A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
JOE PETSHOW
Publisher/President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
CHELSEA MARR
General Manager
JODY THOMPSON
Advertising Manager
DICK NAFSINGER
Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011)
TOM LANCTOT
Past President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Editor
TONY METHVIN
Columbia Gorge Press Manager
DAVID MARVIN
Production Manager
Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area.
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Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News,
P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796
Member of the Associated Press
O ur readers write
For Wilhelm
For Arnold
I don’t normally write letters to
the editor, but as a senior and tax-
payer in Hood River, I am con-
cerned about our schools. That’s
why I encourage you to support
Kris Wilhelm for school board.
At first glance, you may not
think Kris to be the typical person
to run for school board. She wears
a lot of hats: A mom, a farmer,
housewife, and works at the hospi-
tal as an Exercise Physiologist.
However, Kris is passionate about
and studies in depth issues that af-
fect kids’ education on a local level.
As a hospital volunteer, I met
Kris more than 20 years ago. Kris
is a “can do” person that will al-
ways question the status quo. She
strives for efficiency and is never
afraid to ask “why.”
The school board makes impor-
tant decisions that affect kids, teach-
ers and taxpayers. Please join me in
voting for Kris Wilhelm, someone
who will take the responsibility seri-
ously, and will be a good steward for
us all. She is ready to step up and
make a difference.
Ann Helm
Hood River
I am the founding director of the
nursing program at Columbia
Gorge Community College (CGCC).
This program, which graduates can-
didates for both Licensed Practical
Nursing and Registered Nursing,
opened its doors in 2001. The effort
took the combined energies of the
CGCC Board of Directors and the
boards of the four hospitals here in
the Gorge. Should anyone question
the difference a qualified and bal-
anced board of directors makes to
our college, they have only to look at
this successful program to recog-
nize the value of a committed group
of individuals who focus on educa-
tion for our community.
Today I write in support of Char-
lotte Arnold as a continuing Direc-
tor on the CGCC Board. Her dedica-
tion, experience and passionate cur-
rent service on the board demon-
strate her commitment to education
and fairness. She is positioned to be-
come the next board president and
is in a unique place in time to exer-
cise focused leadership to deal effec-
tively with current issues that are
well known through previous arti-
cles and letters in this publication.
Board leadership at this level re-
quires both an egalitarian approach
and the strength and experience to
champion and achieve progressive
change from within.
Ms. Arnold, who possesses these
abilities, is also running along with
Christina Suarez (telecommunica-
tions business owner) and Becky
Kopecky (Director of Nursing at
Providence Hood River Memoral
Hospital), two women in our com-
munity who continue to demon-
strate their credibility and desirable
character traits for leadership.
I wish I could vote, but living in
Washington State doesn’t afford me
the opportunity to vote on Director
positions for a college that is located
in Oregon. However, CGCC has an
immeasurable impact on the entire
Gorge, so I take this opportunity to
speak out and encourage those of
you who are able to vote on these po-
sitions to endorse Charlotte Arnold
and her running mates.
Linda Hardham, RN, MN
Underwood, Wash.
Memorial
planned
Our son, Brian Paul McClure,
died on April 9 while mountain
biking on the Dog River trail. We
have had a difficult time facing
this, of course, and were in Hood
River for a few days making our
arrangements.
The kindness and compassion
extended to us was wonderful. Spe-
cial thanks to Deputy Mark Smith
of the Hood River Police Depart-
ment. Brian loved Hood River and I
certainly see why. We are planning
a celebration of his life in Belle-
vue, Wash., in July. Anyone inter-
ested in attending can write to 1400
127th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA 98005,
or call 425-747-5358 to be put on the
guest list.
Marie McClure
Bellevue, Wash.
Running for
Recommendation Position 4
Here in Cascade Locks, we’ve got
three to five positions open on our
Port Commission. Our current com-
mission has been working together
for 3-4 years, some much longer, to
bring business into our industrial
park. In addition, the Bridge of the
Gods, which is their responsibility,
although repaired enough to satisfy
ODOT’s requirements to lift weight
restrictions, still needs many mil-
lions of dollars in repair and main-
tenance.
I’d like to recommend these three
people for our Port Commission:
Brad Lorang, past mayor of Cascade
Locks, Dave Lipps, who is one of the
owners of Bridge of the Gods brew
pub, and Phil Schey.
Nancy Renault
Cascade Locks
I am running for Port of Hood
River Commissioner Position 4. Al-
though the ballots have already
mailed out, there is a reason for this
late letter to the editor.
First, let me introduce myself. I
am the guy riding in the power
wheelchair seen all over Hood River.
I could have retired anywhere, but I
fell in love with Hood River and de-
cided this is where I’ll settle. OK, my
grandkids had something to do with
it.
The Port has done a good job and
all anyone can do is work for the fu-
ture. The Nichols Basin West Edge
trail can and will be worked out. I
have faith that all parties involved
will come to an agreement.
Nobody wants to be labeled as the
bad guy. We need a new bridge. The
Port is involved in talks with ODOT
and others. Let’s escalate the discus-
sions and take it to the next level and
talk about options. There is a nice
big empty building. An option to
consider is utilizing it as a business
or public incubator. Hood River has
enough sponsors and partners to
make it work and it fits in with the
Port’s mission.
If you want to talk to me, be pa-
tient because I speak primarily
Ataxia. My iPad will translate it. No,
Ataxia is not a foreign cab.
Dennis Cullington
Hood River
Support Arnold
We strongly support Charlotte
Arnold for Columbia Gorge Com-
munity College Board Position 4.
Charlotte is intelligent, hardwork-
ing and dedicated in all her pursuits,
including small business owner,
dance instructor and parent. Stu-
dents will benefit from Charlotte’s
efforts to support important course
offerings, such as computer science,
welding, nursing and renewable en-
ergy. She will help solicit volunteers
with expertise to mentor students.
Charlotte will be open minded and
creative when addressing difficult
school funding issues. She will help
build bridges between the college
and community, and between facul-
ty and staff.
Jerry Jaques
Deborah Whiting Jaques
Hood River
Wear helmet
Spring has sprung and that
means families out on bicycles. Par-
ents, if you put helmets on your kids
and you don’t wear one, whose fu-
ture are you protecting? Traumatic
brain injuries can happen to anyone
at any age or skill level. So put a lid
on your melon.
Garry Koop
Hood River
For Reitz
Chris Reitz has my full support as
the best Hood River County School
Board candidate for Position 1 in the
upcoming election.
It is important that school board
members be community members
with a strong history of volun-
teerism and presence in the local
schools. Chris has that experience.
She has served the communities’
children by volunteering in the
schools, which is important because
she will bring to the board an under-
standing of and a familiarity with
our local school system and how it
works.
It is also crucial that school board
members volunteer for their impor-
tant role motivated mostly by a sim-
ple commitment to education and
children. Candidates should not be
motivated by a personal agenda.
Chris has stepped forward as a
school board candidate interested in
creating the best school setting pos-
sible for all kids in our district. The
energy she has already put into the
district demonstrates her commit-
ment and motivation.
Lastly, Chris is a free thinker. I
have known Chris and her family
for several years and know her to be
a person who can listen with an
open mind and then can diplomati-
cally think, speak and make sound
decisions.
Please join me in voting for Chris
Reitz.
Ted Ostrye
Hood River
Parks and Rec
candidate
Ballots for the May 19 special elec-
tion are out and I wanted to intro-
duce myself as a candidate for a seat
on the Hood River County Parks and
Rec Board. My name is Matt Rut-
ledge and I feel that living in Hood
River provides a world class base
from which to recreate and enjoy the
outdoors. I have a B.A. in Recreation
Administration and am currently
employed as an elementary teacher
locally. As a long term Gorge resi-
dent, avid recreationalist, and par-
ent, I feel that I am tuned in to the
recreational opportunities and
needs in Hood River County.
As a Parks and Rec Board Mem-
ber, my priorities will be to expand
the current parks and recreational
offerings within the county, work to-
wards diversifying the type of op-
portunities that are developed to
align with the changing population
of the Hood River Valley, and to pro-
vide an increased scope of recre-
ation opportunities during the win-
ter months for residents and fami-
lies.
I hope to earn your support in the
coming election.
Matt Rutledge
Hood River
Support CL
It is getting really tiring to read
the hysterical “sky is falling” atti-
tude of the opposition to the Nestlé
plant in Cascade Locks. If we be-
lieve most of what is printed, Nestlé
will buy up all the world’s water and
we will die of drought and thirst!
Dire consequences (which never
materialize) are always predicted by
those trying to “save” the Gorge.
Let’s stop the bullying and actual-
ly support Cascade Locks whose de-
cision it is, after all.
Ruth Turner
Hood River
Stop passivity
I realize my passivity in many
matters regarding the health and
well-being of the Gorge needs to
stop.
I agree with Pamela Dussaut’s let-
ter to the editor on April 29, and
Pamela Larsen’s on April 15, that we
must educate ourselves around the
issue of Nestlé gaining water rights
to tap and bottle water from Cascade
Locks. I appreciate it is not a simple
issue, and the romance of how
Nestlé coming in will “rescue” CL’s
economy is an attractive one, one I
can see myself falling for. However,
don’t get seduced by their propagan-
da, dig for the truth.
It is not in anyone’s best interest
to allow big business to take over
control of natural resources for any
reason, including short-term gains.
We must come together and edu-
cate and find better sustainable op-
tions to support our community
here in the Columbia Gorge. If the
answers look simple, as in Nestlé re-
cent propaganda video, you know
something is amiss. These issues
are never simple, and the complexi-
ty of the repercussion in allowing
this need to be exposed. By sneaking
in through the backdoor, and by-
passing public opinion and time for
residence to research the issue, only
demonstrates further the insidious
nature of this company.
I know for one, I will educate my-
self more and help support the in-
tentions of stopping Nestlé from
taking over water rights in the
Gorge. I’ ll start by watching
“Tapped” tonight and begin to take
my own head out of the sand.
Carrie Fuentes
Hood River
Support SB
920
Oregonians are ready for a health-
ier, more transparent food system.
That’s why, as a farmer, I am asking
Senator Thomsen to support the
passage of Senate Bill 920, requiring
the responsible use of antibiotics in
agriculture.
I own a farm called Terra Farma
at the west end of the Gorge and I
raise livestock in a manner that pro-
motes animal health and which also
produces a superior product. Many
of our customers seek us out be-
cause they feel that knowing their
farmer is the only way to purchase
meat, milk, and eggs that they trust
feeding their family. In contrast,
many large confinement operations
give their animals regular, low doses
of antibiotics in their feed. These
antibiotics are used to promote
rapid growth and to stave off dis-
ease in unsanitary conditions.
These animals often stand snout to
tail in crowded, indoor facilitates,
often in small pens or crates, with
daily antibiotic doses to bolster
their immune systems against these
conditions.
Unfortunately, this comes with un-
intended consequences like antibiot-
ic-resistant “supergerms” which can
spread to humans and other ani-
mals. The CDC has linked antibiotic
resistant strains of salmonella and
campylobacter to this practice, with
about 25 percent of campylobacter
cases presenting resistance to antibi-
otics. Additionally, from an ethical
standpoint, this practice is one of
the pillars holding up a system of in-
humane animal treatment on facto-
ry farms in Oregon.
Fortunately, SB 920 offers a solu-
tion. This bill would require farms
to stop using “preventative” antibi-
otics on healthy animals, and large
farms would have to report on their
total antibiotic usage annually. This
would address concerns around an-
tibiotic-resistant bacteria and en-
courage more ethical treatment of
animals in these operations. I urge
the Senate to pass this important
piece of legislation.
Michael Guebert
Terra Farma
Corbett
ANOTHER VOICE
Look down for evidence some dog owners are dropping their responsibility
I
By PEGGY DILLS KELTER
just returned from a walk to
one of my favorite places in
Hood River — Waterfront
Park. As is usually the case on
a sunny weekend, the park
was being well used by athletes,
parents, children and dog owners.
I was enjoying the blue sky, the
light breeze, and the noise of kids
playing on the play structures
when some things green caught
my eye. These green things, lined
up along the path’s edge and
gleaming in the sun, were not one
of the native plants that have been
planted along the river. Rather,
they were poop bags, full of dog
feces and left for the rest of us to
“enjoy.” I shook my head, left be-
hind the abandoned bags, and con-
tinued on my walk.
When I reached the gravel road
leading to the Hook, I noticed an-
other dog owner walking along be-
hind her unleashed dog, fastidi-
ously picking up her pet’s drop-
pings in several green bags … and
tossing the filled bags onto the
ground, already littered with still
another discarded sack of dung. I
stopped her and asked, “Are you
planning on picking up those bags
and putting them in the garbage
can?” to which she replied that she
was helping out the park by mak-
ing sure her dog’s poop was inside
a bag, and thus unable to contami-
nate the park with E-coli. When I
asked her again if she planned on
picking them up, she said, “I have
a dog and only two hands.” She
also explained that the mainte-
nance guys, personal acquain-
tances of hers, would be by Mon-
day to clean up. I shook my head,
picked up all four bags full of
feces, and carried them to the
garbage can on the west end of the
park.
On my return walk eastward, I
spotted her again, once again fill-
ing another green bag with her
dog’s poop and leaving it on the
side of the path. By this point
steam was beginning to pour from
my ears. I picked up her dog’s bag,
and a few yards later on grabbed
another set of four full bags left by
earlier visitors. As I walked away,
my hands full of feces, I heard her
yell at me, “You missed one!”
Every day, I work at modeling for
my students how to be kind, safe,
respectful and responsible. We
spend hours practicing these skills,
and we work to teach tolerance, not
rudeness, to our young friends.
At Waterfront Park, some visi-
tors need a refresher course in
these skills.
■
Peggy Dills Kelter of Hood River
teaches at Mid Valley Elementary
and is a Hood River News columnist.