THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Unprofessional
treatment
am writing in response to the
headline story in which the Clas-
top County Commission chairman,
Scott Lee, calls for the resignation
of Commissioner Lianne Thompson
(“Lee calls for Thompson’s resigna-
tion,” The Daily Astorian, Oct. 26).
In all my 30-plus years of pub-
lic service, never have I seen such
unprofessional and inappropriate
use of power in a locally elected
board as that of the Clatsop County
Commission for the past few years.
I say this from a position of per-
sonal knowledge, having served as
a Clatsop County commissioner in
the late 1980s. I served with two
other commissioners under the gen-
eral law form of governance.
When I was on the board of
commissioners, if we didn’t agree
on something we were at least
respectful of each other’s right to
an opinion or stand on an issue.
We did not play out our disagree-
ments in the local newspaper by
calling out each other’s transgres-
sions. If a policy was breached, we
discussed it like adults, and I do not
remember any such public displays
of disagreements or chastising one
another.
I am baffled as to why, if the
county does not intend any disci-
plinary action, there was a public
chiding of Commissioner Thomp-
son at a board meeting. Upon read-
ing the article, it appeared to this
reader that she was being criticized
for just doing her job. It is incum-
bent upon commissioners to keep
up with the demands of the job of
making policy, something I have
known Commissioner Thompson to
have done since she came on to the
county board.
She has been religious in attend-
ing conferences and summits that
are of great importance to Clatsop
County. Her attendance this past
summer at Pacific Northwest Eco-
nomic Region (PNWER) did not go
unnoticed. And, this group is not a
“mutual admiration society not rel-
evant to county business.” I have
represented Oregon on PNWER for
many years, and many county com-
missioners attend our summits both
in Oregon and in the 10 states and
Canadian provinces which make up
the membership.
Her longtime work in resilience
and emergency preparedness has
been an exemplary example of tak-
ing the lead on an issue and provid-
ing those of us at different levels of
government the assurance that this
urgent information is being deliv-
ered at the local level. Personally, I
believe that Commissioner Thomp-
son has done her job in a profes-
sional manner, and I am thank-
ful that she has stepped up to serve
Clatsop County in this important
position.
I would think that if a commis-
sioner travels on the county dime
that there are policies and param-
eters in place that outline what is
allowable, and what is not. I have
also known Commissioner Thomp-
son to pay her own way to meet-
ings, conferences, etc.
But to use the forum of a pub-
lic meeting to basically beat up on
a commissioner for travel expenses
that exceed other commissioners’
use of these funds is unprofessional,
especially when there are no sanc-
tions being considered.
The travel budget exists to reim-
burse expenses and the amount does
not seem excessive for the time
span described. It seems more like
common bullying to me, something
we are seeing more and more of
these days in public forums.
As to the confrontation issue, I
would think that it, too, would be
handled in an executive session
rather than a public board meeting.
One just has to wonder what really
is going on here.
Finally, one has to wonder just
who is going to step up and serve
in these elected positions when
this type of treatment is so preva-
lent. The relationships that Com-
missioner Thompson has built at all
levels over the many years that she
has worked in the public sector are
priceless, and appreciated by those
of us lucky enough to have worked
with her.
DEBORAH BOONE
Oregon State Representative,
House District 32
I
Above and beyond
feel compelled to voice my con-
cern over what I see happening
in our local government. I was dis-
heartened to learn that Commis-
sioner Scott Lee is calling for the
resignation of his colleague, Com-
missioner Lianne Thompson (“Lee
calls for Thompson’s resigna-
tion,” The Daily Astorian, Oct. 26).
As I understand it, Commissioner
Thompson has not only lived up to
the requirements of her position,
but gone above and beyond. Is Lee
intimidated by Thompson?
I
The Astorian reported that Lee’s
call for resignation is based on two
factors. First, that Commissioner
Thompson placed her hands on
another when expressing a point.
Personally, I have not seen improper
behaviors or gestures from her
in any setting. Lianne is respect-
ful and caring. Frankly this school
yard charge is below the office of
Commissioner Lee. Second, Lee
cites the amount of reimbursement
is higher than expected. I would
expect higher expenses from one
who is so active in their position. I
know Lianne to be frugal and envi-
ronmentally conscious.
Lianne Thompson lives, eats and
breathes her role as District 5 Clat-
sop County Commissioner. If she
isn’t at an event or meeting, then
she’s on her way to, or just leav-
ing, one. She’s been doing exten-
sive travel, for the county, when
required. When not so engaged,
she’s most likely at a city or county
event. If her expenses for reim-
bursement were higher than
expected, it’s because she does
more than is expected.
She is engaged with our commu-
nity, and talks and listens to every-
one. When she was elected as our
commissioner, she gave up her posi-
tion as the Cannon Beach Commu-
nity Emergency Response Team
(CERT) coordinator in order to bet-
ter serve the county. She is still a
CERT member, and continues to
be active. She is also active on the
Cannon Beach Medical Reserve
Corps, as well as the Red Cross
and CERT/Medical Reserve Corps
(MRC) county ham radio net.
It is within those parameters
that I have had the good fortune of
working with Lianne. Along with
emergency preparedness, Lianne
understands our needs for sus-
tainable forestry, affordable hous-
ing, schools, jobs and the busi-
ness community. She does all this
voluntarily.
For those reasons, I’m concerned
that Commissioner Lee doesn’t rec-
ognize the value Lianne brings to
Clatsop County. What the District
5 voters recognize in Lianne is her
dedication, her background, educa-
tion, her sincerity and her passion.
I commend all who volunteer for
their city or county.
I have never known Lianne to be
anything but professional, gracious
and kind. That she is willing to give
so much of herself to our county,
and our communities, makes her
invaluable. District 5 is fortunate to
have Commissioner Lianne Thomp-
son. When she is up for re-election,
I will vote for her again.
PAULA VETTER
CERT Coordinator, Cannon
Beach
Thompson seeks
opportunities
s a commissioner, serving
my first term in neighboring
Columbia County, I have appreci-
ated the time that Clatsop County
Commissioner Lianne Thomp-
son has taken to provide informa-
tion and to include me in events and
meetings that have an impact on my
county, as well as hers.
The work Lianne does with the
Association of Oregon Counties
(AOC) is invaluable. As individual
counties, we have limited influence
on policy on the state and federal
level. However, as a group we are a
powerful voice in the Oregon Leg-
islature and with our congressional
delegation.
One of the efforts Lianne has
worked on is researching opportuni-
ties for economic development for
North Coast counties. She has been
instrumental in convening a group
to discuss the potential of involve-
ment in the Cross-Laminated Tim-
ber (CLT) market. There are many
possible opportunities for timber
counties — such as Columbia and
Clatsop — to be a part of this grow-
ing product area; whether it be in
supplying the raw material, milling
the lumber, manufacturing or pro-
A
viding the port access for export of
CLT.
Involvement in the AOC has
opened many doors for me. The
counsel and discussion that take
place in the various committee
meetings and conferences, along
with the networking opportunities
have assisted me in providing effec-
tive leadership in Columbia County.
Lianne takes an active role in
AOC committees and discussions
and provides a strong voice for
Clatsop County. Participation on
the state and national level offers
an opportunity to exchange ideas
and find successful solutions to the
challenges that local government
faces on a daily basis. Thank you,
Commissioner Thompson, for your
active role in this process.
MARGARET C. MAGRUDER
Clatskanie
Resiliency advocate
t is my pleasure to write this let-
ter of support for Clatsop County
Commissioner Lianne Thompson. I
know Thompson through her work
to support preparedness efforts
along the North Coast. She was
instrumental in voicing the need
and supporting the development of
Community Response Emergency
Team (CERT) programs in Clat-
sop County, including our local high
schools.
Commissioner Thompson
attends numerous community meet-
ings to stay in touch and lend sup-
port to important coastal issues. She
was an active committee member
of Seaside School District’s suc-
cessful bond campaign to relocate
its schools out of the tsunami inun-
dation zone. She also volunteers
with the American Red Cross, emer-
gency ham radio, and the medical
reserve corps.
Lianne Thompson strives to
strengthen the safety and resilience
of those in Clatsop County, and I
strongly support her in that effort.
DOUG DOUGHERTY
Gearhart
I
Two ways of thinking
irst we have the Clatsop County
commissioners. They are having
a problem with one commissioner
spending about $20,000 in almost
three years (“Lee calls for Thomp-
son’s resignation,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Oct. 26). No breaking of any
rules or laws, some commissioners
just don’t like it. So the solution is
to make new rules.
Next we have the Port of Asto-
ria commissioners. The Port execu-
tive director is responsible for lying
and making a shady business deal
without running it through a meet-
ing. The Port lost a resulting $4 mil-
lion lawsuit, and their solution was
to give him a raise and a three-year
extension (“Port of Astoria exec-
utive director gets three-year con-
tract extension,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Oct. 18).
ED PENUEL
Warrenton
F
Sincere advocate
am writing in support of Clatsop
County Commissioner Lianne
Thompson, with whom I’ve worked
on issues related to the threat posed
by the Cascadia Subduction Zone
earthquake/tsunami event. I know
Lianne is a dedicated public ser-
vant who is working to make Clat-
sop County residents’ lives better,
and protect them against the worst
effects of the subduction zone event.
I’m not familiar with the poli-
tics of your area, so it’s hard for me
to understand how an elected repre-
sentative can be attacked for acting
out of a motivation to serve, rather
than out of self-interest (“Lee calls
for Thompson’s resignation,” The
Daily Astorian, Oct. 26).
What I can tell you is that in all
my interactions with Lianne, I have
found her to be a sincere advocate
for her constituents, and a positive
force for earthquake resilience in
the entire state of Oregon through
I
her work at the Association of Ore-
gon Counties. Oregon needs many
more public servants like her.
STEVE ROBINSON
Eugene
Voice for the coast
n response to the allegations
against Commissioner Lianne
Thompson (“Lee calls for Thomp-
son’s resignation,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Oct. 26), I urge the Clatsop
County Board of Commissioners to
consider the dedication and commit-
ment that Commissioner Thompson
has been making to her district, the
county and the state in the capacity
she serves in her elected position,
but also as the co-chairwoman of
the Public Safety Subcommittee on
Resilience, with the Oregon Associ-
ation of Counties.
During my second term (2015-
2017) as chairman of the Oregon
Seismic Safety Policy Commission
(OSSPAC), Commissioner Thomp-
son was a steadfast voice for resil-
ience planning for coastal com-
munities, and very active in many
of the organizational meetings I
attended on tsunami safety and the
Oregon Resilience Plan.
In March, she moderated a panel
on community resilience in the tsu-
nami zone at the 2017 National
Meeting of the Earthquake Engi-
neering Research Institute in Port-
land, and demonstrated strong lead-
ership in promoting community
disaster planning at the 2017 Ore-
gon Emergency Management Asso-
ciation Conference in Eugene in late
September.
Her ability to attend these types
of events and bring her direct repre-
sentation as an elected public offi-
cial adds tremendous value to the
coastal perspectives on the chal-
lenges around risk and resilience. I
hope you can appreciate her level of
service and commitment in working
outside of the box, and usual com-
fort zones, in order to make change
to the status quo.
JAY WILSON
Portland
I
Ducks in a row
he other day, on my morning
jaunt on the Warrenton Water-
front Trail, the sound of gun shots
from duck hunters prompted a
memory of many years ago.
I was duck hunting with a friend.
It was dark as we approached the
lake. He cautioned me to get down
and crawl toward the lake, and not
to shoot until the ducks started to
fly. But he apparently got anxious
and started shooting, and guess
what? No ducks. But he shot up all
the decoys.
My point is this: Oftentimes we
preempt our Lord in life matters.
We try to force things to happen on
our time, and not on his. “Why hav-
en’t I found the right job?” or the
“right mate?” “Will I ever get over
this medical problem?” “Will my
teenager ever straighten out?”
Have faith. When the ducks are
in a row, the Master Hunter will
bring it to pass.
JIM BERNARD
Warrenton
T
Morons everywhere?
ately, a passel of Long Beach
(Washington) Peninsula pals,
and numerous other wise guys, have
told me that America’s a nation
of idiots. What if they’re right?
Maybe we are a nation of imbeciles,
afflicted with some mild to severe
intellectual disabilities.
After all, Rex Tillerson, President
Donald Trump’s Secretary of State,
recently called No. 45 a moron. And
let’s not forget Trump’s clown-car of
cabinet appointees, and some Dem-
ocrats who deserve special wall
space in the Hall of Morons.
So I’m asking myself, if there
are pockets of individuals out there
with a hunger for sentences that
don’t contain the word “suck,”
maybe they’re demographically
insignificant. Do we really know
L
5A
anything anymore?
Somebody must still know
something. Somebody knows why
the caged bird sings. Somebody saw
what you did. Somebody knows
who you are. Somebody must know
what makes things tick. Some-
body knows what boys like. Some-
body knows what girls want. Some-
body must still know the difference
between Shinola and a hole in the
ground. At least one person must
know why Clint Eastwood’s part-
ners always die, or who Milli Vanilli
really was.
Somebody knows who was
really telling the truth. Anita Hill?
Clarence Thomas? Somebody really
knows who killed the Kennedys and
Martin Luther King. There must be
thousands who know the secrets of
the pyramids and the origins of life.
Someone surely knows where Elvis
is, and Coke’s secret ingredient.
Someone knows what happened
to the Lindbergh baby and Amelia
Earhart.
Somewhere on our informa-
tion highway, answers can be had.
But I’m not really worried about the
dumbing down of America, only
how it affects me, personally.
After all, I’m supposed to be a
really smart guy or a wise guy. I
don’t know much, but I know this
much: I know which one you’ll
choose.
ROBERT BRAKE
Ocean Park, Washington
Support for manager
am not writing this letter to crit-
icize anyone. Only to give my
experience with the food bank and
their volunteer manager, Karla
Gann. I was very surprised with the
firing of Karla after five years of
volunteer service (“South County
Food Bank shake-up leads to tem-
porary closure,” The Daily Astorian,
Oct. 23).
My family and I have donated
many food items, and lately, clothes
also. We were always pleased with
the appearance of the interior of
the building, and also with the well
organized way they handled things.
Karla was always there, even on
her days off, and if we had a dona-
tion and she wasn’t there, all we had
to do was call her at home and she
would be right down to receive our
donation.
Also, what a blessing to be able
to give out clothes, warm gloves,
hats, etc. Most of my friends say
Goodwill’s prices are too high on
their things. I would rather give to
the food bank so that those who
can’t afford other places would not
have to go without.
I am sorry this happened, and
wish something could have been
worked out so that the commu-
nity would still benefit from her
management.
NADINE BRIEN
Seaside
I
Parents do their best
s a mom of three younger kids,
I feel like I need to respond
to the letter “Bad parenting” (The
Daily Astorian, Oct. 20). While
I can sense the frustration of not
relating to or approving of parents’
choices, I think it’s always help-
ful to compassionately consider
their possible circumstances before
jumping to judgment.
There actually aren’t any nearby
pumpkin patches for families to
visit, and the mother was likely
wanting to capture this fun season
and share it with friends and family.
Perhaps the parent couldn’t afford
a pumpkin and felt that this was the
best that they could do.
Likewise, one of the things I
love about Astoria is the #Astori-
aRocks phenomenon. I appreci-
ate how it gets families outdoors to
explore, look for the unexpected, all
while sharing and appreciating art.
Perhaps the father wasn’t trying to
“intimidate” but he was confused,
thinking the writer’s rocks were
up for grabs, like hundreds around
town.
Over the years, I’ve experi-
enced shameful looks from strang-
ers myself, thankfully balanced with
many thoughtful compliments. Yet,
I know from experience that getting
a disapproving look when in mid-
dle of a parenting challenge is the
last thing that could actually help a
parent.
Sadly, abuse and neglect do
happen, and I would ask that next
time you witness “bad parenting,”
that instead of playing the part of a
bystander, we all act with compas-
sion and use the situation as a teach-
able moment, take the chance to
learn more about the situation, and
offer whatever assistance we can.
Parenting is a demanding job,
and I believe that even so-called
bad parents are just doing their best.
And yes, with some parenting edu-
cation and community support, we
probably could all do better.
DARCY ROSE CRONIN
Astoria
A