A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
O ur readers write
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.
Vote Reitz
During the eight years I’ve known
Chris Reitz, she has continually im-
pressed me with her energy and en-
thusiasm for the kids in our commu-
nity. One anecdote comes to mind.
Several years ago, when the school
district was undergoing yet another
round of budget cuts—this one drasti-
cally reducing PE in our elementary
schools—a community meeting was
held during which Chris brought up
the idea of creating a kids triathlon to
raise money to provide supplemental
PE programs in all the elementary
schools.
I was excited at this prospect and
even volunteered to help. Then, life
got in the way for me — or at least that
was my excuse. But Chris, despite
being a busy mom of two kids (and al-
ready a member of the New Parent
Services of the Gorge Advisory
Board, as well as volunteering in the
schools and for several local nonprofit
endeavors), took the idea and ran with
it. Rather than simply sitting around
complaining about the cuts, Chris saw
an opportunity to effect change, to
make a positive difference in a less-
than-optimal situation, and she rolled
up her sleeves and got to it.
Anyone who has created a commu-
nity-wide event from the ground up
knows the herculean effort this takes.
Chris dug in, recruited a bevy of able
volunteers and together they worked
tirelessly to create a fun, safe, inclu-
sive event. The Gorge Kids Triathlon
is now in its fifth year and has become
not only a popular annual community
event, but one that has raised over
$31,000 which has been divided among
participating Hood River County ele-
mentary schools to be used for supple-
mental PE programs.
This year marks the 10th consecu-
tive year that the Hood River County
School District has been faced with
budget cuts. Sadly, this seems to be the
new normal. That is why we need
Chris Reitz on the school board. She is
smart, enthusiastic, hard-working,
and able to think outside the box to
find ways to make our schools better
despite the “new normal.” We need
Chris Reitz, who has already been
working hard for our kids and our
schools, to join the other diligent
members of the board as they work to
meet the myriad challenges our
schools face. We need Chris Reitz, who
has proven she can roll up her sleeves
and get to it.
Janet Cook
Hood River
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.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
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OREGON NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
recycled paper.
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
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
ARROW POINTS the way: make sure you sign your ballot.
Time to Vote
Election is Tuesday, but Thursday
is also a critical day for ballots
T
he May 19 ballot covers a lot of ground for one
piece of paper.
Local elections of all stripes are covered in the
Special Districts Election: schools, ports, CGCC,
water and sanitary districts, and more.
If you have not yet mailed in or delivered your ballot,
it’s important to note that Thursday, May 14, is the last day
ballots can be put in the mail with any assurance they will
arrive in time for counting on Tuesday.
You could try mailing it Friday or Saturday, but you
will be taking a chance on non-tabulation.
If you haven’t stamped your envelope and mailed it by
tomorrow, you’ll need to take it to either of the two drop-
off locations (and any Hood River County voter can drop it
at either place): the Hood River County Building, Sixth
and State, or at Cascade City Hall.
Each ballot must be filled out according to instructions
and the outside envelope needs be signed on the line indi-
cated.
Sign only your ballot in the manner you are registered;
signing for someone else could nullify that ballot.
All ballots must be in the hands of the Elections De-
partment by 8 p.m. on May 19; postmarks don’t count.
With no statewide races or ballot measures, no Con-
gress members or presidents to vote for, the election is a
relatively quiet one, but since these are local decisions to
be made, it feels all the more important — and the only
way anyone’s vote does not count is if they do not cast it.
Vote Kopecky
Please consider voting for Becky
Kopecky for Position 6 for the Colum-
bia Gorge Community College Board
of Directors.
Becky is Director of Nursing at
Providence Hood River Memorial
Hospital. She has been involved in
nursing, health care and nursing edu-
cation for 20 years in the Gorge com-
munity. Her longstanding career and
leadership skills, her ability to lead
teams and problem solving experi-
ence, make her an ideal candidate.
Her understanding of workforce
needs in the community will give
great guidance on the board. Becky
has a unique perspective on commu-
nity college education. She started
her nursing education in a communi-
ty college and continued her educa-
tion, obtaining a masters in nursing
education. She brings a knowledge
and appreciation of the needs of stu-
dents to the table.
Please vote for Becky for Position 6.
She will bring a wealth of experience,
positive energy and exceptional abili-
ty to our board.
Marianne Durkan, RN
Hood River
Vote Valle
I’m hoping that everyone who has-
n’t yet voted will write in “Leticia
Valle” (full name please) for the open
position on the Transportation Dis-
trict slot. Leticia is a true emerging
leader in our community (check out
her show on Radio Tierra), a dedicated
worker for social services, and would
be a wonderful addition to the Trans-
portation District.
Tina Castañares
Odell
Recommendations
I recently had the privilege of
chairing the Columbia Gorge Com-
munity College budget committee.
The committee spent 10 1/2 hours
over three evenings carefully study-
ing the proposed budget. They en-
gaged in a spirited debate which did
credit to the public budget process.
While the committee only has legal
authority in approving a budget, we
took the additional step of making
two recommendations to the college
board:
1) We recommended the board
adopt a reserve policy and build those
reserves to specified levels, restoring
the college to sustainable operations.
2) We recommended the board di-
rect staff to develop a budget next
year in which institutional support
(essentially administrative overhead)
is more in line with the other commu-
nity colleges in Oregon.
My personal hope is that the board
and executive team take our recom-
mendations very seriously. The un-
derlying structural problems are very
fixable, but only with direct action
from leadership. I believe a thought-
ful reorganization is necessary to re-
duce overhead and focus limited dol-
lars on classroom and student ser-
vices. A streamlined, sustainable
CGCC will be stronger, will restore
public confidence, and will deliver
even more effectively on its important
mission.
Arthur Babitz
Hood River
Errors
I would like to correct two errors in
your article printed May 6, 2015. The
article was about the National Oral
Health Conference at which Dr.
Charles Haynie gave a lecture on com-
munity water fluoridation. The errors
were by your reporter Patrick Mulvi-
hill, not Dr. Haynie.
1. It does not cost $6000 to fill a cavi-
ty. The $6000 refers to the projected
cost over a lifetime to maintain a tooth
damaged by a cavity. Sequelae such as
refills, root canals, crowns, etc., are
common and very expensive.
2. It does not cost three cents per gal-
lon to provide a community with fluo-
ridated water. Depending on the water
system, the cost is between fifty cents
and $4 per citizen per year. Portland’s
estimated cost (rejected by voters) was
about eighty-four cents per citizen per
year. The Dalles spends about fifty
cents per person per year for its com-
munity fluoridation system. Fifty
cents a year times a life expectancy of
72 years equals $36.
There are already too many miscon-
ceptions and untruths about this im-
portant public health issue.
F. Michael Clement,
DDS, retired
Hood River
Reitz for board
Chris Reitz is a perfect candidate for
School Board. She is dedicated, smart,
passionate and thoughtful. I have
known Chris through a number of
community venues. She is a consistent
volunteer at the Hood River Farmers’
Market. She is one of those folks that
only needs to be asked to do something
once, and will do a better job than was
expected. Her calm and fun demeanor
shines through with her interactions
with kids, parents and strangers alike.
She eagerly joined a market commit-
tee to brainstorm ways to increase at-
See LETTERS, Page A5
The State of Columbia Gorge Community College
Board seems to care little about college’s decline
Employees ‘speaking from a position of ignorance’
This guest editorial was submitted by the fol-
lowing members of the Columbia Gorge Com-
munity College Board of Education: MD Van
Valkenburgh, Dave Fenwick, Charlotte Arnold,
Charleen Cobb, Dr. Jim Willcox and Dr. Ernie
Keller.
he citizens of Hood River and Wasco
counties have invested time and
money over decades in building up
Columbia Gorge Community College
so that is now recognized as one of
the most successful small community col-
leges in the state and nation. Unfortunately,
employee Tim Schell and some other in-
structors at our college are spreading false
information to defame their CEO so that he
would resign under the harassment. Even
though our college president and his staff
are credited with much of its success, these
employees are either speaking from a posi-
tion of ignorance …
First, contrary to recent statements from
Schell, there is no budget “crisis” at our col-
lege — just an annual budget process like all
government institutions. This next fiscal year
(starting July 1) there are relatively less sup-
port funds from the state. Sometimes there’s
more. Also, the president doesn’t even set the
budget and expenditures. The board and bud-
get committee have that responsibility. The
Chief Financial Officer has been involving
ALL departments and individuals during
countless meetings and open dialogue to help
create the suggested budget for next year.
Second, the Hood River campus was never
going to be shut down - that was misinforma-
tion. After approving this school year’s budget
a year ago, the CGCC board asked the presi-
dent to prepare a list of possible revenue
sources and expense cuts. Along with sugges-
tions including possible layoffs and cutting
classes was the potential savings of facilities
closures, which the board subsequently dis-
missed.
Third, the board asked the president to
build up reserves years ago in case of possible
“rainy day” needs. During the great reces-
sion, the board and budget committee direct-
ed the president to use the reserve fund to
serve the much higher enrollment of students
looking for re-training. Enrollment always in-
creases at colleges during economic down-
T
turns. Most other community colleges in the
state didn’t have the reserves so they cut em-
ployees and services BEFORE the enrollment
increase. CGCC was able to delay cuts until
AFTER the recession, when enrollment re-
turned to more normal levels. That’s why our
college is cutting staff now. Many CGCC in-
structors and staff had jobs during the reces-
sion, which they wouldn’t have had without
the large reserve fund. CGCC graduated a
record number of students during the reces-
sion who then got new jobs.
No longer content with merely voicing
their rancor over not being able to choose
their own boss a couple of years ago, Schell
and these instructors have moved to force
their opinions upon others, and are hurting
the very institution they pretend to care
about … Should the community have confi-
dence in them?
And in attempting to usurp the board’s au-
thority over the position of college president,
they have not only drawn the negative at-
tention of their superiors, but also the
displeasure of the unpaid communi-
ty representatives on the board.
As a business manager or
owner, could you imagine having
some of your employees under
the protection of union contracts
calling for your ouster, just be-
cause they didn’t like you? This is
one of the smallest community col-
leges in one of the smallest states, and
not the Ivy-league private university they
imagine themselves in. Schell and these em-
ployees are diminishing the reputation and
value of the college we all locally own …
■
Editor’ note: this letter was written following
a combination of phone calls and emails be-
tween the six board members listed. Board
member Stu Watson was excluded from the
process. The board members’ original letter was
published in The Dalles Chronicle on May 7
with three statements that, when questioned on
Monday, M.D. Van Valkenburgh asked be re-
moved as unfounded or overly harsh. Board
member Charlotte Arnold, who is challenged on
the May 19 ballot by Guy Fenner, said the letter
was intended to “do something positive and
give our students some confidence” in CGCC.
I
By STU WATSON
t’s nice to know that outgoing CGCC
board member Dave Fenwick (in his
endorsement letter May 9) applauds
the commitment of three board candi-
dates to standards of the Association
of Community College Trustees. I assume
he meant no disrespect, or insinuation to
the contrary, about the other three candi-
dates, myself included.
What I find troubling about Mr. Fen-
wick’s letter is his open admission that he
is leaving the board so he can apply for a
job with the college. This, two days after he
and five other board members signed an op-
ed piece in The Dalles Chronicle – crafted
without notice to me, or the public, which
suggests a violation of Oregon Open Meet-
ings Law – in which the writers thumbed
their noses at the “no confidence” and “cen-
sure” votes by the faculty. Just a ploy in the
run-up to contract talks, they said. They in-
vited instructors to quit if they didn’t
like the way things are going, be-
cause the college could easily re-
place them.
One might wonder how effec-
tive a sitting board member can
be if he is hoping for a positive
reception to a job application
after leaving office. ORS
244.040(1) prohibits public officials
from using their official positions
or offices to create a new employment
opportunity.
Lately, Mr. Fenwick has implied to me
that I am not falling in line, and saluting as
if that were a requirement of board service.
He and several board members from Wasco
County seem to believe that independent re-
search and forming an opinion on more
than the sanitized administrative report is
unethical. Isn’t that my job? Perhaps I
should sleep through parts of meetings, as
some of my colleagues do?
In the last two years, I have asked many
associated with the college, “What’s really
going on?” In aggregate, I get a picture of a
broken institution, low morale, a manage-
ment focused on its own agenda and openly
contemptuous of the board and faculty.
One example. The college awarded a new
three-year auditing contract to the firm that
rated fifth in the college’s own review
process, bypassing the second-ranked firm,
which bid $108,000 less. The board approved
the contract, but it was not given the evalu-
ations or bids for comparison. A leaked doc-
ument showed that we were snowed.
Information compiled by budget commit-
tee member Karen Fairchild showed that
CGCC devotes 28 percent of its budget to
“institutional support,” while the rest of
the state’s community colleges average
around 21 percent. The impact at CGCC
means a loss of advisers and financial aid
support that incoming students sorely need.
Yet given a chance to shift $272,000 in the
2015-16 budget from administrative over-
head to student services – which had been
most heavily hit in the administration’s
budget proposal – six committee members,
led by the Board members from Wasco
County, effectively killed the idea.
College President Frank Toda recently
told the budget committee “words matter.”
They do, indeed. Which is why I was dis-
tressed to hear in March from the student
body president that Dr. Toda had told her
“he didn’t care what the faculty or board
thought of him.”
Actions also matter. By failing to involve
the board in discussions about possible so-
lutions to the looming budget crisis, and an-
nouncing Nov. 18 that one of three strata-
gems to balance the budget was to close the
Hood River campus, Dr. Toda left me feeling
blindsided and betrayed.
This, six months after spending over
$20,000 on a consultant to guide a brain-
storming process for a new building on the
… Hood River campus? When the existing
building is at 38 percent of capacity? This is
a ship adrift or, as one current college de-
partment director told me, “aground.”
We were told Nov. 18 that the administra-
tion also hoped to correct the budget deficit
by 1) seeking new sources of money, and 2)
increasing enrollment.
Since then, we have seen no new sources
of money, steady enrollment declines, and
no ideas to reverse that. Just staff buyouts
See WATSON, Page A5