4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016
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Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Lake Oswego City Councilor Jeff Gudman, left, took on former Republican state senator
and now independent Chris Telfer, right, in a state treasurer debate moderated by Repub-
lican gubernatorial hopeful Allen Alley.
Dorchester: Seaside is
too far for many attendees
Continued from Page 1A
Simpson described the
Dorchester Conference as
“center-right” on the political
spectrum.
This year’s conference fea-
tured Fox News contributor
Tucker Carlson as keynote
speaker and state candidates,
including members of the
Independent Party of Oregon.
The bruising November
election drove an ideological
wedge among membership,
which in a presidential straw
poll strongly rejected the can-
didacy of Donald Trump.
In the aftermath of the elec-
tion, the Dorchester Confer-
ence has seen a “small but sig-
nificant” drop in membership,
both from the left and the right.
“I know a number of life-
long Republicans who have
walked away from the party
because of this last election,”
Simpson said.
On the right, the Oregon
Liberty Alliance describes
itself as “a coalition of orga-
nizations that share a common
mission to support Oregon
candidates that uphold conser-
vative values and protect our
freedoms.”
“The social conservatives
have a new place to go,” Simp-
son said. “I know they were
upset with how Dorchester
dealt with social issues. That’s
OK — it’s a free marketplace.”
Access to Republican lead-
ership in Salem provides
another incentive for the move,
Simpson said, with opportuni-
ties for “more face time” with
elected officials.
Seaside is just too far for
many conference attend-
ees, Simpson added, many of
whom live in the eastern part
of the state.
“One of our aims was
to loop in more legislators
because during legislative ses-
sion it was hard to get them
over to Seaside,” Simpson
said. “And look at where the
Republicans in the caucus are
— they’re in eastern Oregon.”
A surprise
Russ Vandenberg, general
manager of the convention
center, said the organization’s
decision to leave Seaside took
him by surprise.
“No, we didn’t expect it,”
Vandenberg said. “It’s not that
unusual for organizations to
want to try other areas to see
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Former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., speaks to Re-
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Bud Pierce, a Salem oncologist who ran unsuccessfully
for governor, spoke at the Dorchester Conference in Sea-
side earlier this year.
what another location has to
offer. Although they had no
objections about Seaside, they
were ready for a change.”
For Simpson, a decade-
slong attendee, the move is bit-
tersweet. “The service we got
from the convention center
staff over the years was fabu-
lous,” he said. “What a gift to
that community that center is.
And they were always great to
work with.”
“I don’t take things per-
sonally,” Vandenberg said. “I
understand change is some-
times inevitable, that people
try different markets, differ-
ent venues. We just hope they
come back at some point.”
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R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Immediate past-President
Tom Simpson at this year’s
Dorchester Conference.
Astoria: Police chief made
no recommendation on status
Continued from Page 1A
sanctuary city status, but could
“do something so that all of us
will feel secure here, that all of
us will feel valued.”
‘It’s palpable’
Johnston, who also serves
as assistant city manager, told
the City Council the issue is
“highly emotional.”
The police chief made no
recommendation on whether
Astoria should become a sanc-
tuary city, characterizing it
as a political decision for the
council.
“I understand the feeling of
unrest, uncertainty and fear that
exists within certain portions of
our community,” he said. “It’s
palpable.
“The feelings are felt not
only by those in our commu-
nity who are part of a racial
minority, but to a large por-
tion of our country that feels
marginalized and fearful about
what the future holds.
“Unfortunately, those that
are most affected by the sense
of marginalization are some of
those in our community who
have the least power to effect
change as well.
“There’s a great desire for
people to do something,” he
said. “And I’m somewhat wor-
ried that this could lead to the
creation of something that has
no meaning.”
Johnston said he wor-
ries that sanctuary city status
could create a “false sense of
security.”
‘The reality’
Federal immigration agents
can operate in Astoria, so the
police chief is concerned the
city would be “judged on the
expectation of being a sanctu-
ary, and not the reality that we
could actually provide such
service.”
Johnston also said it would
be harmful to Astoria Police
if the city adopted a vaguely
worded resolution that created
the impression the City Coun-
cil “was asking us to violate or
ignore the law.”
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