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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2015)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 0DQDJHPHQW Reducing tensions &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ At the time, Somers asked the Board of Commissioners to consider a “360 degree” evaluation that would include input from staff, department heads and other stakeholders instead of the board’s annual performance review. Evolved into countywide focus Over time, the evaluation evolved into a countywide fo- cus. Commissioners are still deciding whether a perfor- mance review for Somers is necessary this year. Somers’ performance was brought up in the independent review, which concluded the county manager is perceived as doing an effective job. The majority of people who work closely with Somers said he is supportive and empowering, not a micromanager. Another said he “goes above and beyond the call of duty.” However, a small group of those interviewed for the review said Somers is not effective, pointing to the departure of sev- eral department directors since the county manager arrived three years ago. Last year, Somers was the focus of complaints in anony- mous letters sent to the Board of Commissioners and The Daily Astorian that questioned his management style. He has acknowledged a large amount of changes have occurred in his time as manager. Since 0arch 2013, at least seven department heads have left the county. County Clerk 0aeve Kenne- dy Grimes was ¿red in Decem- ber after errors were discovered on the general election ballot. Kennedy Grimes has since sued the county for $1 million. In addition, half the county staff were moved to higher de- ductible health plans and the Ju- venile Detention Center closed. “A number of people said they weren’t clear why certain changes were made. This caused unnecessary gossip, speculation, ‘water cooler’ talk and tension that could have been avoided if the changes had been better ex- plained,” Kennedy wrote in the review. 1RWDIDFW¿QGLQJUHSRUW Somers hopes the review’s overall ¿ndings will put such concerns to bed. The review was not meant to be a fact-¿nd- ing report, he said, but rather a look at common themes and perceptions in the organization. Ultimately, Somers said, he is pleased with the results. “It is what it is. I know I have some blind spots, but I feel pret- ty con¿dent with some of the strengths,” Somers said. “That’s why I asked for a review. This is pretty much what I expected. I never expected to ¿nd a smok- ing gun.” &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES From the 55 interviews conducted for the Clatsop County Management Review, the following are the strengths and weaknesses that were mentioned repeatedly in describing County Manager Scott Somers’ leadership and management style and capabilities: Strengths/What he does well • Hard working • Good at information sharing with the community • Open, collaborative, supportive, approachable • Smart, professional and competent • Great managerial skills, very organized • Very direct and decisive • Exceptional in leading economic development efforts/ initiatives • Makes decisions based on facts and the best interests of the county, not personalities • Presents options and alternatives • Good at delegation • Good listener, empathetic • Tries to correct his mistakes Weaknesses/Areas for improvement • Pushes too hard for the outcome he wants • Inflexible after he has formed an opinion and sometimes stops listening when he disagrees • Too quick to take action/make decisions at times — needs to involve others and think through all the possible conclu- sions and the alternative courses suggested by others • Needs to build greater skill at flexing his style to accom- modate different personalities • Too thin-skinned when receiving criticism • Needs more discipline at staying “out of the weeds” when working on internal issues Scott Lee, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said he is satis¿ed with the ¿ndings related to the county manager, and that it rose above a performance review by the board. The independent review also focused on the Board of Commissioners. The evalua- tion noted the county has been successful with recent strategic priorities, mainly a community visioning process called Clatsop Vision 2030. The county now needs to clarify, communicate and make progress on a long- term strategic direction, accord- ing to the review. “The board is going to digest the material and probably have a work session on it,” Lee said. “Overall, it was a fairly positive analysis of staff and management.” Reduce the tensions When asked why the board decided to pursue the indepen- dent review, Lee said it was largely an attempt to reduce the tensions caused by Commis- sioner Dirk Rohne, who last year questioned the many termi- nations and resignations under Somers, among other personnel issues. “If you look back, Commis- sioner Rohne had some con- cerns and he gave credence to anonymous letters,” Lee said. “I don’t take credence in any of those letters.” The commissioners and Somers accused Rohne of dis- cussing his concerns with labor attorney Akin Blitz, which pos- sibly violated board rules and state laws by acting on behalf of the board. In addition, the com- mission was upset with Rohne for comments he made in an article in the Dec. 12 issue of The Daily Astorian without ¿rst speaking with Somers or Lee. Soon after, Lee sent Rohne a Under the sovereign immunity principle, plain- tiffs cannot sue the federal government unless the law explicitly allows it. The six-year statute of limitations in which Ore- gon LNG or another party could appeal the federal government’s claim to the land has also passed, As- sistant U.S. Attorney Ste- phen Odell wrote in a court document. The Corps asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit based in part on those arguments. 0XVWSURYH MXULVGLFWLRQ In U.S. District Court in SEASIDE — Since win- ning a state title last spring, the Knappa baseball team hasn’t missed a beat, as the Loggers are still scoring runs and winning games in the Ju- nior State summer season. The Loggers racked up a combined 23 hits and 29 runs Thursday night, in a 16- 5, 13-5 sweep over Seaside at Broadway Field. Sophomore-to-be Dale Takalo pitched a complete game in the opener, scatter- ing eight hits with six strike- outs and two walks. Knappa scored 13 runs over the first three innings of the second game, and kept the Gulls scoreless over the last five for the twinbill sweep. Knappa built big leads early in both games, scoring a combined 23 runs over the first three innings. Reuben Cruz — the early odds-on favorite for North- west League Player of the Year next season — set the tone for the day with a run-scoring double in the first inning of the first game. Cruz had seven RBIs and ¿ve hits on the day, including two doubles and an inside-the- park home run in the ¿rst game. Logan Boettcher had a pair of hits and drove in four runs in the ¿rst game, while 0ason Hoover had a leadoff single and later added a triple. Carson Schulte had a double and a triple for the Gulls, in addition to driving in three runs. Two Seaside pitchers walked 10 batters and gave up 11 hits. In the second game, Sea- side’s ¿rst four batters had base hits in the bottom of the ¿rst inning, which included a run-scoring single by Jacob Bassett and an RBI double by Dawson Blanchard to give the Gulls an early 4-2 lead. Knappa answered with eight runs in the top of the Portland Wednesday, 0ag- istrate Judge John V. Acos- ta said Oregon LNG must prove the court has juris- diction to rule on the case. “0uch of your response deals with the merits of your client’s claim, and not the procedural issue,” Acosta said to Jonathan Radmacher, an attorney for Oregon LNG. Odell said in court Wednesday that Oregon LNG must prove the state was unaware the Army Corps had an interest in the submerged land, even as the federal agency con- tinued to dump dredging spoils on the easement. “The burden here is on the plaintiff to show really the state didn’t know and should not have known” about the federal interest, Odell said. Radmacher disagreed. “That act of dump- ing from ’63 to ’92 isn’t enough to say, ‘We have a right to do what we’re do- ing,’” Radmacher said of the federal government’s argument. “It doesn’t ac- quire the state’s property by doing that.” Acosta said he would take the motion to dismiss under consideration but did not give a time frame when he might rule on the request. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. 5HVRUW A challenge for developers &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ letter that warned Rohne he may be personally liable for violating public meetings laws and could be held personally liable for costs incurred. “I tried to bring issues for- ward, and they tried to destroy me,” Rohne said. In January, when Somers proposed ¿nding a third-party ¿rm for a “360 degree” evalua- tion, Rohne suggested the board appoint an ad hoc personnel committee to ¿nd a ¿rm, rather than Somers hand-picking ¿rms to evaluate him. No other commissioner sec- onded Rohne’s motion and the proposal died. “I’m willing to move forward and do the best job I can for the people I was elected to represent,” Rohne said. “I still have my concerns and I think my concerns have been validated by the way I was treated.” Rohne found it odd that the board placed him on a steering committee with Somers and Commissioner Sarah Nebeker to assist Kennedy Consulting with the review, especially since Rohne wanted a neutral process that did not involve himself or Somers. The steering committee of- fered opinions and suggestions to Kennedy, while she conducted the review. The consultant held 55 one-on-one interviews with coun- ty employees, elected of¿cials, community stakeholders and for- mer Clatsop County employees. In conclusion, Kennedy strongly recommended the county manager develop a re- port for the board in a year to document the steps taken to im- plement her recommendations. “I hope everyone takes it to heart. I think it was a very thorough, objective review,” Somers said. “The recommen- dations should be taken seri- ously, if the county wants to move forward.” Loggers still racking up hits, scoring lots of runs By GARY HENLEY The Daily Astorian (DVHPHQW 0ust prove jurisdiction Jinings added that the small resorts were also supposed “to serve as an example of how something smaller and environ- mentally and ecology-friendly could work.” “In real simple terms, the Legislature gave them a coupon and said, ‘You can redeem this coupon for a small-scale rec- reation development in other counties that meet these quali¿- cations,’” Jinings said. There were two qualifying destination resort properties: the 0etolian with plans for more than 600 units of tourist lodging and single-family homes, and a 2,500-unit development pro- posed by the Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co. Prior to the extension, those property owners had until June 29 of this year to apply to de- velop “small-scale recreation” communities elsewhere in the state. µ3RWHQWLDOFRQÀLFWRI LQWHUHVW¶ Johnson’s family owns a re- treat near the headwaters of the 0etolius River and she initially pushed for legislation to stop resorts in the basin, before step- ping back to leave that work to other lawmakers. Johnson was excused from a July 3 Senate Àoor vote on HB 3431, but she did vote with other lawmakers July 1 to pass the bill out of the Joint Committee on Ways and 0eans. “Out of an abundance of caution, I declare a potential conÀict of interest in that I own land in the 0etolius Basin,” Johnson said ahead of the com- mittee vote. However, Johnson did not raise any objections to the bill, which had been amended to speci¿cally allow the 0etoli- us-area property owners to de- velop small resorts in Clatsop, 0orrow, Sherman, Umatilla and Wheeler counties, or any county with a June 29, 2009, un- employment rate that was more than 110 percent of the state av- erage. Sen. Ginny Burdick, whose family owns a cabin in the 0etolius River Basin on land leased from the U.S. Forest Ser- vice, also declared a potential conÀict of interest before she also voted to move the bill out of committee. Johnson said a majority of lawmakers supported the bill and it was not controversial. When asked whether the bill is good or bad for Clatsop County, Johnson said, “I think it’s neu- tral.” In explaining her support for the bill, Johnson said it would still be challenging for develop- ers to meet the deadline, even with the three-year extension. She was skeptical the proper- ty owner who planned to build the 0etolian, Shane Lundgren, could ¿nd a suitable site in Clat- sop County. “And assuming a site opened up, it would still have to go through the local process,” Johnson said. Johnson said she did not meet with Lundgren, and said that Rep. Brian Clem, D-Sa- lem, added Clatsop County to the list of counties where prop- erty owners could build small resorts. Clem also pushed for the 2009 ban on destination re- sorts in the basin, telling other lawmakers the river’s headwa- ters “are a treasure created by God.” The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Me- dia Group and Pamplin Media Group. 7UROOH\ Turned rides into experiences &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ ment the relationships among the dozens of volunteers, who usually interact with only three other crew members at a time, Frank Kemp, the trol- ly’s maintenance coordinator, said. It was a bittersweet eve- ning, however; the men of honor, all of whom are in their 80s, admitted that their health and age make it tough to climb aboard the trolley. “I’d just as soon be back driving,” Lockett said. “It’s just been a good ride.” City icon Abraham learned more about Astoria’s history by becoming a trolley conduc- tor than he ever imagined he would, he said. Occasionally, he found himself conducting a trolley with only two or three people in transit. Instead of reciting facts into the microphone from the rear of the trolley, he would sit down with the pas- sengers and point out things he found interesting about the city. “And I hope it was inter- esting to the people I was talking to,” he said. In fact, it is talking with the passengers that Abraham will miss most, he said. Not for =a¿ratos, who pre- ferred motorman work. “I’d rather drive than talk, even though I was a lawyer,” he said, chuckling. The trolley, which sweeps by the remnants of old-time Astoria, has, during its 16 years in the city, become an icon of 21st century Astoria, Hauke said. “I think this trolley is the best thing that ever happened to this town,” Abraham said. SCHEDULE SPORTS SCHEDULE SATURDAY Baseball — Gresham Legion at Astoria Ford (2), Noon. second inning, highlighted by run-scoring singles from Andrew Bryant, Ryker Cof- fey and Jason 0iller, fol- lowed by a two-run double from Cruz. Takalo and 0ichal Goodman both added RBI singles. The only runs over the last five innings came on a three-run, inside-the-park homer by 0iller, who fin- ished with two hits and four RBIs. SCOREBOARD BASEBALL JUNIOR STATE Game 1 Knappa 16, Seaside 5 Knappa 307 24—16 11 0 Seaside 203 00—5 8 3 D.Takalo and Cruz; Bassett, Schulte (5) and Landwehr. W: D. Takalo. L: Bassett. RBI: Kna, Cruz 4, Boettcher 4, Hunt 2, Bryant 2, Hoover; Sea, Schulte 3, Blanchard. 2B: Kna, Cruz, Miller; Sea, Schul- te, Blanchard. 3B: Kna, Hoover. HR: Kna, Cruz. HBP: Sea, Bassett. LOB: Knappa 4, Seaside 5. Game 2 Knappa 13, Seaside 5 Knappa 283 000 0—13 12 2 Seaside 410 000 0—5 7 2 Hoover, M.Goodman (7) and E.Takalo; Plampin, McFadden (6) and Landwehr. W: Hoover. L: Plampin. RBI: Kna, Miller 4, Cruz 3, D.Takalo 2, Bryant, Cof- fey, M.Goodman; Sea, Bassett, Blanchard, Boyd, McFadden, Plampin. 2B: Kna, Cruz, Hoover; Sea, Blanchard. HR: Kna, Miller. HBP: Kna, E.Takalo, Green. LOB: Knappa 5, Seaside 6. DP: Knappa; Seaside. PENINSULA SADDLE CLUB & BRIM’S FARM & GARDEN PRESENTS 70 th W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 July 25 & 26, 2015 1:00 p.m. Family night starts Saturday after Rodeo You Never Know What You’ll Find At A Collectors West Gun & Knife Show! ASTORIA • JULY 1 8- 1 9 Clatsop Co. Fairgrounds 92937 Walluski Loop $6 • Sat: 9am -5pm ; Sun: 10am -3pm • Info: collectorsw est.com “Featuring free fun events for kids up to 12 years” Friday, July 24th 6:30 pm • Rodeo Parade Downtown Long Beach Drill Team • Beer Garden • Vendors • Concessions Admission: PRES ALE Adults $9.50 Seniors $8.50 Children (6-12 yrs.) $4.50 * Peninsula Pharmacy Adults $10.00 Seniors $9.00 Children (6-12yrs.) $5.00 Children 5 & under FREE COWBOY BREAKFAST Sat. & Sun. 7a.m. til 11 a.m . 6407 Sandridge Road • Info 1-800-451-2542 LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON