or city administration relation to one’s perception of life in UHDFKHVDGHFLVLRQRQLQGLYLGXDOFDV Gearhart? I hope you will take some time HVDQGFDQKDYHFRQ¿GHQFHWKDWGH cisions are as consistent as possible WR DVN TXHVWLRQV LI \RX KDYH DQ\ with laws, ordinances, or other es- and then make an informed deci- , tablished policies. There may be sit- sion. Dianne Widdop is the mayor of uations where it may be a good idea to change the law. If so, the solution Gearhart and faces a recall election is to follow the process to change the March 26. 0DNLQJFRQVHUYDWLRQ palatable in rural areas Wal-Mart’s visible hand in wages Land trusts match environmentalism with respect for private property rights T ZHQW\¿YH \HDUV DJR ZKHQ FRQÀLFWVRYHU3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVW ORJJLQJ ZHUH DW D IHYHU SLWFK D IHZ JURXSV DQG LQGLYLGXDOV EHJDQ HDUQHVWO\ VHHNLQJ OHVV FRQWURYHUVLDO ZD\V WR FRQVHUYH HQYLURQPHQWDOO\ YDOXDEOH ODQG /RZHULQWHQVLW\ FRQWURYHUVLHV FRQWLQXH EXW IURP WKHSHUVSHFWLYHRISDVVLQJ\HDUVLW¶V possible to see and celebrate some true successes for organizations like Columbia Land Trust. Columbia Land Trust Director Glenn Lamb recently addressed the Columbia Forum, a community group in Astoria that hosts experts and newsmakers who speak about regional issues. Columbia Land 7UXVW 7KH 1DWXUH &RQVHUYDQF\ RI Washington and the North Coast /DQG &RQVHUYDQF\ DUH DPRQJ WKH IRUHPRVW OHDGHUV RI FRQVHUYDWLRQ HIIRUWV LQ WKH &ROXPELD3DFL¿F area. They follow a broadly similar VWUDWHJ\ RI DYRLGLQJ FRQIURQWDWLRQ LQVWHDG DFTXLULQJ SURSHUW\ ULJKWV WKURXJKSXUFKDVHEHTXHVWDQGRWKHU free-market mechanisms. )RU LWV SDUW 9DQFRXYHUEDVHG Columbia Land Trust has so far SURWHFWHG VRPHWKLQJ OLNH VTXDUH miles of interesting forestland, critical wetland habitat and other natural assets that perform an array of functions YDOXDEOHERWKWRKXPDQVDQGZLOGOLIH Land trusts allow owners to craft VROXWLRQV WKDW ZRUN IRU WKHPVHOYHV DQGWKHLUIDPLOLHVZLWKÀH[LELOLW\WR VHOO GHYHORSPHQW RU ORJJLQJ ULJKWV while retaining underlying title for residential and other uses. Lamb noted that in Washington, 50 percent of forestland is owned by IDPLOLHV HDFK KROGLQJ RQ DYHUDJH between 500 and 1,000 acres. Oregon also has a rich tradition of small forest RZQHUVKLSDQGERWKVWDWHVVWLOOKDYH many family farms that often play NH\UROHVLQSUHVHUYLQJRSHQVSDFHV ZDWHUDQGDLUTXDOLW\DORQJZLWK¿VK and wildlife habitat. Often, owners KDYHWKHGHHSHVWSRVVLEOHIHHOLQJVRI ORYH IRU DQG FRQQHFWLRQ ZLWK WKHVH ODQGV6RPHNLQGRIFRQYH\DQFHWRD ODQGWUXVWSURYLGHVDQDVVXUDQFHWKDW WKHVHYDOXHVZLOODOZD\VEHFKHULVKHG ZKLOHVWLOOSURYLGLQJSHUVRQDOLQFRPH RUWD[EHQH¿WV One of the Columbia Land Trusts EHVWORFDOYLFWRULHVZDVRQWKH/RQJ Beach (Wash.) Peninsula, where the Glenn family’s Cranguyma Farms UHFHLYHG KHOS SUHVHUYLQJ PLOHV RIXQWRXFKHGIRUHVWVWKDWZRXOGKDYH RWKHUZLVH KDG WR EH GLYLGHG DPRQJ siblings. With help from $1 million in donations from a woman in Florida and another $900,000 from Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, the land trust was able to buy and SUHVHUYHWKHODQG²DQDPD]LQJDUHD RISULPHYDOZRRGVDQGPDUVKHV (OVHZKHUH LQ 3DFL¿F &RXQW\ 7KH 1DWXUH &RQVHUYDQF\ 71& managed to assemble ownership to the entire small Ellsworth Creek ZDWHUVKHG DERYH WKH 1DVHOOH 5LYHU estuary. Ellsworth continues to be a noteworthy experiment in marrying ORQJWHUP FRQVHUYDWLRQ JRDOV ZLWK VPDOOWRZQFRPPXQLW\YDOXHV All is not always rosy in terms of UHODWLRQVEHWZHHQFRQVHUYDQF\JURXSV and local citizens. TNC’s rather tone- GHDI HDUO\V IRUD\V LQ 3DFL¿F County were greeted with wild and unfounded rumors that its aim was to turn the Willapa Hills into a giant SUHVHUYH DQG NLFN RXW DOO WUDGLWLRQDO economic uses. In Wahkiakum County, Columbia Land Trust has run into much friction with some neighbors of its effort to restore tidal wetlands in formerly diked pastures DORQJ *UD\V 5LYHU /DWH &KLQRRN Tribal Chairman Ray Gardner and RWKHUV KDYH EHHQ FRQFHUQHG DERXW the issue of public access to land trust SURSHUW\ DURXQG WKH :DOODFXW 5LYHU and the Knappton shoreline. But on balance, few would QRZ TXHVWLRQ WKDW ODQG WUXVWV DQG FRQVHUYDQFLHV PDQDJH WR SXW PRQH\ where their mouths are when it comes to protecting rural assets. As Lamb remarked in Astoria last month, “The answer lies in supporting the entire fabric RIOLIHWKDWVXUURXQGVXVHYHU\GD\´ ple, wages are not, in fact, away as soon as the war ZDVRYHU,QVWHDGIXOOHP like the price of butter, and ployment and pro-work- how much workers are er politics changed pay n February, Wal-Mart, paid depends as much on norms, and a strong middle social forces and political America’s largest employer, class endured for more than power as it does on simple announced that it will raise supply and demand. a generation. Oh, and the wages for half a million workers. decades after the war were :KDW¶V WKH HYLGHQFH" also marked by unprece- For many of those workers First, there is what actu- dented economic growth. the gains will be small, but the ally happens when mini- Which brings me back mum wages are increased. Paul DQQRXQFHPHQWLVQRQHWKHOHVVDYHU\ to Wal-Mart. Many states set minimum Krugman big deal, for two reasons. First, there ZDJHV DERYH WKH IHGHUDO The retailer’s wage hike ZLOO EH VSLOORYHUV :DO0DUW LV VR OHYHO DQG ZH FDQ ORRN DW VHHPV WR UHÀHFW WKH VDPH big that its action will probably lead what happens when a state raises its forces that led to the Great Compres- to raises for millions of workers minimum while neighboring states sion, albeit in a much weaker form. employed by other companies. do not. Does the wage-hiking state Wal-Mart is under political pressure ORVHDODUJHQXPEHURIMREV"1R² RYHU ZDJHV VR ORZ WKDW D VXEVWDQWLDO Second, and arguably far more WKH RYHUZKHOPLQJ FRQFOXVLRQ IURP number of employees are on food LPSRUWDQWLVZKDW:DO0DUW¶VPRYH studying these natural experiments is stamps and Medicaid. Meanwhile, WHOOV XV ² QDPHO\ WKDW ORZ ZDJHV that moderate increases in the mini- workers are gaining clout thanks to an are a political choice, and we can and PXPZDJHKDYHOLWWOHRUQRQHJDWLYH LPSURYLQJ ODERU PDUNHW UHÀHFWHG LQ LQFUHDVLQJZLOOLQJQHVVWRTXLWEDGMREV effect on employment. should choose differently. :KDW¶V LQWHUHVWLQJ KRZHYHU LV Then there’s history. It turns out 6RPHEDFNJURXQG&RQVHUYDWLYHV that the middle-class society we used that these pressures don’t seem all ²ZLWKWKHEDFNLQJ,KDYHWRDGPLW WR KDYH GLGQ¶W HYROYH DV D UHVXOW RI WKDWVHYHUHDWOHDVWVRIDU²\HW:DO RIPDQ\HFRQRPLVWV²QRUPDOO\DU LPSHUVRQDO PDUNHW IRUFHV ² LW ZDV Mart is ready to raise wages anyway. gue that the market for labor is like created by political action, and in a $QG LWV MXVWL¿FDWLRQ IRU WKH PRYH the market for anything else. The law brief period of time. America was echoes what critics of its low-wage of supply and demand, they say, de- VWLOODYHU\XQHTXDOVRFLHW\LQ SROLF\ KDYH EHHQ VD\LQJ IRU \HDUV WHUPLQHVWKHOHYHORIZDJ but by 1950 it had been Paying workers better will lead to HVDQGWKHLQYLVLEOHKDQG transformed by a dramat- UHGXFHGWXUQRYHUEHWWHUPRUDOHDQG of the market will punish Paying ic reduction in income KLJKHUSURGXFWLYLW\ What this means, in turn, is that anyone who tries to defy disparities, which the workers this law. economists Claudia Gol- HQJLQHHULQJ D VLJQL¿FDQW SD\ UDLVH 6SHFL¿FDOO\ WKLV YLHZ better will din and Robert Margo for tens of millions of Americans implies that any attempt labeled the Great Com- would almost surely be much easi- to push up wages will ei- lead to pression. How did that HU WKDQ FRQYHQWLRQDO ZLVGRP VXJ gests. Raise minimum wages by a WKHUIDLORUKDYHEDGFRQ happen? VHTXHQFHV6HWWLQJDPLQ reduced Part of the answer substantial amount; make it easier imum wage, it’s claimed, turnover, LV GLUHFW JRYHUQPHQW for workers to organize, increasing will reduce employment LQWHUYHQWLRQ HVSHFLDO their bargaining power; direct mon- and create a labor surplus, better ly during World War HWDU\ DQG ¿VFDO SROLF\ WRZDUG IXOO the same way attempts to ,, ZKHQ JRYHUQPHQW employment, as opposed to keeping SXWÀRRUVXQGHUWKHSULFHV morale wage-setting authority the economy depressed out of fear of agricultural commodi- was used to narrow gaps that we’ll suddenly turn into Weimar ties used to lead to butter and higher between the best paid Germany. It’s not a hard list to im- mountains, wine lakes productivity. and the worst paid. Part SOHPHQW²DQGLIZHGLGWKHVHWKLQJV and so on. Pressuring of it, surely, was a sharp we could make major strides back employers to pay more, increase in unionization. toward the kind of society most of us or encouraging workers to organize Part of it was the full-employment ZDQWWROLYHLQ The point is that extreme in- LQWR XQLRQV ZLOO KDYH WKH VDPH HI economy of the war years, which fect. FUHDWHG YHU\ VWURQJ GHPDQG IRU HTXDOLW\ DQG WKH IDOOLQJ IRUWXQHV RI %XW ODERU HFRQRPLVWV KDYH ORQJ workers and empowered them to America’s workers are a choice, not a destiny imposed by the gods of TXHVWLRQHGWKLVYLHZ6R\OHQW*UHHQ seek higher pay. ²,PHDQWKHODERUIRUFH²LVSHR 7KH LPSRUWDQW WKLQJ KRZHYHU LV the market. And we can change that ple. And because workers are peo- that the Great Compression didn’t go choice if we want to. By PAUL KRUGMAN New York Times News Service I Where to write • U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D)5D\EXUQ+2%:DVKLQJ WRQ '& 3KRQH )D[ 'LVWULFW RI¿FH 6: 0LOOLNDQ :D\ 6XLWH %HDYHUWRQ 25 3KRQH)D[ :HEERQDPLFLKRXVHJRY • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) +DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVK LQJWRQ'&3KRQH :HEZZZPHUNOH\VHQDWHJRY • State Rep. Brad Witt (D) State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E., + 6DOHP 25 3KRQH :HE ZZZOHJVWDWH RUXVZLWW (PDLO UHSEUDGZLWW# state.or.us