4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017
Gelser: Voiced issue on behalf of other women
Continued from Page 1A
Weinstein donated $5,000
to the Democratic Party of
Oregon during the 1995-1996
election cycle, a decade before
Gelser was elected to the
Legislature.
Gelser, a Democrat from the
university town of Corvallis,
shot back on Twitter, denying
receiving any Weinstein money
and asking if Lockwood would
ensure that no Senate Republi-
can “inappropriately touches or
gropes” female lawmakers and
staffers.
In an interview Monday
with The Oregonian, Gelser
identifi ed Republican Sen. Jeff
Kruse as the colleague she had
previously complained about.
She alleged that inappropri-
ate touching had occurred for
years.
The newspaper also quoted
Senate Majority Leader Ginny
Burdick as saying she saw
Kruse wrap his arms around
Gelser at her desk on the Sen-
ate fl oor and step inappro-
priately close to her during a
debate.
“I said, ‘Get your hands off
Sen. Gelser,’” Burdick recalled
telling Kruse.
Kruse, whose committee
assignments were removed
Friday by Senate President
Peter Courtney as punishment,
says he hasn’t been informed
what he’s accused of. He ear-
lier denied any inappropriate
behavior.
“Because I am being denied
access to any of the specifi cs
of the allegations and actually
I am being denied due process
in this whole thing there is very
little I can say because I don’t
know what the allegations are,”
Kruse, who represents Rose-
burg, said in an email to The
Associated Press. Kruse served
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County’s pilot needle exchange program is
meant to deter the spread of disease.
Needles: All of the
exchanges so far have
taken place in Astoria
Continued from Page 1A
we do. We have an epidemic
on our hands, and Clatsop
County is not immune from
that.”
The county will bring
additional needles to its next
event due to the surpris-
ing uptick of interest. “We
weren’t expecting such a
jump from one to another,”
McNickle said. “We weren’t
quite sure what we were up
against.”
Offi cials noted after the
fi rst exchange that it would
take time to establish trust
with drug users. So far, six
so-called “messengers” have
been collecting all the nee-
dles in buckets and taking
them to the exchange sites on
behalf of drug users.
Since the fi rst event, the
county switched locations
along the Astoria riverfront
and has now settled on the
32nd Street spot. All of the
exchanges so far have taken
place in Astoria.
Events at Knappa Fire
District Station have not
resulted in any returns. The
health department will also
explore potential exchange
locations in Seaside. Infor-
mation about the weekly
exchange events — held
Thursdays — can be found
on the county health depart-
ment’s Facebook page.
County
commission-
ers unanimously approved
the program, funded by a
$50,000 donation from the
Friends of Columbia Com-
munity Health, in August.
If
deemed
successful,
the county may look into
adopting
a
permanent
program.
“The problem with addic-
tion is so profound and trou-
bling,” County Commis-
sioner Kathleen Sullivan
said. “Anything we can do
to fi x it would be great. What
they’re trying to do — build-
ing trust — is not an easy
thing, and I applaud them for
doing it.”
‘I have a responsibility to the many,
many young women that work in the
building, and older women too, as staffers
and as lobbyists who are encountering
these problems on a regular basis.’
State Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis
on the health care, education
and judiciary committees.
Asked if Kruse had not
been given the opportunity
to respond to the allegations,
Courtney’s spokesman said
the senator knew his behavior
needed to change.
“There are on-going work-
place issues which Senator
Kruse has failed to resolve.
As a result, the Senate presi-
dent took the action Friday to
remove Senator Kruse from
his committees,” spokesman
Robin Maxey said in an email.
Gelser said she was voic-
ing the harassment issue on
behalf of other women, and she
doesn’t want attention on her
own situation.
“I think as an elected leader
in the Legislature, I have a
responsibility to the many,
many young women that work
in the building, and older
women too, as staffers and as
lobbyists who are encounter-
ing these problems on a regular
basis,” she said.
Maxey also said the door
to Kruse’s offi ce in the Cap-
itol would be removed this
week, because he has contin-
ued smoking in there despite
a smoking ban in the building.
Oregon is not alone in see-
ing sexual harassment accusa-
tions emerge recently.
• The California Senate
announced Monday that it has
hired a law fi rm to investigate
sexual harassment after numer-
ous women working in and
around the Capitol described a
culture of sexual intimidation.
No male lawmakers have been
accused by name. But female
lobbyists, lawmakers and leg-
islative staffers have described
accounts of men making inap-
propriate comments, touching
them and asking them to per-
form sex acts.
• In Arizona, a legisla-
tor has joined a growing cho-
rus of women going public
about sexual harassment they
encountered from men in the
workplace. Republican Rep.
Michelle Ugenti-Rita of Scott-
sdale said she encountered
harassment soon after taking
offi ce in early 2011, including
“unwanted sexual advances
and lewd and suggestive com-
ments regarding my body
and appearance from male
colleagues.”
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GEARHART VOTERS BEWARE:
KNOW THE TRUTH
Don’t let out-of-state big money and self-serving corporate
interests buy Gearhart’s election.
Does the current ordinance prohibit families
or guests from staying at properties for free?
No. The short-term nightly rental ordinance applies only
to the act of “renting.” The very definition of a “rental”
is money has to change hands. Regular residential uses
are allowed under current laws.
Would unlimited nightly rentals
help our economy?
No. Our current laws provide a balance of vacation rentals
and our full-time residents who spend money all year-round.
This creates a sustainable economy.
Does Measure 4-188 have any enforceable
regulations protecting residents?
No. All current regulations regarding the number of permits,
septic, safety or even parking are eliminated. Period. There
will be NO mechanism for ANY regulation enforcement if
the measure passes.
Will the number of short-term nightly vacation
rentals ever go to zero?
No. There will always be short-term, nightly rentals available
in Gearhart. There are around 200 units potentially available
now and always in an R-3 zone. Currently, the city can
review or change the number of rental permits
through its normal legislative process.
E GEAR
S AV
Short-term rental permits can also be
HA
passed down through inheritance.
Do our current laws go too
far in their protection of our
citizens’ rights?
No. Our laws regulating nightly
rentals have a reasonable cap
protecting residents from any
negative impacts. Our occupancy
A
limits, septic, safety and parking
I
RH
NT
AR
regulations are similar to other cities
E
T RESID
like Seaside, Cannon Beach or Manzanita.
GE
VOTE NO! VOTE NOW!
Paid for by: Keep Gearhart Residential www.keepgearhartresidential.com
L
P
ON 4
-188
A
NO
T
VOTE
KEE
Do Gearhart’s current laws make it harder
to sell your home?
No. Our city Ordinance 901 protects property values through
zoning laws. Home sales are soaring right now, due to new
full-time residents moving in because of our nightly vacation
rental ordinance.
Do current laws prevent homeowners
from renting their property?
No. Any property owner can rent their entire home, just a
room, or only a level for 30 days or more, without a permit.
Does Measure 4-188 have any fire or life
safety provisions that protect families?
No. ALL fire, safety and building code inspections are required
to be done by our city building inspector. Measure 4-188
removes this requirement and allows any “licensed home
inspector” to inspect homes. These home inspectors CANNOT
LEGALLY INSPECT for fire and life safety per state law.
They are not allowed or required to report that a home might
not have fire escapes, bedrooms with no windows, or any
safety hazards.
R
Does Measure 4-188 have ANY cap on the number
of short-term nightly vacation rentals?
No. Measure 4-188 would allow UNLIMITED NIGHTLY
VACATION RENTALS in ALL our neighborhoods. The ability
of the city to review or revise the number of rental permits or
regulations is removed, completely.