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OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, January 13, 2017
OTHER VIEWS
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat;
kick in the pants
We’ve kicked winter in the pants already this season, but let’s turn
around and give it a tip of the hat for turning our area into a winter
wonderland, setting the table for an epic summer and what could be a
monumental growing season.
Yes, we know the highways in our area have been closed as much as
they’ve been open, and that car accidents and frozen pipes have been
par for the course. Schools have been closed everywhere, causing severe
interruption to education and to parents trying to
get to work and secure child care, too. Those big
dumps of snow on area roads have harmed local
businesses as well.
But let’s look on the white side!
Water supplies for wildlife and farmers are
well above average — as high as 150 percent
in some area drainages. That has a huge effect
on industry and the environment, both of which
have been thirsty for water for the better part
of the decade. And there are similar statistics in
large swaths of the west — from California to
Montana to Arizona — all places that have been mired in severe drought.
And it’s not all bad news for the economy, as some local businesses have
been going gangbusters — tow truck drivers, plumbers and pizza delivery
drivers have never been in higher demand. You wish you had invested in a
couple tons of rock salt back in September, don’t you?
The below-zero temperatures sure cause pain in the extremities, the
sidewalks in need of shoveling cause anxiety and later back pain, and having
to drive for any distance will surely give you an ulcer.
But it’s all part of living in Eastern Oregon. Everything has its season.
And thanks to this most wintry of winters, we will benefit with the most
summery of summers.
A tip of the hat to the tiny house reunion, which has gripped our
readership area for the last week or two.
A traveler dropped the house at the One Stop
Mart when he realized towing it over Cabbage
Hill in a snowstorm would have been a bad
idea. He thought it would be safe in the truck
stop lot, but it soon went missing.
Possible sightings of the missing house were
everywhere — some saw it in Idaho, some
being trucked down to Pilot Rock, some readers
saw that tiny house in their dreams.
In actuality, it was found no more than a mile
from where it was left. A story with a happy
ending: A man and his house, reunited. Now he just has to get it over that
hill and fix a broken-down front door.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher
Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
Conflict in the governor’s office
The Oregonian, Jan. 6
T
wo of Gov. Kate Brown’s top
staffers stepped down recently
following news reports that
employment they held outside of her
office could compromise their work for
the government.
The governor’s spokespeople argued
the assertions were baseless as the story
played out. And since the resignations
were confirmed, they haven’t
acknowledged what might have been
learned. What’s so dismaying is how
familiar it feels.
Willamette Week had raised potential
conflict-of-interest questions about
Kristen Leonard, Brown’s chief of
staff, and Abby Tibbs, her deputy chief
of staff. A main issue for Leonard,
who had served in the role since late
2015, centered on a software company
she owns with her husband that has
a $214,000 contract with the state to
provide agencies with a tool to track
legislative bills.
Tibbs, who joined the office full-time
in December, had been overseeing
budget work for Brown since October
while on leave from her job as a
lobbyist for Oregon Health and Science
University.
Both Leonard and Tibbs resigned
this week and Brown’s spokesman has
said the departures weren’t related to the
recent press reports.
Let’s recall the point at which many
Oregonians are starting from. It’s not a
smooth place of confidence and faith in
their state government.
To be clear, unlike her predecessor,
Brown has required that all of her policy
advisers submit financial disclosure
statements to the Oregon Government
Ethics Commission outlining any
substantial income they receive. The
disclosures also apply to members
of their household. She also passed
legislation so that future governors must
make the same requirement.
That’s a fine step in the right
direction. The “statement of economic
impact” forms are typically only
required of public officials. They are
public documents that are relatively easy
to track down on the ethics agency’s
website. But those forms don’t paint a
full ethical picture. They’re not filed in
real time and are often vague.
For instance, Leonard’s report on her
2016 financial information won’t be filed
until mid-April. Her 2015 form names
the company that she and her husband
own. It states that Leonard’s household
receives a salary from the company,
Election Solutions, and provides a brief
description of the company: “Software
contract — BillTracker.”
The form doesn’t require Leonard
to disclose that the company holds a
six-figure contract with the state agency
that Brown oversees. That requires more
digging than should be expected of
members of the public who Brown and
her staff serve.
Oregonians need that map, but they
also deserve the “X” that marks the
spot. That’s where conflict of interest
disclosures come in. Those disclosures
cover specific issues that may allow
a state employee to potentially gain
personally from their government work.
To continue her work in restoring
Oregonians’ trust in government, Brown
should also require her employees
complete those more detailed forms
when her office becomes aware of a
potential conflict.
It’s true state law doesn’t require
the conflict disclosure unless a state
employee is making an official decision
on the specific issue. But what’s legal
isn’t always the best politics. That’s
especially true for Brown, just two years
after Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned over
questions about ethics.
Disclosing conflicts can be easier
for lawmakers, council members or
commissioners, who can stand before a
public meeting, announce their potential
conflict and recuse themselves.
But the public isn’t invited into the
types of meetings where Leonard and
Tibbs do much of their work.
Brown should take this chance to
make another solid step down the path of
transparency and post information from
conflict of interest forms online, as the
ethic commission does with financial
disclosures. That would allow the public
to find the information more easily
and pave the way for such disclosures
in other state agencies and local
government.
Trump, sex and lots of whining
F
inally, Donald Trump held a press
businesses, and his refusal to divest
conference. I know you want to
drove ethics watchdogs crazy. But
hear the sex-in-Russia part.
on Wednesday, the whole topic got
The world learned this week
drowned in the hubbub over the leaked
about memos from a retired British
report. And Trump’s relationship with
intelligence officer on relations
Vladimir Putin. And his theory on
between the Trump campaign and
hotel cameras.
the Russians. They included some
This kind of rapid-fire diversion
speculation about whether there
could be the work of a political genius,
Gail
were compromising videos of Trump
Collins but in fact it’s just how our next
cavorting in a Russian hotel that might
president’s mind naturally seems to
Comment
explain his enthusiastic support for
operate. It bounces hither and yon. The
only ongoing focus is what it all means
Vladimir Putin.
The report wasn’t prepared by our
to Trump. Did he look good? How was the
intelligence agencies — it was opposition
crowd? Did anyone betray him?
research done on contract for some other
He was definitely playing the victim when
campaigns. It had been bouncing around
it came to the leaked report. He blamed the
Washington for a while. You didn’t hear
intelligence services, which he compared, with
about it because nobody
great originality and careful
could confirm any of the
choice of words, to Nazis.
allegations.
Keep in mind that
But a summary of the
although government
memos showed up in the
investigators have been
briefing Trump got from the
looking into these allegations
intelligence agencies last
for a long time, they never
week. Wouldn’t you have
became public during the
liked to be there to see the
campaign. “I would never
reaction?
comment on investigations
Then a version of the report showed up
— whether we have one or not, in an open
online, and naturally it came up Wednesday at forum like this,” FBI Director James Comey
Trump’s press conference.
said during one of the multitudinous Senate
About that press conference. Here are some hearings this week.
of the things we learned:
This is, of course, the same guy who told
• The reason he hasn’t shown up to
Congress — 11 days before the election —
answer questions from reporters since July is
that the FBI was investigating Hillary Clinton
“inaccurate news.”
emails that wound up on a laptop owned by
• The Russians don’t have any secret
Anthony Weiner, aka “Carlos Danger,” the
tapes of him behaving badly in a hotel room
estranged husband of her aide and world-
because every time he goes to hotels abroad,
famous sex texter.
he warns everybody: “Be very careful,
The FBI later announced it had found
because in your hotel rooms and no matter
nothing. Meanwhile, people who were already
where you go, you’re gonna probably have
voting in some states had been reminded to
cameras.” Of everything Trump said during
connect Clinton with a guy who sent pictures
the press conference, this was perhaps the
of his private parts to strange women. Clinton
most convincing.
thinks it cost her the election. There’s no way
• He is not going to divest himself of his
to tell. She got nearly 3 million more votes
businesses, but his two adult sons will be
than Trump, but by the rules we live under,
running them. He was just doing this out of
she lost. End of story.
his ethical heart, since there are no conflict-
Trump is never going to admit his win was
of-interest rules for the president. (“... as
anything but a record-shattering triumph. But
president I could run the Trump Organization
his preening, and his whining about being
— great, great company. And I could run the
persecuted by the intelligence services, really
company, the country. I’d do a very good job,
twists the knife.
but I don’t want to do that.”)
Since the election, the media and many
• He’ll release his taxes once the audit is
Democratic politicians have wrung their
finished. (You remember that audit. Its friends hands over their failure to pay attention to the
call it Godot.)
legitimate anger in the Trump-tilting parts of
• The inauguration is going to be “a
the country. And good for them.
beautiful event” because “we have great
But it’s time to remember that there are
talent.” (Military bands were mentioned.)
about 66 million Clinton voters who have a
• “If Putin likes Donald Trump I consider
right to be angry, too.
that an asset, not a liability.”
■
• “Over the weekend I was offered $2
Gail Collins joined The New York Times
billion to do a deal in Dubai.”
in 1995 as a member of the editorial board
He was all over the place. It was, in a way,
and later as an Op-Ed columnist. In 2001 she
a great strategy. We’ve been waiting for a long became the first woman ever appointed editor
time to hear how Trump would deal with his
of the Times’s editorial page.
Wouldn’t you
have liked to
be there to see
the reaction?
YOUR VIEWS
Time for a change in
Pendleton development
In a recent visit to the city of Portland,
the leaders of the Pendleton Development
Commission were introduced to the
innerworkings of that city’s PDC equivalent.
Portland’s development commmision has
evolved to be more in tune with setting the
objectives and then letting private developers
take the lead in urban renewal projects rather
than being the financial institution providing
the funding.
Perhaps our PDC needs to get away from
being a bank/foundation giving out loans and
grants. Follow Portland’s lead and act more as
an advisory commission.
If you’ve ever attended a PDC meeting,
you’ll find that although they are supposed
to be the driving force of the Urban Renewal
District, which encompasses the majority of
the city south of the river and north of the
railroad tracks, but the conversation rarely
strays from the downtown area.
Now the PDC is promoting the idea of a
“food hub,” a food distribution center with
a commercial kitchen, and a “festival area.”
CAPECO has a food warehouse with, I
believe, a commercial kitchen. The city has
commercial kitchens in the rec center and the
convention center.
The school district has just finished a new
kitchen at the West Hills Technical Center. Do
we really need another? What’s wrong with
using the convention center or Roy Raley Park
for a “festival area?” Why not use the assets
we have?
We have a committee/commission for
everything imaginable. My critics would
counter that they are comprised of volunteers
costing nothing, yet they basically all have
their hands out asking for funding for one
project or another, distracting our new mayor
from achieving those objectives proposed in
his agenda supported by input by the public.
The city manager hit the nail on the head
when he said that we “need to keep our eyes
on the ball,” “people are stretched thin,” and
“we have to make sure we’re doing everything
we can to be as efficient as possible and not
spending money on things we shouldn’t be
spending money on.”
It’s time to focus on getting water and
power, both gas and electric to the commercial
property along the “Road to Nowhere”
and finish the project instead of installing
an irrigation system for street trees and
flowerpots.
Rick Rohde
Pendleton
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues
and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper
reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and
products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must
be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send
letters to managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
or email editor@eastoregonian.com.