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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM
Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
Loss of magazine signals bellwether change
or all who care about the fishing
industry and Columbia River her-
itage, the end of the Gillnetter is a
sad occasion marking the close of an era
(see “Magazine documented the life of
fishermen,” The Daily Astorian, Jan. 8).
Combined with the atrophying of the
Columbia River Fishermen’s Protective
Union and the death Jan. 8 of legendary
Ilwaco fish processor Pierre Marchand
Jr., the loss of fishing’s longtime trade
publication signals a bellwether change.
Run from 2003 to 2015 by fisher-
man John Westerholm, the Gillnetter
with luck may eventually publish a vale-
dictory edition ending a proud history
that started in 1969 under the equally
dedicated Don Riswick. Westerholm,
Riswick and many dedicated contribu-
tors, readers and advertisers were united
by a belief that strong advocacy for gill-
netting meant equally strong support for
salmon conservation and recovery. The
end of the Gillnetter and deep troubles
for the industry for which it advocated
removes a key ally for Columbia salmon
and the whole biological/economic web
that relies on them.
In addition to being terrifically nice
men, Westerholm and Riswick were
united in using their publication as a
way to nudge political decision mak-
ers and to preserve fundamental knowl-
edge about river traditions and history.
Every edition provided both an update
on the pressing issues of the day and
a concise course in subjects as diverse
as snag diving and double-ended boat
building. Imbued with knowledge that
can really only be acquired by spending
long nights out on the river in the com-
pany of earlier generations of fishermen,
they were able to give all local people a
small taste of the satisfactions, myster-
ies and worries of the fishing life. Even
it is merely unwelcome competition
for salmon they would prefer to catch
themselves. Without a doubt, most resi-
dents of Astoria, Warrenton, Ilwaco and
Chinook recognize the huge economic
importance of sports fishing. But we
also wish for a continuing role for com-
mercial gillnetting as a source of income
for our neighbors and of delicious
salmon for our dinner tables.
The Columbia River Fishermen’s
Protective Union was, for more than
a century, a powerful and irreplace-
able voice for the commercial fishery.
It looked after fishermen in an array
of ways, including making certain of
decent burials and negotiating prices
with the Columbia estuary’s once-
mighty cadre of salmon processors.
Now, with fishing boats confined to a
small number of designated off-channel
sites where net-pen salmon have been
raised specifically to be commercially
netted, the union’s reasons for exis-
tence have frayed and faded — a victim
of dams, urban politics and changing
circumstances.
Still, union president Darren
Crookshanks deserves support in his
quest to keep the organization alive. Not
only does our area still derive real bene-
fits from the commercial salmon fishing
that endures, but salmon benefit from
hardworking people having a real stake
in their survival, people for whom they
are much more than a hobby.
The death of Pierre Marchand, long-
time operator of Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish
Co., on some level almost seems com-
parable to the extinction of salmon
runs. He was such a colorful figure on
the Ilwaco waterfront for so long, his
death shifts the earth on its axis a bit.
Son of Al and Jessie Marchand, who
bought their photogenic red water-
front processing plant in 1962, Pierre
sold the operation in January 2014. But
despite failing health, he remained a
credible advocate for fishing and chan-
nel maintenance.
Marchand, Westerholm and our
entire commercial fishing community
represent a key part of the personality
of this place. We must all do our best to
cherish and encourage what is left.
The latest twist is the council is now
considering new regulations to the homestay
lodging businesses operating in the city
that would theoretically address health and
safety concerns (that have not been docu-
mented), nor would it do little to create new
housing. Short-term rentals and long-term
rentals are two completely different business
models. One is to provide hospitality and the
other is to provide habitation. The regulatory
headaches and potential problems with bad
renters is a hard sell for most homeowners
who might consider the proposition.
For those in the short-term rental
business (Airbnb), it makes total sense
to have someone stay for a night or up to
a few months for temporary housing of
our increasingly mobile workforce. The
short-term units that have come online in
the last three years were never envisioned
as long-term units, so to allege the Airbnb
phenomenon has created a housing shortage
is patently false and at best misleading. New
regulations for short-term rentals will do
absolutely nothing to increase our housing
supply in the near term and will only
exacerbate the shortage through unintended
consequences in the marketplace. Ironically,
short-term rental income is very often used
to make repairs to existing homes that can
support the build out of long-term rentals in
single-family homes.
If the council is serious in its task of
achieving any progress on a housing goal
in 2018, why not take a leadership role, try
new approaches, and stay on task. The over-
all fear that has beset city government from
innovation is paralyzing the local market-
place from providing the necessary housing
our workforce desperately needs. We ask a
lot of our volunteer elected officials, but one
thing we demand in a representative govern-
ment model is leadership.
Staying on task has been a challenge
for a council with competing priorities. No
doubt it’s a tough job with no pay. However,
agendas often times can be filled with
issues that are not council-adopted goals or
directly relate to city governance, including
resolutions on liquefied natural gas, inclu-
sivity, coal trains on the Columbia River,
and — my latest favorite — pawn brokers.
These distractions blunt the council’s policy
agenda and reallocate valuable staff time
away from the bigger-picture issues.
If the council was still on my team, I’d
give them a halftime pep talk about sticking
to your goals with unwavering commitment
and fervor, stay on course, and don’t miss
those wonderful opportunities to lead. I’m
excited to see the results and the final score
in the new year.
Kevin Cronin is the former community
development director in Astoria.
F
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Jon Westerholm looks over historical artifacts documenting the history of the Columbia
River fishery at the old office of the Columbia River Fishermen’s Protective Union.
Not only does our area still derive real benefits
from the commercial salmon fishing that endures,
but salmon benefit from hardworking people
having a real stake in their survival, people for
whom they are much more than a hobby.
in this era that is far less fishing-de-
pendent, that education served to more
closely bind us to the Columbia and all
the diverse species that rely on it.
Gillnetting is blasted by those who
fail to understand how it evolved into
being a reasonably selective means
of harvesting hatchery-origin salmon.
Others use it as a convenient boogey-
man for fundraising, while for some
GUEST COLUMN
Housing for all, not the lucky few
storia, rightly so, has had a housing
goal for the past three years in
response to one of the worst housing
crises the city has seen since World War
II. The lack of housing options across all
income levels — not just workforce housing
— is abysmal and has been well-chronicled
by The Daily Astorian.
The response from the city has been
tepid, if not ineffective. After completing a
housing study in August 2015 that identified
the problem and suggested solutions, the
City Council approved a basic strategy a few
months later. The strategy blended actions
by the private and public sectors for increas-
ing the supply of affordable
housing, but very few things
have been accomplished.
As the former commu-
nity development director
and author of the strategy, I
awaited direction from the
council, but received little
Kevin
constructive feedback and
Cronin
no consensus on how to
proceed, despite the options clearly laid out
on the table.
On the plus side, a vacant house registry
was established where investors and buyers
could review a list of blighted homes. This
simple but transparent tool has led to multi-
ple homes being renovated without fanfare.
Secondly, an extensive list of recommenda-
tions was proposed to reduce red tape and
increase flexibility in local development
regulations, but the council got cold feet and
refused to even bring the proposal that was
approved by the Planning Commission. Why
not discuss the concepts in the open?
This approach is a proven solution driven
by the private sector that doesn’t cost the
city a dime, or require any subsidy, and
would actually lead to more housing units in
areas of the city where reasonable housing
development should happen inside the city
limits where utilities and services are readily
available.
Instead the council feared a backlash
from NIMBY constituents more concerned
about precious views and preserving old
Astoria in amber.
To the council’s credit, they did approve
more flexible regulations to encourage
new “granny flats” (accessory dwelling
units), which has led to more applications
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since adoption in April. Unfortunately, a
part of the proposal that was deleted from
consideration was the inclusion of “tiny
homes” that could be placed on a property
with an existing single-family home. In fact,
a community partnership was developed to
pilot a tiny home on city property, but the
proposal never saw the light of day because
the enabling legislation failed. The state
Legislature recently passed a law that would
allow tiny homes, but local restrictions
could nullify this new law.
The only other accomplishment from
the original housing strategy was making
application through the Community Action
Team for federal housing funds to renovate
a limited number of single-family homes
for income-qualified homeowners. The jury
is still out whether the city will receive the
funds, but it’s a positive step for preserva-
tion of existing housing — not new housing,
which is what Astoria needs.
As a youth soccer coach, I preach to
my players about making the most of your
opportunities. This lesson rings true with
our housing situation. For example, a
construction excise tax which would assess
a very reasonable 1 percent fee on commer-
cial construction was brought forward for
consideration, but was never requested to be
presented as an ordinance to implement the
new program. The additional funds could be
allocated to reduce the inventory of vacant
homes, provide a locally controlled “gap
financing” tool to help get projects off the
ground and build sorely needed apartments
in historic buildings such as the Waldorf
Hotel property, Uniontown Apartments,
or the old State Hotel. It could also be
employed to help finance the redevelopment
of Heritage Square into a gleaming, new,
mixed-use building that could house dozens
of new apartments, but again the track
record on this project will need its own sep-
arate airing in due time.
If the city truly wants to maintain a tight
urban growth boundary where development
doesn’t sprawl towards our lush urban
forest, then it needs to be supported in other
areas inside city limits including downtown.
Surely, this simple financing concept makes
sense to someone looking for housing, but
for some reason the concept is lost with our
policymakers. I hope the council seriously
reconsiders this proposal.