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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2017)
ASTORIA STANDS WITH THE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE PAGE 5A DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2017 145TH YEAR, NO. 31 ONE DOLLAR Astoria Police in conflict under former chief Independent assessment shows leadership failure By DERRICK DePLEDGE and KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian The Astoria Police Department under former chief Brad Johnston was riven by failures in lead- ership and undermined by politics, discord, con- flict and staffing shortages that sapped morale, an independent assessment found. The police department had been at the “point of a crisis” in Astoria, the assessment concluded, but the most serious issues have been averted by Johnston’s sudden decision to retire earlier this month. City Manager Brett Estes asked Akin Blitz, a Portland labor attorney, to direct an assessment of the police department’s leadership at a time when three police officers and a clerical worker had left and the department was stretched thin. Estes also asked Blitz to investigate a complaint from within the police department that Johnston had improperly obtained city reimbursement for personal travel in late May. The separate probe found that Johnston violated city travel and ethics policies and that his choices reflected “extraordi- narily poor judgment.” Estes was briefed on the findings of the assess- ment and the investigation prior to Johnston’s Aug. 2 retirement. Johnston was also aware of the findings before his retirement. Estes said he did not ask the former police chief to step down. “It was a decision made in his own volition,” he said. Johnston, who was named by Estes as police chief and assistant city manager in 2014, resigned as assistant city manager in July, citing the dif- ficulty of balancing the two roles. He has not responded to interview requests, but he explained on Facebook that his abrupt departure after 25 years with the police department was “sudden, but necessary.” See TURMOIL, Page 7A Department selects interim police chief Spalding is an experienced leader By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian A former Beaverton police chief who is well-respected in the law enforcement com- munity will lead the Astoria Police Depart- ment until a permanent chief is hired. Geoff Spalding, who retired as chief of the Beaverton Police Department in 2016 and previously spent 31 years with the Fullerton Police Department in California, joins the Astoria Police as interim chief on Aug. 28. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Astoria Police Chief Brad Johnston retired earlier this month. An indepen- dent assessment docu- mented leadership failures and low morale at the po- lice department. See SPALDING, Page 7A 2017 ASTORIA REGATTA An evolving tradition Geoff Spalding Cutter Alert gets a new commander Reid takes over from Culver By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian A float carrying the 2017 Astoria Regatta royalty makes its way through downtown Astoria on Saturday during the Grand Land Parade. Find more photos from this year’s Astoria Regatta online at DailyAstorian.com Astoria Regatta takes to the streets downtown By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian T housands lined the streets Saturday to cel- ebrate the Astoria Regatta with the Grand Land Parade, carrying on a 123-year tra- dition to honor the region’s maritime roots. The parade, with the theme “Full Steam Ahead,” was the anchor to a weekend full of festivities, including the Highwater Boat Parade and Regatta Fireworks show. Many of the parade staples, such as the Regatta Court float, march- ing bands and bags of candy being thrown into the sea of enthusiatic paradegoers, all remained Cmdr. Patrick Culver, who led the Asto- ria-based U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert for the past two years, transferred command Fri- day to Cmdr. Tobias Reid. Reid comes from Charleston, North Car- olina, where he was executive officer aboard the cutter Hamilton for the past two years. Culver heads to Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he will be chief of drug and migrant interdiction. Rear Adm. Pat DeQuattro, deputy com- mander of the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area that oversees the agency’s operations in the Pacific and Indian oceans, described Cul- ver as a consummate professional who set an example for his crew by leading from the front. DeQuattro said the nearly 50-year-old Alert ran smoothly on all but two operational days during Culver’s command. Those two days were spent in port in San Diego during a large storm, DeQuattro said, during which See REID, Page 5A Astoria Regatta apologizes for Confederate flag at parade Organizers say it was an unfortunate incident By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian The Astoria Regatta apolo- gized today for Confederate flag displays on Saturday during the Grand Land Parade downtown. Organizers described the dis- plays from Sons of Beaches, an off-road enthusiast group, as an unfortunate incident and said it was an oversight that the symbols were not caught at the start of the parade. “The Astoria Regatta Associa- tion deeply regrets the display of a See FLAG, Page 7A See REGATTA, Page 7A Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Cmdr. Patrick Culver, left, transferred command of the U.S. Coast Guard cut- ter Alert to Cmdr. Tobias Reid, right, Friday. The ceremony was overseen by Rear Adm. Pat DeQuattro, deputy com- mander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area that oversees the agency’s operations in the Pacific and Indian oceans. A fearful reminder of war Hartman fled the Nazis as a young man By DWIGHT CASWELL For The Daily Astorian AMMOND — Martin Hartman sits in the liv- ing room of his Hammond home. Tall, thin, his hair white, he leans on his cane and rem- inisces. “I was 16. It was May 10, 1940,” he said. “We heard bombing and saw planes. It was the German invasion, and the blitz was over in three days.” “Gradually Nazism crawled H into Holland. Good people were sent to prison, Jews and ministers. My father said, ‘We have the Nazis now. We don’t know when we will be rid of them.’” It had been difficult times in Holland in the 1930s. The Hart- man family business was con- struction and the Depression had hit them hard. Now, just as things were getting better, they became much worse. Not long after the invasion, the Germans began barricading city blocks and sweeping the apartments for young men to replace Ger- man soldiers lost in the war. At the time, Hartman was enrolled in a trade school learn- ing languages, bookkeeping and other skills that would be valuable in the family business. He graduated in 1943 and the next day was ordered to Ger- many by the Labor Depart- ment. There was no question in Hartman’s mind; he was not going to Germany. Making that decision left only one alterna- tive: go underground. Submitted Photo See HARTMAN, Page 5A Martin and Frances Hartman live in Hammond. Martin Hartman fled the Nazis in Holland as a teenager.
