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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019 Port interim director negotiates a pay bump IN BRIEF Rohne named as commission president Body from Astoria Bridge suicide recovered The body of a man who jumped off the Astoria Bridge in late May was found Tuesday night. The Coast Guard notifi ed Astoria police they had found a body washed up on the southeast side of Sand Island near Ilwaco, Washington. The man was identifi ed as Daniel Brian Williams, 24, of Warrenton. Williams was one of two men to jump to their deaths from the bridge in May. The body of Justin McCullough, 40, was recovered in June on a beach near where the Skipanon River enters the Columbia River. Car crash in Warrenton causes injuries A crash Tuesday morning on U.S. Highway 101 Alternate in front of Ocean Crest Chevrolet in Warren- ton caused injuries to both drivers. A vehicle turned off of U.S. Highway 101 onto Alter- nate 101 using part of the Ocean Crest Chevrolet deal- ership’s driveway to make an illegal U-turn, police said. While attempting the U-turn, the vehicle struck the driver following from behind. The crash blocked the roadway and both drivers were taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria with inju- ries. The driver who made the U-turn was later taken to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland. State seeks comment on possible Tongue Point sale The Department of State Lands is taking comments until July 31 on the proposed sale of 15 acres on North Tongue Point to local maritime fi rm Bergerson Construction. The company, squeezed last year out of land it rented at the Port of Astoria to make room for more log exports, has rented property at the industrial docks from boat- building fi rm Hyak Maritime and the state. Greg Mor- rill, the president of Bergerson, said the company would like to have control over its own piece of property. The southern half of the Tongue Point property is occupied by a former Navy landfi ll, fenced off, capped and kept in perpetual restoration. Email questions and comments to the Department of State Lands Real Property Program at realproperty@dsl. state.or.us, or contact the department in writing at: Ore- gon Department of State Lands; Real Property Program; 1645 NE Forbes Rd., Suite 112; Bend, OR., 97701. After the comment period, state staff will recommend to the State Land Board whether to sell the property. — The Astorian DEATHS July 3, 2019 SMITH, Marjorie J., 85, of Warrenton, died in Warrenton. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Ser- vice of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. July 1, 2019 SCHAEFFER, Carla Christine, 64, of Warrenton, died in Warrenton. Ocean View Funeral & Crema- tion Service of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian The Port of Astoria Com- mission on Tuesday boosted the salary of Will Isom, the agency’s fi nance director, by 50% while he fi lls in as interim executive director. The c ommission appointed Isom to the post after Jim Knight resigned in June . Isom, who was not at Tuesday’s meeting because of a family emergency, makes $106,000 a year as fi nance director. He requested a lump- sum payment of $27,000 each June and December for every six months he fi lls in as interim executive direc- tor. In addition, he (Knight) was, and requested a guar- he’s doing two jobs,” anteed three-year Rohne said . contract at his cur- The Port Com- rent salary plus 3% mission voted Tues- annual pay raises day to make Rohne once he returns to the commission’s Will Isom being the fi nance president, replacing director. Commissioner Frank If Isom is fi red as interim Spence in the role. executive director or during Knight, who had fallen his three-year term as fi nance out of favor with local stake- director, his entire contract holders and Port commis- would be honored. sioners, made $168,000. Isom isn’t interested in He settled with the Port for the permanent job and has $221,000 for emotional dis- encouraged the Port Com- tress, economic damages and mission to hire a new exec- attorney fees upon his resig- utive director quickly so he nation, agreeing not to sue can focus on the agency’s the agency . fi nances, said Port Com- Port c ommissioners have missioner Dirk Rohne . The given their vote of confi - c ommission on Tuesday dence to Isom, who joined directed staff to request bids the agency as a staff accoun- from search fi rms. tant from Columbia Memo- “Ultimately, he’ll be get- rial Hospital in 2015, and ting paid quite a lot less than described him as a natural fi t for the interim job given his in-depth fi nancial knowledge of the agency’s operations. “He’s smart and serves the Port well,” Commissioner James Campbell said . “I don’t think we can do better.” Isom has provided the Port Commission with weekly updates of proj- ects he’s working on. They include a new contract with electric airplane tug man- ufacturer Lektro, recently acquired by Chicago-based JBT Corp., and negotiations with the local chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Port’s dockside workforce. “What he’s trying to do is maintain a short list of achievable goals,” Rohne said. “He’s trying to hit sin- gles rather than the moon shot, which is a dramatic departure” from Knight. Astorian, Observer, Signal win regional journalism awards The Astorian Staff at The Astorian, Chinook Observer and Sea- side Signal newspapers have been honored for their work by the Society of Profes- sional Journalists. The Astorian earned three fi rst-place awards and three runner-up certifi cates in the annual Northwest Excel- lence in Journalism contest. The newspaper competes against medium-sized news- papers in Oregon, Washing- ton state, Alaska, Idaho and Montana with newsrooms of between eight and 16 staff. Sports reporter Gary Henley earned the fi rst-place award for sports writing for his coverage of Seaside High School’s boys repeat state basketball champion- ship. Coincidentally, the award was announced Mon- day on the 20th anniversary of his hire date on the news- paper’s staff. Photographer Colin Mur- phey earned the fi rst-place award in the general pho- tography category for a photo of volunteers releas- ing young common murres into the surf near Haystack R ock. His photo essay of fi re devastation in Paradise, Cal- ifornia, was the runner-up in that category. He was also runner-up in the sports photo category for a shot of a pole vaulter. The Astorian’s edito- rial board earned fi rst place in the editorial and com- mentary division for a portfolio of three editori- als about former Clatsop County Manager Cameron Moore, the endorsement of Tiffi ny Mitchell for the state House of Representatives and the problem of student homelessness. The Chinook Observer in Long Beach, Washing- ton, competing against all small-sized publications in Colin Murphey/The Astorian Photographer Colin Murphey won fi rst place for general news photography with this image of Lisa Habecker, left, and Ellison Randall releasing young common murres into the surf Sept. 14, 2018 near Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. the fi ve states, was the run- ner-up in the general excel- lence category. Reporter Luke Whittaker, who writes for the Observer and the Columbia River Business Journal, earned four awards. A collection of his photographs earned fi rst place for best portfolio. His photo of a woman clutch- ing a dog at a Long Beach apartment fi re earned fi rst place in the spot news pho- tography category. He was the runner-up in spot news reporting for his story about the fi re. He was also the run- ner-up in the general news photography category for his “shop with a cop” photo. R.J. Marx, editor of the Seaside Signal, was the run- ner-up in the column writ- ing category for Southern Exposure. All three newspapers are part of EO Media Group, a family-owned regional com- pany based in Salem. “Our journalists strive every day to cover the com- munities they serve,” said Jim Van Nostrand, editor of The Astorian. “I could not be more proud of their work.” MEMORIAL Saturday, July 6 JOHNS, Lawrence Dan “Bud” — Mass intentions will be said at 4 p.m., Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church, 120 Oceanway in Seaside. ON THE RECORD Strangulation • Jeffery Walker, 42, of Westport, was arrested on Tuesday in Clatsop County for strangulation and harassment. Theft • Jessie Nicole Robles, 26, of Warrenton, was arrested on Monday for theft at Walmart. Harassment • Frederick L Sher- man, 38, of Ocean Park, Washington, was arrested on Monday for harass- ment and trespassed from Astoria Mini Mart East after allegedly jumping the counter and pushing an employee. DUII • Taylor Florance, 24, of Seaside, was arrested on Tuesday in Astoria for driv- ing under the infl uence of intoxicants. Disorderly conduct • Tyler Richards, 22, of Homeland, California, was arrested on Monday for dis- orderly conduct on Sunset Beach Lane. • Paul Huck, 29, was arrested on Monday for dis- orderly conduct on S.E. Dis- covery Lane in Warrenton. Reckless driving • Bryana Joy Beau- lieu, 25, of Astoria, was cited on Tuesday morn- ing for reckless driving. She allegedly hit a parked mobile home on 20th Street and Exchange Street, caus- ing signifi cant damage. PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 Seaview annexation idea dead on arrival Residents speak out at meeting By ALYSSA EVANS Chinook Observer ILWACO, Wash. — Seaview won’t be annexed into Long Beach anytime soon. At a meeting Saturday hosted by the Seaview His- torical Preservation Society, local leaders and residents decided to drop the idea . “We’re all neighbors. Just because we don’t want to be part of Long Beach doesn’t mean we don’t like Long Beach,” said Nansen Malin, the president of the preser- vation society. “Basically, we’re just saying, ‘No, thank you.’” Long Beach City Admin- istrator David Glasson and Malin held the fl oor for most of the event, which was held at the Columbia Pacifi c Her- itage Museum. Glasson and Malin started discuss- ing annexation last fall, after Glasson brought it up. “I wanted to have a meet- ing. Really, I didn’t think it needed to be this big of a deal right off the bat,” Glas- son said. Alyssa Evans/Chinook Observer Seaview residents and local leaders await the start of an annexation-focused meeting on Saturday. Glasson said people have asked over the years why Long Beach hadn’t annexed Seaview. “Long Beach always said ‘no,’” Glasson said. “After all these years, I thought, why not just talk and have a friendly discussion.” Since the annexation con- versation went public in May, Seaview residents and business owners voiced their distaste for joining Long Beach. “Zero people have stepped up to say they’re interested,” Malin said. “We don’t even have one business that’s stepped up.” Residents emphasized their lack of interest in annexation at the meeting. Throughout the meeting, many residents left early, making comments about The Clatsop Care Center Auxiliary would like to extend A BIG THANK YOU to the public and our staff who donated to and shopped our sale & ongoing raffle. The proceeds from the sale will help us to provide a variety of activities for the Residents of Clatsop Care Center. uuu how the meeting wasn’t what they came for. Many attendees also raised concerns over why the meeting was necessary and what benefi t Seaview residents would get from annexation. “Why are we even here?” questioned one attendee. “Why do we have to have a conversation if no one even wants annexation?” The attendee asked every- one to raise their hand if they were for or against annex- ation. No one raised their hand when asked if they were for annexation. “We are having this con- versation because Long Beach needs to hear how Seaview feels,” Malin said. Malin said the meeting was for asking questions and getting answers because “there’s a lot of information online and some of it’s not very helpful.” Annexing Seaview has pros and cons for both Seaview and Long Beach residents. If annexation had moved forward, many ser- vices would have needed to change for Seaview residents. “All things equal, it prob- ably isn’t a benefi t fi nan- cially,” Glasson said. “Best case, it’s a break-even.” Glasson said Seaview would essentially stay Seaview, even if annexation happened. Not all services would change, addresses would stay the same, and res- idents would essentially have the same experience. However, tax rates could change and some services would switch to city juris- diction instead of county. Seaview residents would also be able to participate and apply for Long Beach City Council and other city leadership roles. “Seaview has its own identity. Seaview would stay Seaview,” Glasson said. “Nothing would change that you wouldn’t already be able to do in the county.” Glasson emphasized that if annexation wasn’t some- thing Seaview residents want, that the city wouldn’t force it to happen. “To me, we’re neighbors. Is there something we can do that would benefi t both of us? If there’s not, then let’s not do it,” Glasson said. Had Seaview residents said they wanted to move forward with the annex- ation conversation, Long Beach would have needed to adopt Seaview into its urban growth area . The boundary, created by cities, is used to manage urban development. Seaview and Long Beach have their own urban growth areas , which means Seaview would have needed to be re designated to be under Long Beach’s boundary . From there, annexation could happen through property val- uation, petition by registered voter, or through an interlo- cal agreement.
