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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2017)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 In striking feat, Democrats come Gearhart: close to retaking Virginia House ‘It’s been a long haul and it’s been worth it’ By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — Democrats nearly wiped out Republicans’ overwhelming majority on Election Day in the Virginia House of Dele- gates, with a handful of races that will decide control of the body remaining too close to call. By Wednesday morning, Democrats had picked up 14 of the 17 seats they would need to retake the chamber for the first time in two decades. “It really is an unprec- edented result we’re see- ing,” House Democratic Cau- cus Leader David Toscano said. The last time Demo- crats picked up more than five seats was 1975, according to Toscano. This election season, with all 100 seats up for grabs, saw Democrats make their most energetic push in years to gain ground against Republi- cans. Sixty of the seats were contested by candidates of both major parties, more than in any year for at least two decades. The House gains were part of a stellar night for Dem- ocrats, who swept all three statewide races. Democrat Ralph Northam beat Republi- can Ed Gillespie in the gover- nor’s race by nearly 9 points. Together, Tuesday’s elec- toral outcomes will be seen as an overwhelming victory for those opposed to President Donald Trump and as a poten- tial predictor for next year’s midterm election, when con- trol of Congress and many more statehouses will be up for grabs. In the run-up to Tuesday’s balloting, Democrats said they were confident, but many ana- lysts had expected them to pick up no more than a hand- ful of seats. Republicans maintained during the campaign that they would retain their majority. Their years in power helped Continued from Page 1A Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times Democrat Chris Hurst, right, defeated Republican incumbent Joseph Yost to win House District 12 on Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va. them build up a significant cash advantage, and they argued that voters in local races care about local issues — not what’s going on in Washington. “Obviously, tonight was a difficult night and the outcome is not what anyone expected,” Matt Moran, spokesman for the House Republican Cau- cus, said in a statement Tues- day night. The shift in power could have far reaching policy and political implications. It will change the makeup of com- mittees, and Republicans may no longer be able to block Medicaid expansion. Demo- crats in Virginia also will have greater leverage when draw- ing new congressional and legislative boundaries during the next redistricting. “I told Ralph I am jealous” of the legislature he will get to work with, said Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who fought the General Assembly unsuccess- fully on Medicaid expansion for four years. It wasn’t immediately clear how long it would be before the full results are known. Five seats were too close to call Wednesday morn- ing, according to the AP’s count, although Democrats had claimed victory in two of those. They will be eligi- ble for recounts if candidates request them. In one race, only 12 votes separated Republi- can Del. David Yancey and Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds. Among the Democrats’ influx of candidates this year were a record 43 women, many of whom said they were inspired by Hillary Clinton’s defeat to jump into politics for the first time. At least nine of the new seats will be filled by women. Among those will be Dan- ica Roem, who is transgen- der. A former journalist, she unseated Bob Marshall, one of the chamber’s longest-serving and most conservative mem- bers. Earlier this year, Mar- shall sponsored a bill that would have limited the bath- rooms transgender people can use. Roem will be Virginia’s first openly transgender law- maker. She will also make his- tory as the first openly trans- gender person elected and seated in a state legislature, according to the Victory Fund, a political action commit- tee that works to get openly LGBTQ people elected. Several other Demo- cratic women also made his- tory Tuesday night: Hala Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman — who both ousted Republi- can incumbents — will be the chamber’s first Latina mem- bers, and Kathy Tran will be its first female Asian-Ameri- can member. In the Blacksburg area, Chris Hurst, a former Virginia news anchor whose journal- ist girlfriend was fatally shot during a live broadcast in 2015, defeated a Republican incumbent. After the shoot- ing, Hurst became the public face of the grieving Roanoke station. Associated Press writers Matthew Barakat in Fairfax, Virginia, and Alan Suderman in Richmond contributed to this report. Library: ‘I’m just really relieved and excited’ Continued from Page 1A “I’m excited to see where our library’s going to go,” Mayor Henry Balensifer said. he voter turnout and “yes” votes are “a testament to the hard work of the volunteers … who went out and pounded the pavement and knocked on doors and got the word out,” Balensifer said. “The town wanted it and the town went out and worked for it and they got it.” The city will not begin to collect the money until next year. “For now we’re celebrat- ing and looking forward to whatever that next step might be,” said Kelsey Balensifer, the chairwoman of the library board. City staff will need to dis- cuss exactly where the money will go. Staff and library board members have said the money will go toward automation ser- vices — books are still hand- stamped — to modernize library operations. It could also be used to expand the library’s limited hours and add staff time as well as e-books, books and other materials. Some of the money may go to paying routine bills such as rent and utilities. If the levy hadn’t passed, Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Shelves are full at the new home of the Warrenton Com- munity Library on Main Avenue. the city would have adjusted its numbers and gone back to the voters again in May, Mayor Balensifer said, adding there would have been “some really hard discussions.” For more than a decade, the library has worked with the same levy amount even as costs and demands for services have increased. The city has been supple- menting the library’s small budget, but the move to Main Avenue in June as well as growing demands for library services compelled the library board and the City Commis- sion to reassess a five-year operational levy set to end this year. “It was coming to a point where we were asking, ‘Do we cut back hours?’ It’s barely open as it is,” Mayor Balen- sifer said. “We’ve got a bigger facility now which provides better services and more ame- nities but at the same time it’s a lot to manage.” “I think I can breathe now,” said site manager Nettie-Lee Calog. She had been trying not to think about it all day. “I’m just really relieved and excited. … I’m really grateful to the mayor and all the peo- ple who really pushed for the vote.” Her next step is to begin researching how to bring auto- mation to the library. She plans to talk with staff at Seaside and Astoria’s libraries for guid- ance and advice. Since opening at its new location on Main Avenue after decades at a small, deteriorat- ing building in Hammond, the library has become even more of a community hub, Calog said. People who hadn’t real- ized the city even had a library when it was located in Ham- mond have signed up for library cards. Calog has her own office. There is a book sorting room. There is even a children’s corner. It was hard to refrain from advocating for the levy increase, she said. As a city employee, she couldn’t go out to talk to potential voters and solicit “yes” votes. The library board estab- lished a political action com- mittee to take on the cam- paign, setting up a website to educate people about the pro- posed levy increase and show them a variety of ways they could support the library’s efforts. Port: ‘If we can’t fix it, why do we have it? Continued from Page 1A Spending smart “It helps to see the forest through the trees,” Cummings said of a longer-term plan. His agency manages grant programs such as Connec- tOregon, a source the Port has used on several major projects, and the Special Public Works Fund. But increased demands and tighter budgets have put a strain on the programs. The state is pushing to award grants tied to strategic plans, Cummings said, and Business Oregon wants ports to work together to be more competitive for state funding. Part of that is having each port create a capital improve- ment plan so that Business Oregon can submit a priori- tized list of projects statewide in need of funding, similar to community colleges, Cum- mings said. “If each port does this cap- ital improvement plan, we can then go to the Legislature and ask for a full bucket of funds,” he said. “Right now, what we see when we go to the Legis- lature, is that we have one-off asks from different ports.” Port Executive Direc- tor Jim Knight said the Port’s problem is not having enough funding to keep up an aging infrastructure. The Port Commission recently voted to end its lease at North Tongue Point, an industrial dock and former military base lauded for its railroad and river access but expensive to modernize. The land is being negotiated for purchase by a private maritime company. Knight also pointed to the East Mooring Basin cause- way, a state-designated bridge extending from 36th Street through one of the Port’s mari- nas to a $30 million Army Corps of Engineers breakwa- ter. The causeway has been closed to vehicular traffic for years, and it is in danger of being closed to pedestrians as well in the next couple of years. “The danger I see coming our way is, if we can’t fix it, why do we have it?” Knight said. “All of us did this together,” Mayor Matt Brown said. “This was a true grassroots movement like nothing I’ve ever seen. I think this was really the epit- ome of the community com- ing together to fight for what I think is right: a sustainable, residential Gearhart.” City Councilor Sue Lorain was also happy. “This vote means we will continue to have our residential feel. It is a win — and it is a win for all of Gearhart for trusting their local officials.” As of Oct. 1, 81 vaca- tion rental permits have been issued under the ordi- nance enacted last fall, 57 of which are complete and pro- cessed, according to the city administrator. The ballot measure would have changed limits on per- mit transfers and maximum occupancy and repealed spe- cial regulations imposed on vacation rentals. The rules cover off-street parking, res- idential appearance, garbage service, septic sewer capac- ity inspections and cesspool prohibitions. The measure would have also eliminated a require- ment that a 24-hour represen- tative be able to physically respond to the site within 30 minutes and removed a limitation on the number of vacation rentals. A public vote would have been required for any future amendments to the vacation rental ordinance or any sub- sequent ordinance relating to vacation rentals. “Fear is a powerful force,” David Townsend, a repeal supporter, said. “Gear- hart has chosen its path … only time will tell.” Road to regulation The trail to Measure 4-188 began in 2013, when city leaders and residents sought to improve the stock of long-term rental housing amid concerns about how vacation rentals in residential zones can negatively affect the city’s atmosphere and livability. At the time, the taxing ordinance for short-term rental properties provided exemptions for the approx- imately 50 single-family homes rented out under the city’s guidelines. Repeal of that tax came nearly three years later, when short-term renters were Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian A ballot measure to repeal the city’s vacation rental rules was contentious. required to pay the city’s 7 percent lodging tax. By 2016, the nature of the internet and book- ing trends through compa- nies like Vacasa and Airbnb added to scrutiny of short- term rentals. Residents in favor of reg- ulating vacation rentals cited Gearhart’s comprehensive plan, written in 1994 and expressing the intent to rec- ognize the importance of the city’s residential neighbor- hoods and the need to pro- tect them from the negative impacts of rental property. Complaints that out- of-town management was unable to promptly reply to public safety concerns led to an increased call for reg- ulation, including a provi- sion requiring 24-hour owner contact information. Property rights In presenting Measure 4-188 to voters, opponents of regulation stressed prop- erty rights and said the rule changes go “far beyond” common-sense measures. “It’s been a long haul and it’s been worth it,” Planning Commissioner Terry Graff, an opponent of the repeal, said after election results were delivered. “You have to thank the worker bees who worked out of their kitchens to pull this off for the city of Gearhart.” Tuesday’s vote could lead to further discussion of the short-term rental ordinance, Lorain said. “I would like to see where we are in a year, evaluate where we are and see what we need to do to change it.” Brown opened the door to potential changes. “I think we should look at this law every single year,” he said. “I think we should ask what are the ways that we can improve this law for everyone in the community.” Chase: Bail set at $50,000 Continued from Page 1A police affidavit. His blood alcohol content was 0.00 percent, but police are await- ing the result of a blood sample. Pruitt-Rexroad has been charged with aggravated identity theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, attempt- ing to elude, driving under the influence of intoxicants, unlawful possession of meth- amphetamine, reckless driv- ing and four counts of reck- lessly endangering another person. He also has a warrant out of Multnomah County in a methamphetamine posses- sion case. Circuit Court Judge Dawn McIntosh set bail at $50,000. If indicted, Pruitt-Rexroad is scheduled to be arraigned next week. NOW OPEN MONDAYS! MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!! 20% OFF ALL FOOD FREE APPETIZERS DURING GAMES $ 1.00 OFF BEVERAGES 451 Ave U, Seaside 503-738-5261 seasidegolfcourse@gmail.com 2 FOR 1 GOLF (Mondays Only!)
