East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, October 26, 2021, Page 4, Image 4

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    KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
TUESDAy, OCTObER 26, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Voters need
to know about
candidates
U
matilla County voters appar-
ently are going to receive a long
run-up to the contested election
for a seat on the board of commissioners.
That’s a good thing.
In a recent story in this newspa-
per, the race to fill George Murdock’s
position on the board took centerstage.
Susan bower, Pendleton, and Cindy
Timmons, Milton-Freewater, both kicked
their campaigns into high gear. bower
especially appears to already be in full
campaign mode.
The story outlined some of the candi-
dates’ campaign spending, and while that
is instructive in terms of setting an early
theme for a race that will not culminate
for seven months, the real key for voters
is they will secure an opportunity to fully
vet these two candidates. A third candi-
date, Alvin Young, also is in the mix for
the soon-to-be-vacant commission seat.
The long run-up will be good news for
voters because it will allow them — at
least with the two of the candidates —
to get acquainted with and understand
their views on a broad range of subjects.
Voters should have ample time to review
and fact-check each candidate, to under-
stand their platform and, if they feel it,
disagree.
bower and Timmons — though they
might not realize it — are doing a great
service to the voters of the county by
gearing up their campaigns so early. The
longer they are in the mix, the more they
are visible and the more voters will know.
That’s never a bad thing in a democ-
racy.
However, while Timmons and bower
— at least for now — are doing their part,
the residents of the county, who can vote,
will have to fulfill their role as well. That
role means a certain degree of participa-
tion in what we call democracy. The role
means asking questions — some of them
hard — and seeking fair and reasoned
answers.
Voters need to review everything
they can on all the candidates and then
make their own judgements after prudent
thought.
That can be a difficult task as we all
try to make our own livings and take
care of our families. yet, ignoring the
election or the candidate until the ballot
arrives in the mailbox isn’t going to help
democracy. We must always strive to
know more about our candidates — for
any elected position — and hold them
accountable.
A post on the county board of commis-
sioners is a crucial one for a rural county
in a rural part of Oregon. Voters must
ensure the best person for the job gets
elected.
EDITORIALS
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.
LETTERS
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:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801
Finding pleasure, beauty in problem solving
REGINA
BRAKER
ANOTHER MILE
A
round here there’s a tradition
of making quilts for kids when
they graduate high school.
Recently a congregant at church shared
the design and block he had drawn up
and completed to use in the quilt he was
helping out with, a beautifully crafted
piece for the center of the quilt when
finished.
I was moved by his commitment to
this project, sharing fabric combina-
tions for the pattern he envisioned, and
making sure the family whose daugh-
ter just started her senior year was on
board with his efforts. It’s an example
of the close supportive relationships
that take place in small rural towns
throughout our region. They happen
across generations, beyond family ties,
interwoven connections between neigh-
bors, where helping one another out is
how things get done, and everyone’s
survival has always depended on it.
Twenty years into an early retire-
ment that brought him back to our
region, he’s young for his years because
he stays so involved. Active in commu-
nity projects, in musical endeavors
when available here in town, and with
a local quilting group, he’s put in a
second career in service to his rural
hometown. When I first got to know
him, it was through singing together,
and we shared some laughter about how
we voted.
Recently, the harmony came about
with the ringing of individual bells. My
friend spent part of his childhood in
Hillsboro, and some of it here in Pend-
leton. Sickness in the family required
him to live with his aunt. Later, while
at the University of Oregon, he lost his
mother.
During the height of the Vietnam
War, he ended up in the Navy, where
he helped save downed pilots in sea
rescue north of the Demilitarized Zone.
The Navy’s electronics and transmitter
training taught him the value of further-
ing his education, and he committed
to a long journey through college with
many interruptions and restarts, with
some adventures along the way. Lack of
information to a first-generation college
student was in part a cause of the first
detour.
The Navy paved his entry into elec-
tronics engineering. In California he
started his career as analyst, working
full time, taking a couple of classes
each term toward his long-term college
completion goal, all while starting a
growing family.
In his career he found success as a
problem solver, by designing software
and training users, with long-term stints
in Australia, England, and consultation
travel to Germany and across the U.S.
There’s a special joy in knowing you
are the expert others around the world
turn to, even if for a seemingly obscure
need. What matters is a well-designed
fix to the problem.
Upon retiring to Umatilla County,
and service on the city council of his
town, he saw problems that needed
his expertise, best offered in the role
of mayor. New sidewalks, repairs to
the water system, installation of a new
well at the city park and street paving
are among the projects he shepherded
through. A long-term project in the
renovation of the historic school into
a modernized city hall continues to
call on his abilities to write grants and
support next phases of improvement.
There were needs in the school
district in unfilled jobs, one that called
out to my friend. Glad to get back into
the world of work, thinking back on the
rich experiences he gained in volunteer-
ing as a parent when his daughter was
still in school, he made himself avail-
able to coach the after-school robotics
program.
When you can help kids with
little interest or aptitude for academ-
ics become successful programmers,
see them win regional competitions
four years running, and in the process
demonstrate gracious professionalism
by helping other teams troubleshoot
their programs, there’s a great sense of
pride and satisfaction in swimming in
a small rural pond as a nurturing older
fish.
These days he’s retired from some
retirement gigs, while still maintaining
availability to civic projects. Sharing
different perspectives with friends at
church and doing new things is import-
ant to him. Making things of beauty, in
woodworking projects, and in his new
hobby as he learns quilting techniques
on his long-arm machine, is just a part
of his life’s motto: Solving problems is a
life-long pleasure.
———
Regina Braker, of Pendleton, is a
retired educator with journeys through
many places and experiences who enjoys
getting to know people along the way.
until 1996 and 210 in 2017.
The wolves in Eastern Oregon might
well play a huge role in changing elk
location. In the same edition of the East
Oregonian, two different wolf kills of
livestock were reported, one attack near
Elgin and the other near Ukiah. Maybe
the wolves have learned to drive motor-
ized vehicles.
Mike Mehren
Hermiston
government agencies that are aided by
countless nongovernmental organiza-
tions. No project moves forward without
an approval stamp from the NGOs. To
name just a few — Nature Conservancy,
Wild Earth Guardians, Oregon Natu-
ral Desert Association and Center for
biological Diversity. Just recently the
Center for biological Diversity used its
weapon of relentless lawsuits to halt a
project in the Ochoco National Forest.
These extremist NGOs use litigation as a
very effective tool of intimidation.
Access and utilization of the natural
resources our public lands provide has
decreased with the Wilderness Act and
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. We have
ridden a wave of continued land grabs
under the guise of preserving natural
conditions.
The River Democracy Act is one
of the most abusive overrides we have
witnessed, plus it’s an insult to what
“wild and scenic” intended. As far
as “protection and enhancement of
outstanding remarkable values,” protec-
tions exist presently.
Tork Ballard
Baker City
YOUR VIEWS
Wolves contribute
to elk displacement
bill Aney’s recent column about elk
on private property caught my interest.
The author seemed to object to property
owners charging to hunt elk on private
land, even though this is done in every
state with big game. The author also
noted that projects completed locally
have provided the means to keep elk
on public land. Why hasn’t this been
done? The author stated that motorized
vehicles were the main reason why elk
left public land. Somehow he forgot to
mention wolves.
Studies conducted by the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department showed
a very high correlation between wolf
population and elk displacement from
winter range and feed-grounds. In a
summary of their data from 1995 to
2017, the populations of elk went from
a high in 1995 of 51,187, deer popula-
tion of 62,501, and moose population of
10,000 to populations of 36,839 for elk,
38,088 for deer, and 1,390 for moose.
During that time there were no wolves
Enhanced protection by
the River Democracy Act
is an abusive override
Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merk-
ley have co-sponsored this bill that
has the potential to add 4,700 miles
of Oregon waterways to the Wild and
Scenic Rivers list. This would be the
length of the mighty Mississippi and
Missouri combined. yes, this would be
quite a remarkable achievement, so it
needs to be asked, “is this necessary?”
What more protection is needed?
Our public lands, which includes these
waterways, are protected by numerous