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9A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2017 Three of six Port candidates appear at forum Fulton, Hellberg and O’Grady mostly agree By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — About 20 people showed up to the North Coast Republican Wom- en’s candidate forum Wednes- day at Warrenton High School to hear from the candidates of three contested Port of Astoria Commission races. But with James Camp- bell, Dirk Rohne and Frank Spence all declining to attend, the forum turned into more of a meet-and-greet for their respective opponents Stephen Fulton, Dick Hellberg and Pat O’Grady, who have shared many of the same viewpoints and are seen by some as politi- cal allies in the Port races. Republican Women Presi- dent Patricia Roberts said that, in decades of holding such forums, she has never had half the candidates back out. followed and the Port Com- mission not being provided the weekly updates previously agreed upon. “It’s our goal to help people get educated about the issues,” she said, adding the group does not try to push their own agenda at the forums. Campbell, the owner of Campbell Marine Towing & Construction, said he was in Vancouver, Washington, last night. “I had a dry-docking I had to attend to.” Rohne declined to com- ment on why he did not attend the forum. Spence could not immediately be reached for comment. Transparency Fulton, an incumbent com- missioner running against fel- low incumbent Campbell, has built a reputation as a fire- brand, continually question- ing and critical of Port staff and other commissioners. He and Commissioner Bill Hunsinger, who attended the forum, have become part of the losing side in many controversial 3-2 votes in which they’ve disagreed with staff and fellow commissioners Campbell, Robert Mushen and John Raichl. Bond issue Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian From left, Port of Astoria Commission candidates Dick Hellberg, Stephen Fulton and Pat O’Grady participated in a candidate forum Wednesday at Warrenton High School with about 20 people in attendance. Fulton said staff is not shar- ing adequate information with the Port Commission, while The Daily Astorian downplays issues within the agency’s administration and other com- missioners turn a blind eye. “It’s been difficult to be a change agent,” he said Wednes- day, adding the Port Commis- sion has become fouled. “Staff is hiding things, and Jim Camp- bell is helping them.” Hellberg, a former Warren- ton City commissioner, and O’Grady, a longshoreman and local business owner, echoed Fulton’s argument, saying there is a lack of transparency between the Port Commis- sion and staff, with the agen- cy’s existing bylaws not being The Port is asking county voters for $1.96 million in bonds over three years to develop a southern portion of the Astoria Regional Air- port to accommodate a new hangar being paid for by heli- copter medevac service Life Flight Network, while improv- ing nearby lands for future development. Fulton, Hellberg and O’Grady, although support- ive of helping Life Flight site its new hangar, have opposed the bond measure. They argued that instead of spending on speculative development at the airport, the Port needs to focus on repairing and enhancing the central waterfront, where the agency makes a large portion of its revenue, and finding addi- tional commodities to ship such as wheat. O’Grady said the Port also needs to fix its marinas, which are filling in with sedi- ment on the west end of Astoria and sea lions in the east. The Port’s lease on the North Tongue Point indus- trial docks east of Astoria from Montana-based Washington Development Co. comes up in 2019. The Port Commission has set a goal of buying the former U.S. Navy base, which houses a seafood processor, boat repair companies and ship moorage. Fulton said the Port should go for a bond to buy Tongue Point, calling it the future of the agency. Hellberg and O’Grady said the facility should be fixed up and used to accommodate support services for the fishing industry. The next candidate forum will be held by the Ameri- can Association of University Women Wednesday in Colum- bia Hall, Room 219, on Clatsop Community College’s main campus, located at 1651 Lex- ington Ave. Candidates from the Port, Clatsop Care Cen- ter Health District Board, col- lege board and Astoria School Board are expected to attend. Position 1: Stormwater squabble turned into flare-up Continued from Page 1A The two commissioners have repeatedly clashed over differences regarding staff and management, largely tak- ing opposing sides on close 3-2 votes. Campbell, along with Commissioners Rob- ert Mushen and John Raichl, have largely praised the perfor- mance of staff and Port Execu- tive Director Jim Knight. Ful- ton and Commissioner Bill Hunsinger have been more crit- ical, and are often on the losing end of votes. Willing to question Fulton, an Astoria native and project manager for War- renton Fiber, joined the Port Commission after the 2013 election after serving on the agency’s budget committee. Besides his work in Warrenton, he has a background in consult- ing on levee certification, inter- national trade in the U.S., Can- ada and Asia and refrigerated rail transport. Fulton has built a reputa- tion for questioning the Port’s finances and being critical of its administration and fellow com- missioners. Accused by some of manufacturing conflicts and micromanaging, along with Hunsinger, Fulton has said he is just trying to hold the agency and its staff accountable to the public. He has claimed the agency’s bylaws are not being followed, and that the Port Commission is not receiving required updates from staff. Fulton launched his can- didacy last month with sev- eral allegations against Camp- bell, who he has painted as complicit with problems at the agency and unwilling to put the work in to be an effective commissioner. “I feel that I am more will- ing to do the work necessary to protect the value that the citi- zens have vested in the Port of Astoria,” Fulton said of why he filed against Campbell. Among Fulton’s allegations is that Campbell has a conflict of interest with the Port’s bond measure in the May election at the Astoria Regional Air- port, where Campbell hangars a plane. The Port is asking vot- ers for $1.96 million in bonds over three years to develop a southern portion of the airport for a new hangar being built by helicopter medevac service Life Flight, while readying several nearby acres for future development. Campbell has said the bond STEPHEN FULTON JAMES CAMPBELL Age: 63 Age: 83 Residence: Astoria Residence: Knappa Occupation: Project manager, Warrenton Fiber Co. Occupation: Marine contractor Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the Universi- ty of Oregon. Length of time in Clatsop County: 50-plus years. Prior Experience: Port of Asto- ria Commission; Port of Astoria Budget Committee; Warrenton Business Association. measure is an inexpensive opportunity to put Life Flight in a better spot and add devel- opment opportunities at the airport. Although supportive of helping accommodate Life Flight, Fulton has come out in opposition to the bond, saying the Port should seek a cheaper alternative. Fulton has also accused Campbell of condoning a pri- vate club nicknamed the “Man Cave” inside a private hangar at the airport. Fulton accused the owner of the club, retired dentist Philip Bales, of operat- ing an illegal speakeasy inside the hangar, where he has a bar and kegs and holds gather- Education: Beaver (Oklahoma) High School Length of time in Clatsop County: 61 years. Prior Experience: Port of Asto- ria Commission; Port of Astoria Budget Committee. ings. Knight has since asked the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the accu- sations by Fulton. The com- missioner has also suggested evicting Bales and using the pad from his hangar to relocate Life Flight, instead of the bond measure. two candidates. Fulton claimed he wrote the letter out of concern for the Port’s liability. The agency was recently fined $27,000 by the state for not finishing the proj- ect by the prescribed timeline. “Why don’t you be honest with the public and tell them you’re trying to make a polit- ical statement?” Campbell asked Fulton at a meeting. “I don’t think that’s the case, Jim,” Fulton replied, reit- erating his argument that the Port needs answers about the overages. “How long did it take your attorney to write this letter?” Campbell asked, in an apparent reference to John Nygaard, an attorney for Warrenton Fiber, Fulton’s employer. In the port business Stormwater squabble Fulton sent a letter earlier this month to the Port Com- mission and local media outlets accusing Campbell and Com- mission President Mushen of not disclosing cost overruns on the Port’s Pier 3 stormwater treatment system, which is over budget and several months behind schedule. The accusa- tion turned into the most vis- ible flare-up yet between the Campbell, an Oklahoma transplant, has been in Asto- ria since the 1950s, when he served locally with the U.S. Navy. He first served on the Port Commission for three terms between 1965 and 1977, and in 2013 defeated incum- bent Lawrence Pfund. Campbell’s background is mainly in construction. Since the 1980s, he has been the owner-operator of Campbell Towing & Marine Construc- tion, a contractor building port infrastructure and that helped dredge the Columbia River shipping channel. “I think I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to make a port go, and how to maintain and rebuild a port,” Campbell said. “I’ve always been inter- ested in the marine traffic busi- ness. I pretty much know what makes that click.” Campbell’s campaign has been decidedly less vocal and attention-grabbing. He has called Fulton’s allega- tions against him ridiculous. “I think he’s searching for self-notoriety.” Campbell has praised Knight’s performance in mov- ing the Port forward since the director started in 2014. He said the election is about cre- ating an environment in which staff and the Port can succeed. “It makes it very difficult for staff to get anything done when they have to respond to all these innuendos and accusations,” he said of Fulton and Hunsinger’s withering criticism. Campbell said Fulton and Hunsinger seem to be on a mission. “Basically, I think their motive is to get rid of Jim Knight.” Position 2: Port is asking county voters for $1.96 million in bonds over three years Continued from Page 1A DICK HELLBERG “I believe that the current professional management at the Port is doing a good job and well-regarded, but the Port Commission gives peo- ple pause,” Rohne said during a recent radio interview with Joan Herman from Coast Community Radio. Hellberg, a former War- renton City commissioner, said he was spurred to run when the Port Commission declined to sign a letter in support of commercial gillnet fishermen before a state hear- ing on fishing in the Colum- bia River. He is a commercial fisherman and marine sur- veyor. Although supportive of commercial fishing, Port Commission President Rob- ert Mushen said at the time that the Port should not take an official side in an issue that pits commercial and rec- reational fishermen against each other. Rohne has said the issue is about fair access for both sides. “The fish belong to everyone.” Age: 78 Calming influence During the joint interview with Herman, both candidates touted their civility while serving on past boards. Rohne said that while there were disagreements during his time on the county board, nobody ever spoke ill words about each other, something that has become more com- mon on the Port Commission. “In order to be effective, I needed to get along with these people during the meeting.” Residence: Warrenton Occupation: Commercial fish- erman, marine surveyor. Education: Bachelor’s in general studies and master’s degree in science education from Western Oregon Universi- ty; administrative license from Portland State University. Length of time in Clatsop County: 70-plus years. Prior Experience: Warrenton City Commission; Warren- ton-Hammond School Board; U.S. Marine Corps, Alaska Inde- pendent Fishermen’s Marketing Association; Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife’s Fish Restoration and Enhancement Board. DIRK ROHNE Age: 41 Residence: Brownsmead Occupation: Owner, Browns- mead Island Farm. Education: Bachelor’s degree in business and agriculture from Oregon State University. Length of time in Clatsop County: 30-plus years. Prior Experience: Brownsmead Diking District; Knappa Water Association; Clatsop Community College Board; Clatsop County Board of Commissioners. Hellberg said that while serving on theAlaska Inde- pendent Fishermen’s Market- ing Association, he conducted orderly meetings between people with language prob- lems and a lack of sophistica- tion. He has served on a vari- ety of governing bodies, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fish Res- toration and Enhancement Board to the Warrenton-Ham- mond School Board. “The disharmony on that commission kind of con- vinced me that I made the right decision to run,” Hellberg said of the Port Commission. Rohne and Hellberg both described the Port as an eco- nomic engine for the entire county. The Port has world-class businesses such as Born- stein Seafoods and Englund Marine & Industrial Supply, Rohne said, but can’t have clients’ leases being threat- ened by members of the Port Commission. Rohne was ref- erencing calls by Fulton to evict retired dentist Philip Bales’ private hangar from land he leases at the Astoria Regional Airport. Fulton has accused Bales of housing a private club with alcohol that violates his lease. “Fulton was out of line,” Rohne said, adding that if the Port can stop that kind of behavior, businesses will feel more secure to invest in the region. The Port is asking county voters for $1.96 million in bonds over three years to develop a southern portion of the Astoria Regional Airport to accommodate a new han- gar for helicopter medevac service Life Flight Network, while readying nearby prop- erties for future develop- ment. Rohne has come out in favor of the bond measure. Hellberg, while supportive of helping Life Flight, said he opposes the bond because of the attached speculative development. Goals Herman asked the candi- dates what their goals are on the Port Commission. Rohne said his primary goal is to provide more sta- bility, giving businesses at the Port more security to invest locally. Hellberg said he would like to see more oceangoing cargo. Among his many for- mer jobs, including princi- pal of the former Fort Stevens Junior High School, Hellberg has been a longshoreman and a warehouser for a wheat-ex- porting operation at the Port. Both candidates said rail access, although a long shot, would help the Port, and that endangered shipyard Asto- ria Marine Construction Co., which will likely shut down because of a pollution cleanup at its Lewis and Clark site, needs help moving, poten- tially to North Tongue Point. Support While Hellberg has a can- didate committee with the Secretary of State’s Office, his account shows no con- tributions or expenditures. Rohne’s filing committee includes contributions from several prominent locals, including state Sen. Betsy Johnson, activist Cheryl Johnson and Friends of the Astoria Armory Board Mem- ber Daniel Stein. N e w Full color, scenic montage postcards of Astoria now available at the Daily Astorian office! Tourists, visitors, family & friends will love sending these! 949 Exchange Street, Astoria • 503-325-3211