Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016 Secretary of state candidates disagree on scope of state audits “I think the language is broad enough to protect the taxpayer all the way to the end point of the money,” Ava- SALEM — Oregon Sec- kian said. retary of State candidate and Avakian said if once current labor commissioner elected there was disagree- Brad Avakian says he believes ment on that interpretation, the secretary has statutory he could “partner with the authority to audit private com- Legislature to clarify what panies when “red lags” have ‘financial affairs’ means.” been raised in the execution of Then there’s the statute public contracts. which sets up a This and sev- hotline so citizens eral other of the can report allega- Democrat’s ambi- tions of govern- tions for the ofice ment waste, abuse have led to criti- or fraud. cism from his oppo- Avakian said nent, former guber- that those statutes, natorial candidate “taken together” and Republican with the state’s state representative constitution, which Brad Avakian Dennis Richardson. defines the secre- Avakian faced sim- tary of state as the ilar criticism from auditor of public members of his accounts, justify own party during his aims. the Democratic pri- He also pointed mary for the ofice to the “About Us” this spring. section of the sec- Critics have retary’s website, characterized other which explains aspects of Avaki- the secretary’s an’s platform as role, including as a beyond the secre- watchdog of public Dennis tary of state’s pur- spending. Richardson view — for exam- Avakian pointed ple, his plans to to the recent audit promote renewable energy of the Department of Energy and civics education. Business Energy Tax Cred- But Avakian countered its program as an example of that he believes he’s squarely the types of audits he would within legal authority to audit do in office. private businesses, and fur- The audit, released ear- ther, he does not intend to lier this month, found evi- audit every company that has dence of “suspicious behav- a contract with the state. He ior” in several dozen energy also says the other initiatives projects that received the tax he wants to pursue fall within credits. the scope of the ofice. Avakian said that the Avakian says Oregon stat- secretary of state’s audit utes and the state’s consti- included interviews with tution allow the secretary representatives from private of state to audit companies companies that received the doing business with the state tax credits. when concerns have been “… There’s numerous raised about how the business places in there where the is being done. secretary refers to interviews they were doing with people Statutory power in the private sector contract- He cites the statute which ing with the public agency in outlines the responsibilities order to get the information of the secretary’s audits divi- they needed for the audit,” sion. It states: “The secretary Avakian said. “That is very, of state, as state auditor, shall very close to what I’m say- have the accounts and inan- ing needs to be done.” cial affairs of state depart- ments, boards, commissions, Limited authority institutions and state-aided In a response to questions institutions and agencies from the EO Media Group/ of the state reviewed or Pamplin Media Group, Ava- audited as the secretary of kian’s opponent, Richard- state considers advisable or son, said that he interpreted necessary.” the statutes Avakian cited Avakian said “inancial differently. affairs” includes how contrac- Richardson said the first tors use money provided by statute only deals with the the state. establishment of a hotline. By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau ll Ca ime yt n A Richardson also said that the second statute limited the secretary of state’s audit power to “state departments, boards, commissions, insti- tutions and state-aided insti- tutions and agencies.” But Avakian said the sec- retary of state, as public auditor, has a duty to “fol- low the money” to the end point — how it was spent and whether it was spent for its intended use. Avakian said that the pub- lic bidding process is insuf- ficient to vet how compa- nies spent money they were awarded. “… There are numerous examples where that process falls short,” Avakian said. • Residential • Commercial •Cedar Roof Treatments • Interior & Exterior Q: 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD 503/325-0310 1414 MARINE DRIVE, ASTORIA www.smileastoria.com Q: Are the musicians in the Food Court paid? Double J and the Boys Yes! We are committed to bringing live music to Astoria Sunday Market. It is a long hard gig and the bands have all been generous as our fees can’t match what they would normally command. So when you visit the Food Court please show your love by tipping or purchasing a CD. We are very fortunate to have such a talented pool of musicians performing at the Market. A: astoriasundaymarket.com Now through Oct.16 12th Street • 10am to 3pm Plan cover chiropractic care? Yes! The Oregon A : Health Plan does ASTORIA cover chiropractic care with 503 -3 25-3 3 11 2935 M a rin e Drive, As to ria , Orego n referral from your primary care physician. Call us today for more infor - mation or to schedule your appointment. Now accepting new patients. Q: A : Frank & Judy VanWinkle A family owned and operated jewelry store since 1919 (503) 325-6181 1360 Commercial Astoria, Oregon NOW HIRING Tip Share, Medical Benefi ts, 401K Savings Plan APPLY IN PERSON ANYTIME AT: 1371 SW Hemlock, Cannon Beach OR SEND YOUR RESUME TO: Employment@Pelicanbrewing.com www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/employment On the docks of the West Mooring Basin, by the Riverwalk Inn computer keeps doing Q: My updates, and now LEO FINZI it says it will do an update that will take a LONG time to finish! Astoria ’ s A : Best SAVE 35%-50% compared to services at Big Box stores. M-F 10-6 Sat 12-5 1020 Commercial #2 503-325-2300 Microsoft is rolling out the Windows 10 anniversary upgrade. You will lose access to your computer for the better part of a day. The update gives your computer a new look. Behind the scenes you will have a more secure operating system, advanced options for the new Edge browser, and much more. Click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of your screen, then scroll down to “Get Started,” to learn about features in this new update. Are there crisis Q: services offered at CBH? T im O ’Brien Adult Outpatient Jim Supervisor Crisis Counselor CLATSOP BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE “Helping People Live Well” 65 N. Hwy. 101 Suite 204 Warrenton 503-325-5722 CBH offers a 24/7 crisis line, the number is 503-325-5724. This service is designed for people who are feeling suicidal or homicidal (i.e. going to hurt themselves or others). A CBH crisis worker will meet the client at a local Emergency Room to evaluate if the client is safe to be released from the hospital or if they need to be placed in a higher level of care to keep them safe. This should only be used in an event of an emergency and not in place of regular counseling services. Call 503-325-5722 to inquire about clinic and open access hours and the referral process. A : Medicare Q: What’s “Extra Help”? Help is a government A: Extra program for Medicare Stefanie Cao Medicare Market Manager www.careoregonadvantage.org caused my Q: What blueberries to shrivel up and drop members who have a limited income and resources. If you qualify, the program will help pay your Part D (prescription drug) premiums, copays and deductibles. The 2016 income limits are $17,820 a year for individuals and $24,030 for married couples. Extra help is worth looking into if you think you or a loved one may qualify. Check with Social Security: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 711) or www.ssa.gov. going out of Q: I’m town and need to stop my Daily Astorian newspaper. What are my options? off the plant? YEAR ROUND POSTIONS Hosts, Bussers, Servers Line Cooks & Dishwashers Amanda Cordero Northwest Wild Products Fresh Seafood Market 354 Industry St, Astoria 503-791-1907 Daily 9 am- 7 pm I heard that you do clock repair? Yes! Frank repairs cuckoo, mantel, kitchen & wall clocks. One, 8 or 30 day clocks. He does house calls for Granddaughter to Grandfather clocks in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook Counties. Frank travels to Pacific County WA for house calls also. We scrape the bones of the salmon and tuna to make pet food. We have dog patties, made with salmon or tuna, organic vegetables and rice. And cat patties without the rice. The food is highly nutritious, with no preservatives or illers. Our animals go crazy for this stuff. Because of the labor costs, it is more expensive than commercial pet food. However, even feeding it to your pets a few times a week will give them greater health and happiness. A: the Q: Does Oregon Health Loop-Jacobsen Jewelers, Inc. Pelican Brewing Company is What do you do with all your ish scraps? What can I expect during a dental exam? A : Ba rry S ea rs , D.C . LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131 “In some cases those pub- lic dollars are given to pri- vate entities and agencies are required to establish standards for and enforce appropriate use of those funds,” Woon wrote in an email. “The secretary of state has the discretion to apply her broad authority, with the resources avail- able and across the scope of state government, to ensure that all levels of government meet auditing standards. This certainly would include ensuring that agencies are enforcing Oregon law.” The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Professional Q: In our office a dental exam is an extremely important encounter. For a new patient this is the meet and greet, rapport and relationship building time, trust and confidence decisions, and a time to ask and answer all questions. Clinical findings, photographs, and X-rays can be reviewed, discussed and shown on a TV monitor to establish the best protocol and steps to move forward. Hope this helps. CHIROPRACT I C Over 20 years local experience to comply with an audit, though he thought that com- panies would comply to maintain a good relation- ship with the state and that a refusal could “tell a strong story.” But he also said he would not conclude that a company engaged in wrong- doing based on a refusal to comply. “The Secretary of State’s Office is not about enforce- ment, it’s about shining a light,” Avakian said. Molly Woon, spokes- woman for Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins, said “it is the responsibility of the secretary of state to track and establish standards for the use of public dollars.” Consult a Fre e as Est F ima t t es Jeff Hale P ainting “And when it falls short, the question has to be asked, who in state government is in charge of protecting the taxpayer? It isn’t the state agency. That’s why we have the audits division.” Richardson disagreed. “Oregon businesses should see the Secretary of State’s Office as a place where they can go for tech- nical expertise to help grow their business or for new businesses to come to Ore- gon,” Richardson wrote in an email. “It should not be (as Avakian envisions the office) a place to investigate and punish businesses.” Avakian said that he could not force a company A : BRIM’S Farm & Garden 34963 Hwy. 101 Business Astoria • 503 - 325-1562 For beautiful gardens & healthy animals www.brimsfarmngarden.com It is likely you have a fungal disease called mummy berry. It is caused by infected berries overwintering in the soil. The mushroom-type structures erupt in the spring (March 25-April 15) and the spores released re-infect the berries on the plant. To disrupt the disease cycle, it is best to pick or capture the infected fruit before it drops to the ground. Sheets placed under the plants will catch the fruit which then must be hauled away and destroyed. Applying a 2” mulch under the plants can prevent spread of the fungus as well. Inspect your plants and fruit regularly and be on the lookout for mummy berry. We offer a protective fungicide called Sarenade (apply in the spring) as well as mulches that should be applied now. T HE D AILY A STORIAN 503-325-3211 www.dailyastorian.com 949 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 503-325-3211 A : We have several different options for you if you are heading out of town. We can save your papers in a vacation pack and deliver them when you return. We can switch you to a Web subscription while you are away and you can read the paper online. You can have your delivery stopped and you can donate your missed newspapers to local schools. What ever option fits your needs, just call our circulation department at 503-325-3211 and we will take care of it for you.
