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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2015)
OPINION 6A T HE D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher GUEST COLUMN Port disappoints community on boatyard, access to city park LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor By CELIA TIPPIT For The Daily Astorian BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager Spurning Chinook Tribe is incomprehensible T Washington Senate’s motivation was good, but omissions cry out he Washington State Senate’s 42-7 vote last week to require public schools to include the history of the state’s 29 federally recognized Indian tribes in their curricula was a good step, but lawmakers missed a great chance to do right by one of our region’s greatest tribes, the Chinook Indian Nation. Leaving the Chinook out is comprehensible in simple political terms. There are at least 10 other Native American groups in the state that assert tribal status but KDYHQRWEHHQJUDQWHGLWYLDRI¿FLDO federal channels. Some have a tenuous connection to reality, while others like the Chinook and Duwamish have strong arguments for continued existence. (There are at least 11 unrecognized tribes in Oregon, including the Clatsop- Nehalem Confederated Tribes.) But spurning the Chinook is incomprehensible in terms of historical reality and justice. Eminent archaeologists and ethnologists say the Chinook family of tribes along the tidal reaches of the Columbia River were one of the most powerful civilizations on the West Coast. Speak with someone like Ken Ames of Portland State University and his eyes light up with excitement at the thought of the richness and dominance of the Chinook in this prime territory. They controlled the Columbia River the way the ancient Greeks dominated the Aegean Sea. The motivations behind the Washington Senate’s Indian curriculum legislation are admirable. It received broad bipartisan support, based on the SURSRVLWLRQV WKDW RXU UHJLRQ¶V ¿UVW peoples deserve respect; that 19th and 20th century settlers unleashed genocidal diseases and purposeful policies that took tens of thousands of lives; and that we still have much WROHDUQIURPWKH¿UVWSHRSOHV¶GHHS and successful connections to the lands and waters we now all share. In modern times, tribes are major SOD\HUV LQ ¿VKHULHV FRQVHUYDWLRQ land development and other important activities. There is nothing in the legislation to preclude educators from choosing to include Chinook culture and history in lessons. Here in their hereditary homeland, teachers and students certainly should spend a few days during K-12 schooling to learn about this amazing tribe. It is possible to imagine an integrated lesson plan that would encompass the Chinook Tribe’s UROH LQ 3DFL¿F 5LP HFRQRPLFV and intertribal politics, traditional foods and medicines, music and language. We who live here in the VW FHQWXU\ ZRXOG ¿QG RXU OLYHV enriched by better understanding how the Chinook managed to do so well here for thousands of years. 6WDWH 6HQ %ULDQ +DW¿HOG WULHG late in the process to amend the legislation to include the Chinook. Perhaps it can be managed in conference committee or in some future legislative session. It is well ZRUWKNHHSLQJXSWKLVODWHVW¿JKWRQ behalf of tribal justice. THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 I was alarmed to read the March 5 article in The Daily Astorian that announced that the Port of Astoria plans to close our boatyard as soon as April 1. I had hoped that under new leadership the commissioners just might be able to readjust their views of the Port’s wayward directions and actually respect the major part that individual boat owners play in our community. The Port shows no awareness of the role that the Celia Tippit photo boating commu- This sign at the Port’s Pier 3 warns people of the parking lot closure. nity has played in the past and not a whit of common sense about the pres- ent state of af- fairs. The city of Astoria has em- braced boats and boating for eons: Celia Tippit The Regatta was ¿UVWFHOHEUDWHG\HDUVDJRWKHDQ- nual FisherPoets Gathering focuses on ¿VKHUPHQDQGZRPHQDQGWKHLUERDWV the Great Columbia Crossing celebrates the Columbia River and its vital role in our community. Boats are an integral part of all our lives, but boats need to be maintained, repaired and cared for in a Celia Tippit photo local boatyard. According to Mike Weston, Port Log loaders and other equipment are busy behind the parking lot to of Astoria director of business devel- the city park at the Port of Astoria’s Pier 3. RSPHQWWKHERDW\DUGLVSUR¿WDEOHE\ $75,000 to $100,000. Why is this prof- boatyard are not seaworthy; that is why my Lulu for more than six years at this it not going directly to the boatyard so they are there. spot and I also availed myself of the that cleanup can commence while the disabled parking when I was recovering City park: Another Port works with, not against, the De- from a hip replacement. It was a boon partment of Environmental Quality? to have that paved path readily acces- probable closure Why send our boats to Ilwaco when sible.) This second probable closing affects the Port was directly instrumental Now, just outside Englund Marine’s in getting Englund Marine to move every citizen in Astoria. The city park establishment on Gateway Street (how at Pier 3 is located at ironic!), there is a stern sign telling us their highly regarded the west end of the that our street is “temporarily” closed establishment to the Why after pier and is located on due to log truck activity. The sign ad- Pier 3 arena so they the edge of our nota- vises the would-be visitor to park on could readily service only four- ble Riverwalk; it is, Industry Street and walk the long way the boatyard and the in fact, the end of the to the city park. This involves an ad- West End Mooring plus months Riverwalk. (Remem- ditional walk of about a quarter mile. Basin? ber when the Port Why cannot Astoria’s Forest Products Why can’t the on the job FDPH IRUZDUG ¿YH KLUHDÀDJSHUVRQWRGLUHFWWUDI¿FGRZQ Port establish and en- is Knight or six years ago with this city street and keep our street and force guidelines for offer to develop a our park accessible to all of us? They all who drydock their so ready to an park at the northwest can easily pay for such an action. vessels so that indi- At this time “temporary” is not de- of Pier 3? I do.) viduals can be held capitulate? point There are 10 park- ¿QHG QR KRXUV RU GD\V RU ZHHNV RU responsible for their ing places, including months are spelled out. I fear the next failures? Why is the Port Executive Director Jim Knight one for disabled parking at the site. VLJQ ZLOO XVH WKH ZRUG ³LQGH¿QLWHO\´ so willing to “enter into a plan” with There is a “mutt mitt” station. There Will “permanently” follow? City park are lights that line the length of the path at Pier 3 is adjacent to the city’s own the DEQ? Why after only four-plus months on on the westward side. There is a paved Riverwalk located at the end of a city the job is Knight so ready to capitulate? path and benches at the end of the path. street. Will this area now be denied to This city park has been regularly the citizens of Astoria? Why the unrealistic rush? In her past life, Celia Tippit was If anyone has been paying attention used by a cross-section of Astorians – to China and their own predicted de- small children on bicycles, the elderly a boat builder. She built and sailed a crease in building, one should realize and the healing with their walkers, 50-foot trimaran on a round trip from that this “boom” of log exporting may grown children pushing their parents San Francisco to Maui. She knows and grandparents in wheelchairs, tour- and likes boatyards, marinas and boat not go on much longer. I am amazed by the apparent igno- ists on foot or on hotel-provided bicy- people. For several years she was in rance of the Port commissioners on the cles, Astoria High School track runners, charge of the Astoria Music Festival’s workings of a boatyard. Any boat that is lovers and friends watching sunsets, Hosts Program. She is a rusty bridge in a boatyard is — by location — inca- and lots of dog walkers. Here, there is player, and has a high regard for the pable of being moved easily. Boats in a quiet and friendliness. (I have walked Paci¿c Ocean. Time to raise salaries for our judges, governor Open forum I Our little Mayberry n Gov. John Kitzhaber’s recent decline and fall, Oregon voters were reminded that the governor of Oregon is paid $98,000 annually. Even in a state that notoriously devalues the compensation for elective public service, what we pay our governor is laughable. Oregon pays the 45th lowest governor salary in America. Our companions LQ WKH ERWWRP ¿YH DUH &RORUDGR Arkansas, Arizona and Maine. The most generous states are Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New York, Illinois and New Jersey. We are well behind our West Coast neighbors: Washington at $166,891, the ninth most generous state, and California at $173,987, the seventh. These numbers are for 2014 and are gathered by the website Ballotpedia. If you look at how Oregon pays its judges, there is a similar pattern. For salaries paid for general jurisdictional courts (circuit courts), Oregon ranks 49th. For salaries paid to the state’s highest court, we rank 48th. Those numbers are gathered by the National Council for State Courts. There is a little-known 2UHJRQ 3XEOLF 2I¿FLDOV Compensation Commission. It makes recommendations for salary adjustments to the state Legislature. The commission in 2008 recommended raising the governor’s salary from $93,600 to $130,000. The subsequent raise took the governor to the present $98,000. State government’s size puts it on a par with Nike and Intel. But the American tradition is not to make that comparison. Compensation became a discussion topic with Kitzhaber, because he sought outside speaking engagements and it appears that he and his girlfriend were trying to supplement their collective income by getting paid to do favors for outside interests. Raising the governor’s salary would not necessarily inhibit another Kitzhaber-type episode. The best antidote to that is a good example by his successor. And Gov. Kate Brown is showing that with the sweeping ethics and public records disclosure legislation, she proposed last week. :H XUJH OHJLVODWRUV WR ¿QG WKH gumption to take this one on. The same is true for judicial salaries, where there is a very real comparison to be made with what a good lawyer can make in private practice. G earhart, or what some out-of- own homeowners call “our little Mayberry.” We love our Gearhart community. Our quaint little town and the locally owned family businesses have sustained Gearhart for over a century. Their contributions to our economic growth are what keeps our town alive. They are the heartbeat of the community, and Gearhart’s city government needs to support these businesses. Gearhart’s city gov- ernment needs to ask, “What can we do for you?” and, “How can we support you?” Members of our Gearhart city government should not involve themselves in gossip and innuendos designed to intim- idate or control business owners and/or residents. We love our weekend coffee and pastries from the local bakery, lunch or dinner with friends and family. The convenience of shopping for gifts, groceries, home decor, and ÀRZHUV IRU RXU JDUGHQ LFH FUHDP with the grandkids, and haircuts from the local barber, all of which create lasting memories that are important to a healthy communi- ty. Keeping Gearhart special is our goal. Unnecessary, poorly written or- dinances undermine the livability of what we all hold dear. We now have a burn ordinance and a fence ordi- nance, all of which require a permit — but we do not have to pay for said permit. What, exactly, are these ordi- nances designed to do? A noise ordinance, complete with the local police using a decibel meter to measure a backyard barbecue par- ty, your children’s laughter, or your dog’s bark. The silencing of Gear- hart’s residents is an act of bureau- cratic vandalism that deeply upsets and offends the vast majority of the Gearhart population. In 20 years of local government involvement, Dianne Widdop has learned very little about the commu- nity she lives in. What we have so far from Dianne Widdop’s reign as may- or is to button up the community to ¿WKHUDJHQGD:KHQSXEOLFVHUYDQWV are acting anti-democratically, a big stink needs to be made. Make a big stink. Vote yes to re- call Mayor Dianne Widdop. JAE YOUNG Gearhart Thrilled at the news W e in Parents’ Rights in Ed- ucation have been working to safeguard children from much of what the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) have been perpetrating on minors for the past several years — without parental knowledge or permission. We are thrilled at the news that the annual Adolescent Sexuality Conference in Seaside has been can- celed. Actually, kids all over the state are the biggest winners. We will continue to keep a close eye on the ODE and OHA, as we know their stealth agenda is still active within their “Comprehensive Sexuality Education,” and within their OHA School-Based Health Centers. You can view video and hear audio revealing empirical evidence which was used to expose what the ODE and OHA had presented and provided for youth at the annual Adolescent Sexuality Conference at www.parentsrightsined.net. On Facebook, look for “Parents’ Rights in Education.” CHRIS BRIDGENS Warrenton Bigger not always better I read, with a sinking heart the article “How big can you be, Astoria?” (The Daily Astorian, March 6). Can one businessman have this much influence on our small town? Astoria’s charm lies in its small town warmth. I didn’t move here wanting to live in a “major tour- ist destination” or to be next to an “international airport.” I don’t want WR OLYH QH[W WR D 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW “Fisherman’s Wharf.” Huy Ying Chen’s vision isn’t my vision, and it would ruin all that makes me love this town. I can’t help but think I’m not alone. Bigger is not always better. TERRIE POWERS Astoria