BUOY BEER HAS A CAN-DO ATTITUDE
145TH YEAR, NO. 5
COAST RIVER BUSINESS
JOURNAL • INSIDE
ONE DOLLAR
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2017
County preps assistant manager for top job
Steele is also
the budget and
fi nance director
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County Manager Cam-
eron Moore held one of his regular
check-in meetings with Budget and
Finance Director Monica Steele last
summer. Moore usually asks employ-
ees at these one-on-one talks about
their future plans and goals. At this
meeting, though, he was specifi cally
curious about Steele’s interest in one
position: his own.
“Have you ever thought about
a job like this?” he asked her.
Steele answered quickly. “Yeah,
someday I’d like to have your job,”
she said.
Steele may have taken a step
closer to that goal this week when
she began her new duties as assis-
tant county manager. She will con-
tinue in her role as budget and fi nance
director while helping Moore conduct
administrative tasks.
While Moore and Steele view
the move as an immediate improve-
ment, as well as a necessary step
in succession planning, some
county elected offi cials have raised
concerns.
Monica Steele, pic-
tured here speaking
at a recent meeting of
the Clatsop County
Board of Commis-
sioners, is the new
assistant county man-
ager. Steele will also
continue in her role as
the county’s budget
and finance director .
Colin Murphey
The Daily Astorian
See COUNTY, Page 7A
Trail of discover y
Green
light, go!
Transportation deal
heads to governor
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — A $5.3 billion statewide
transportation package is headed to Gov.
Kate Brown for a signature after the state
Senate passed the bill 22 -7
Thursday.
MORE
“This is a critical and
most important piece of leg- INSIDE
islation. This is the piece of More news
legislation … the 2017 ses- from the
sion will be known for 20, Legislature’s
30, 40 years from now,” final push
said state Sen. Rod. Mon- Pages 6A-7A
roe, D-Portland, one of 14
lawmakers who crafted the plan.
The House of Representatives passed the
bill 39- 20 Wednesday.
10-year plan
Due to tax hikes and new taxes, the
bill required a three-fi fths majority vote
in each chamber, according to the Oregon
Constitution.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Tanya Gephart begins her trek on the Oregon Coast Trail near Seaside. She is among dozens of backpackers hiking the
trail, some of whom have abandoned the Pacific Crest Trail to escape snow and high water.
See TRANSPORTATION, Page 7A
Hikers are hopping from the famous
Pacifi c Crest Trail to the Oregon Coast Trail
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
t the end of June, a woman
picked up three young back-
packers walking along the
highway near Gearhart.
They had been hiking the Pacifi c
Crest Trail — a 2,650-mile-long path that
twists up the West Coast from the Mex-
ico border to Canada — but heavy snow-
a
fall in the Sierra Nevada mountain range
stopped them 700 miles in.
Rather than stop hiking, they decided
to hop over to the lesser -known Oregon
Coast Trail. And they aren’t alone.
“Everyone is coming here,” they told
their driver.
This spring, dozens of hikers snowed
out of California’s mountains or, as the
snow melts, faced with dangerous river
crossings, have abandoned the Pacifi c
Crest Trail and jumped over to the Ore-
gon Coast Trail.
But the trail isn’t ready for them.
‘PCT refugees’
As he stretches next to a sign pointing
back toward Arch Cape, Ryley Delgado
has just been voted his group’s sweat-
iest hiker. Again. He shrugs. The hikers
See TRAIL, Page 8A
AP Photo/Don Ryan
Cars travel Interstate 5 on the morn-
ing commute heading into Portland
in December. The Oregon Senate on
Thursday approved a $5.3 billion trans-
portation package. It now goes to the
governor for her signature.
Repeal of Gearhart vacation rental rules heads to voters
Opponents
clear hurdle
for November
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Vacasa rental sign on a Gearhart home.
GEARHART — Voters in
November will get to decide
the fate of Gearhart’s vacation
rental rules.
The bid to repeal and
replace the regulations issued
last fall gathered enough valid
signatures to put the measure
on the ballot .
The initiative was pre-
sented to the City Council
Wednesday night. City c oun-
cilors had three options: pass
ThursdaY , August 3
$ 25 P RESALE
$ 30 D AY OF S HOW
$ 20 Military & First Responders
F OR T ICKETS AND I NFO GO TO : C LATSOP C O F AIR E XPO . COM
the repeal and replace ordi-
nance; reject the ordinance
and allow voters to decide in
November; or reject the ordi-
nance and come up with a
competing alternative .
The council unanimously
voted to reject the ordinance
and put it on the ballot.
“We fully expected the
City Council to reject our ordi-
nance,” Jim Whittemore, who
owns a short-term rental prop-
erty, said Thursday. “Now it
is on the ballot. We submit-
ted 242 signatures, which is
signifi cant.”
According to the revised
summary, submitted by David
Townsend, Brian and Joy
Sigler and Sarah Nebeker,
the ballot measure would
repeal the special regulations
on vacation rentals related to
off-street parking, residential
appearance, garbage service,
septic-sewer capacity inspec-
tions and cesspool require-
ments not required of other
city residents.
“Our message will show
that we care as much about
Gearhart as full-time residents
do,” Whittemore said. “We
always have. I think that once
residents see how much 82
vacation home owners pay in
property taxes and that we will
pay close to $50,000 a year for
police and fi re services, which
equates to $500,000 over
the next 10 years — that our
See GEARHART, Page 7A
Life is A ugust
Fair
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