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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2016)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016 Founded in 1873 DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Water under the bridge Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers SOUTHERN EXPOSURE 10 years ago this week — 2006 One historic win is quickly making this one historic season for the Astoria Fishermen. We all know the top 10 polls are overhyped and overrated, but for at least one night in Scappoose, the polls were just about right. No. 3-ranked Astoria marched right through the Indians Friday night, building a seven-point halftime lead and pouring it on for a 34-21 win over fourth-ranked Scappoose in a crucial Cowapa League football showdown. With the victory, the Fishermen (3-0 in league, 8-0 overall) not only clinched a playoff spot, they put a down payment on a league title and handed the Indians just their second league loss in 48 games, their first since 2003, when they lost at Banks. “Certainly it doesn’t get much sweeter than this,” said Astoria coach Howard Rub. Stooped razor clam diggers line Long Beach as the setting sun paints the sky a glowing orange and pink. Watching them through binoculars from inside a brown game warden truck 40 yards away is Marine Enforcement Capt. Mike Cenci of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. As the tide ebbs, leaving more of the clam beds exposed, Cenci looks past the scampering children and playful dogs, past the slow, laboring diggers wrestling with their clam guns and shovels. He is looking for suspicious behavior, clues to which diggers are greedy enough to break the rules and harvest more than the permitted 15 clams apiece. “There’s something about razor clams,” he said. “Peo- ple really like them. Many people just can’t help themselves. I watched a one-armed man dig three limits with his hand. Women stuff them down their shirts. Guys fill up their hip boots. Once, I pulled several limits out of a motor home sep- tic tank.” 50 years ago — 1966 ‘Institutional’ knowledge helps shape Cannon Beach C ANNON BEACH — The League of Oregon Cities hosted its City Hall Week in September. Participating were 256 city officials, 83 cities, 25 legislators, 31 candidates and 59 citizens. Of their four legislative priorities — property tax reform, restoring rec- reational immunity, transportation funding and state employee pension reform — not one of these was raised in a Cannon Beach City Council can- didate forum earlier this month. The city’s priorities remain as separate and iconic as its geography. Candidates Brandon Ogil- vie, Herb Florer and Nancy McCa- rthy focused on the unique characteris- tics of a city where 1,500 residents play host to 750,000 guests. They pointed to crowded city streets, a lack of parking options and a dearth of housing for local employees, especially those in the service sector. While the unity of the candidates fell short of a kumbaya moment, there were a few jabs thrown at city staff and the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce. The chamber’s role as a function of city government was debated and city officials were accused of lacking “institutional memory.” Staff, council disconnect? The Coast Guard cutter Yocana docked at its new 17th Street berth Friday morning on return from patrol duty at sea. Roadway to dock is not yet ready. What impression does our town make on tourists? Recently a party of several score Californians, traveling in a trailer car- avan, spent several days in Astoria. City Manager Dale Curry, sensing a chance to obtain a substantial sampling of tourist opinion, asked the tour director to talk to the members and report their opinions of the town. The report has now arrived at city hall. Problems, as seen by visitors: • The great abundance of vacant downtown stores. • Lack of effort made to make the vacant stores presentable — appeal lacking even for prospective tenants. • Occupied downtown stores lack store front neatness and cleanliness. Facade appearance below standard one would expect. • Downtown vacant lots are eyesore. Advantages as seen by visitors: • Your plant and dock tours are unusual and do interest most people. • Few cities your size have as much interesting material available which to capitalize. • Your historic and scenic location is unmatched anywhere. • Your Astoria Column is one of a kind. • This town should be given much more advertising toward the tour- ist trade. • It has terrific potential as a tourist attraction. 75 years ago — 1941 “Title” to the bad smell that Clatsop County thought was her own for the past week is now disputed by Grays Harbor, Washington. People in Aberdeen have dismissed Clatsop County’s claim on the smell with a lofty sniff of their smell-charged noses. Press reports from Aberdeen suggest that the people of Grays Harbor will see to it that Grayland is given credit for creating the odor. This honor has not been well received at Grayland. Ed Heikkila, Grayland resort operator, protested to the proud Aberdeen press Saturday as follows” “Why do people blame Grayland? They’re ruining our reputation. Blame it on the ocean or on the fog, but don’t blame us. I’ve been here 15 years and never have smelled it before. No, there are no Portu- guese men o’ war out here. Anyway, they don’t smell like that.” Last-minute changes in the flight schedule of planes taking part in the army air corps air raid test Friday night, Oct. 31, made it necessary for the Clatsop County Defense council to switch the hours of the “alert” throughout the county, from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.. Boeing Flying Fortresses will be over Seaside and Astoria sometime between those hours, according to Jerrold Owen, coordinator of the Ore- gon State Defense council. The blackout of Clatsop County will depend entirely on the arrival of the planes. All alarm stations and signal devices will be manned from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., and air raid wardens will all be on patrol at that time. When a city manager, city plan- ner, public works director and police chief all left at the same time, changes came in the city’s manage- ment style, sometimes discomfiting older residents and leaving newer ones without a road map. “We’ve lost a lot of institutional knowledge,” Ogilvie said. “It’s up to us and the people on the City Coun- cil to try to keep the character that this town has developed and built and ensure that it stays the way we would like it, rather than be changed by someone else governing the city that just didn’t have the understand- ing and knowledge of those who pre- viously occupied those jobs.” Part of the problem is that some city staff either do not live in Cannon Beach or cannot afford to do so. “We’ve had such a huge change in management,” McCarthy said. “Some of the city officials that have been hired in the past few years should go out and get to know the community.” Florer said relationships between City Council, city management and citizens could be improved via bet- ter communication. The City Council has a duty to “guide and monitor the R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian Herb Florer, Nancy McCarthy and Brandon Ogilvie at this month’s Cannon Beach candidate forum. city staff,” he said. Forum moderator Andrew Tonry pointed out sections of Tolovana Park were omitted from the recent citizen survey because officials were unaware the community was part of Cannon Beach. Chamber role Candidates had differing expecta- tions for the chamber and its role in the community. How much tourism is too much, and how much should be spent on promotion? “We have to decide if we want to maintain a small village arts atmo- sphere that we have or if we’re going to become a high-end destination resort,” McCarthy said. “I’d like to see us preserve our village atmosphere,” she said. “The biggest challenge for me will be clinging to the small-town feel — especially in a world of encroach- ing national events. I think Cannon Beach is at a crossroads right now.” There is no longer an off-season, McCarthy said, and “some of the tourism that we have today is dilut- ing the community spirit that we have all known for so long.” Florer identified the divergent goals between drawing tourists and managing local infrastructure. “My biggest issue is the influx of people as our community has grown,” Florer said, citing limited parking and traf- fic jams. “I’m conflicted at almost all times — but it’s what we are,” Ogilvie said. “I think the best we can do to welcome people to this town, and at the same time, try to create an atmo- sphere that is workable for those of us that live here.” What we hear the candidates say- ing is they want to take a fresh look at the relationship the city and cham- ber of commerce and a determina- tion that this is the best formula for the city. The city needs to clarify the chamber’s roles and objectives, com- plicated by the state’s unique tourism fund distribution rules. Maybe the state lodging tax —70 percent of the new 0.8 per- cent tax increase that goes to “put- ting heads in beds” — is something to be discussed not only locally but at the League of Oregon Cities and in Salem. Why can’t a larger portion of those funds go to city infrastructure needs — like replacing the Fir Street Bridge — that would not only bene- fit residents, but also potentially save the lives of visitors in the event of an earthquake and tsunami? Instilling confidence Whichever candidates prevail, there needs to be enhanced commu- nication between council, residents and staff. The divide could play out on a number of issues — be it transition of the e-prep committee from volun- teer to staff support, action on resi- dent survey results, commission and board decisions and more. As long as residents feel a dis- connect from their city officials, the sense of community and small-town values — the institutional memory — invoked by Florer, McCarthy and Storer will never truly be instilled. A 35-percent confidence rating in city government, as indicated in the city survey, is not high enough. In Cannon Beach, city council- ors will be expected to build a new institutional memory that matches the colorful, historic small-town past with today’s Cannon Beach interna- tional brand. Accomplishing that will require more than a village, it will require a vision. R.J. Marx is The Daily Astori- an’s South County reporter and edi- tor of the Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach Gazette. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Measured thoughts wo comments about Measure 97: No. 1: Voters Pamphlet (page 52) states that any corporations pay- ing Oregon Measure 97 taxes may write off those state taxes against their federal taxes. No 2: If corporations pass along the increased costs to consumers, why are they spending $18 million to defeat Measure 97? I’m betting these corporations will be writing off the $18 million, regardless. D. SMITH Gearhart T Protect lives or those reluctant to vote yes for the Seaside school bond: The facts concerning the disrepair of Seaside schools are laid out well at F www.VoteYesForOurLocalSchools. com. Please take time to review this material, which includes pictures of the many problem areas, before con- sidering how you will vote. The concern for an earthquake and subsequent tsunami have been well-publicized and validated by credible science, and is felt likely to happen within the next 50 years. That is a long span of time, but that means 50 years from now or tomorrow. Combining the anticipated nat- ural phenomena with the condition of the schools will create a disaster that will jeopardize the lives of over 2,000 children and staff. The mortal- ity rate from the crumbling buildings, followed by ocean flooding, will cer- tainly be high. We appreciate the sacrifice you are being asked to make. But we would ask you to consider the rami- fications of not passing this measure. We wish other government agen- cies would bear more of the financial burden, but unfortunately, this is not going to happen. The state will give the district $4 million if the bond is passed this year. We know you appreciate how important it is for the lives of our children to be enriched by a quality education. They deserve to be sur- rounded by a sound and safe environ- ment, and to have the peace of mind that they are out of harm’s way. We also know that it is difficult to think of giving up more of what you have earned for your community, but we ask that this decision come from the heart. You will be rewarded in that you helped to protect the lives of hundreds of children and district staff. LARRY and JANICE ZAGATA Manzanita
