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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Wednesday, April 11, 2018 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW A healthy fear of commitment Main Street makes downtown Pendleton, and Pendleton’s downtown district is what makes this city a draw for tourists year-round and a pleasurable place to live and work. So it makes sense that city government should support efforts to preserve and expand Pendleton’s historic center and its economic hub. That’s one of the jobs of the Pendleton Downtown Association, which has received financial backing of taxpayer dollars, doled out by city council. But we — like Pendleton city councilors now seem to be — are wary about entering into a long-term arrangement to fund the relatively new group. The nonprofit downtown merchant association asked the city at its last council meeting for $55,000 in each of the next two years, an amount decreasing by 10 percent each year until settling permanently at $25,000 in year six and beyond. City manager Robb Corbett backed the plan, calling it “partnering longterm with downtown businesses.” And certainly, a stable longterm budget is in the downtown association’s best interest. But we don’t think it in the city’s best interest, however. A longterm deal with a small nonprofit can be dangerous. The startup could have staffing changes, or political issues could rear their ugly head to impede progress. There is also the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, Travel Pendleton, the city’s economic development department, the Pendleton Development Commission, etc., etc., which receive tax money as well as additional fundraised dollars. It’s clear to us that the Pendleton Downtown Association has been a benefit to downtown by helping secure big-dollar grants, arranging and promoting new events, and getting many local businesses pointed in the same direction. Many downtown businesses owners have said the association, which has been through many iterations, is currently working better than ever. New events are popping up, and storefronts by EO file photo Pat Beard leads a tour group of design students from Portland down Main Street Pendleton in October 2016. and large are full (save the big emptiness of the former JCPenney). That’s fantastic, and we hope the good work continues. That association deserves credit for that success and perhaps some financial assistance — though most of the bill should be paid by the Main Street businesses who are benefiting the most from their work. In our opinion, folding the association into the chamber of commerce makes plenty of sense, and it offers the association some financial stability and the ability to expand its services. And if neither side wants to lose the flexibility of the new, fledgling, active association of go-getters, then that association will have to do better raising money from its members. And it will have to go hat in hand to city council every year, with the requisite information at its fingertips to convince councilors that their investment will pay dividends downtown. Currently, that’s the case. But not knowing what the future holds, means it might not always be that way. OTHER VIEWS Lots of Mueller action, but what about collusion? emember collusion? The office oversaw the raids on Cohen’s allegation that Donald Trump office and hotel room. and his aides coordinated There was much speculation or conspired with Russia to fix about what the agents wanted — the 2016 presidential election is evidence about the Daniels payoff the heart of the Trump-Russia being the leading candidate — but investigation. at the same time, the fact that Yet Monday saw two Mueller farmed out the case to developments in the Trump federal prosecutors outside his Byron investigation — one discussed office suggests that the Cohen York widely in the press, the other not as matter, whatever it is, does not fall Comment much — and neither pointed toward under Mueller’s core Trump-Russia collusion. assignment. In the development that set off a press As far as the Manafort search warrant firestorm, FBI agents raided the office and is concerned, the document shows clear hotel room of longtime Trump lawyer/fixer Mueller interest in what Manafort knew about the Trump Tower meeting. But it Michael Cohen, apparently looking for evidence concerning Cohen’s role in paying appears whatever the FBI might have seized on that topic, if anything, did not off the porn star Stormy Daniels, who once lead to any charges against Manafort denied but now says she had a one-night- stemming from the meeting or collusion stand with Trump more than a decade ago. with Russia in general. Cohen’s lawyer, Stephen Ryan, said he Manafort faces the most serious charges was told the raid was “in part, a referral of any figure in the Trump-Russia affair. by the Office of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller.” But none of those charges alleges collusion. The less-noted development was Most have nothing to do with the Trump the release of a heavily redacted search campaign, or concern alleged criminal warrant from the tax evasion, bank fraud activity that began before Manafort’s and money laundering case against association with the campaign and one-time Trump campaign chairman continued during his brief time as campaign Paul Manafort. As expected, the warrant chief. dealt overwhelmingly with allegations It is always possible that Mueller has of financial crimes against Manafort, but more charges in mind for Manafort. But it one sentence — out of 27 paragraphs and is important to note that the no-knock raid sub-paragraphs — concerned the infamous on Manafort’s apartment took place on July 2016 Trump Tower meeting between 26, 2017. Manafort, along with business Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Manafort partner and fellow Trump campaign official and some Russians who said they had dirt Rick Gates, was indicted on Oct. 27, 2017. on Hillary Clinton. On Feb. 22, 2018, Mueller expanded the The Manafort warrant — executed in a charges against Manafort in what’s called pre-dawn, no-knock, guns-drawn FBI raid a superseding indictment. In none of on Manafort’s apartment while Manafort those many charges is the accusation that and his wife were asleep inside — allowed Manafort was involved in a scheme with the FBI to seize “communications, records, Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. documents, and other files involving any of Again, it is important to note how little the attendees of the June 9, 2016 meeting we know about what Mueller is doing. at Trump Tower,” as well as Aras and For all the public knows, a big collusion Emin Agalarov. (The last two are Russians indictment could be coming tomorrow. who dealt with Trump in the 2013 Miss But it is also important to note what we Universe pageant held in Moscow.) do know. And we do know who Mueller So two big stories, both generated by the has charged, and with what, after an FBI Mueller investigation. And about the issue investigation that began in July 2016 at the heart of the Mueller investigation — and a special counsel probe that began in not much. May 2017. And so far, there have been In the Cohen case, it’s believed that no charges — not against Manafort or Mueller’s team came across evidence that Gates, not against Michael Flynn, not implicated Cohen in wrongdoing but did against George Papadopoulos, or others — not fall under Mueller’s original assignment involving alleged collusion. to probe “any links and/or coordination The Mueller investigation is marching between the Russian government and on, and in the case of Cohen, giving birth individuals associated with the campaign to new farm-team investigations — but, of President Donald Trump” or any other so far at least, the story has not been about matters that might “arise directly” from that collusion. investigation. So Mueller handed off the ■ Cohen information to the U.S. attorney for Byron York is chief political correspon- the Southern District of New York, whose dent for The Washington Examiner. R YOUR VIEWS OSU Extension offers little to city residents The committee to support the giant 33-cent OSU Extension taxing district has lots of money. You will see large signs, yard signs, ads in the newspaper and on the radio. We cannot afford that kind of campaign. Don’t be fooled by their relying on the 4-H to pass this levy. The 4-H is volunteer; the only paid persons are administrators. The 4-H will still be here if the levy is voted down. City and town residents get very little benefit from this new taxing district. But we will pay. If this passes, where will our city get money for maintenance and repair of our own infrastructure in Pendleton? Most of these new taxes will be used for the two experimental stations in Umatilla County. Now we all love our farmers and ranchers, but enough is enough. The average county tax for extension agencies is 9.9 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value. Are we that much richer than the rest of Oregon that we should pay more than three times as much? I am not that rich. I am voting no on Measure 30-126 on May 15. Rex J. Morehouse Pendleton BMCC improves students, communities April is National Community College Awareness Month, and as a proud member of the Blue Mountain Community College Board of Education, I would like to take a moment to remind the community of the impact BMCC has on our region. If you’ve ever been treated by a nurse at Good Shepherd Medical Center or St. Anthony Hospital, you were most Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. likely interacting with a BMCC graduate. BMCC’s nursing students not only had a 100 percent pass rate this past year on their national board exams, but most earned jobs right away in our local communities. That’s one of the great benefits of an education at BMCC — so many of the educational programs feed directly into jobs needs in our local communities. BMCC also strives to make an education attainable by anyone in our region. Students from anywhere across our 18,000-square-mile district can earn an entire associate’s degree online or in one of our convenient regional centers, such as the Eastern Oregon Higher Education Center in Hermiston. The new Precision Irrigated Agriculture Center on OSU’s Hermiston Agriculture Research and Education Center is another great way BMCC is creating accessibility to important training for skills needed in our region. Access to education shouldn’t be hard, and BMCC makes every effort to make sure a college education is affordable and convenient for anyone in Eastern Oregon. BMCC and its students also contribute significantly to our local economy. For every $1 a student invests on an education at BMCC, they receive a $3.70 return on that investment in career earnings. Now that’s a wise investment. Not only that, but our students add approximately $3.7 million back into our local economy through rent, groceries, transportation and other living expenses. That’s in addition to the approximately $23 million net impact of college payroll and expenses which our employees contribute annually back into our service district economy. I hope you’ll stop by a BMCC location to see what Blue can do for you. Don Rice, Zone 5 (Hermiston) Board of Education Blue Mountain Community College 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. 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.
