74 YEARS SINCE D-DAY: EDITOR RECALLS 40TH ANNIVERSARY
145TH YEAR, NO. 242
PAGE 4A
ONE DOLLAR
DailyAstorian.com //
Bridge will close to cars during race
It will be the first time organizers
have completely closed the bridge to
vehicles for the 10K event. The Great
Columbia Crossing attracts thousands
of runners and walkers each year and,
last year, drew more than 2,000 partic-
ipants. Already, the Astoria-Warrenton
Area Chamber of Commerce, which
coordinates the event, reports the num-
ber of people signing up early is ahead
of last year.
The extra precautions come, in
part, with the rise of vehicles being
used as weapons to plow into crowds
around the world. But there are other
safety issues, as well. The narrow span
provides little room for cars or people
to get out of each other’s way if a dis-
traction or a medical problem causes a
driver to lose control, said Lou Torres,
a spokesman for the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation.
Security concerns
prompt change
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Due to growing concerns about
security, the Astoria Bridge will close
to vehicle traffic during the popular
Great Columbia Crossing in October.
Local law enforcement have
pushed to close the bridge to vehicles
during the event for a long time, Asto-
ria Police Chief Geoff Spalding said.
“We understand the repercussions
and the traffic backups and everything
but for us, if there was a bad incident,
we would have a hard time explaining
why we didn’t close the bridge,” he said.
The chamber is happy to comply.
“There is a question of safety,”
MITCHELL’S BLUEPRINT
Cities, labor unions propel Mitchell to state House primary win
Clatsop County results for District 32
CLATSOP
Tiffiny Mitchell beat two other Democrats to win the May 15 primary election for Oregon House District 32. She will face
Vineeta Lower, a Republican who was uncontested, in the general election in November.
John Orr
Tiffiny Mitchell
PACIFIC
Precinct/location
Josi
Orr
Mitchell
1 Astoria
2 Astoria
3 Astoria
4 Astoria
5 Astoria
6 Astoria
7 Astoria
8 Astoria
20 Cannon Beach
21 Chadwell
22 N. Clatsop
23 S. Clatsop
24 Elsie
25 Gearhart
26 Hamlet
28 Jewell
29 John Day
30 Knappa
31 Lewis & Clark
35 Necanicum
36 Olney
37 Seaside
38 Seaside
39 Seaside
40 Seaside
43 Stanley Acres
44 Svensen
45 Arch Cape
46 Walluski
47 Warrenton
48 Warrenton
50 Westport
52 Hillcrest
Total
17
44
24
20
24
15
34
14
26
31
30
51
8
68
19
14
23
59
46
14
18
31
32
36
44
4
32
10
26
85
23
13
25
960
61
102
102
50
126
69
103
62
125
41
38
64
8
73
15
19
20
69
72
17
17
57
43
42
53
10
39
30
33
100
48
20
30
1,758
95
125
116
64
145
79
130
53
133
25
63
80
15
120
12
23
17
60
43
14
10
83
111
80
79
15
34
15
29
180
58
24
24
2,154
h.
Was e.
Or
401
101
Col u
Rive
m bia
2
Hammond
3
47
48
Warrenton
Oregon House
District 32
WAHKIAKUM
Chinook
1
r
4
29
5 6 7
Astoria
4
30
44
8
Knappa
30
46
50
Pacific
Ocean
Westport
52
202
101
23
21
Gearhart
39
25
38
Seaside
43
36
40
CLATSOP
37
28
202
35
Jewell
101
26
20
103
Cannon Beach
26
Tolovana Park
45
24
26
53
2 miles
TILLAMOOK
Source: Clatsop County
Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
O
409
30
31
22
regon Democrats will welcome a new
face in Tiffiny Mitchell, a case manage-
ment coordinator and recent transplant from
Utah.
In the May primary for state House District 32,
Mitchell defeated Tim Josi, a Tillamook County
commissioner and former state representative, and
John Orr, an attorney and Municipal Court judge in
See BRIDGE, Page 7A
Port seeks
grant for
marina
East Mooring Basin
is in need of repair
Vote tally by precinct (Democrat candidates only)
Tim Josi
David Reid, the chamber’s executive
director, said. “It’s no longer safe for
pedestrians and cars to be in the same
place.”
Reid said many cars drive back
and forth during the event each year,
restricted to a single lane and follow-
ing a pilot car, but still in close prox-
imity to participants.
Gearhart. In her first run for elected office, she is the
heir apparent to state Rep. Deborah Boone, D-Can-
non Beach.
Mitchell’s victory, in which she gathered 42 per-
cent of the vote, is viewed as an upset and a win for
progressives against moderates like Boone, who
endorsed Josi. While some see the primary as evi-
dence of a shift to the left during Boone’s 14-year
tenure, others are more hesitant.
See MITCHELL, Page 7A
Tiffiny
Mitchell
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Port of Astoria is applying for a
state grant to fund a master plan for the East
Mooring Basin, an ailing marina and popular
tourist draw at the foot of 36th Street.
Kevin Cronin, the city’s former commu-
nity development director, was contracted by
the Port to seek grant money. He is applying
for a Transportation and Growth Manage-
ment grant due Friday to the state Department
of Land Conservation and Development.
In the application, Cronin called the east
basin one of the best opportunities for rede-
velopment because of its waterfront location,
access to the Astoria Riverwalk and recent
inclusion in a federal opportunity zone offer-
ing investors an avenue for tax-free capital
investment.
“It’s vitally important that a master plan
be in place to guide future development and
investment in the area prior to receiving
offers from developers and investors,” Cro-
nin wrote.
Astoria adopted building and height
restrictions in the Civic Greenway portion
of the Riverfront Vision Plan between 16th
to 39th streets. The plan allowed for excep-
tions around the Port’s mooring basin, pro-
vided the agency presents a master plan sup-
ported by the Astoria City Council.
The marina, built shortly after World II
and designed for upward of 1,000 vessels,
is mostly empty, save for two commercial
docks near a riverfront breakwater built by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and copi-
ous numbers of sea lions during fish migra-
tions. Port staff have estimated $4 million to
replace the 70-year-old 36th street causeway
running over the marina, shut down to vehi-
cle traffic since 2014.
Jim Knight, the Port’s executive direc-
tor, has said the cash-strapped agency needs
to seek out more public-private partnerships
See PORT, Page 5A
Long Beach puts vacation rentals under microscope
City looks to further
license rentals
By PATRICK WEBB
Chinook Observer
LONG BEACH, Wash. — Should
each vacation rental in Long Beach have
a city business license?
That’s the question under discussion
by members of the City Council, who
may tweak their rules because so many
people want to make money on short-
term rentals.
City councilors have made no deci-
sion, but are considering some changes.
For example, right now, a property
rental manager or company with mul-
tiple houses only needs to pay for one
$125-a-year business license. Some offi-
cials want a license for each property.
The discussion, during a workshop
session on Monday, prompted a sharp
exchange between Mayor Jerry Phillips
and Councilor Holli Kemmer, who works
for Pacific Realty Property Management.
The mayor noted that every house
being used as a vacation rental was mak-
ing money as a business. Companies
which rent out multiple homes have an
advantage, he said. “It should be fair
across the board.”
When Kemmer sought to ask a ques-
tion, Phillips said she should not be
involved in the discussion, citing con-
flict-of-interest laws.
“I’m not leaving the conversation,”
she said, reminding him it was a work-
shop. “I’m not voting on anything.”
See LONG BEACH, Page 7A
Long Beach is looking into business licenses and other requirements
for vacation rentals.
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