COAST WEEKEND: PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREW CUP 2018 INSIDE
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018
146TH YEAR, NO. 64
ONE DOLLAR
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
LEFT: Pamela Wev speaks at a campaign event. RIGHT: Peter Roscoe answers emails in his home office.
Commission race comes at a time
of change for county government
Wev, Roscoe
vie for District 3
MORE INSIDE
Local governments approve
enterprise zone expansion in Astoria
Page 3A
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
C
latsop County government will
have a new look next year. An
unusual runoff election for a county
commission seat will decide much of what
it will look like.
Pamela Wev, a land use consultant, and
Peter Roscoe, a former Astoria city coun-
cilor and founder of Fulio’s Pastaria, are
running to fill the commission’s District 3
seat, which will be vacated by Commis-
sioner Lisa Clement.
The runoff in November marks the first
in a decade for a county commission seat
after neither candidate picked up a major-
ity of votes in the May primary.
The winner will join former Warren-
ton Mayor Mark Kujala on the board as
he replaces Commissioner Scott Lee, the
board’s chairman.
The two candidates, like the current
county commissioners, are split on the role
of commissioners and the county manager
in terms of the level of staff oversight.
Lee, Clement and Commissioner Sarah
Nebeker have said the county charter
gives the county manager clear authority
over daily operations, while Commission-
ers Kathleen Sullivan and Lianne Thomp-
son have called for more commissioner
oversight.
While Roscoe’s statements on the issue
mirror those of the board majority, Wev’s
have resembled the minority. If Wev wins,
she will join a new majority opinion on the
issue.
County Manager Cameron Moore, who
has clashed with Sullivan and Thompson,
announced earlier this month that he will
retire in January. Lee has said the next
county manager would likely be chosen
next year by the new commission.
Wev would like the county to place
an emphasis on people with Oregon gov-
ernment experience, she said. She also
would like to consider younger applicants.
Moore, a veteran administrator, came to
the county in 2016 from a post in Illinois
and said when he was hired that it would
likely be his “last hurrah.”
“I think even those with great aspira-
tions in government can gain a lot from a
position like this,” Wev said. “I’d love to
see us try to attract someone who is not at
the end of their career, though experience
is important.”
Roscoe hopes the contenders will be
collaborative and experienced in govern-
ment management, he said.
“I’m sure there’s plenty of candidates
out there that are highly qualified,” he said.
Experience
Wev has 30 years of land use planning
experience in which she has consulted
government and private clients on devel-
opment, zoning and feasibility studies. She
also spent five years in former Portland
See COMMISSION, Page 3A
Port, Lektro hash out hangar damage
Questions over cracks
in concrete slabs
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Port of Astoria and one of its old-
est tenants, Lektro Inc., are hoping to solve
the issue of sinking and cracking concrete
slabs in the hangar the electric airplane tug
manufacturer leases without a lawsuit.
Lektro, located in a World War II-era
hangar at the Astoria Regional Airport
leased from the Port since 1948, recently
noticed an expanding crack near the load-
ing dock where it receives equipment and
sends out finished airplane tugs.
The company later heard from a gen-
eral contractor that the sinking concrete
could be caused by sinkholes underneath
the hangar, while expressing concerns
about instability in the foundation walls,
piers and footings. The airport was built
on dredge spoils. Gary Kobes, the Port’s
airport manager, said the issue could be
with heavy equipment overloading the
concrete slab.
After communications with the Port, a
lawyer for Lektro, James Zupancic, sent a
tort claim notice claiming the Port could
be held liable for nondisclosure of a geo-
technical soil defect. A tort claim notice
informs a public agency someone believes
they have reason to potentially file a
lawsuit.
Henry Balensifer, a spokesman for
Lektro, said the notice was a formality and
that the company is trying to work collab-
oratively with the Port.
“It’s a small issue,” Balensifer said
of the sinking concrete. “We just want
to make sure it doesn’t become a bigger
issue.”
Kobes described the notice as a bit
hyperbolic.
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
See DAMAGE, Page 7A
Lektro, an electric tug manufacturer at the Astoria Regional
Airport, has noticed expanding cracks near its loading docks.
Blood, guts and albacore
Netflix’s ‘Battlefish’ a
window into fishing
By LUKE WHITTAKER
Chinook Observer
Luke Whittaker/Chinook Observer
The F/V Ashley Nicole was filmed as it pulled into the Port
of Ilwaco to offload in August 2017.
ILWACO, Wash. — It’s blood, hooks, ach-
ing backs and sunburned skin. And cussing.
Lots of cussing.
A new Netflix series, “Battlefish,” debuted
Friday, giving audiences a raw glimpse into the
commercial albacore tuna fishery off the Wash-
ington state and Oregon coasts.
The series follows five crews from fishing
vessels TNT, Oppor-Tuna-Ty, Intrepid, Judy
S and Ashley Nicole from the ports of Ilwaco,
Warrenton and Westport during the 2017 alba-
core tuna season.
California-based Pilgrim Media Group, cre-
ators of other reality shows such as “Wicked
Tuna,” “The Ultimate Fighter” and “Dirty
Jobs,” produced the series.
The Chinook Observer interviewed two
of the show’s participants: Aaron Walker and
Craig Brewer, crew of the F/V Oppor-Tuna-Ty.
Q: What’s the premise of the show?
Walker: The idea is to show people the real
side of albacore fishing, what we go through in
our daily grind and battle out on the water both
offshore and on. It’s the first West Coast tuna
fishery show. It’s uncensored, raw, savage — an
R rated fishing show.
Brewer: The West Coast really doesn’t have
any (reality fishing) TV shows at all. This is the
first. It’s “Dexter” meets “Wicked Tuna.” It’s
the same producer.
Q: How did you get involved?
See ‘BATTLEFISH’, Page 7A