COAST WEEKEND’S ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST INSIDE
DailyAstorian.com //
145TH YEAR, NO. 133
ONE DOLLAR
MEASURE 101
‘A GRACEFUL EXIT
is as important as a graceful entrance’
Voters
will weigh
new taxes
Health care for 350,000
people in the balance
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis talks to another attorney on the phone in his office in Astoria.
Veteran prosecutor
will leave office after
nearly 25 years
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
C
latsop County District Attorney
Josh Marquis, a local prosecutor
who built a national reputation as
an advocate for the death penalty, truth in
sentencing and crime victims’ rights, will
not run for re-election.
The courtroom veteran informed his
staff on Wednesday he will retire when
his four-year term ends in January 2019,
nearly 25 years after his appointment to
restore an office tainted by corruption.
“A graceful exit is as important as a
graceful entrance,” Marquis said. “I’ve
sort of been thinking about this for a year
or two or maybe longer.”
Voluble and combative, Marquis was
elected six times since Gov. Barbara Rob-
erts appointed him in 1994.
Marquis, 65, remembered the unusual
circumstances that brought him to Astoria
in the first place. His predecessor, Julie
Leonhardt, was recalled and convicted of
framing two police officers for drugs in
an attempt to clear her fiancée of crimi-
nal charges.
A chief deputy in Deschutes County
The Daily Astorian
In this October 2000 photo, District Attorney Josh Marquis addresses the
court during a murder trial.
before Leonhardt was removed, Marquis
drove to and from the North Coast for six
weekends in anticipation that he might
get the job.
“I didn’t know if it was the kind of
place I would like, and I wanted to talk to
people,” he said.
Marquis’ first election — his only
contested one — came just two months
after being sworn in.
See MARQUIS, Page 7A
‘I’VE SORT OF BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS
FOR A YEAR OR TWO OR MAYBE LONGER.’
The state began mailing out ballots
Tuesday for Measure 101, which asks
Oregon voters to affirm or overturn more
than $300 million in new taxes on hospi-
tals and other health care providers over
the next two years approved by the state
Legislature.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Jan. 23. Clat-
sop County officials recommend placing
them in an official dropbox within two
weeks of that date, rather than mailing.
Proponents arguing “yes” on the mea-
sure say the money is needed to avoid up
to 350,000 low-income residents poten-
tially losing health care.
Opponents arguing “no” claim the
additional revenue is an unnecessary and
unfair tax that could be funneled to things
besides Medicaid.
Funding Medicaid is a state and fed-
eral partnership. Hospitals pay a 5.3 per-
cent tax on net revenues. Once matched
by the federal government, the money is
returned to them as a group and redistrib-
uted. The Legislature this summer passed
House Bill 2391, a $670 million health
care provider tax to fill a gap in Medic-
aid funding over the next two years and
avoid closing a newly constructed psychi-
atric hospital.
The package includes a 0.7 percent tax
on net revenues of hospitals that is not
returned, but placed in a state fund for
health care. Republican state Reps. Julie
Parrish of West Linn, Cedric Hayden of
Roseburg and Sal Esquivel of Medford
gathered around 84,000 signatures to
place the 0.7 percent tax on the ballot.
A “yes” vote on the measure would
affirm the 0.7 percent tax on hospitals,
as well as taxes on insurers, the Pub-
lic Employees Benefits Board and coor-
dinated care organizations. A “no” vote
would repeal the taxes.
Democrats wanted the election con-
ducted in January, saying if the measure is
overturned lawmakers would need to deal
with a huge funding gap when they return
to Salem early next month.
More than 160 health care, education,
union and advocacy groups have come out
in support of the measure.
Patty Wentz, a spokeswoman for the
Yes on Healthcare campaign supporting
Measure 101, met with The Daily Asto-
rian’s editorial board last week. With her
were Erik Thorsen, CEO of Columbia
Memorial Hospital for the past 15 years;
Dr. Katrina McPherson, a pediatrician
at the hospital; Debbie Morrow, a mem-
ber of the Warrenton-Hammond School
Board, youth support nonprofit Warren-
ton-Hammond Healthy Kinds Inc. and the
Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Orga-
nization; and Andy Davis, a data analyst
for Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc.
Josh Marquis | Clatsop County district attorney
See MEASURE 101, Page 7A
Astoria alley used as public bathroom
Downtown
business owners
alert the city
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
The owners of Erickson
Floral Co. on Commercial
Street downtown had to deal
with almost daily instances of
public defecation and urina-
tion in the alley next to their
shop throughout December.
John and Rosie Samp
believe a group of homeless
people who camped in front of
the empty J.C. Penney store-
front are primarily to blame.
Over the years, people have
often found the narrow 13th
Street alley that runs between
Commercial and Duane streets
a convenient, semiprivate
place to relieve themselves.
The Samps and other nearby
business owners routinely
pitch in to clean it up, washing
down the walkway and paint-
ing over stray bits of graffiti.
But December was bad,
John Samp said. Really, really
bad. He and his wife caught
people in the act or saw the
evidence constantly.
“It could be day, it could be
night,” Samp said.
On Tuesday, he brought his
concerns to the Astoria City
Council. His shop has been at
its present location since 1985
and he has always helped keep
the alley clean, he told coun-
cilors. Now, with the uptick in
issues that could affect health
and human safety and impact
tourist foot traffic, he wanted
the city to pitch in some money
for cleaning supplies.
“I’ll volunteer my time,” he
told them, adding, “I’ll adopt
the dang thing.”
At the end of the meeting,
Samp met with department
leaders and will be given city-
owned supplies.
Public urination and def-
ecation tied to a perceived
See ALLEY, Page 7A
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The 13th Street alley in downtown Astoria between Com-
mercial and Duane streets was a common place for peo-
ple to relieve themselves in December.