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THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
PUBLISHER’S NOTEBOOK
Everyone’s life is a story
L
ast month, John Shepherd’s obit-
uary was published in T he Asto-
rian. Perhaps I wouldn’t have
noticed it if it weren’t for an email from
my neighbor, Bill Shaw, that read, “I
would like to suggest that you do a fea-
ture on John, who recently passed away.
He was an outstanding public servant in
the Warrenton-Hammond
community for many
years.”
As I read the obitu-
ary, I knew Bill was right.
This was a person with a
storied life.
“John apprenticed with
KARI
his father-in-law, Con-
BORGEN
rad Petersen, and worked
with both Conrad and
Carolyn Petersen at Warrenton Electric
starting in 1952, later becoming a partner
in the business. Eventually, he owned and
operated Shepherd Electric in Hammond,
in partnership with his son, John Jr., for 14
years, retiring from electrical contracting
in 2001.
“John was a volunteer fi refi ghter in
the Warrenton and Hammond fi re depart-
ments for over 30 years, serving as Ham-
mond’s chief for 13 of those years, and
assistant chief for 10. For several years, he
was a member of Warrenton Chamber of
Commerce, serving as president in 1958.
During the Cold War years he served as
the civil defense director for the town of
Hammond.
“John served on the Hammond Town
Council from 1962 until Warrenton
annexed the city of Hammond in 1991.
He was a member of the Warrenton-Ham-
mond School District Budget Committee
for 16 years.”
n
Lucy Kleiner/The Astoria
Astoria Warming Ce
nter
LEFT: Meghann Hanour is a local artist who was recently featured in Everyday People. RIGHT: David Cornes, a former homeless veteran,
has donated his pottery to a silent auction supporting the Astoria Warming Center. He was recently featured in Everyday People.
I wished, as I have many times in my
career, that the newspaper could have done
a feature story while a remarkable individ-
ual was alive.
For someone who was a 30-year town
councilor and civil defense director for
Hammond, John lived a tremendous
amount of local history. As a local electri-
cian for nearly 50 years, how many busi-
nesses, buildings, homes had he been a
part of? What kind of stories could he tell
about development? I’m sure he could
have shared things that newcomers like
me don’t know but would help put current
events in context.
We all have stories to tell. Every-
one I meet has something interesting that
they’ve been a part of, a place that they’ve
been or people that they’ve met. Every-
one’s life could be a story.
The Astorian tells many of our local
residents’ stories. In the Everyday People
feature on Tuesdays, we strive to introduce
you to neighbors you might not know. The
Community section on Thursdays com-
memorates the achievements of individ-
uals and organizations. In One Ear offers
quick bits of lore. Water Under the Bridge
even re tells stories that have been told in
the pages of the newspaper years ago.
But there are more stories to be told.
We like to tell stories about interesting
local people in our pages, and we would
like to do more. We’d like to do interviews
and fi nd out about remarkable histories
and events and about remarkable lives.
It starts with people like my neighbor,
Bill, who made a suggestion to write a fea-
ture about someone interesting . We don’t
know everyone on the North Coast , but
we can get to know some of them through
you.
So I’d like to encourage you to send us
your suggestions of stories that need to be
told, people that need to be interviewed.
Our aspiration is to never run out of inter-
esting lives to profi le in our pages. Help
us build our list. Send your story ideas to
news@dailyastorian.com.
Other questions or comments about the
newspaper?
Please let me know. I can be reached
at kborgen@dailyastorian.com or at
541-325-4955.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Scientists at work
his impeachment process by the left
reminds me of scientists working to
prove a theory in the laboratory.
So far, they have manipulated the ele-
ments in every way possible, without suc-
cess. They can clearly see the outcome that
they so desperately desire, but have been
truly frustrated, because the result is not
forthcoming — nor is it ever likely to be,
with even more attempts.
Fudging the numbers and increasing the
heat (using the press corps and their allies
in the Washington, D.C., swamp) to force
a favorable result hasn’t worked, either.
Actually, they are in danger that the experi-
ment is going to blow up in their faces.
Maybe they should take a deep breath,
and consider the effort hopeless. How-
ever, being the mad scientists that they are,
they will undoubtedly declare their efforts
a success, without the facts to back up their
claim.
CARL YATES
Seaside
T
Waste
ifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.
It will cost taxpayers $50,000 for a spe-
cial election to recall our state representa-
tive in House District 32, Tiffi ny Mitch-
ell. That’s $50,000 that could be used to fi x
our roads, improve public safety and fund
our local schools. And, it’s an abuse of the
recall system.
Recalls are intended to remove public
offi cials who break laws or commit serious
ethical violations, not because we disagree
with the representative’s votes. Not only is
this recall effort expensive, it’s a waste of
time.
If the recall succeeds, North Coast vot-
ers won’t even get a vote — Oregon law
requires that someone from the same polit-
ical party as the state representative would
be chosen by the county commissioners in
District 32. Politicians, not voters, would
choose her replacement.
That’s why I ask you not to sign any
petition to recall our representative. It’s a
waste of taxpayer dollars at a time when
our community has bigger problems, and
priorities, that need resources and solutions.
BEBE MICHEL
Gearhart
F
Climate crisis
n the recent guest column “We Orego-
nians” (The Astorian, Oct. 26), Lianne
Thompson and Tony DeBone stated their
pleasure that HB 2020, the Clean Energy
Jobs Bill, did not get approved in the last
legislative session. They gave a long list
of costs that would have gone up if it had
passed. That is not true.
Ten states have already successfully
I
implemented cap-and-invest programs,
according to Alan Journet, a retired pro-
fessor of environmental science. All of
them have growing economies, reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions, stable energy
prices and thousand of jobs created.
Since California implemented cap-and-
trade in 2012, it has outperformed the rest
of U.S. in manufacturing output, growing
in real terms by 26%. Their greenhouse gas
emission price has created good union jobs
in the poorest part of the state.
We will all have to make changes as
a result of the climate crisis. Scientists
around the globe are waving red fl ags,
stating that we only have an 11-year win-
dow to take actions to offset the most cat-
astrophic impacts of the climate crisis, or
else future generations will pay the price.
We must avoid wishful thinking. Tell
your legislators to support the cap-and-in-
vest bill when they convene early next
year.
CAROLYN EADY
Astoria
Nasty mouthful
’m surprised to fi nd myself agreeing
with those who’re saying that President
Donald Trump’s words and behavior do
not merit impeachment. But that’s what the
Constitution prescribes, rather than public
horsewhipping, tar and feathers. Darn it.
In August 2016, in a letter to the edi-
tor of this paper, “No Trump,” I opined that
what was needed was for the citizenry to
“chew Trump up and spit him out.”
That’s what this slow process underway
in the U.S. House of Representatives is,
and I’m proud of the dignifi ed and by-the-
I
book manner in which they’re proceeding.
They, and we, must just keep chewing.
Such a nasty mouthful must never be
swallowed.
JOSEPH WEBB
Astoria
Deep trouble
ouldn’t it be nice if we could choose
not to obey the laws? We weren’t
speeding. Our car simply accelerated on
its own for some reason. The police offi cer
misread the situation.
We weren’t shoplifting. No one told us
we had to buy the items. We thought the
display meant they were free to take.
How sad the Republicans are making
the same absurd arguments about impeach-
ment. President Donald Trump is guilty by
his own admission. He broke laws. There is
mounting factual evidence and truthful tes-
timony detailing what occurred. The presi-
dent is, and should be, in deep trouble.
Yet every Republican is saying no big
deal, this is just how Trump operates, the
laws covering this should be ignored, no
way our chosen leader should be ousted.
How nice for them. Do we have a cult, or
do we have a democracy?
Memo to Republicans: This has nothing
to do with how dismayed many of us were
at the results of the 2016 election. Per-
haps they can ask themselves why a major-
ity of Americans so vehemently want this
guy out of offi ce. Could it be because he is
so un-American in the way he talks, thinks
and acts?
My go-to question for his supporters has
always been: What kind of a man would
ever utter the words, ‘John McCain is not a
W
war hero?’ I thought so.
JIM SPURR
Cannon Beach
Principles
ere’s the impeachment bottom line:
For congressional members and,
frankly, all those who accept public ser-
vice, the bottom line is this — either
you have principles, or you don’t have
principles.
If you have principles, you hold every-
one to the same standard.
DONNA LEE ROLLINS
Astoria
H
Keep heritage alive
read with interest the great article, “Rich
history key to Warrenton’s future” (The
Astorian, Oct. 17). Diane Collier is to be
well commended for archiving Warren-
ton and Hammond’s history. She has done
a great job preserving all the pictures, arti-
facts, papers, etc.
All of Warrenton and Hammond’s his-
tory should be kept in one place, and not
in several buildings all over town, where
they could eventually be misplaced, lost or
destroyed.Wouldn’t it be nice if someday
soon we could all go to a museum in War-
renton or Hammond where we could enjoy
seeing and reading about our heritage?
So please, City Commission, work
together to keep the heritage alive and
Diane’s hard work.
Thank you, Diane, for a job well done.
NEVA JO FENTON-SUHADOLNIK
Seaside
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