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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THuRSDAY, FEbRuARY 28, 2019
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
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Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
GUEST VIEW
Public should guide process on new Gearhart fire station
’ve always felt that as elected offi-
cials, it’s our job to engage the pub-
lic and allow our residents to guide
the decision-making process. And I’ve
always had great faith in the citizens of
Gearhart to make the right decisions for
our community. All of our faith has been
tested the last several years as we have
had difficult and complex issues to nav-
igate, but as I have always predicted
the citizens have made the right choices
again and again.
Whether it’s elect-
ing officials who honor
and uphold our Gearhart
Comprehensive Plan or
like in 2017, when our
citizens overwhelmingly
voted in favor of con-
tinuing common-sense
MATT
BROWN
vacation rental regula-
tions, designed to keep
Gearhart the quiet res-
idential community we all know and
love. These choices have continued the
quality of life we all enjoy as full-time
or part-time residents.
We are now undergoing a new pub-
lic process to help determine a suitable
location for a new Emergency Response
and Resiliency Station to replace an
aging fire station that was built more
than 60 years ago. This is not an easy
undertaking. While the majority of folks
living in Gearhart may agree we need
a new station, there are many questions
we need to answer to get to the finish
line — such as “how are we going to
pay for a new station?” and “what loca-
tion will serve the day-to-day needs
of our community the best while pro-
viding emergency infrastructure and
resiliency?”
These are not easy questions, but
ones we can answer if we cooper-
ate with one another and listen to other
points of view.
Luckily, once again, this is going to
be a public decision. In order to build a
new station, it will have to go to a pub-
lic vote, but even before we get to that
point we are teaming up with every
full-time and part time resident to help
choose the right location. This three-
month intensive public feedback pro-
cess allows each resident to fill out an
important questionnaire to give their
I
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
The Gearhart fire station.
feedback on their favorite location and
how they think the community should
pay for it.
All of the updated information is
available on the Gearhart city web-
site, including a video of our Jan. 29
informational town hall where we pre-
sented the public need for a new sta-
tion and new information on emer-
gency preparedness and the current
threats posed by a Cascadia earth-
quake and tsunami.
This public process is about educa-
tion as well. Residents and neighbors
are getting together with folks who may
have missed the town hall or have ques-
tions on the quickest and safest evacu-
ation routes and how Gearhart can be
resilient and sustainable in the midst of
all types of emergencies. The education
process is very important, as it’s a nat-
ural human reaction to attack informa-
tion that might be contrary to what we
thought we knew or what we may be
afraid of.
Sometimes fear and misinforma-
tion can lead to cynicism, fake news on
social media, or a reluctance to prepare
ourselves and our families properly for
a natural disaster. But once again, our
citizens are rising to the occasion and
are getting the correct information out,
so residents can make choices based on
facts that give us all the best chance to
survive a tsunami-level event.
The feedback process will continue
through April 29 and the results will be
published in a public report that will be
presented to the City Council. So far,
I’ve heard from many of our residents,
who have given valuable feedback that
will help the council understand the
needs of our community and how a new
station can be designed and located to
benefit the entire population.
We have always been lucky in Gear-
hart to have an amazing volunteer fire
department that is certified and trained
to deal with all types of emergencies,
from fires to medical emergencies to
natural disasters. A new station would be
a great tool for our community, and in
addition to our brave volunteers, give us
continued peace of mind that we will be
safe and protected.
I couldn’t be more excited to begin
this public process with all of you. As
always, I have faith that you will make
the right decision for Gearhart.
Matt brown grew up in Gearhart. He
served for seven years on the Planning
Commission and was elected mayor in
2016.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Worried about Port
I am worried about the public’s tax
dollars being spent recklessly by the
Port of Astoria. Last year the Port spent
$2,300 for a staff Christmas party, and
$840 for a tenant appreciation party.
If the Port is in such dire straits, why
couldn’t this money be used for fixing
the bathrooms in the Chinook Building?
Instead, they have to use an outhouse in
the winter, with no running water.
The Port of Astoria Commission has
a treasurer to oversee these kinds of
things. Who authorizes these parties with
taxpayer dollars? I’ve seen the vouch-
ers paid by the Port to verify these num-
bers. Why did the executive director give
away $1.5 million in free money to help
fix failing infrastructure without first
going to the commission?
I have seen monthly vouchers where
the port manager gets a mileage reim-
bursement for $999, $846 and $413. This
is just the three months I looked at. The
one for $999, at approximately 50 cents a
mile, the director would have had to have
traveled 500 miles per week in his car.
Who is taking care of the Port?
WILLIAM HUNSINGER
Port of Astoria commissioner
Astoria
Take democracy seriously
North Carolina will hold a do-over
election to determine the federal rep-
resentative for its Ninth Congressional
District. What? Do it again? Yes. Why?
Because the law was broken, and when
the law is broken, the right thing to do is
do it over, the right way. Why? It shows
North Carolina takes democracy seri-
ously, and it restores the peoples’ confi-
dence in the electoral process.
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Com-
mittee, backed up by Vladimir Putin’s
admission, has concluded that Russia
“meddled” in our 2016 presidential elec-
tion. U.S. election law forbids foreign
intervention.
May I propose two logical, radical
remedies?
In the Olympic games, when the win-
ner is found to have benefitted from ille-
gal means, the winner is disqualified,
and the first-place medal is awarded to
the second-place finisher, no matter how
many years have elapsed. It happens fre-
quently. It seems logical, simple and fair.
The second proposal would be to hold
the election over. Same candidates, dif-
ferent candidates, whatever. Radical,
uncharted waters. Yes, but either remedy
would not only help restore confidence in
the electoral process, but would show the
world how seriously we take democracy.
To those who say, “that’s crazy,” I say,
“why not?” — North Carolina did it.
All of this begs the question: Who
poured courage in the North Carolina
drinking water? If you did it, step for-
ward and please, please pour the rest of
it in the federal drinking water. It’s never
too late.
Mama always said, “watch out for
them law-breakin’ critters.”
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
Gearhart fire station
Property owners and Gearhart cit-
izens: On Jan. 29, the city of Gear-
hart held a town hall meeting about our
fire and police station, the Emergency
Response and Resiliency Station. If you
were not able to make it to the meeting,
it is all online to watch. Please go to city-
ofgearhart.com, Click on “Community,”
then “New fire station.” There is a video,
and a list of facts that may help answer
any questions you may have. There is
also a questionnaire to fill out.
It is very important for all homeown-
ers and citizens of Gearhart to fill out
the questionnaire and get it to the city by
April 29. If you have the time, stop by
and say “hi” to our volunteers and ask
questions, if you have any. Almost all
volunteers have regular jobs, but when in
need they go to fires, car wrecks, medical
calls, etc., and even help out after storms
or any emergency. They are a great
bunch of guys and gals.
THOMAS THIES
Gearhart
Nuclear radiation
To die by nuclear radiation is despair-
ing, excruciating, painfully slow. It is
worse than being boiled in oil, because
there you get cooked in a matter of
hours, not weeks or months.
I have seen the video interview of a
Navy man, the last of the people on the
ship to survive. He had lost all of his
appendages, yes all. He was down to a
scarred head and trunk. He had lost his
ears, eyes, nose, arms, legs, and yes his
male organs. He could talk, undoubtedly
on pain meds. He acknowledged that his
ship had been assigned the duty of pho-
tographing, taking a moving picture, of a
test atomic bombing of an island off on
the horizon. Little did the military know
about nuclear radiation.
Madame Curie died of radiation poi-
soning, which is the reason I didn’t fur-
ther pursue nuclear physics/chemis-
try. Nuclear radiation is incompatible
with life as we know it. We already
have Hanford, etc. Some of the radioac-
tive byproducts have half-lives of hun-
dreds of years. That means that only half
of it decomposes in that half-life. So we
are looking at hundreds and hundreds of
years of exposure to life-threatening radi-
ation not even visible to us.
President Donald Trump is lightly dis-
carding the nuclear weapons ban treaty
we have with Russia? If they are not in
compliance, then economically sanc-
tion, sanction, sanction them. President
Ronald Reagan sure pushed back against
Russia. And, these bloody Russian viral
nerve killing agents are in violation of
another international agreement.
MONICA TAYLOR
Astoria
Frustrated with ODFW
I am writing this letter out of frus-
tration about the Oregon Department of
Fish & Wildlife. Normally I put my trust
into those who are elected or hired into
positions to make laws and regulations,
figuring that they are better qualified and
educated than myself. But when it comes
to the ODFW lately, this does not seem
to be the case.
Everyone I talk to is extremely frus-
trated with the mismanagement of fish
and wildlife in our state. Let’s start with
the Columbia River endorsement fee.
This is an additional $12 charged to any-
one fishing the Columbia River that was
supposed to be used to, after three years,
buy out the gillnet permits on the main
stem of the Columbia.
As a tradeoff, the sports fisherman
were forced to fish with barbless hooks
and forfeit fishing near Youngs Bay. After
three years and $12 each from 400,000
sport anglers, nothing has changed. I’d
like to know where that money went, and
continues to go. This sounds like fraud.
This money should be being used to beef
up hatchery production, and bring more
fish returning to our river.
Instead of using our license fees to bet-
ter our fish and wildlife, the ODFW instead
wastes tons of money on creating new web-
sites and ridiculous ideas such as cellphone
license and tags that nobody agrees with.
If you are frustrated like me please
call, email, or write ODFW and our state
representatives. Sportsmen are the great-
est conservationists. We deserve better
resource management.
STEVE HONAN
Gearhart