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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2018)
REGION Wednesday, April 18, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A COUNCIL: Four seats up for grabs, three races contested Continued from 1A should have done a better job of listening to its constituents, and said he thought the $1.2 million the city is spending on a festival street downtown could have been better spent elsewhere. Going forward, he would like the city to hold Venu- Works’ “feet to the flame” in making EOTEC profitable and search for a new manage- ment company if that doesn’t happen. JACKIE LINTON, WARD 1 Linton is a substitute teacher for Hermiston School District. She grew up in Hermiston and moved back to the city in May 2012 after retiring from the postal service in Washington and then spending some time in Georgia helping a family member. She was recently appointed to the city’s budget committee and said she decided to run after attending city council meetings for almost two years. Her vision for Herm- iston: Linton said she worries about community members — particularly retirees — having to choose between paying their tax bill and their grocery bill, and said the community should be aware of that when trying to pass levies and bonds. She would also like to see the city support ventures such as a year-round farm- er’s market combined with a location for food carts to congregate, and would like to see a center where the homeless can pick up mail, receive phone messages and get clothes for job inter- views. Roy Barron Lori Davis SHEAN FITZGERALD, WARD 2 Who he is: Shean Fitz- gerald moved to Hermiston in 1978 to work in the construction industry and is now retired. He is a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, is getting involved with veterans’ groups in the area and is running for the seat from which his wife Clara Beas Fitzgerald has decided to retire. His vision for Herm- iston: Fitzgerald wants to see the city recruit new industries and new businesses to the area, helping to grow the city’s tax base. He said he believes property taxes in Hermiston are too high right now and he doesn’t want to see taxes raised on current residents. He said the city also needs to focus on fixing Hermiston’s housing shortage. Homelessness and veterans’ issues are close to his heart due to his military service, and Fitzgerald said if there is anything the city can do to create more outreach and mental health services for veterans, he wants to help. He also has ideas for the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, including making the center more affordable for rentals, soliciting private donations and starting a flea market there. Shean Fitzgerald ROY BARRON, WARD 2 Who he is: Roy Barron has lived in Hermiston for about three years after growing up in Weiser, Idaho, and graduating from Xavier University in Ohio with a political science degree in 2015. He was a victim’s advocate for the Umatilla County District Attorney’s office, a drug and alcohol counselor for drug court until it closed down and is now working with the county’s RISE mental health program in schools. He coaches the freshman baseball team at Hermiston High School and is on the city’s Hispanic Advi- sory Committee. His vision for Herm- iston: Barron said he likes what the city has done with its Hispanic Advisory Committee and believes the city’s police department treats Latino residents fairly, but he hopes to see outreach and relationships with the city’s Hispanic community continue to improve and would like to see more participation in city government from all residents. He said he is excited about how Hermiston’s downtown is looking, particularly with projects such as the new festival street under construction. He wants to see Hermiston continue to grow while managing to keep its “small-town feel.” Quilt project offers seamless process By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian Every quilt has a story — and the Oregon Quilt Project is piecing together the history of quilts that reside in Oregon. Entering the final year of the project, volunteers will travel to Eastern Oregon for documentation day events. The process includes recording the quilt’s history, information about its maker, a detailed physical exam- ination and taking photos. The events offer hands-on demonstrations, enabling local volunteers to continue recording quilts after the project’s conclusion. “The documentation provides a record of an object that embodies elements of both history and art, within its geographic context,” said Eileen Fitzsimons, project co-chair. “If the quilt comes with a detailed history of its making and its maker, that opens a window into the life, cultural background and motivation of its maker, usually a woman, whose contributions to society may have otherwise gone unrecorded.” People may bring up to two items, including old or new quilts, quilt tops and quilted garments. A quilt history form should be completed prior to the appointment. Local docu- mentation days run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment, contact: •Monday, April 23 at the Hermiston Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave. (Jodi Hansen, 541-567-2882 or jhansen@hermiston.or.us) •Tuesday, April 24 at the Athena Public Library, 418 E. Main St. (Dyann Swanson, 541-566-3876, chas.dy2005@gmail.com) There is a $10 fee, which includes a registration with the Oregon Quilt Project. With permission, volunteers also will register items with the Quilt Index. In collab- oration with the Michigan State University Museum, the index maintains infor- mation on more than 90,000 quilts. The Oregon Quilt Project began when a group of volunteers — including Mark Gomolski Jackie Linton JACKIE MYERS, WARD 3 Who she is: Jackie Myers has been a city councilor since 1994 and said she plays a valuable role in being the city council’s historian. She is the council’s liaison to the Parks and Recreation committee. She graduated from Hermiston High School and is a licensed tax preparer for Severson Accounting & Taxes. Her vision for Hermiston: Myers said the city has been “pretty forward-thinking” in recent years and is on a good track. She praised the city’s decision to join with the county in creating the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, bringing a new asset to the community and opening up a space in the middle of town for the school district to expand, as an example. She also said she believes that since the parks and recre- ation department took over the Hermiston Community Center the space has been “well-utilized” to offer new, diverse programming to city residents. She called the Harkenrider Center (home of the new senior center) the future “shining star” of down- town. KYRAN MILLER, WARD 3 Who he is: Kyran Miller moved to Hermiston in 2016 Kyran Miller Jackie Myers after retiring as director and owner of a funeral home in Midland, Michigan. He is a Vietnam veteran and volun- teers a number of places, including Agape House, Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church, the Lions Club and Two Rivers Correctional Institution where he runs a Bible study group. His vision for Herm- iston: Miller wants to see Hermiston grow and become a “destination city” that draws in tourism and new residents through some sort of theme. He called the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center an interesting opportunity to draw in tourism and said he likes some of the event ideas — including a BBQ cook-off and horse show — that the new manager has discussed bringing to EOTEC, but also said the city may have been saddled with a financial burden in taking on full ownership of EOTEC. Miller said he is a “very strong supporter” of the chamber of commerce and didn’t think the city should have made the chamber move out of the Hermiston Community Center. He said the city has made many wrong decisions in recent years, and said it feels like when the city council comes to meetings to make a decision they already have their minds made up — something he would like to change by starting monthly listening sessions. DOUG SMITH, WARD 4 Who he is: Doug Smith was elected to the Hermiston City Council in 2015. He grew up in Pendleton and moved to Hermiston after he was hired as an officer by the Hermiston Police Depart- ment in 1988. After retiring from the department, he now works as a general contractor. His vision for Hermiston: Smith said while visitors to city council meetings may get the impression that councilors are just accepting whatever recommendations city staff present, the recommendations put together by department heads and the city manager are based on a detailed set of goals that the council creates each year. He said that goal-setting process is one of the best things the city has started doing in recent years and has helped develop ideas such as the festival street. As for the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, Smith said now that the center has transitioned over to full ownership by the city and management by VenuWorks they need to plan a “pretty good-sized event” to draw people to EOTEC and start spreading the word about its offerings. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com Contributed photo Participants attend an Oregon Quilt Project docu- mentation training in 2012 at the Willamette Heritage Center in Salem. Volunteers with the project will host several documentation day events in Eastern Oregon, including Hermiston (April 23), Athena (April 24), and Joseph (April 25). Contributed photo Volunteers with the Oregon Quilt Project examine a quilt during an April 2015 documentation day event. quilt historians, quilt enthu- siasts and quilt makers — determined the importance of preserving and sharing stories of Oregon quilts and their makers. The project was launched in 2009, and reorganized in 2012 as a project of the Willamette Heritage Center in Salem. Researchers can view the Quilt Index database — searching by state, quilt design or time period. Contact information of the quilt owner is not visible on the website. Researchers interested in connecting with them may contact the Oregon Quilt Project, who will pass on the information. Quilt owners can decide if they want to respond to researcher inquiries. Expenses for volunteers traveling to Eastern Oregon is funded by donations and grants, including from the Umatilla County Cultural Coalition. For more information or a quilt history form, contact oqpboard@oregonquilt- project.org or visit www. oregonquiltproject.org. 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