A2 Wednesday, March 11, 2020
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
hoodrivernews.com
GREATER GORGE
Joseph O’Sullivan appointed to Bingen City Council
By ELAINE BAKKE
White Salmon Enterprise
On Feb. 18, Bingen City
Council welcomed its newest
member to join the board, Jo-
seph O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan, who works as the
head distiller for Clear Creek
Distillery in Hood River, was
recently appointed to Bingen’s
empty council seat following
a vote by the council after for-
mer Councilor Laura Mann’s
stepped down from the posi-
tion. Mayor Betty Barnes swore
in O’Sullivan at the Wednesday
night meeting. O’Sullivan will
serve the remainder of Mann’s
term, through the end of the
year 2023.
O’Sullivan said he applied
after seeing the comparisons
between the City of Bingen
and his hometown on Cape
Cod, where he was raised by
a family who was active in the
community.
“As the influence of Boston,
Connecticut and New York
progressed down the Cape and
started to get into the areas
where the people who actually
lived there lived, it was clear
that it would behoove us to
have a little bit more control
of how our towns changed,”
O’Sullivan said.
He said upon hearing com-
ments about how the town
should “be more like Portland
or Southern California,” and
upon seeing the larger political
scene, he put his name in for
consideration. He also made
clear that the irony was not lost
upon him, the man from Mas-
sachusetts who wanted power
to stay in the hands of locals.
O’Sullivan and his wife, Janet,
moved to the area after find-
ing work here two years and
some change ago. Janet owns
Tokki Art Supply in downtown
Bingen.
“This is the first time that I
know that I’m going to be here
for hopefully the rest of my life,
and I want to be a part of it
because now I have the oppor-
tunity of making a difference,”
O’Sullivan said.
“I just wanted to make sure
that there was interest, and en-
thusiasm and passion from the
people who want that choice
to be made by the people who
live here and not by people
who can put retail and finance
here but then walk away with
the money,” O’Sullivan said. “I
want the money to stay here.”
With that, he said he sees
the main priority for Bingen
to focus on is local economic
development, which includes
having retail options for locals
to shop at “that’ll keep them
from ordering from Jeff Bezos
and Amazon” and keeping
shoppers on this side of the
river. At the same time, he said
he does not want to see retail
in Bingen price out local con-
sumers.
“We don’t need to send our
shopping (to Oregon). We have
our own schools and our own
infrastructure to look out for,”
Sullivan said. “It’s not a new
problem … but it doesn’t mean
that just because it’s hard you
don’t try.”
O’Sullivan said he plans to
listen and learn from the other
councilors initially as he gets
used to the role, and that his
background in science may be
beneficial for certain commit-
tees. He is currently working
on the city’s parks committee.
O’Sullivan made his first
decision as councilor Wednes-
day night to second a motion
to approve a $2.6 million SRF
loan from the Department of
Ecology for the wastewater fa-
cilities improvements project.
Looking forward, O’Sullivan
said he sees success in his role
measured by how much the
group achieves.
“If one playground gets de-
signed and I can be involved
in that, that’s fantastic. It’s not
my success, it’s the success of
a multitude of people, it’s the
success of the support of the
state or the nation, depending
on where the economic driv-
er’s coming from,” O’Sullivan
said. “I’m only one person
in a large group. It’s going to
continue on without me and it
Photo by Elaine Bakke
started way before I got here.”
O’Sullivan, 42, is a graduate MAYOR BETTY BARNES swears in new Bingen City Councilor
of Wheaton College in Massa- Joseph O’Sullivan, who works for Clear Creek Distillery in Hood
chusetts with a degree in biol- River.
ogy. His previous experience
includes working for the De-
partment of National Resourc-
es in Massachusetts and at the
Harvard Center of Compara-
tive Medicine. O’Sullivan cites
carpentry and reading fiction
novels as pastimes.
BONUS WINNERS #5
Bicoastal radio auction is Saturday
The Bicoastal Media Radio
Auction presented by Cham-
ness Auctions will return
on March 14, offering over
$200,000 in goods and services
from some of the area’s most
prominent and popular busi-
nesses at substantial savings.
Listeners can bid on items
including appliances, home
improvement, lodging, auto-
motive service and accesso-
ries, vision and dental services,
health and beauty, recreational
sites, pet services, hobbies,
musical instruments, ski gear
and more.
“Instant auction” opportu-
nities are also offered, to pur-
chase gift certificates for area
restaurants and stores.
Listen to bid beginning at 8
a.m. and continuing into the
mid-afternoon on KIHR-AM
1340/98.3 FM, 105.5/96.9 FM
KCGB, 93.5 FM KACI, Newsra-
dio 1300/103.9 FM KACI, and
on-line at Gorgeradio.com,
with updates on our Gorge
Radio Facebook page. Go to
Gorgeradio.com for a complete
listing of items available.
When you hear items you
want to bid on, call 541-386-
1511 or 1-888-786-1511.
For faster bidding, bidder
numbers to present at the time
of bid are available in advance
by calling 541-296-2211.
Ryan Betts & Tyson Harjo
cashed in as a bonus winner in this year’s
Kids Subscription Campaign!
IT’S HAPPENING NOW!
Spread the News
Kids Subscription Campaign Ends March 14
March 19 ‘Night Out’ helps WS
Valley Education Foundation
Beneventi’s, Everybody’s,
Feast, Harvest Market, Hen-
ni’s, Pioneer Pizza, and the
White Salmon Valley Edu-
cation Foundation (WSVEF)
invite the community to shop
and dine locally to support
education with the annual
“Night out for Schools” event
Thursday, March 19.
On this special evening,
each of these local businesses
will donate 5 percent of net
sales made from 4 p.m. until
close to the WSVEF.
“As a local business, we feel
it is crucial to invest in White
Salmon’s future,” said Harvest
Market owner Jeff O’Neal, “and
helping out schools is one way
we can all contribute to our
community.”
Night Out For Schools brings
the community together for
a good cause. Over the past
decade, funds raised from the
community have enabled the
WSVEF to contribute over $4
million dollars to White Salm-
on’s schools. Over $606,000
in grants has been awarded
to the schools directly from
the WSVEF, and the founda-
tion has brought in over $3.3
Earth Week
seminar April 25
Scholar, biologist and author
Dr. Robert Michael Pyle will be
guest speaker at an Earth Day
seminar, “People in Nature: In-
teractions on Mount Adams in
a Warming Earth” on April 25
in the Columbia High School
Gymnasium, 1455 N.W. Bruin
Country Road, White Salmon,
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Host is Friends of Mt. Adams
(mtadamsfriends.org).
The event is free for all to
attend. Other speakers will be
discussing the physical, bio-
logical and cultural impacts
to be expected on Mt. Adams.
On the 50th anniversary
of the first Earth Day, this
science-based Friends of Mt.
Adams Community Seminar
will explore the impacts of
climate change-induced en-
vironmental changes on the
biological communities that
depend upon Mount Adams.
million in grants from outside
funding sources.
“This is a great way to get out
into our community, recon-
nect after a busy winter and
have some fun while we sup-
port our schools. So invite your
friends, and join us on March
19,” said WSVEF’s Executive
Director Amanda Lawrence.
While stocking up on grocer-
ies and dining out, visit Rose
City Astronomers, who will
set up telescopes near Pioneer
Pizza at 7 p.m. to provide some
star gazing opportunities for
the community.
This evening is supported
by a sponsorship from Skyline
Medical Clinic.
The WSVEF is a 501c3
on-profit corporation dedicat-
ed to enhancing the quality
of public education within
our community by creating a
stable source of supplemental
funding for curriculum en-
hancement and investment in
our teachers. Email amanda@
wsvef.org to get involved, do-
nate or learn more.
Spanish convos
weekly in Bingen
A new weekly Span-
ish-language conversation
group meets on Tuesdays
at 7 p.m. for intermediate,
advanced and native speak-
ers, at Society Hotel, 210 N.
Cedar St., Bingen.
Hablanos nativos espe-
cialmente bienvenidos.
The sessions are free and
for those 18 and over.
SUDOKU
This week’s Sudoku is presented by:
Your Business Name
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is Hiring
Mt Hood Forest Products
compensation and benefits
include:
Competive wage
Paid Time Off
Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescription
Insurance offered
Life Insurance
401K Traditional/Roth
Up to 4% 401K company
contribution match
Mt Hood Forest Products LLC is an
Equal Opportunity Employer
Mt Hood Forest Products lumber facility in Hood River,
Oregon is expanding production operations to two shifts.
We are looking to fill multiple positions in our fast paced
lumber mill for both day and night shifts. If interested in
any of the these postions please apply:
• DLI Operator
• Twin Horizonatal Gang
• Gang Edger Operator
• Single Resaw
• Single Resaw Helper
• Tipple Operator
• Tipple Helper
• Hula Saw
• Planerman
• Planer lnfeed Helper
• Sorter Bin Chaser
• Stacker
• Strapper
• Forklift Driver
• Log Yard Operator/
Equipment Operator
• Millwright/Mechanic
• Chain Puller
Full job descriptions and required application
can be obtained at the main office located at
4865 Hwy 35 Hood River, OR 97031.
Job postings can also be found on Indeed.com
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© 200 Hometown Content
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