A5
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Successful
every member of this spe-
cial community. By look-
ing beyond politics to the
core of the issue, you exem-
plify the balanced leadership
that is needed at this time of
upheaval.
JAN and WILLIS L.
VAN DUSEN
CAROL and DANIEL A.
VAN DUSEN
TRUDY VAN DUSEN
CITOVIC and DJORDJE
CITOVIC
DR. FATIMA VAN
DUSEN and WILLIS VAN
DUSEN JR.
DR. KRISTIN and
CAPT. MATTHEW
ZEDWICK
SYDNEY VAN DUSEN
and GREG PETERSON
S
uzanne Weber has been
a successful bipartisan
mayor of Tillamook since
2010. She is running for
Oregon House District 32,
soon to be vacated by Tiffi ny
Mitchell.
Suzanne has long-stand-
ing working relationships
in the Oregon Legislature.
Unlike her current opponent,
she can hit the ground run-
ning, without a protracted
learning curve.
Suzanne plans to work
on small business recovery,
education and local infra-
structure. Vote Weber on
Nov. 3.
JEAN M. HERMAN
Astoria
Land of laws
Taking a stand
W
e are a land of laws
and institutions that
govern our diverse society.
We need law. We need order.
Without them we descend
into destruction, burning,
looting and murder. We need
police to serve and protect
the citizens. Government
should serve the people.
We must move from the
emotions of the day to apply
reason to affect change to
police procedures, applied
for decades, which are the
source of egregious inci-
dences that have occurred
many times, in many places.
Choking or choke-
holds have caused numer-
ous deaths or injuries. They
have, and continue to be, a
tool used by policing author-
ities, and will continue to
give rise to unjustifi ed and
unnecessary occurrences that
have very negative results.
Choking should be
highly restricted, or elimi-
nated, as a technique of con-
trol and aggression by police
departments throughout our
nation. Other control tech-
niques should be taught and
employed. Stop choking.
Midnight warrant door
breakdowns should not be
allowed. What do the occu-
pants think, when they are
sleeping and all of a sud-
S
heriff Matt Phillips, thank
you for your thoughtful
and articulate guest column,
“We have more in common
than believed,” on Sept. 17.
By taking a stand on a
contentious issue like Black
Lives Matter, you gave a
voice to members of our
community who have felt
marginalized and alone in
their perspective. That takes
courage. Equally important,
you did so without alienat-
ing other groups. That shows
leadership.
By emphasizing that your
viewpoint “doesn’t suggest
that the lives of Black people
are more important than any-
one else’s … (nor does it)
suggest or support that any
other life is less important,”
you strip away the contro-
versy around the issue.
Hopefully, we can all
agree that human life is pre-
cious by its very nature.
Every person in our soci-
ety should be able to rely
on their fellow citizens, and
especially law enforcement,
to protect their right to life
without regard to race or any
other form of bias.
Thank you for confi rming
your belief that Black Lives
Matter equally, and for your
tireless service to each and
den, the door is being bro-
ken down? The results have
repeated themselves many
times, with many deaths and
injuries to both the victims
and the police. How many
times did the police have
the wrong address? Stop the
midnight warrant invasions.
It is important for citizens
to comply with good polic-
ing and not engage in hos-
tile, uncooperative behav-
ior. We all need to be kinder
and more thoughtful citizens,
and respect laws and support
order in our lives and those
around us.
MARK PRESCOTT
Gearhart
Our votes
T
illamook Mayor
Suzanne Weber gets our
vote for Oregon House Dis-
trict 32 representative.
Suzanne already has the
experience. Before being
elected mayor of Tillamook,
she was a public school
teacher and served as a rep-
resentative and negotiator
for her union. As retired edu-
cators, we know how valu-
able her qualifi cations are.
This includes the ability to
problem-solve.
Mayor Weber is opposed
to excessive tax hikes, fees
and regulations. She knows
that cap and trade is nothing
more than a hidden sales tax.
She thinks the northwest cor-
ner of Oregon should decide
its own priorities — some-
thing Rep. Tiffi ny Mitchell
did not understand.
Weber is tuned in, and is
all ready to go. She has our
votes.
VICTORIA KERIN
SUZANNE IVERSON
Astoria
My colleague
T
om Brownson was my
colleague on the Asto-
ria City Council. No one
could ask for a better city
councilor. Tom studies each
issue, talks to his constitu-
ents and understands the city
code and the ramifi cations of
council decisions.
He is calm and delibera-
tive, and believes in collab-
oration. He is well respected
by his fellow council mem-
bers, and was elected
to serve as the council
president.
Although I am not in his
ward, I would urge Ward
2 voters to reelect Tom
Brownson to the City Coun-
cil. Astoria is the better for
his leadership.
ARLINE LaMEAR
Astoria
to develop and blossom over
long periods through invest-
ments that she has made
both locally and in Salem.
Unlike Mitchell and
Boothe-Schmidt, Mayor
Weber has never entertained
a “Plan B Cut-and-Run
Strategy” when the going
gets tough.
Our district can trust
Weber with our future, who
is in it for the long haul. Not
so with Boothe-Schmidt.
CYNTHIA
MALKOWSKI
Seaside
Long haul
Stumps don’t lie
C
I
an we count on House
District 32 candidate
Debbie-Boothe Schmidt?
Or will she be just another
Tiffi ny Mitchell, who will
abandon our district when
the going gets tough, or
something better comes
along?
A March 17 Banks Post
article states “right now,
she’s only looking ahead
to serving one term.” She
would consider running for
reelection “depending on
how things go.”
Depending on how things
go? What does that even
mean? Read her own words
and judge for yourself.
Direct quote: “If I think I
can’t do the work that needs
to be done, then it would be
time for someone new to
come along.”
Sounds an awful lot
like Tiffi ny Mitchell to me.
Sounds an awful lot like
she is just another tempo-
rary hand-picked Portland
candidate.
In contrast, her opponent,
bipartisan Tillamook Mayor
Suzanne Weber has lived in
Tillamook for 50 years, taught
at the same public school for
30 years, and has served as
both city councilor and mayor
for a solid 18 years.
This track record proves
she is a fully committed per-
son who knows how to solve
problems, work with diverse
populations and produce
results. Results that take time
f trees, like most run-of-
the-mill vegetables, inhale
carbon dioxide, and exhale
oxygen, then it stands to rea-
son that a few large old trees
have sequestered more car-
bon than many a sapling.
And, every sapling has more
potential to sequester car-
bon than an old stump. And,
to carry this logic a step fur-
ther, even a large old stump
has sequestered more carbon
than a two-by-four.
All human life stands
upon the shoulders of our
ancestors, and it is indisput-
able that even a stump has
more value to mankind and
our progeny than a two-by-
four. We, unfortunately, have
both trees and two-by-fours
to burn.
May the Lord make his
face to shine upon you, and
grant you peace.
GARY DURHEIM
Seaside
Hindsight
T
hey say “hindsight is
20/20.” Well, it is 2020
now. How we can make a
better decision on Nov. 3
for our future? Let’s refl ect
back …
Sadly, we have over
200,000 Americans dead
due to COVID-19 with the
delay, denial and distrac-
tion tactic of President Don-
ald Trump; withdrawal from
the Paris climate agree-
ment (197 countries signed)
designed to avoid climate
change impacts globally,
including food insecurity for
the poorest nations; allowing
infringement of our treasured
national parks for corporate
greed; no improvement in
U.S. infrastructure as prom-
ised; no affordable health
care plan, active dismantling
of Obamacare, Medicare,
Social Security; Roe vs.
Wade in jeopardy; reduced
taxes for billionaires, not us;
disparaging our veterans as
“suckers and losers”; plus
other childish name-calling,
blaming and behaviors unbe-
coming a U.S. president.
Hindsight is 20/20, so
let’s learn from mistakes
made. If you are not regis-
tered to vote, do so today.
We need every thinking per-
son’s vote, recognizing the
change needed with this
election for our democracy
to survive.
Please join me and vote
for a qualifi ed presiden-
tial candidate, a person
with years of experience
with international leaders,
a man of integrity, empathy
and honesty who we can be
proud of in the world arena.
Joe Biden will restore
dignity to the offi ce of pres-
ident, and regain the respect
America deserves. Biden
and Kamala Harris will be
working for us, not for their
own self-aggrandizement.
January 2021 we can look
back with clarity of “20/20
vision” putting “united”
back in America, not divi-
sion. Building bridges, not
walls.
LaREE JOHNSON
Astoria
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