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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, AuguST 13, 2020
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
WRITER’S NOTEBOOK
Young blood good for a city council
W
hen our family arrived in
Astoria in 1987, we had two
children in tow — ages 4 and
18 months. Not surprisingly, child care
was the topic of the first three-part series
The Daily Astorian produced after I
became editor.
When our chief operating officer, sit-
ting in Salem, saw the series, he said:
“I see something has changed at the
Astorian.”
Our perceptions and
our choices stem largely
from our stage and situa-
tion in life. Day care was
not top of mind for my
father, who was in his
70s when he retired as
editor. But for my wife
STEVE
and me, that need was in
FORRESTER
first place.
In 1991, Doug
Thompson joined the Astoria City Coun-
cil at the age of 40. He brought new per-
spectives and enthusiasm.
Thompson was a champion of the
predecessor of the Astoria Downtown
Historic District Association. At Thomp-
son’s urging, the city did what was called
the Tenth Street project — a demon-
stration of how street trees and curbing
enhance a streetscape. He also promoted
the Sixth Street project, which involved
repurposing the former Bumble Bee Sea-
foods headquarters building.
Former City Manager Paul Benoit
remembers Thompson’s pivotal role in
development of the Smith Point round-
about. Without Thompson’s pushing,
said Benoit, the Oregon Department of
Transportation would have installed a
traffic signal.
Also in the 1990s, a young woman
named Jan Fletcher was elected to the
City Council. Thompson remembers
that, “She was a pretty strong voice for
women, young families with both par-
ents working outside the home, small
businesses and early work-from-home
technologies.”
At 33, Dirk Rohne joined the Clatsop
Community College Board of Directors.
Subsequently, he served on the Clatsop
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Odd Fellows Building owners Jessamyn Grace West, left, and Andrea Mazzarella dance and laugh together for a music video.
THERE ARE MANy REASONS FOR
ASTORIA’S REMARKABLE COMEBACK. AT
THE TOP OF THE LIST HAVE BEEN NEW BLOOd
ANd yOuNg BLOOd THAT HAVE BROugHT
AN INFuSION OF ENERgy ANd NEW IdEAS.
County Board of Commissioners and
now the Port of Astoria Commission. In
each of these roles, Rohne has been a
game changer.
Another younger face in local gov-
ernment — Mayor Henry Balensifer of
Warrenton — has brought a fresh per-
spective to the future of that city.
I thought of Thompson and Fletcher
especially after reading about Jes-
samyn Grace West’s decision not to run
for election to the City Council seat to
which she was appointed in 2019. In
choosing West, who is 43, city council-
ors were impressed with her background,
and they sought a younger perspective.
West’s decision not to compete for a
full term is understandable. Being a city
councilor is time consuming and a major
responsibility. West has two other jobs.
No one comes fully equipped for the
task of becoming a public person and a
policymaker. Many of us were heartened
by West’s appointment to the council,
and we would have enjoyed seeing her
grow in the job.
There are many reasons for Asto-
ria’s remarkable comeback. At the top of
the list have been new blood and young
blood that have brought an infusion of
energy and new ideas.
Steve Forrester, the former editor and
publisher of The Astorian, is the presi-
dent and CEO of EO Media group.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Think twice
O
regon parents should think twice
about sending their children back to
any school that opens.
Children frequently do not show symp-
toms. As more children are finally being
tested, the reported infection rate is
increasing. Recent research demonstrates
younger children have a significantly
higher infection load in their nasal pas-
sages, and are far more likely to transmit
the virus to others.
Places without really good ventilation
can spread the virus. Many schools have
horrible ventilation, and no windows.
Younger children are less likely to be
able to keep their bodies in line with the
strict behavior requirements. Children will
experience profound trauma, despite the
best efforts of their teachers and aides —
who are being forced to risk their health
and lives.
Required to remain in spaces. No play-
ing with friends. No playing with toys or
looking at books. If a child becomes dis-
tressed or disruptive, the teacher cannot
approach to calm that child.
School classrooms will be petri dishes
waiting for disaster. If any child in your
child’s class tests positive for the virus, it
must be assumed your child is infected.
Your entire family is then at risk of
infection.
Your child will likely be required to
stay by themselves in a “sick room” for 10
or more days. No interactions with other
family members. Your entire family will
also need to be in quarantine.
Oregon’s leaders want to open schools
so students can get good test scores, and
parents will have child care. Is this worth
the risk?
NANCY WILLARD
Veneta
Important check
T
he Astorian is shutting down. No it’s
not, but what if it did? Throughout the
country, newspapers are shutting down at
an alarming rate.
The seemingly endless ad revenue they
enjoyed in the past now goes to Google,
Apple and other companies with no stake
in local communities. Local newspapers
serve as an important check on our elected
officials and administrators. Municipali-
ties tend to spend more money after their
local paper shuts down. Where does the
money go?
The Astorian has claimed they’ll sur-
vive the sudden loss of advertising dollars
as a result of COVID-19. Perhaps they’ll
be bought by a hedge fund that only pro-
longs their demise by laying off staff,
and extracting what little capital remains
until there is nothing left. Maybe they’ll
limp along and come out of this relatively
unscathed. Maybe not.
If it weren’t for The Astorian, how
would we know what a mess the Port of
Astoria had been, and how they’ve turned
things around? Or that the county commis-
sioners were a mess, and still are? Or that
Bruce Jones, the mayor of Astoria, is no
friend to those in our community who are
struggling financially?
Or that Brett Estes appears to go above
and beyond in his job as city manager?
What about Michael McNickle, our public
health director, who was dismissive of the
pandemic in the beginning, and now seems
to be fighting tirelessly for the health and
safety of our community?
The Astorian is still in business. Let’s
hope it stays that way.
ED MORGAN
Astoria
Portland agenda
T
o those of you who are moving to the
North Coast in order to flee unrest and
high taxation, I would like to ask you to
kindly vote for candidates this Novem-
ber who will continue to protect the peace-
ful quality of life that attracted you to our
area.
These candidates are people who
are loyal to local, collaborative neigh-
bor-to-neighbor politics. They are not can-
didates whose loyalty lies with a fully-fi-
nanced, outside, Portland agenda.
The case study regarding the recent
shameful betrayal of our local union work-
ers by Debbie Boothe-Schmidt should be a
cautionary tale for anyone new to our area
who may wonder for whom to vote in the
next election. If you are not familiar with
this, please do some research.
Boothe-Schmidt’s betrayal, and her loy-
alty to the Portland agenda, clearly demon-
strate the threat to our way of life here
on the coast. We do not want Astoria to
become Portland.
Boothe-Schmidt’s cautionary tale
should warn you to consider your pre-
vious voting patterns, and the way that
those patterns created an environment that
compelled you to leave your home and
to move here. Don’t repeat those patterns
LETTERS WELCOME
Letters should be exclusive to The
Astorian. Letters should be fewer than
250 words and must include the writ-
er’s name, address and phone num-
ber. You will be contacted to confirm
authorship. All letters are subject to
editing for space, grammar and factual
accuracy. Only two letters per writer
are allowed each month. Letters writ-
ten in response to other letter writ-
ers should address the issue at hand,
and, rather than mentioning the writer
here.
This November, please connect the dots
and have the courage to consider a new
way of looking at local politics. Vote to
protect the reasons that attracted you to
move here by voting for candidates who
clearly demonstrate loyalty to protecting
our way of life in this, the most beautiful
part of the world.
CYNTHIA MALKOWSKI
Seaside
Political debate
A
s our Founding Fathers struggled to
form this great nation, a number of
important principles were agreed upon. As
a hedge against tyranny and dictatorship,
opposing political views would be heard.
In fact, lively discussions were not merely
by name, should refer to the head-
line and date the letter was published.
Discourse should be civil and people
should be referred to in a respectful
manner. Letters in poor taste will not
be printed. Send via email to editor@
dailyastorian.com, online at bit.ly/asto-
rianletters, in person at 949 Exchange
St. in Astoria or 1555 North Roos-
evelt in Seaside, or mail to Letters to
the Editor, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR.,
97103.
suggested, they were required. Incredible
ideas and solutions would be the result of
what we now call a political debate.
However, forcing someone to partici-
pate, only to exclude their ideas, and the
insistence of only one correct view, takes
a wrecking ball to democracy. Further, if
you belittle your opponent with shouting,
cuss words and insults, you replace the
debate with character assassination. If you
form a dog pile to ensure your victory, you
are not a patriot, but a coward.
The moral high ground of a debate
is reached through honor, dignity and
respect. You will never make America
great again by trashing your opponent ver-
bally or physically. In fact, by refusing to
play by the rules, you make America hate
again.
TIMOTHY J. BISH
Astoria