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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016 Brownson will run for City Council Seeks seat being vacated by Herzig By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Tom Brownson, a retired contractor, is running for Asto- ria City Council. He is seeking the south side seat being vacated by City Councilor Drew Herzig, who is moving to Massachusetts and will not run for re-election. “I think that who I am — and what tools I have — I can be an asset to the council in the decision-making process as we move along,” Brown- son said. Brownson is active with the Astoria Yacht Club and the campaign to return the old Tourist No. 2 ferry to Astoria. He ran unsuc- cessfully for the Port Tom of Astoria Brownson Commission in 2005. He has served on the John Day Water District and with the Democratic Party at the precinct level. In the other open seat for City Council, Bruce Jones, a former commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Colum- bia River, is running for the east side ward. City Councilor Russ Warr has announced he will not seek a fourth term. The iling deadline for candidates is Aug. 30. Seaside gives dog park a thumbs up By DAVE FISHER The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — A new dog park is coming to Seaside. The Seaside Parks and Recreation Committee’s request for the conditional approval of the city’s irst dog park was granted Monday eve- ning at the City Council meet- ing. The park will be located in an “underutilized area” at the north end of the Broadway Middle School parking lot. “It will dress up that part of town,” said Public Works Director Dale McDowell in his summary of the project to council members. The Planning Commis- sion conditionally approved the plans at a meeting earlier this month. The park would be in a fenced-off area where the public can exercise their dogs on and off leash. Utilizing mostly recycled materials, such as chain-link fencing and even a nonfunc- tional ire hydrant as a dec- orative addition, the cost to the city was kept to a min- imum; $780, according to McDowell. “It’s amazing that you can do this for $780,” said Coun- cilor Randy Frank. “Once again, Seaside has set the standard.” Outdoor school fund initiative qualiies for November ballot Campaign leaders said ear- lier this month they were con- ident the proposed measure would qualify. “We are very excited Orego- nians are going to get a chance to support statewide funding for outdoor school,” said Paige Richardson, campaign director of the Outdoor School initiative. The ballot measure would dedicate 4 percent of lottery revenue — as much as $22 million per year — to pay for a week of outdoor school for 50,000 students and 3,000 high school counselors. By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — An initiative petition to fund a statewide out- door education program with Oregon Lottery revenue has qualiied for the November ballot. The Secretary of State’s Ofice conirmed that the cam- paign for IP 67 gathered 93,102 valid signatures, about 5 percent more than the 88,114 require- ment. The campaign turned in 135,538 signatures, but not all of those could be veriied. State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, has criticized the measure because it would siphon money from other lot- tery-supported programs. The measure also would reduce the lexibility of the lottery fund, which has allowed lawmakers to use lottery money during the recession to sustain services, Johnson said. “IP 67 sounds great on the surface, but it is fraught with unintended consequences,” Johnson said. “The bottom line is there is only so much money, and lottery money is the most lexible money we have, and if we are repurposing the money for speciic inancial obliga- tions, we are taking it away from something else.” The Secretary of State’s Ofice has until Aug. 7 to ver- ify signatures for initiative peti- tions. The only initiative peti- tion still awaiting veriication is a proposed measure to pro- hibit the sale of products made from 12 endangered species. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Coast Guard cutter busts drugs, rescues ishers The Daily Astorian While on patrol in the east- ern Paciic Ocean, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert inter- cepted more than 3 tons of nar- cotics, according to the agency. The cutter returned to homeport in Astoria July 17. During a 53-day patrol, the Alert caught four “go-fast” boats carrying 3.3 tons of cocaine, valued at $100 million, and detained 11 suspected smug- glers. Results of that magnitude have not been recorded since 2009, according to the agency. “I couldn’t be more proud of the crew’s accomplishments and the professionalism during the best patrol of my career,” Cmdr. Patrick Culver of the Alert said in a release. “They earned a well-deserved respite from the rigors of sea. Reunit- ing with their loved ones at homecoming makes the mission truly worthwhile.” The Alert also rescued four crew members from the ish- Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert seized 3.3 tons of cocaine during a 53-day drug patrol spanning 12,500 miles in the eastern Pacific Ocean. ing vessel Alexa, which was found sinking in a rain squall at night. The rescued crew were medically examined and even- tually transferred to a Costa Rican Coast Guard vessel. The Alert’s drug patrols off of the West Coast of Cen- tral and South America were part of Operation Martillo, an international operation shar- ing information and bringing together air, land, and maritime assets from the U.S. Depart- ment of Defense, the Depart- ment of Homeland Security and partner nations to counter illicit traficking. Loan relief lures mental health workers to southern Oregon Student loans forgiven through incentive program By VICKIE ALDOUS Mail Tribune MEDFORD — Saddled with $75,000 in student loans, Chy Porter looked for an employer that offered a loan-forgiveness program when she hunted for a job in the mental health ield. She chose to go to work as a mental health therapist for Jack- son County Health and Human Services — which is competing for mental health workers amid a nationwide shortage. In exchange for a two-year commitment to Jackson County, $60,000 of her student loans were forgiven through a loan forgiveness program. By work- ing hard and scrimping, she was able to pay off the remain- ing $15,000 herself during those same two years. “I can’t say enough glow- ing things about this program,” said Porter, who has since been promoted to quality assurance reviewer. “It can be life-chang- ing not to have to worry about student loans.” number of residents on the plan skyrocketed from 30,000 four years ago. Jackson County Health and Human Services hired more than 60 workers in the is- cal year that ended in June and hopes to hire another 100 to 150 for this iscal year, according to county budget documents. Current job openings include a clinical therapist, a children’s services mental health pro- fessional and a mental health employee to work with a law enforcement crisis team for $46,987 to $61,921 annually. The highest paid mental health job is for a psychiatric medical director with a salary of more than $200,000. One of the irst Porter came to Jackson County in 2011 and was one of the county’s irst mental health workers to use a loan-forgive- ness program. She continues to work for the county, even though she has completed her service commitment. “I do it out of a sense of pride and really wanting to be a part of the community,” she said. Porter cautioned that work- ers must be committed to the ield and their employer to take part in a loan-forgiveness pro- gram. If they don’t complete their term of service, they have to pay back the money — with interest. “You have to have a sense of duty and responsibility, and have a passion for this type of work. You have to have that drive, determination and passion. It’s totally doable,” she said. high-need areas in rural parts of the country. We’ve tried to promote the fact that we use the programs because we’ve had such a need,” said Men- tal Health Division Manager Stacy Brubaker. Prospective mental health employees often ask whether Jackson County participates in loan-forgiveness programs. ‘I thought it would be a great opportunity to keep working for the county and get the benefits.’ Lisa Ortiz Jackson County mental health clinical supervisor Jackson County uses a vari- ety of state and federally funded loan-forgiveness programs to lure mental health workers. The incentives range from $20,000 for a one-year commitment by a person with a master’s degree who is working to attain a license, to $105,000 for a three-year com- mitment by a psychiatrist who has inished medical school. “The intent of the pro- grams is to recruit people to “They cite that as one of the reasons they’re interested in working for Jackson County,” Brubaker said. Hang on to seasoned workers Loan-forgiveness programs are also helping Jackson County hang on to its seasoned mental health workers. Jackson County Mental Health Clinical Supervisor Lisa Shortage of workers A countrywide rush to hire mental health professionals was triggered by the 2010 passage of the federal Affordable Care Act, which put mental health care coverage on par with phys- ical health care coverage. The nation does not yet have enough mental health workers to meet the demand for care, lead- ing to intense competition for new graduates and established professionals. Coordinated care organiza- tions are paying Jackson County to provide mental health care to the 65,000 county residents now on the Oregon Health Plan. The H OUSE FOR R ENT Available Immediaely! Newly built 4-bedroom, 2 bath ranch home. Located in Pacifi c Ridge area of Hammond, Oregon. Home encompasses 1,850 sq. ft. Kitchen features a stainless steel refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. Granite counter tops complement the modern open concept design. $ 1750/month 2000 Security Deposit he t t a y a Lum’s D 2016 Clatsop County Fair A UGUST 5 TH Free admission for: • Military • Police • Fire • Teachers (with ID) $ For Further Information Please Call: For more information go to 503.458.6139 www.clatsopfairgrounds.com Ortiz, a 10-year veteran, has been recruited by other employ- ers, but said she enjoys work- ing in various positions for the county and appreciates its par- ticipation in loan-forgiveness programs. “I ind it really satisfying. I’ve been able to move to dif- ferent positions and gain expe- rience to help the community,” she said. Ortiz estimated she spent more than $100,000 earning a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in psychol- ogy, with most of that inanced through student loans. At one point after she’d gone through a divorce, she was working almost full-time, going to school full-time and caring for her three children. Ortiz is eligible for up to $50,000 in student loan forgive- ness for a two-year commit- ment, and can apply for addi- tional loan forgiveness for a future commitment. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to keep working for the county and get the beneits,” she said. Jackson County mental health workers noted it takes years of education and train- ing to become a licensed men- tal health professional — four years of college for a bache- lor’s degree and two years for a master’s degree, plus two to three years of work to accumu- late the hours needed to become licensed. The process takes longer for psychiatrists and other pro- fessionals who attend medical school. But those who make it through ind there is high demand for their skills. “Because of the Afford- able Care Act, more people can access mental health services,” Ortiz said. “That has broadened the type of client we see. 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