A4
East Oregonian
Friday, September 27, 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
Hermiston School District bond is a good deal for the community
T
wo years ago, Hermiston voters
turned down a bond for Herm-
iston School District. The dis-
trict is back on the ballot this Novem-
ber, with a better deal than it previously
offered taxpayers.
The 2017 bond would have added 90
cents per $1,000 of assessed value to
local property taxes, adding to the $4.09
per $1,000 bill taxpayers were already
receiving for past bonds.
This time around, the district
recently paid off all of its pre-2008
bonds, which property owners can
expect to see reflected in their next
property tax bill, lowered to $3.65 per
$1,000.
The bond that the school district is
proposing would keep the new $3.65
rate in place. Instead of raising the tax
rate, it would extend the amount of
time Hermiston residents will be pay-
ing school bond taxes from the cur-
rent 10-year plan to 25. Rising property
values spurred by Hermiston’s rapid
growth would also help raise money,
as would a $6.6 million grant from the
state that will go to another community
if voters do not pass a bond this year.
Even though it sounds inviting to be
free of all school bond taxes within 10
years, it is unlikely that will happen.
It seems far-fetched to imagine with
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Rocky Heights Elementary School would be replaced with a new, larger school on the same
property if a school bond is approved by voters in November.
Hermiston’s current growth rate that the
voters will truly go another full decade
without passing another bond.
If they pass a bond now, current
students will benefit. A new elemen-
tary school on Theater Lane and a
new, larger Rocky Heights Elementary
School will help “right-size” the rest of
the elementary schools’ populations,
providing a safer, less crowded learn-
ing experience for students. The district
also plans to add a 12-classroom annex
to Hermiston High School, purchase
property to prepare for future growth
and make some adjustments to drop-off
and pick-up areas at elementary schools
to decrease congestion — all without an
increase in the current school bond tax
rate.
Barring any billionaires taking a sud-
den interest in Hermiston, that seems
about as good of an offer as Hermiston
will get on a project of this scope.
Newcomers and outsiders might look
at the proposal and scoff that Hermis-
ton’s oldest school, Rocky Heights, is
a mere 57 years old — decades newer
than the buildings many Umatilla
County residents attended during their
own school years. That’s a fair point, to
be sure, and it is likely one of the rea-
sons some people will vote no.
However, every community makes
choices about where they invest their
money in an effort to make their com-
munity an attractive place to visit, live
and work.
Hermiston has always prided itself
on premier educational facilities, and
those facilities have proven a strength.
They generate economic benefit by
drawing flocks of visitors who fill hotels
and restaurants during AAU basketball
tournaments, district tennis meets and
1A football state championships. And
many of those visitors come away with
a positive impression of Hermiston,
speaking in awed tones about Kennison
Field or how nice the schools are.
The bond on the ballot in Novem-
ber gives Hermiston and opportunity to
build on that strength and gives students
a better learning environment, without
raising anyone’s tax bill next year. That
seems like a win.
OTHER VIEWS
Republicans, in thrall to dear
leader, dig a deeper bunker
W
YOUR VIEWS
Frustration builds; time to
clear the table
Though you’d think a priority list of
issues confronting our city officials would
result in some quick action at city hall. Au
contraire. Seems that from the latest study,
the airport tops the priority list while
Byers Avenue still languishes as possi-
bly the worst street in the entire county,
despite those claims that streets are the
No. 1 priority.
Increased housing and other amenities
aimed at supporting the projected increase
in high paying jobs announced with such
great fanfare earlier this year appear at a
standstill. A recent drive by those proj-
ects revealed that there is essentially no
activity on the airport hotel or the housing
project across from the EOCI, and despite
claims by city hall on the KUMA Cof-
fee Hour that construction of the street in
preparation for the expansion of the Pend-
leton Heights apartment complex was now
underway, a visit to the site confirmed that
it’s just not happening.
City hall’s record on large projects
like the “road to nowhere” and the Eighth
Street Bridge replacement, a proverbial
“bridge to nowhere,” has been nothing to
write home about. When it comes to eco-
nomic development, it seems the only
bright spot is the turnaround in airport
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.
operations lead by the successful drone
program, primarily because of a talented
airport manager and staff.
Performance by city hall on key issues
has been less than stellar. The term “kick-
ing the can down the road,” frequently
used in the past, has been replaced by
“we’ll table that for now.” This caused
delay after delay in repealing the unwork-
able River Quarter plan. The rewrite of
the ordinance that would add parade fees
to aid the police department’s efforts to
recover increasing costs to provide cover-
age was tabled.
Now, after ignoring the steady increase
in homeless issues, acting as this phenom-
enon is something that’s sprung up over-
night, the city council has again “tabled” a
revision of the ordinance giving the police
department guidance on their responsi-
bilities to address this issue with the only
explanation being, “it’s a complex issue.”
A glance at the progress solving the
issues of our deteriorating streets, even
as a top priority, gives us little comfort
for any immediate action on the homeless
issue. Even our police department appar-
ently has little faith in a remedy for the
condition of the streets, as they’ve con-
verted their entire fleet to four-wheel drive
vehicles.
Rick Rohde
Pendleton
ter, warned that “Republicans who continue
e dare not contemplate what the
to cover for Trump ... have abetted the dele-
Washington Republicans would
say if Donald Trump were to actu- gitimization of the entire American system.”
That’s not stopping most of them from
ally shoot someone in the middle of Fifth
Avenue.
swilling the Kool-Aid.
In the wake of the impeachment inquiry,
Sen. John Kennedy said he didn’t think
formally announced on Tuesday by Nancy
Trump’s solicitation of foreign dirt on Biden
is “as newsworthy as some have argued.”
Pelosi, Republicans still don’t think their
leader has done anything wrong. Yet here’s
Sen. Lindsey Graham told a conservative
the gist of what we already know: Trump, in radio host he thought Trump “did noth-
ing wrong.” Sen. Marco Rubio didn’t think
the span of one July phone call to Ukraine
Trump should have raised the issue of Biden,
President Volodymyr Zelensky, asked eight
but also said “that in and of itself is
times for (fake) dirt on domestic
not an impeachable offense.”
opposition candidate Joe Biden.
But the preferred Republican
With the release of a phone call
reaction is silence, to dig the bun-
summary, we have further con-
firmation. He sought a Ukrainian
ker deeper and cover their ears.
probe of Biden, and his son, Hunter,
Since the whistleblower story
and he wanted Zelensky to collude
broke one week ago, it’s particu-
larly noteworthy that we’ve heard
with Bill Barr, Trump’s chief law
virtually nothing from three key
enforcement apparatchik.
D ick
Republican senators: Cory Gard-
A key quote from the summary:
P olman
ner, Martha McSally, and Susan
“There is a lot of talk about Biden’s
COMMENT
Collins. That trio is on the ballot
son, that Biden stopped the prose-
cution (of a company where his son
in 2020, running for re-election in
was on the board — a fake charge), and a
Colorado, Arizona and Maine, respectively.
Colorado and Maine vote blue in presidential
lot of people want to find out about that. So
elections, and Arizona is trending that way.
whatever you can do with the attorney gen-
eral would be great.”
Their discomfort is understandable,
So Trump has essentially admitted that
because they, and many of their colleagues,
he solicited foreign collusion. Aside from the may soon arrive at the moment of reckon-
obvious fact that he has already copped to an ing — an identity crisis forced upon them
impeachable offense — under federal law, no by the lawless president they have tragically
indulged.
one can “solicit, accept, or receive” foreign
Republican strategist Mike Murphy, who
campaign donations “or other things of value
... in connection with a federal, state, or local believes, based on what we already know,
that Trump has likely “committed a vividly
election” — his betrayal of the oath of office
impeachable offense,” frames the stakes for
has potentially far broader ramifications.
his brethren:
“Sending the signal that other govern-
ments can curry favor with a U.S. president
“The easy-to-dodge days are coming to
an end. ... Our entire national political debate
by helping to dig up dirt on his or her politi-
cal opponents would open our political sys-
is now centered squarely upon Trump and
tem and foreign policy to intervention and
his fitness for office. It is a time for clarity ...
manipulation on a global scale,” said Rob-
an existential question for every Republican
ert Kagan, a foreign affairs specialist and
senator and representative: Why am I here?
State Department official during the Reagan To serve my future or my country?”
administration. “Every government in the
Perhaps they should choose the latter.
world wishing to influence U.S. foreign pol-
Perhaps they should heed the advice of the
icy will have an incentive to come to a sit-
Republican senator who declared, back in
ting president with information on his or her
December 2015, “You know how you make
potential political opponents.”
America great again? Tell Donald Trump
Nevertheless, the party loyalists who hug
to go to hell.” So said Lindsey Graham. But
the flag and tout traditional American values alas, it may be too late for Trump’s captive
are so in thrall to Trump (or simply intimi-
minions to redeem themselves.
dated) that they claim to see and hear no evil,
What’s more important, party or country?
disgusting some GOP-friendly commen-
———
tators. Mona Charen, a senior fellow at the
Dick Polman is a nationally syndicated
conservative Ethics and Public Policy Cen-
columnist.
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