OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2017
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
OUR VIEW
E
ach week we recognize those people and organizations
in the community deserving of public praise for the
good things they do to make the North Coast a better
place to live, and also those who should be called out for their
actions.
SHOUTOUTS
This week’s Shoutouts go to:
• Organizers of the United Way of Clatsop County’s
Day of Caring and the 150 volunteers who braved the ele-
ments last weekend to help with maintenance and beautifi-
cation projects at nonprofit organizations across the region.
The projects included landscaping and outdoor work at the
Armory in Astoria, prepping the raised beds at the Seaside
Community Gardens along U.S. Highway 101, getting Camp
Kiwanilong ready for summer campers, and the Astoria
High School’s Art Club’s painting of a mural at the Clatsop
Regional Food Bank. The Home Depot Foundation pro-
vided funds for some of the projects, with the local store aid-
ing with materials and manpower, while Subway, Fred Meyer
and Costco provided sandwiches, water and snacks for the
volunteers.
• Cannon Beach Public Works Director Dan Grassick,
who retired from public service this week after serving the
city since 2013. City Manager Brant Kucera credits Grassick
with water, wastewater and parks master plan development
along with improved maintenance within the street over-
lay program. Kucera said Grassick has been “a very import-
ant part of Cannon Beach,” and Grassick said he enjoyed his
work with the city and that he will be focusing on his family
in retirement.
• Astoria Council 1707 of the Knights of Columbus,
which recently donated $2,100 to Special Olympics. The
donation was the result of the council’s annual Tootsie Roll
Handout and Special Olympics Drive at the Fred Meyer store
and the generosity of the store’s customers. The money will
be used to fund the activities of the region’s Special Olympics
athletes.
• Seaside High School boys basketball
coach Bill Westerholm and senior player
Jackson Januik, who were named this
week as the state’s 4A Coach of the Year
and 4A Player of the Year. The Gulls won
their first ever state championship, and for
Januik it was his second consecutive year
being named 4A Player of the Year. Seaside
senior Hunter Thompson was named hon-
Bill Westerholm
orable mention all-state. On the girls team,
which also had its best ever year by finishing third in the
state, senior Maddi Utti was named first team all-state.
CALLOUTS
This week’s Callouts go to:
• The Oregon Government Ethics Commission, for its
ruling this week involving a state law intended to shut the
“revolving door” of lawmakers leaving the Legislature and
immediately becoming lobbyists. The commission, despite
a contrary legal opinion from
the Legislature’s lead attorney,
COMING
ruled the law didn’t apply to Peter
Buckley, who left office as a state
NEXT WEEK
representative in January and now
We make our endorse-
works part time for Gov. Kate
ments on the bond for the
Astoria Regional Airport
Brown as her budget adviser. The
and for the Port of Astoria
law, enacted in 2007, made it ille-
Commission races in the
May special district elec-
gal for lawmakers who leave office
tion. We also publish your
to lobby in the Legislature before
100 words for 100 days of
at least one full legislative ses-
President Donald Trump.
sion concludes, and the gover-
nor’s advisers customarily regis-
ter as lobbyists. The Governor’s Office initially said the job
might involve lobbying the Legislature and the matter was
referred to the Ethics Commission to resolve. The commis-
sion, after ruling in 2009 that the law didn’t apply to statewide
elected officials lobbying on behalf of their agencies, upheld
that interpretation by a 7-0 vote in Buckley’s case saying that
as a budget adviser he is a state official and exempt from the
lobbying ban. Brown’s spokesman Chris Pair said Buckley
will register as a lobbyist, but the governor doesn’t expect him
to lobby during the current session. Ironically, Brown was a
sponsor of the bill in 2007, and ethically it shouldn’t matter
whether a former legislator is working for the governor, a state
agency or a private business or industry, it should be consis-
tent with all lobbyists being treated the same.
Suggestions?
Do you have a Shoutout or Callout you think we should know about?
Let us know at news@dailyastorian.com and we’ll make sure to take a
look.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Rohne for Port seat
urge the election of Dirk Rohne
to the Astoria Port Commission.
The Port Commission oversees the
management of assets worth more
than $40 million, generating over
$10 million of income. Commis-
sioners also are entrusted with a
$700,000 property tax levy.
Dirk is a family man who owns
and operates a 200-acre dairy farm
in Brownsmead. He has served
with distinction on the Clatsop
County Commission and the Clat-
sop Community College board.
He is active in the Brownsmead
Grange and Knappa Water Asso-
ciation, and serves as a volunteer
firefighter.
We deserve the hard work, intel-
ligence and independence that Dirk
will bring to the Port Commission.
BLAIR HENNINGSGAARD
Astoria
I
Wingard for
CCC board
have witnessed the career of Pat-
rick Wingard through his time
as a planner for the county and for
Warrenton, often in not-so-easy
times. Now, he is a strong and col-
laborative participant on the Clat-
sop Community College Board,
and also works on the North Coast
dealing with land use issues. He
knows the area and its educational
needs.
Patrick has worked to make
the CCC Board transparent in its
actions; pushing to keep the col-
lege as a place that is inclusive and
accountable. He is supportive of
faculty as active members in the
development of plans and programs
that affect them. Most of all, Pat-
rick wants to expand choices and
opportunity for everyone, and be
active in creating programs for dis-
advantaged or under-represented
community members.
Patrick Wingard considers the
long-term consequences of pres-
ent actions, to make sure board
decisions truly represent commu-
nity needs. He is a problem-solver
and consensus builder who works
to put the needs of CCC’s students
first. He has worked for us and
deserves your vote.
JAN MITCHELL
Astoria
I
Thanks firefighters
he Knappa Fire District Board
of Directors would like to
thank the Knappa Fire District Vol-
unteers for all of their hard work
and dedication throughout 2016.
Last year was a very busy year,
totaling 486 calls for service. Our
volunteers spent 2,724 individual
hours responding to these calls.
T
The trend continues, as this year
has started out busier than last year.
The volunteers have responded to
136 calls for service through March
of 2017.
Thank you for a job well done.
PAUL OLHEISER
Fire chief, Knappa Fire District
Rushing dune decision
n April 13, the Gearhart Plan-
ning Commission ignored
pleas from several Gearhart citi-
zens to postpone passing an ordi-
nance allowing the clearing of veg-
etation on two 60-foot swaths of
the Gearhart dunes, beginning at
the Necanicum estuary and extend-
ing northward. We are two of the
citizens who encouraged the com-
mission to postpone passing the
revised ordinance until after a
Columbia River Estuary Study
Taskforce (CREST) led citizen
committee could study and recom-
mend action.
We are also two of the many
Gearhart residents who enjoy
walking the dunes and observing
the wildlife that resides there. We
have observed 45 species of
birds on our walks, as well as elk,
deer, coyote, bats, bees and but-
terflies. Quiet walks in this area
including enjoyment of the wild-
life is greatly enhancing our qual-
ity of life and the “Gearhart” expe-
rience. It is an experience that is
readily accessible to all, visitors
and residents alike.
The amount of allowed clear-
ing being proposed — a mini-
mum of 60-feet plus at both the
Neocoxie right of way and the
fire road — will alter the habi-
tat to the detriment of the wild-
life utilizing the vegetation for for-
aging and breeding and therefore
greatly reduce viewing opportu-
nities. This is not a small amount
of clearing. These animals will
need to move elsewhere to meet
their needs. The Birdy Beach Path,
named by local school children,
will no longer live up to its name.
The city of Gearhart has hired
CREST to form a volunteer citi-
zen’s committee to develop a dune
management plan including deal-
ing with vegetation issues. At the
time of the Planning Commission
meeting, this committee had not
met for the first time. It does not
make sense to finalize a revised
ordinance before the citizen com-
mittee is allowed to study the
issue.
Rushing the process has the
potential for damaging results. The
Gearhart City Council will be con-
sidering the revised ordinance on
May 3. We certainly hope citizens
who have concerns for this issue,
show up to let the council know
their feelings and thoughts and we
O
hope the council makes the wise
choice of waiting for an alternate
plan that melds citizen safety and
quality of life issues.
MARGARET and JOHN
GREEN
Gearhart
Life Flight support
ost folks, including my hus-
band and I, are dubious about
requests to increase taxes. But the
May ballot has a bond issue involv-
ing Life Flight that we’ll definitely
vote for.
Life Flight was not based at
the airport until May 2016. Before
then, all flights started in Longview
or Aurora. That meant an excruciat-
ing wait for help. And every minute
counts with a heart attack, stroke or
life-threatening trauma.
Life Flight’s helicopter hangar is
now a quarter mile away from crew
quarters. That separation wastes
precious minutes in response time.
With state grant help, Life Flight
will pay for a new 80-foot by
96-foot hangar to accommodate
crew quarters for a pilot, nurse and
paramedic, as well as a helicopter
and airplane. Having everything at
the same place means a much faster
response time when minutes count.
At no other airport does Life
Flight pay for roads, water and
sewer lines to hangars they rent or
own. Nor does any other tenant at
the airport. The Port doesn’t have
the money for those improvements,
which is where the bond measure
comes in. And while the Port’s
doing all the work of bringing in
new sewer and water lines for Life
Flight’s new hangar, it plans to pre-
pare adjacent land for future com-
mercial tenants.
FAA requirements for separa-
tion of helicopters and airplanes are
quite strict. Present hangar areas
are already crowded with a mix of
Coast Guard and private aircraft.
Just ask any Coast Guard heli-
copter pilot about it, and you’ll
likely get a polite earful. Thus, Life
Flight’s new hangar will be at the
south end of the airport, away from
busy Coast Guard aircraft.
And in case you hadn’t heard,
the Port’s bond issue is supported
by the county’s hospitals, the
Chamber of Commerce, as well
as Astoria, Warrenton and Clatsop
County governments.
If the bond measure is approved,
a property owner will pay another
$12.88 for every $100,000 in prop-
erty value. If you own a house
assessed at $200,000, you will pay
around $25 a year for three years.
That’s a small price to pay to save
a life that could be yours. Please
vote.
CAROL HASKELL
Astoria
M
WHERE TO WRITE
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
(D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washing-
ton, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-
0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District
office: 12725 SW Millikan Way,
Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005.
Phone: 503-469-6010. Fax 503-326-
5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313
Hart Senate Office Building, Wash-
ington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-
3753. Web: www.merkley.senate.gov
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D):
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510. Phone:
202-224-5244. Web: www.wyden.
senate.gov
• State Rep. Brad Witt (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E.,
H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone:
503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/witt/ Email: rep.bradwitt@
state.or.us
• State Rep. Deborah Boone (D):
900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Salem,
OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1432.
Email: rep.deborah boone@state.
or.us District office: P.O. Box 928,
Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone:
503-986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/ boone/
• State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E.,
S-314, Salem, OR 97301. Telephone:
503-986-1716. Email: sen.betsy john-
son@state.or.us Web: www.betsy-
johnson.com District Office: P.O.
Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056. Phone:
503-543-4046. Fax: 503-543-5296.
Astoria office phone: 503-338-1280.
• Port of Astoria: Executive
Director, 10 Pier 1 Suite 308, Asto-
ria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-741-3300.
Email: admin@portofastoria.com
• Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners: c/o County Manager, 800
Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR
97103. Phone: 503-325-1000.