THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
5A
Register to vote
D
on’t forget to engage with
democracy in action, right
here in our neighborhood. Our con-
gressional representative, Suzanne
Bonamici, will have a town hall
gathering at the Warrenton High
School gym Saturday from 11 a.m.
to noon.
The community group Indivisi-
ble will have a table set up for non-
partisan voter registration, starting at
10:30 a.m. Bring your Oregon driv-
er’s license or non-driver ID card.
All citizens 17 years of age can reg-
ister, but you must be 18 years old to
vote in an election.
Our next election date is May 16,
for special districts, which includes
the Port of Astoria, among many
others.
We hope to see you there.
GAIL GALEN
Warrenton
Keep Campbell on Port
I
can only express total disgust at
the behavior of some of the com-
mission members of the Port of
Astoria at their meeting April 4,
as reported in The Daily Astorian
(“Mushen stricken at Port meet-
ing,” April 5) and by someone who
attended the meeting.
During the past 22 years, I have
sat on the boards of several local
governments, and have also attended
the meetings of many others. In all
that time, I have never seen board
members act in the manner that is
constantly reported in The Daily
Astorian concerning some on the
Port of Astoria Commission.
When the Port Commission meet-
ings become so contentious that one
of the members ends up in the hospi-
tal, there is definitely a problem that
must be addressed. The voters must
get involved, say “enough,” and vote
those creating the problems off the
commission.
Please join me in voting to
re-elect Jim Campbell to the Port of
Astoria Commission.
CAROL GEARIN
Warrenton
Port needs Spence
W
e in the Clatsop County com-
munity have an opportunity
to change the contentious character
of the Astoria Port Commission. The
upcoming election is an important
one. I hope we all are paying atten-
tion to the rancor and lack of focus
on fiscal management which seems
to plague Port Commission.
One candidate for the commission
will bring a calming quality, integ-
rity and civic management experi-
ence to the commission. That can-
didate is Frank Spence. Frank has
45 years experience managing cit-
ies and counties, so he is familiar
with running governmental bodies
effectively.
Frank has served the past two
years on the Port of Astoria Bud-
get Committee, so he is up to speed
on the budgetary issues facing the
Port. I have worked with Frank over
the past three years on the Exploring
New Concepts of Retirement Educa-
tion (ENCORE) board of directors.
Frank has chaired that board for the
past two years.
He has an even hand in his deal-
ings with others. Frank is a consen-
sus builder and peacemaker. Frank
Spence is just what the Port of Asto-
ria Commission needs at this time.
THEODORE “TOD” LUNDY
Astoria
Re-elect Campbell
J
im Campbell is a candidate for
Port of Astoria Commission
Position 1. Jim has faithfully served
as a commissioner for the Port of
Astoria for 16½ years. He under-
stands that the primary role of com-
missioners is to set and review the
Port’s mission, vision and values
and to establish policies; the com-
mission employs a CEO whose
responsibility is to operationalize
the mission, vision, values and pol-
icies. The CEO is responsible for
daily operations, and the commis-
sioners do not micromanage the
CEO.
Jim owns a marine construc-
tion business based in Astoria. With
over 50 years of business experi-
ence, he understands the concepts
and reality of profit and loss. One of
his goals is to ensure that the Port
of Astoria’s strategic plan results in
the profitability of the Port. Jim is a
steward of the environment, and has
embraced the Port’s efforts to com-
ply with local, state and federal reg-
ulations. As a business owner, Jim is
the recipient of a U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Environmental Safety
Award.
Jim is a strong proponent of the
Port’s bond measure. Funds from
the bonds will provide new facil-
ities for Life Flight, and locate its
helicopter to a much safer oper-
ational space at the airport. The
funds will also allow site improve-
ments expanding the use of the
southern portion of the airport.
These improvements will provide
opportunity for further economic
development.
Jim is a visionary and a team
player. He understands that achiev-
ing a vision often means give and
take on the part of all parties. He
also believes in civility, and that
calm heads lead to great outcomes.
Jim is the most qualified candidate
the for Port of Astoria Commission
Position 1. Please join me in voting
for Jim Campbell.
DAVID W. PHILLIPS
Astoria
End Port insanity
W
e have an opportunity in
the May 16 election to end
the insanity on the Port of Astoria
Commission. There are three good
candidates running for commis-
sion seats — Frank Spence, Dirk
Rohne and Jim Campbell. Camp-
bell is an incumbent and he has
been a responsible commissioner.
Rohne and Spence are strong, new
candidates.
In my opinion, Steve Fulton and
Bill Hunsinger have been poisonous
to the Port. Their devotion to spe-
cial interests, loud political postur-
ing and petty bickering have made it
nearly impossible for the Port Com-
mission to make progress in further-
ing the economic health of Clatsop
County and its people.
In fact, they’ve made it impos-
sible to even have a civil and pro-
ductive meeting. Hunsinger is not
running this time around, but the
election of Spence, Rohne and
Campbell will isolate him now, and
I hope we can send him packing the
next time around.
We need a Port that works to the
benefit of all of Clatsop County.
We need a Port that keeps its word.
Bornstein Seafoods and Englund
Marine were recruited to the Port
by one commission and its strategic
plan. They were abandoned and the
plan was scuttled by the next com-
mission. We can do better.
Jim Campbell has been a good
commissioner. Dirk Rohne is well
known from his work on the Clat-
sop County Commission and the
Clatsop Community College Board.
Frank Spence has spent 45 years in
local government as city manager
and county administrator. He is pre-
pared and principled.
I strongly support the election of
Frank Spence, Dirk Rohne and Jim
Campbell to the Port of Astoria in
the May 16 election. Please vote.
ROGER ROCKA
Astoria
Vote Rohne for Port
A
s a lifelong resident of Clat-
sop County, I am pleased to see
Dirk Rohne willing to serve us as
commissioner for the Port of Asto-
ria. Our Port has been operating in a
chaotic manner for some time, and I
believe that with his level head and
calm demeanor, Dirk will be a good
person to look at the whole picture
and to help to start developing some
better management.
I’ve known Dirk since he was
very young, and it has been a plea-
sure to see him develop into an edu-
cated and successful young man.
He showed how valuable his intel-
ligence and independence were
during his two terms as a county
commissioner. Dirk knows how to
work as a team, and is always will-
ing to research a topic or situation
before making a decision.
Dirk has managed a successful
dairy farm throughout his adult life,
and has gained experience in man-
aging a business that will help him
in the process of balancing a bud-
get for the Port. He believes in the
role that our Port plays in keeping
our local economy healthy and, will
work for the benefit of all citizens
and our environment.
In these troubled times, we can
feel fortunate to have the opportu-
nity to act locally to keep our corner
of the world safe and healthy. Please
educate yourself on local issues and
return your ballot in the upcoming
special election in May. I urge you
to join me in marking your ballot
for Dirk Rohne for Port Commis-
sioner Position 2.
DEBBIE TWOMBLY
Brownsmead
Two endorsements
I
n this season of endorsements,
I’d like to add mine for two dear
friends and fellow Green Party
members. Jacqueline DeVaney, local
party chairwoman, is an excellent
choice for the Clatsop Care Health
District Position 3 spot. Unlike her
opponent, she has many years of
direct involvement with clinical and
home health care issues as a practic-
ing registered nurse. She will be an
excellent advocate for all patients,
residents and staff within our dis-
trict, and I strongly urge you to sup-
port her.
Bob Goldberg, Pacific Green
Party secretary and long-time local
educator, is running for Astoria
School Board, Position 5. As a par-
ent, tutor and adjunct professor at
Clatsop Community College, and
instructor for Exploring New Con-
cepts of Retirement Education
(ENCORE), he has demonstrated a
commitment to the educational bet-
terment of our community. I hope
you will strengthen Astoria’s School
Board by casting your vote for Bob
Goldberg.
SUE ZERANGUE
Astoria
Letter to Port staff
O
pen letter to Port of Astoria
Executive Director Jim Knight
regarding Port staff not informing
the Astoria Port Commission, at the
commission meeting April 4, regard-
ing Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) stormwater violations
received by Port staff by certified
mail on March 29:
I was outraged to learn on Friday
that the Port has been fined $69,319
for stormwater violations from
The Daily Astorian article (“State
fines Port over stormwater,” April 6),
instead of first learning about it from
you, and that you somehow have
already decided for this commission
that the Port will be appealing these
fines.
Even worse, I was shocked to
learn that the Port received actual
notice of these DEQ penalties by cer-
tified mail on March 29. How on
earth did you not let this commission
know about these DEQ penalties at
our Port meeting on April 4?
At our April 4 meeting, this com-
mission specifically discussed the
stormwater system problems at Pier
3.
So, during this meeting you with-
held from this commission all proof
of the DEQ documents that you
already had in hand, and specifically
knew about, regarding the Port being
fined $69,319 in stormwater penal-
ties from DEQ?
DEQ characterizes Port staff’s
conduct and mental state regarding
these stormwater violations as “reck-
less” and “negligent.” I am not sure
how to properly characterize your
conduct and mental state in keeping
this commission from learning about
these DEQ violations that you had
in hand.
I ask for a discussion of this mat-
ter be added to the agenda of our
next Commission meeting so Port
staff can answer why they did not
inform this commission at our April
4 meeting regarding DEQ penalties
that Port staff directly received by
certified mail on March 29, and what
corrective action should be taken,
given this conduct.
BILL HUNSINGER
Astoria
Let’s end homelessness
W
e could start to end home-
lessness in Clatsop County.
Today. I think it’s high time we
make a commitment to our com-
munity to protect our most vulner-
able. This is not impossible. This is
not rocket science. We do not lack
the resources, though they have not
been prioritized yet.
It’s this simple — we have empty
buildings, and people who need a
place to sleep. It may take a while to
create affordable, permanent hous-
ing, but in the meantime, allow-
ing people to get off the streets is
not impossible. Can you, if you’ve
never been in the position, imag-
ine the despondency and alienation
of being on the streets, of crawling
into a soggy tent after a long day in
the rain?
Can you imagine this, after
working all day, coming home to
nowhere, with nowhere to cook or
relax? Or, if you are also a woman,
facing a 50 percent chance of being
sexually assaulted your first night
on the street? Could you imag-
ine this predicament with two tod-
dlers? Could you imagine this pre-
dicament with a broken leg, or
while hearing voices? How long
could you hold on to hope?
You look for an affordable place
to live in Clatsop County … two
weeks go by, then two months. It is
unacceptable that we are to the point
where we can’t live in our commu-
nities without having an extraor-
dinary amount of resources. We’re
human, this is our planet. We need
to create permanent networks of
support and hospitality, it will bring
us all together.
We can learn a lot from people
who have experienced, or are expe-
riencing, homelessness. Maybe
these are the people we should look
to for answers on how to be a com-
munity. If we were to make the
commitment, we could start imme-
diately by opening up a building
for sleeping at night (there is a very
capable organization that does this
nightly during the winter and could
advise), allocating people power by
pulling on local agencies, the city/
county government employees,
as well as volunteers and some of
the people sleeping in the building
themselves for staffing.
And I’m sure other folks may
have even better ideas than these.
The point is, yes — we could do
this — or just continue to look the
other way.
ALISON COFFINBARGER
Astoria
Campbell in, Fulton out
I
witnessed the most disgraceful
performance by an elected offi-
cial, Stephen Fulton, in my 30-plus
years working with or for Ports, at
a recent Port of Astoria Commis-
sion meeting. In my opinion, his
total disregard for decorum, process
and truth is an insult to the many
who voted for him in his first bid. It
is essential for any level of decency
and progress, going forward for the
Port of Astoria, that Fulton is turned
back and Jim Campbell is retained
in his current position.
The meeting was disjointed
because of constant interruptions by
Fulton, who sat lazily in his chair
smirking and taking great relish in
challenging, arguing and pontifi-
cating to some unseen audience he
seemed to be playing to.
His disrespect for the chair-
man, the manager and the recently
retained legal counsel is an affront
to the professional staff, and to the
mission and vision of the Port of
Astoria. Fulton has shown us repeat-
edly that he respects no one, and
nothing, while he banters for atten-
tion as some type of expert, which
he is not.
Fulton told us in his first bid that
he wanted to bring an experienced
and collegiate personality to the
board, and assist in mending broken
relationships with other agencies.
He has done exactly the opposite.
His credibility is nil, and allow-
ing him to remain on this essential
board for all Clatsop County res-
idents will further undermine this
Port’s ability to succeed.
Tell Fulton “no,” and re-elect
Jim Campbell to the Port of Astoria
Commission.
BILL COOK
Astoria
Stokes for health district
A
community that honors its
seniors is a healthy commu-
nity. In this regard, I support Mindy
Stokes because she is committed to
meeting the needs of seniors, and
she will provide a solid, caring and
dedicated voice for Clatsop Care
Health District in Position 1.
Mindy worked for the health
district as social services director,
and then was hired to develop and
administrate the Memory Care Unit.
She is an advocate for patient care,
and she sees the clear connection
between fair wages, strong leader-
ship and patient advocacy.
I have had the pleasure of work-
ing directly with Mindy Stokes.
She is a passionate advocate and a
committed community-builder who
is dedicated to elder care, specifi-
cally, as well as genuine care for all.
Her skills are matched by her com-
mitment to the overall health and
well-being of the entire community.
Mindy Stokes will be an ener-
getic, tireless leader at a time when
the senior citizen population is
growing substantially. Her wisdom
and future vision will strengthen
a critical foundation of care for
seniors.
I urge you to support and vote
for Mindy Stokes, Clatsop Care
Health District, Position 1.
MARGARET FRIMOTH
Astoria
Rohne can help Port
W
e support Dirk Rohne for
Port Commissioner. Dirk has
shown his intelligence and commit-
ment as a Clatsop County Commis-
sioner and a board member of Clat-
sop Community College, as well
as other involvements. For his lev-
el-headed common sense approach
to issues, his deep roots in the com-
munity, and his willingness to lis-
ten to opposing views, we feel he
would provide needed leadership at
the Port.
JOHN and JACKIE WECKER
Astoria