ASTORIA RESIDENT HELPS
WITH FIRE RECOVERY
WEEKEND BREAK
146TH YEAR, NO. 125
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2018
RIDING OUT
Departing county commission
chairman refl ects on time in offi ce
ONE DOLLAR
Credit
union
banks on
pot money
Wauna among the few to
work with new industry
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Scott Lee, owner of Bikes and Beyond in Astoria and the chairman of the Clatsop County commission, works on a bike in the shop.
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
E
nergized by President
Barack Obama’s 2008
campaign,
Scott
Lee
decided to delve into local
politics. He took offi ce a
few years later as residents were
beginning to feel the effects of an
economic upswing after the Great
R ecession.
Lee, the chairman of the Clat-
sop C ounty commission, did not
seek re-election this year after
serving since 2011. He said the
county, due to prior planning,
fared better in the recession than
other rural areas. But staffi ng and
service cuts still cause headaches.
“We really worked hard to sta-
bilize the county,” Lee said. “Now
See Lee, Page A7
Scott Lee speaks after accepting a plaque during his last county commission
meeting in December.
‘YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE I’LL POP UP. YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH
NEXT FIGHT IS GOING TO COME THAT I’M NOT GOING TO INVITE.’
Over the past year, Wauna Federal
Credit Union has found a new area for
growth: the marijuana industry.
The credit union is one of two in Ore-
gon , along with MAPS Credit Union in
Salem, that manages bank accounts for
the emerging sector .
“We feel that it’s a need of our mem-
bers and the community,” said Wauna
CEO Robert Blumberg. “Having that
cash laying around, they become a tar-
get for criminals, and we’d rather have
that cash where it needs to be, the Federal
Reserve or in the vault, rather than lay-
ing around and them becoming a target
for criminals.”
Wauna provides savings, checking and
money market accounts for marijuana
businesses, along with debit cards and
online banking services, through a pro-
gram known as Cannabis Business Solu-
tions. Its 35 accounts in n orthwest Ore-
gon include eight retailers and producers
in Clatsop County.
As of two months ago, Wauna was
also the only fi nancial institution in the
state taking money from a hemp business,
Blumberg said.
One of Wauna’s accounts is Sweet
Relief, a local chain of marijuana stores.
Co-owner Oscar Nelson said having a
place to deposit cash was like a breath
of fresh air and a new safety net for his
business.
“It really surprised me, because they’re
really what I consider small, conserva-
tive” fi nancial institution, Nelson said.
Having a bank account brings mari-
juana businesses one step closer to other
legal enterprises, he said. But businesses
like Sweet Relief still can’t get basic busi-
ness loans because of the federal prohibi-
tion on the drug, nor take advantage of
many tax deductions.
Wauna does not offer banking for mar-
ijuana businesses in Washington state
because of different laws and regulations,
Blumberg said.
“That is something we’ll be taking a
look at down the road,” he said.
Wauna went through two years of due
diligence before taking on marijuana
accounts, said Debi Smiley, the credit
union’s chief marketing offi cer. The credit
union hired an attorney and reached out
to the National Credit Union Adminis-
tration and the state attorney general to
ensure it was covered.
Wauna follows the guidelines of the
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,
a bureau of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, to not run afoul of federal reg-
ulators. The guidelines came out around
Scott Lee | outgoing chairman of the Clatsop County commission
See Wauna, Page A7
Grazing and timberland lost in wildfi res
Costly fi re season
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregonians
saw $62 million in private
grazing and timberland go
up in fl ames this fi re season.
Fire seasons continue to
grow worse, longer and more
expensive , posing more
threats to life and property.
Gov. Kate Brown has
proposed a special council to
take a new look at how the
state fi ghts fi res and pays for
that work.
The state Department of
Forestry reported to legisla-
tors recently that large fi res
cost the agency $102 million
this year.
The federal government
will cover much of that cost,
and private landowners chip
in some, but the high price
tag still creates a budgeting
frenzy as the state waits for
federal reimbursement.
Brown’s proposed coun-
cil is likely to look at
whether the state is staffi ng
fi res effi ciently.
Every summer, desk-
bound f orestry employees
like accountants and human
resources staff can be taken
off their regular duties to
help on fi re crews.
That is called a “militia
model.” Other states, like
California, have a dedicated
fi refi ghting agency.
As fi re seasons grow lon-
ger, militia-style fi refi ghting
could actually cost the state
more by taking employ-
ees off key functions of the
department for months at a
time.
The governor’s council
is likely to include offi cials
from Oregon’s tribes, state
and federal forest agencies,
environmental groups and
landowners.
See Wildfi res, Page A7
Oregon Department of Forestry
Wildfi res were costly in Oregon this year.