A7
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019
Richardson: Family was ‘really so central to him’
Continued from Page A1
going to fi t in,” he told Ore-
gon Public Broadcasting in a
2017 interview.
He eventually turned to
The Book of Mormon — his
father was a lapsed mem-
ber of the church — and
was fi lled with a “sense of
love that was overwhelm-
ing” and that “changed me
dramatically.”
Richardson and his sec-
ond wife, Cathy, went on to
have eight daughters — their
youngest was adopted out of
the state foster care system
— while he built a successful
law practice.
“I can’t emphasize enough
how often he’d come back to
the importance of family,”
Buckley said. “It’s really so
central to him.”
Accountability
In his campaign for sec-
retary of state, Richardson
promised to hold Oregon
government accountable in
his role overseeing the state
audits division.
Once in offi ce, he released
well-publicized reports prob-
ing the state’s troubled foster
care system and the tangled
fi nances of the Oregon Health
Authority.
He also fulfi lled a cam-
paign promise to launch
an audit of Portland Pub-
lic Schools, Oregon’s larg-
est school district, which was
in the midst of management
turmoil.
Recognizing that regis-
tered Republicans made up
only about a quarter of the
state’s voters, Richardson
repeatedly made a point that
he wasn’t in offi ce to serve a
partisan agenda.
“If somebody has to pass
your personal litmus test to
be a Republican or get your
support,” he told one GOP
gathering in early 2018, “our
party is doomed.”
Richardson, the state’s
chief elections offi cial, fol-
lowed through on this by
rejecting national Republi-
can rhetoric about rampant
voter fraud. He defended
Oregon’s mail ballot-system
and eased rules on how long
someone could remain reg-
istered to vote even if they
didn’t actually participate in
any elections.
group, Oregon Right to Life.
During his campaign for
secretary of state, he insisted
that his views on gay rights
and abortion – both of which
differed with most Ore-
gon voters – wouldn’t affect
how he’d do his job. In his
lengthy 2017 interview with
OPB, Richardson paused for
a long time before answer-
ing whether he felt it was
immoral to be gay.
He fi nally said that he con-
tinued to believe that sex out-
side marriage was wrong
and that marriage was a sac-
rament between a man, a
woman and God. “And so,
based on my defi nition, my
‘WE ALL KNEW DENNIS’ KIND
HEART GUIDED HIS CAREER
OF SERVICE TO THE
PEOPLE OF OREGON.’
Gov. Kate Brown
Many
Democrats
remained wary of Richard-
son. Some thought his audits
were designed to embar-
rass Gov. Kate Brown. Chris
Pair, the governor’s commu-
nications director, once com-
plained to the Salem States-
man Journal that his audits
“are just about politics.”
Conservative roots
He fi rst ran for the state
House as a staunch conser-
vative, particularly on social
issues. He defeated a Repub-
lican incumbent who had
voted against a bill sought by
the state’s major anti-abortion
answer is ‘yes,’” he said.
“But it doesn’t change the
humanity or the acceptance I
have for people to make their
own choices.”
Parrish said she and other
Republicans urged Richard-
son to run for secretary of
state in 2016 when the posi-
tion would be open.
“I told him he could do a
lot of what he wanted to do
as governor by holding state
government
accountable
through the audit process,”
Parrish said.
The Democratic nominee,
Labor Commissioner Brad
Avakian, had emerged from
a tough three-way primary.
Avakian vowed to use the sec-
retary of state’s offi ce to get
involved in a wide range of
big issues, from environmen-
tal protection to corporate
responsibility.
Richardson
focused on a more stick-to-
your-knitting approach that
emphasizes holding govern-
ment accountable.
“His claim was you
wouldn’t know if he was a
Democrat or a Republican
— he was just going to take
a look at things,” said Rep.
Jeff Barker, D-Aloha, who
became friendly with Rich-
ardson after the two entered
the Legislature together in
2003.
After winning, Richard-
son rented a nondescript
apartment in Salem and dived
into his new job.
But in June 2018 he told
constituents in a Facebook
post that he had been diag-
nosed a month earlier with
brain cancer and was under-
going treatment.
Barker said Richardson
told him in the fall that the
chemotherapy was taking a
lot out of him.
He stopped attending
meetings of the State Land
Board, which is made up of
the governor, secretary of
state of state treasurer.
On Nov. 16, 2018, he
attended a ceremony for Ore-
gon’s Kid Governor, which is
part of a national civics pro-
gram that Richardson enthu-
siastically brought to the state
in 2017.
He sat on the stage during
the event and posed for pho-
tos with students and parents
afterward.
Agile Design
Mark Cox has proposed a new data center and technology
incubator in Warrenton.
Data center: Initial
stage of the project is
estimated to cost $200M
But Cox has yet to close
on the property, seeking
multiple extensions of his
due diligence period while
he tries to get the proj-
ect approved. His current
review period lasts until
early May, by which point
Cox said he hopes to deter-
mine whether he can build
what he envisions.
Cox met last week with
representatives from War-
renton, Clatsop County,
several state agencies and
the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, trying to bet-
ter understand his develop-
ment plan and what it needs
to move forward. In a news
release about the meeting,
Cox said he gained clar-
ity about the permitting
requirements he faces.
Monica Steele, the
interim county manager,
said that for the permit-
ting process, the Army
Corps and the state need
a detailed master plan
of what Cox wants to do
at the site. “They don’t
approve fi lling wetlands on
speculative development,”
she said.
Agile Design will create
a master plan that conforms
to the agencies’ require-
ments once it is done with
due diligence, Cox said.
In addition to wetlands,
he is exploring issues
Lawsuit: Investigation has spanned nearly nine months
Continued from Page A1
Sims was placed on leave
around the same time her
accusations against Johnston
came to light.
Krista Le Roux, a Portland
attorney representing Sims,
said her client’s primary
motivation is to restore her
reputation . Filing a lawsuit
was also done in part to urge
the housing authority to fi nish
its investigation, which has
spanned almost nine months.
“She wants to clear her
name, and it seems the only
way to do this is through a
lawsuit,” Le Roux said.
Johnston declined to com-
ment on the lawsuit, but
noted that many of the alle-
gations were similar to other
complaints Sims has fi led
with the housing authority
and the state Bureau of Labor
and Industries.
Investigators hired by
the housing authority and
the state Bureau of Labor
and Industries dismissed the
complaints.
The agency’s investigators
refuted claims that Johnston
promoted an employee who
wasn’t qualifi ed for the posi-
tion, obscured information
or that Johnston and Helping
Hands, a nonprofi t that works
with the homeless, misman-
aged public funds.
A separate investiga-
tion into complaints lodged
against Sims by housing
authority staff is ongoing,
but is expected to wrap up by
March, Johnston said.
Le Roux said it did not
concern her that similar alle-
gations have been dismissed
by other investigators , and
believes taking Sims com-
plaints through the court
system will help facilitate a
broader investigation.
“I feel certain I’ll be able
to unearth more evidence that
will be helpful to my client,”
she said.
2018-19 | 29TH SEASON
COLUMBIAFORUM
March 12, 2019 • 6pm
Warrenton: Commission decided to allow 90 days
Continued from Page A1
encouraged the commission
to consider requiring some
kind of master plan to guide
future development .
Though approved by the
Planning Commission, the
zone change proposal had
already faced several delays
over questions about traffi c
impacts when it came in front
of the City Commission.
On Tuesday, with the
zone change up for a sec-
ond and fi nal reading, the
other commissioners agreed
with Balensifer. Since the
last meeting, many of them
had fi elded calls from resi-
dents who were concerned
about the decision. Commis-
sioner Mark Baldwin said
he believed there were some
pieces left out . He wanted to
slow the process down a bit,
he said.
Balensifer pointed to
other recent examples of
development that, in hind-
sight, had either been prob-
lematic or were anticipated
to cause future issues.
“We have an opportunity,
on a relatively blank slate, to
get this one right,” he said.
He said he did not have
a problem with tapping city
dollars or urban renewal
funding to pay for a master
plan.
Commissioners
Pam
Ackley and Rick Newton
had questions about how
the requirement for a master
plan would affect property
owners’ ability to make deci-
sions about what to do with
their property since the zone
change was still proceeding.
Ackley said Warrenton
needs the kind of denser
housing that could be devel-
oped under the zone change.
But they both voted with the
rest of the commission to
require a master plan.
Rather than ask the Spur
104 property owners to pay
for and develop a complex
master plan that dives into
minute detail about build-
ing height and design and
other specifi cs, Commu-
nity Development Direc-
tor Kevin Cronin proposed a
simpler, faster process.
He suggested a city-
led public workshop where
people can come and pro-
vide general feedback. He
expects the fi nal master plan
to provide information about
where streets would go and
how many housing and
commercial units could be
included.
The goal is to fi gure out
the highest and best use for
the land, he said, “not to cre-
ate some Disneyl and.”
He believed the whole
process could be completed
in 60 days. The commis-
sion decided to allow 90
days, though many of them
believed the process will
likely wrap up earlier . Prop-
erty owners will be able to
proceed with plans for their
property, contingent on the
completion of the master
plan.
“Am I disappointed? I’ll
put it this way: I understand
the city’s position, but I also
realize where the property
owners are all coming from,”
Planning Commissioner Ken
Yuill said afterward .
Yuill owns an estimated
20 percent of the develop-
able property in the Spur 104
area under consideration and
has been a constant advocate
for the zone change.
“If it takes another 90
days, OK , just as long as
it doesn’t restrict them too
much … We’ll see what
happens.”
Chief: ‘I sensed a really good team atmosphere’
Continued from Page A1
Crutchfi eld began his fi re-
fi ghting career as a volunteer
at 18 and has spent almost
26 years with the Coos Bay
Fire Department. He over-
saw Coos Bay’s fi re pre-
vention program and helped
implement a smoke alarm
program, which resulted in
the installation of 500 free
smoke alarms throughout
the community.
“The Astoria Fire Depart-
ment is similar in structure
and operation to the Coos
Bay Fire Department, so it
felt like a comfortable move
for me,” Crutchfi eld said in
a statement. “I know a few
of the people who work in
the Astoria Fire Department,
and after meeting (Estes)
and (Police Chief) Geoff
Spalding, I sensed a really
good team atmosphere.”
Among Crutchfi eld’s pri-
orities when he arrives in
Astoria will be to exam-
ine what is going well and
what can be improved in
the department. He will
also assist in the search for
a new deputy fi re chief. For-
mer Deputy Chief Paul Gas-
coigne retired last fall.
Estes had held off replac-
ing Gascoigne, wanting to
give whoever was hired as
fi re chief the opportunity to
build the department.
around infrastructure for
the data center, which
would require signifi cant
power, water and access to
fi ber-optic cable. Cox has
previously pointed out the
business park’s proxim-
ity to undersea fi ber-optic
cable landings on the West
Coast as an attractive attri-
bute for a data center.
The initial stage of the
project is estimated to
cost $200 million. Cox is
funded by investors based
on milestones , including
the sale of the property. He
has mentioned wanting to
break ground on the fi rst
phase this year, but said
that timeline is fl uid.
“The concept of break-
ing ground is very depen-
dent on the ability to
receive those permits,” he
said. “The permits come
after you submit the appli-
cations, which come after
you complete due diligence
and close on the property.”
Shortly after approving
the land sale to Cox, the
county approved another
$1.2 million sale of 62
acres nearby in the busi-
ness park to Zion Funding
Inc., a company that plans
to develop technology-re-
lated offi ce space, an incu-
bator and research facili-
ties. Zion has also secured
an extension of its due dil-
igence period, which now
ends in April, Steele said.
Continued from Page A1
The future
of flavor
Oregon State University Food Innovation Center is
renowned as a hub for entrepreneurial food development
for businesses large and small. Recently featured in The
New York Times article, “Meet the ‘Million Dollar Palate’
Behind a Flood of New Foods,” Sarah Masoni is a professional
food designer who will discuss how flavor and consumer
preferences have changed over the years and her vision for
the future of flavor.
Sarah Masoni
Sarah Masoni is the Director of Product and Process Development at the OSU’s
Food Innovation Center, where she has resided for the last 18 years. Sarah works
as a liaison between the university and the food manufacturing industry by
managing projects, and budgets at an innovative, leading-edge technology
center. Sarah has specialized in food entrepreneurship, and she works
on projects ranging from local and natural ice cream sandwiches, dairy
products, beverages, seafood products, pet food and treats, sauces, dry
mixes and organic fruit and nut bars. She holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Art and Food Science from Oregon
State University.
Columbia Forum Sponsors:
• The Daily Astorian
• OSU Seafood Laboratory
• Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa
• Craft 3
• KMUN-FM
COLUMBIAFORUM 2018-19
RSVP by: March 8 at 5 p.m.
For reservations, to become a
member or be added to contact list:
Contact Kari Borgen
at 503-325-3211 x 1201
or forum@dailyastorian.com
Forum to be held at
(new location):
Chef Chris Holen’s
NEKST EVENT
175 14th St., Ste 100,
Astoria
Foot of 12th St.
Use back-in parking
To Attend:
Members: Dinner & Lecture $25 each; Lecture only free.
Non-Members: Dinner & Lecture $35 each; Lecture only $15 each
Appetizers available at 6pm. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm. Lecture will begin after dinner.