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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Saturday, June 22, 2019 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner ANDREW CUTLER Editor WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Tip of the Hat, kick in the pants O utgoing Milton-Freewa- ter school superintendent Rob Clark deserves a tip of the hat for shepherding a new school bond to voter approval. Any attempt to convince voters to approve a school bond is often a dif- ficult endeavor. Especially in rural areas of Eastern Oregon voters are often skeptical of spending more of their hard-earned money. So that means school leaders must work very hard to make the case for the green light. That means talking to voters face-to-face and ensuring that the need for the bond is clearly articulated. Investments in education are always a good thing and pay off in ways that are, at least initially, hard to measure. Clark managed to navigate a nar- row path and convince Milton-Free- water School District patrons that the need is there and their invest- ment will pay off. That takes a spe- cial kind of skill based on honesty. Clark’s dedication and his compe- tence will be missed by Milton-Free- water School District patrons but his efforts to help pass the school bond will not be forgotten. Oregon Senate GOP lawmak- ers deserve a kick in the pants after departing Salem last week in an attempt to derail House Bill 2020, the state’s proposed, and sweeping, cli- mate change bill. While we believe Senate Republicans had no other choice, we also believe that the walk- out signals a total failure in the polit- ical structure of the state. GOP law- EO File Photo Milton-Freewater School District Superintendent Rob Clark talks about the passing of the school bond at a ground breaking ceremony for the new Gib Olinger Elementary School in May 2017 in Milton-Freewater. Clark counted the bond and the new school it resulted in as one of the highlights of his tenure at the district. makers have made their point but now both sides need to come together and work out a compromise. A tip of the hat to Robert Peachey, who spends a lot of time fighting weeds. The Echo man, while disabled, uses an electric wheelchair to amble around the town and kill weeds with a pair of pliers and a lot of ambition. Maybe Peachey’s efforts may seem small compared to other public service projects around the area but his town and the local area should give the Echo man kudos. One man, can make a difference. Just ask Robert Peachey. OTHER VIEWS Proposed home-sharing law ripe for abuse T he Legislature may not have enough days left for a bill that would give people a property tax break if they rent out rooms in their homes to low- to moderate-income peo- ple. And because the bill has at least one big problem, it’s just as well. Senate Bill 1045 seems well-inten- tioned. It would provide homeowners with an incentive to provide more affordable housing through sharing their home. The bill’s details are a mouthful. The bill would cut up to $8,000 a year off the property tax bill of up to 500 homes in Oregon if rooms are rented out to peo- ple who are not family members and who are making less than 60 percent of area median income. It might cost local gov- ernments some $2.6 million in lost rev- enue. The argument is, though, that cost would be cheaper than having to deal with the cost of people who are homeless or who are forced to spend so much of their income on rent. Some cities across the country already have similar formalized programs, according to an article in the Bend Bulle- tin. Many of them are focused on helping seniors find a place to live and compan- ionship. And there is at least one Oregon business that provides services to people who want to home share, such as back- ground checks, connecting renters and homeowners and collecting rent. That business and others like it would obvi- ously benefit indirectly from the tax-cut subsidy. When the bill came before Oregon law- makers, some questioned a property tax break is the right mechanism for provid- ing the incentive. Others wondered why homeowners need the incentive to begin with. They would already be making rent. The bigger problem is that the program seems ripe for abuse. It would be easy enough for government to determine if a renter was a family member. But it would also be easy enough for a couple that is not married to be in full compliance with the law and also get a big, fat tax break when that is not all the intent of the bill. SB 1045 comes with at least one severe flaw. The Legislature should not pass it this session. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. PRESIDENT GOVERNOR Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 whitehouse.gov/contact/ Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court Street Salem, OR 97301-4047 503-378-4582 U.S. SENATORS Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 La Grande office: 541-962-7691 Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 Pendleton office: 541-278-1129 U.S. REPRESENTATIVE Greg Walden 185 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 La Grande office: 541-624-2400 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. REPRESENTATIVES Greg Barreto, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-38 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us SENATOR Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us 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 the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
