THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
Act on climate change
It’s your Port
T
he Port of Astoria boat
haul out/ repair yard
seems to be destined to have
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month, despite protests from
both recreational boaters,
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businessmen in the seafood
industry.
Although the Oregon De-
partment of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) is cited as
the driving force demanding
closure until the problem of
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copper in the waste-water run
off can be addressed, this is
simply not true. Sources at
DEQ say the port was advised
of the need to better monitor
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off, although the boat yard
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the source. In fact, DEQ was
willing to grant grace periods
out to 2016, with the under-
standing of the need to keep
the boatyard operational.
The Port commission
chose to ignore that allow-
ance, completely scuttle the
plan of expansion for the
yard, and allow log storage on
part of the boat yard footprint.
They then allowed Astoria
Fiber to not only expand the
storage footprint, they granted
the move of the debarker op-
eration from Lewis and Clark
to the boat yard. Astoria Fiber
in an interview last August
said that wasn’t enough, they
needed the whole 20 acres.
Suddenly the boat yard was
a villain. Twenty blacktopped
paved acres, the only boatyard
in Oregon with such an asset.
It was taxpayer dollars that
went, either directly or indi-
rectly into designing, permit-
ting, and implementing that
yard. It’s your yard, it’s your
port, not the Port commis-
sion’s.
Whether you are a boater,
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cess worker, or just someone
who enjoyed the Riverwalk
and watching the boats being
worked on, you should be out-
raged. Your trust in the elected
RI¿FLDOV KDV EHHQ JURVVO\ YL-
olated.
All up and down the coast,
ports are expanding, improv-
ing, growing, and our port
— which should be the jewel
of the West Coast — is fall-
ing apart, due in large part to
mismanagement and narrow
viewed catering to a single
entity, instead of serving for
the betterment of all.
It’s been years since the
seafood industry, or for that
matter the general boating
public, has had any represen-
tation on the commission. It’s
way past time the people of
Clatsop County took the Port
commission to task — It’s
your Port.
DAVE DENSMORE
Astoria
none of these items were on
the table. Widdop did not
bring up any of these concerns
for debate before the election.
She had no mandate.
We were told that the or-
crab. As I near the top of
dinances were necessary
the trail at 13th Street, I see
because of complaints, yet
one of my favorite birds, the
information regarding the
red winged blackbird, busy
complaints, nor the amount of
singing a melodious sown
complaints, was ever given.
of their own.
How do we know if the com-
On my return south on
plaints came from neighbors,
the trail, I was treated to a
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marvelous view of the sun
A big issue has been the
rising, the Astoria Bridge,
barn. In actions reminiscent of
the Column and Saddle
the monomaniacal Capt. Ahab
Mountain. I thought to my-
chasing Moby Dick, Widdop
self: This surely is God’s
is obsessed with this issue.
country and my trail of sur-
There is plenty of fault to go
prises.
around, however, the mayor’s
JIM BERNARD
personal clashes and failure to
Warrenton
settle this issue indicate her
inabilities as a fair and bal-
move on, and focus on the le- anced mayor.
gitimate business of Gearhart.
As Ishmael said, “Ahab’s
VIANNE PATTERSON quenchless feud seemed
Gearhart mine.” At present, the city is
on a Nantucket sleigh ride,
Moby Dick
hooked onto Moby Dick/the
hen the new mayor of barn with Land Use Board of
Astoria was recently Appeals (LUBA) cases, po-
LQDXJXUDWHGWKH¿UVWWKLQJVKH tential lawsuits, ill will and
did was to congratulate the increasing costs to the city.
loser in a bid to bring the city
Out-of-town
vacation
together.
homeowners are looked upon
In the last mayoral election as cash cows to be taxed and
for the city of Gearhart, I lost regulated, yet their voices are
by a mere handful of votes to dismissed out of hand; anoth-
Dianne Widdop. She never er case of Widdop alienating
partook in such pleasantries, people of the city.
and thus set the tone for her
Furthermore, perhaps if
regime. In fact, her personal Widdop had put her time and
animosity was evident when efforts into seeking water
she stated in a City Council rights with the same enthu-
meeting that she disdained a siasm shown as harpooning
council member because the Moby Dick, we would be bet-
council member had endorsed ter off, and our home values
me.
would have been protected.
Now the city is split, with
Please vote to recall Di-
council members openly re- anne Widdop.
buking her, and the chambers
BOB SHORTMAN
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Gearhart
zens.
Widdop set off into her
Messed up
administration with an av-
have been going to the
alanche of ordinances, as if
Gearhart City Council and
she envisioned the city of
Gearhart as Dog Patch in a Planning Commission for
Lil’ Abner cartoon. We were around eight years now, and
inundated with the following: have seen the ups and downs
an abandoned car ordinance, of city government, but the re-
a burning ordinance, a light call of the mayor has been the
ordinance, a noise ordinance, most messed up than I have
a fence ordinance, a Christ- seen.
I do hope that when the
mas light ordinance, a vaca-
tion home ordinance and a Gearhart voters make their
proposed recreational vehicle vote, that this will end both
sides of the bickering, half
ordinance.
When I ran against her, lies, lies, half truths, truths
My trail of surprises
T
hank you for the excellent
editorial “Climate change
is real, Congress isn’t” (The
Daily Astorian, Feb. 24). The
editor concludes that Con-
gress is failing us. They’re
failing us because voters are
allowing congressmen to do
nothing. If more constituents
work harder to communicate
clearly with members of Con-
gress, we would have national
climate change legislation.
Congressmen like Greg
Walden, R-Ore., 2nd District,
recognize climate change
is real and that we must “do
everything we can to address
this issue of global warming
and climate change.” Clear-
ly it’s time for residents of
The Daily Astorian’s district
to team up with residents of
Walden’s district and promise
to protect Walden’s back as
he decides to act on climate
change. A market-based car-
bon tax rebated to the public
would be his smartest choice.
JUDY WEISS
Brookline, Mass.
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
I
t’s a clear, cold morn-
ing as I head out on my
morning jaunt. I notice
there is frost on the roofs
of the houses. I enter the
Warrenton waterfront trail
at Seventh Place and Main
Avenue.
As I turn to head north
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of the day: Two huge bull
elks and six elk siblings a
short distance to my north.
They just stand there and
give me a curious stare. As
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lings, and then the bull elk
funny, tastes funny. In a cost
saving measure, a circula-
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project was purchased and
installed. My family will not
drink Gearhart’s water, or use
it for cooking.
Another cost-saving mea-
sure at the onset of this project
was to not hire our own certi-
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As a result, we are working
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cation of Warrenton, costing
us additional unnecessary
money, and still leaving us
with water that smells and
tastes funny.
Because we do not have
our own permits in place,
Gearhart is still required, at
certain times of the year, to
continue to purchase water
from Warrenton, costing us
even more unnecessary mon-
ey.
There is however, around
$1 million in the white ele-
phant’s slush fund. The city
has not communicated to res-
idents how much of this mon-
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isting problems, and when an
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Will the city actually use
this slush fund money to help
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Will it cost more than what’s
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general obligation bond to
pay for these problems, put-
ting the city even further in
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all of this information from
the city’s residents. It’s not to
be talked about.
Mayor Widdop has said
many times that this wa-
ter treatment plant, costing
us millions of dollars and
not functioning properly, is
“economic development” for
Gearhart. Economic develop-
ment is new funds coming in
from a new source, not col-
lecting more funds from city
residents.
Gearhart residents are tired
of erratic water bills. Our wa-
ter meters need to be read on a
monthly basis, with no guess-
work. Actual readings.
Why are the new water
meters not being installed in a
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that $1 million slush fund, re-
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that money to feed the white
elephant. We need a mayor
who understands the major
issues in our city needing at-
tention now, not later.
Please vote yes to recall
Mayor Dianne Widdop.
BONNIE GRAEFF
Gearhart
saunter off into the brush.
As I approach where
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woodpecker of the season,
pecking at a tree. A short
distance further up the trail
I spot a regal eagle at the top
of a tree, eyeing baby buf-
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in the pond.
As pass over the alder
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trawler returning from the
ocean with its catch, and
another crab boat heading
to the ocean in search of
words and actions regarding
the matter, and I accepted her
apology.
If there are those in Gear-
KDUWZKR¿QGLWQHFHVVDU\WR
want to recall Dianne Wid-
dop as mayor for other rea-
sons than just my scenario,
that is another issue. I do not
wish to be the example or
reference for her misuse of
powers.
The circumstances that
brought my situation to the
forefront should not be one
that propagated her forfei-
ture of being mayor. I would
not like anyone to use what
transpired between Dianne
Widdop and I as an advan-
tage in removing her from
office.
LINDA GOLDFARB
Gearhart
Mean-spirited noise
A
s a resident of Gearhart,
I am very saddened by
the recall and the mean-spir-
ited noise from a small group.
Gearhart is a wonderful place,
with a real spirit of com-
munity. Neighbors help and
support each other, and care
about their town. No one ex-
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of Gearhart more than our
mayor, Dianne Widdop. She
has served us well with com-
petent leadership and cares
deeply about her community
service.
I regret the tarnish this re-
call has put on our community
and urge a no vote so we can
W
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and rumors, that has left me
so disillusioned with city gov-
ernment and the people back-
ing the recall. All I ask is to let
the voters of Gearhart end it.
THOMAS D. THIES
Gearhart
Innuendo, lies, fear
T
hose campaigning for the
recall of Gearhart Mayor
Dianne Widdop have resort-
ed to innuendo, lies and fear,
mixed in with a lot of sweet
talk. Retaliation for signing the
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I have heard the allegations.
They have been answered to my
satisfaction by Mayor Widdop
(“The Gearhart recall decision,”
The Daily Astorian, March 3).
And yet this little group contin-
ues to ignore facts and simply
repeat their allegations. They
sound like a broken record.
It appears to me that this
group studied at the “Sarah Pal-
in school of political activism.”
Just make up your own facts
and couch them in sugary, cute
phrases. Mix with a big dose
of patriotic rhetoric citing the
Constitution, free speech, di-
versity, honesty and kindness.
And there you have it: the cam-
paign to recall Mayor Widdop.
If anyone is being pushy
with the recall efforts, it is the
group seeking to oust Mayor
Widdop. In the space of a 24-
hour period, the doorbell rang
three times at my full-time
Gearhart residence.
The third time a petition-
er rang the bell, (it was one of
the same women who rang our
doorbell earlier), she was some-
what rude and pushy when I
pointed out that we had already
stated we were not interested in
signing the petition. I asked that
our name and address be taken
off of their list of houses to can-
vass. I got the “big stink eye” at
my request.
One last thought: Who is
going to pay for this recall
election that will cost around
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The costs will be passed on to
Gearhart taxpayers. Perhaps the
recall group could cover that
bill. In their vendetta to oust
the mayor, they are the ones
creating a divisive community.
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RANDY WILTGEN
Gearhart
Just for the record
I
t is unfortunate that I got in-
volved in a political contro-
versy that should have already
abated.
Upon my starting a busi-
ness in Gearhart, Dianne
Widdop introduced herself,
and offered assistance in my
venture. We had lunch, and I
found her to be a nice woman
and a good source of informa-
tion.
When I gave permission to
Kevin Willett to put up a sign
promoting his pursuit for a
position on the City Council, I
did not envision such turmoil.
I was doing so at his bequest.
White elephant
As a recent acquaintance, I
uring her two years as found no issue in being friend-
mayor, Dianne Widdop ly, and allowed a sign to pro-
has shown no leadership in mote his candidacy in front of
working toward solving the my business. If John Duncan
problems plaguing Gearhart’s had asked me, I would have
white elephant — the water done the same.
treatment plant.
I was not aware of the his-
The city still owes $7.645 tory between people in the
million of the nearly $11 mil- community, or the politics
OLRQRULJLQDOFRVW5H¿QDQFLQJ that I had become intertwined
being touted now will save with. There is no need to re-
homeowners approximately hash the scenario that ensued.
$17 per S200,000 of home Widdop was obviously dis-
value.
turbed by my gesture, and has
Gearhart’s water smells since apologized to me for her
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