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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2016)
SPECIAL SECTIONS INSIDE 82/53 INSIDE: INSIDE: UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR RESULTS FALL SPORTS PREVIEW WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016 140th Year, No. 228 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD 2016 UMATILLA COUNTY SHERIFF’S CAMPAIGN Keeping voters’ data safe State takes measures to guard against hackers By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon’s secretary of state says her agency has taken appropriate precautions to minimize the risk that personal information submitted by the state’s voters could be hacked. In the wake of recent security breaches in Arizona and Illinois, state elections authorities received an alert from the FBI by way of the federal Elections Assistance Commission. The FBI’s alert “At this point recommended states check we feel that whether certain IP addresses had we are pretty attempted to secure.” access protected information main- — Jeanne Atkins, tained by state Secretary of State elections agencies. The recom- mendation was incorporated into the Secretary of State Offi ce’s ongoing security measures to protect the state’s centralized voter registration database, Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins said Tuesday. In Oregon, voter registration informa- tion is considered public record. Although there are exemptions to releasing certain details submitted by voters to the state, the public already has a right to access the dates of birth, home addresses, party affi liation and voting histories for most of the state’s registered voters, according to Atkins. If you are a corrections or police offi cer, or if public access to your voter registration information otherwise poses a risk to your safety, a county clerk or the Department of Justice can seal that information, Atkins said. Although voters can access their own registration information online, members of the public seeking voter registration infor- mation must go to a county clerk’s offi ce to view registration information or fi le a public records request with the particular county or the state. See DATA/8A EO fi le photos LEFT: Sheriff Terry Rowan waves as he walks down the street during the Umatilla County Fair Kick-Off Parade on Aug. 6. RIGHT: Umatilla County Sheriff candidate Ryan Lehnert waves to the crowds from the back of a campaign fl oat during the Fourth of July parade on July 4 in Pendleton. Contributors fuel sheriff’s race Both candidates donate to their own campaigns By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan of Hermiston has kept his re-election campaign spending local. And challenger Ryan Lehnert of Pend- leton received backing from someone with close ties to both men. Rowan reported cash contributions of $4,400 so far in his bid for a second term, while Lehnert reported $4,945, according to ORESTAR, Oregon Elections System for Tracking and Reporting, the secretary of state’s website of campaign fi nance activity. Lehnert also loaned his campaign HERMISTON Hermiston has a legiti- mate city council race on its hands after fi ve people fi led for four at-large positions. For the council’s zoned positions, candidates run for a specifi c seat. But for the four at-large seats — the ones up for election in November — candidates merely turn in the paper- work to get on the ballot and the top four vote-getters are elected. New candidate Mark Gomolski has fi led for a seat in addition to incumbents Manuel Gutierrez, Rod Hardin, John Kirwan and Doug Primmer. Gutierrez returned to the city council in 2012 after a past term and also serves on the city’s Hispanic Advisory Committee. He works for Domestic Violence Services. Hardin has served as a city councilor since 1992 and is the council’s longest- serving member. He has lived in Hermiston since 1980 and is the principal of Hermiston Christian School. Kirwan is also in his fi rst term of offi ce. He is a systems engineer for Union Pacifi c Railroad. Primmer is fi nishing his fi rst four-year term as a city councilor. He is a Hermiston See SHERIFF/7A Lehnert’s top contributors Jim Humphrey, Pendleton .................................. $1,000 Carol Trumbo, Pendleton ................................... $1,000 North Country Growers Inc., Helix ...................... $500 South County Construction Inc., Pendleton ....... $400 Premium Wash Inc., Pendleton ............................ $400 Wenaha Group Inc., Pendleton ............................. $300 J.L. Williams, Helix ................................................ $250 Rowan’s top contributors Amstad Farming Co., Hermiston ....................... $1,000 Paul Burns, Hermiston .......................................... $500 Robert Levy, Hermiston ......................................... $500 Art Prior, Echo ....................................................... $500 Undersheriff Jim Littlefi eld, Hermiston ................ $500 Hermiston Aviation, Credits Inc., Hermiston ....... $250 Preferred Property Management, Hermiston ...... $250 Preferred Realty, Inc., Hermiston ......................... $250 HERMISTON Five candidates will vie for four city council seats By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian $500, and Rowan gave $1,638 in-kind to his effort, common moves in smaller political races. Lehnert reported $825 in miscellaneous small contributions of $100 or less, and Rowan $200. The real meat of their campaigns is from bigger givers. Jim Humphrey of Pendleton, former detective with Oregon State Police whose brother ran for sheriff in 2012, wrote Lehnert’s campaign a $1,000 check. And Carol Trumbo of Pendleton did the same. She is the wife of John Trumbo, the former Umatilla County sheriff. Rowan served as undersheriff when Trumbo was in offi ce, and Lehnert has known the Trumbos since he started his law enforcement career as a deputy in the 1990s. Carol Trumbo did not return native and works for the Department of Corrections. Gomolski moved to Hermiston from Chicago in 2015 and has been a frequent audience member at Hermiston city council meetings. He was campaign manager for Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Elfering’s re-election bid earlier this year. All fi ve candidates will be on the Nov. 8 ballot and the four winners will start their four-year term in January. In May, Mayor David Drotzmann and Municipal Judge Thomas Creasing both ran for re-election unopposed, which secured their seats without having to appear again on the November ballot. In November, Hermiston residents will also be voting on a city-sponsored initia- tive to determine whether the city will allow marijuana dispensaries to operate within in its city limits. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. PENDLETON Council pleased with Smith’s performance Council thinks Corbett meets expectations Two years into job, city manager excelling Some criticize city manager over communication skills By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Byron Smith’s yearly review shows the Hermiston City Council is very pleased with their city manager of two years. The review was given in executive session during an Aug. 22 city council meeting, but the city handed over a written copy of his scores and councilor comments to the East Oregonian upon request. Councilors were asked to rate Smith on a scale of 1 to 5 — with 1 being Smith “exceptional” and 5 being “below expectations” — in seven categories. Smith scored in the exceptional range for personal conduct and inter- governmental/agency relationships and scored in the exceeds expectations range (the next best score) for council relations, organization, community relations, fi scal performance and communication. Names of individual councilors were See SMITH/7A Following a ruling from the Umatilla County district attorney, Pendleton City Council’s thoughts on City Manager Robb Corbett’s job performance over the past two years are now public. District Attorney Dan Primus allowed the city to redact the names associated with the council’s comments on Corbett’s 2016 eval- uation, but the city also sent the East Oregonian unedited versions of his 2015 Corbett evaluation and a supplementary comment sheet. Corbett’s 2016 performance evaluation reveals that he largely met the council’s expectations, although some councilors criticized Corbett over his communica- tion and staff management skills. Corbett was evaluated in 17 different categories, where 66 percent of the council’s impressions were rated “meets See CORBETT/8A