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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2018
2018: YEAR IN REVIEW
routinely released early from the jail due to
overcrowding.
One of the leaders of the bond campaign
was Sheriff Tom Bergin, who announced
this year that he will not seek re-election in
2020. County offi cials expect the move to
the new jail will take place within the next
two years.
Continued from Page A1
Jones launched his candidacy for mayor
after Price dropped out. Throughout the
campaign, he cited his years of experience
working with and for government agencies,
his time dealing with the aftermath of nat-
ural disasters and the work he has already
been involved in as a city councilor. His
election creates a vacancy in the east side’s
Ward 4, which councilors will likely fi ll in
January by appointment.
School bonds
Waterfront hotels
A proposal to build a four-story hotel
on the waterfront underscored tensions in
Astoria over development along the Colum-
bia River.
Opposition to the project became a cam-
paign issue during the November elec-
tions. Hollander Hospitality wants to build
the hotel at the site of the former Ship Inn
restaurant at the base of Second Street, an
area where hotels are permitted as an out-
right use. But the 60-plus room, Marri-
ott-brand Fairfi eld Inn and Suites also falls
under the city’s Bridge Vista overlay, a part
of the Riverfront Vision Plan that shapes
development on the waterfront.
Critics called the hotel’s design boxy and
generic, too large and out of line with city
codes intended to preserve views and pub-
lic access. Hollander Hospitality weathered
multiple denials by city boards, appealing to
the City Council. The developer altered the
hotel’s design, hoping to echo other large,
historic buildings in the area. The City
Council, in a 3-2 vote, ultimately upheld an
appeal in December, allowing the project to
move forward.
By contrast, many in the city welcomed
the October announcement that developers
behind Buoy Beer Co. and the Adrift Hotel
are interested in a boutique hotel at a former
seafood processing plant on the river near
downtown.
Homelessness
Long-hidden homeless camps were
cleared from the woods in Astoria and War-
renton, but the sweeps were examples of —
rather than solutions to — the North Coast’s
struggle to help people in need.
In Warrenton over the summer, police
issued eviction notices to homeless peo-
ple living in a sprawling camp in the woods
behind Goodwill.
In Astoria, city councilors gave Police
Chief Geoff Spalding direction to more
aggressively enforce city rules on camp-
ing, trespassing, public intoxication and off-
leash dogs. The City Council also strength-
ened Astoria’s “no camping” ordinance by
including city-owned forestland.
But Mayor LaMear, Spalding and other
city leaders wanted to deal with the home-
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Trash and other debris is removed from a homeless camp in Astoria.
less camps in the most humane way possi-
ble. They gave people extra time to move
out and sought to connect many with social
services. A sweep in late fall was successful
in cleaning up the woods, but few people
found housing. Many of them just moved
on to other camps.Helping Hands opened a
new facility in Uniontown, providing re-en-
try services to homeless people looking to
fi nd jobs, housing and sobriety. LaMear
was an outspoken supporter of the proj-
ect, which involved the purchase of an old
boarding house from the Northwest Oregon
Housing Authority.
Housing
A Clatsop County housing study found
that much of the housing being built is
priced higher than many people can afford,
pushing would-be fi rst-time homebuyers
toward rental units.
Local governments and businesses con-
tinue to identify a lack of workforce and
affordable housing as a major barrier to eco-
nomic growth.
In Astoria, the city celebrated the pur-
chase of the old Waldorf Hotel by Innovative
Housing Inc., a nonprofi t affordable hous-
ing developer from Portland. Though work
has yet to begin on the dilapidated building
next to City Hall, the space could provide
around 40 units of housing downtown.
In Warrenton, Pacifi c Seafood pushed
through a zoning amendment to allow the
company to create dorm-style housing for
seasonal workers. The seafood processor
hopes to use an existing fabrication facil-
ity near the city’s dog park. The idea raised
concerns among some neighbors, but city
leaders ultimately supported the project.
County leadership dysfunction
Clatsop County Manager Cameron
Moore announced his retirement in Septem-
ber after more than a year of bubbling ten-
sions with some county commissioners.
In April, Moore skipped a commis-
sion meeting, citing the behavior of Com-
missioner Lianne Thompson and Commis-
sioner Kathleen Sullivan. The episode was
a public example of the behind-the-scenes
infi ghting over whether commissioners
should have a greater role.
The county charter gives the county
manager authority over day-to-day oper-
ations, but some commissioners want an
expanded focus. Thompson was re-elected
in November, and she and Sullivan gained a
potential ally when land use planner Pamela
Wev prevailed in a rare runoff over former
Astoria City Councilor Peter Roscoe.
Former Warrenton Mayor Mark Kujala
was elected to replace Scott Lee, the com-
mission chairman, who chose not to seek
re-election.
Moore is retiring on Friday.
Jail bond
After two failed bond measures since
2002, voters in November approved the
relocation of the county jail from Duane
Street in Astoria to the former North Coast
Youth Correctional Facility in Warrenton.
The $20 million bond will allow the jail
to increase capacity from 60 inmates to 148,
with room for future expansion. Inmates are
Two years after Seaside voters approved
nearly $100 million in school bonds to build
a new master campus, voters in Astoria and
Warrenton passed large bonds in November
to rebuild and refurbish schools.
Astoria voters approved $70 million in
bonds, the fi rst since $20 million in 2001
that paid for the construction of Lewis and
Clark Elementary School. Among various
building and security improvements, the
bonds will pay for a new academic wing
at the aging Astoria Middle School, an
enclosed campus at Astoria High School
and the renovation of a former gym into a
multipurpose room at John Jacob Astor Ele-
mentary School.
Voters in Warrenton approved $38.5 mil-
lion in bonds to buy a master campus and
construct a new middle school. Warrenton
and its schools have grown rapidly, with
Warrenton Grade School an estimated 40
percent over capacity and one of the fi ve
most-populous K-8 campuses in the state.
Marquis retires
Clatsop County District Attorney Josh
Marquis announced in January that he
would not seek re-election, stepping away
after 25 years in offi ce.
The outspoken prosecutor built a national
reputation as an advocate for the death pen-
alty, truth in sentencing and crime victims’
rights. “A graceful exit is as important as a
graceful entrance,” Marquis said in January.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Ron
Brown ran unopposed for district attorney
and was elected in May to replace Marquis.
Mitchell wins
Tiffi ny Mitchell, a social worker and
political newcomer, won a surprise victory
in the Democratic primary in May in state
House District 32. Mitchell upset Tim Josi,
a Tillamook County commissioner and for-
mer state legislator who had fi nancial back-
ing from timber interests and establishment
political support. Labor unions and environ-
mental groups helped push Mitchell over
the top in the big-spending campaign.
Mitchell defeated Vineeta Lower, a Sea-
side teacher who was the Republican nom-
inee, in November. Josi crossed party lines
to endorse Lower.
Mitchell, who takes offi ce in January,
will replace state Rep. Deborah Boone,
D-Cannon Beach, who served for 14 years.
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