7A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015
0DQDJHPHQW Reducing tensions
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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