OFF PAGE ONE
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Candidates:
Continued from Page A1
was removed from Umatilla
County, and they are doing a
great job with what they have,
but it is not their duty. There
are so many other things I
would like to work on. I would
also like to get the citizens
within the county to help with
coming up with solutions for
some of the problem areas we
are working on.
Susan Bower, 52,
Pendleton,
business owner
If you are elected, what is
your plan to address home-
lessness in the county?
If elected county commis-
sioner, it will be a top priority
for me to identify and under-
stand the resources currently
available to support people
dealing with homelessness. I
have started this work already
and will continue until and
after becoming a county
commissioner.
I will establish a coun-
ty-wide task force, which
will include a variety of stake-
holders, resource providers,
law enforcement, behavioral
health providers and people
who have both chosen to be
homeless and
those who
are home-
less for other
reasons than
personal
choice.
Together we
Bower
will work to
better quan-
tify and qualify the issue and
we will call in experts who
will broaden our knowledge.
The task force will also
reach out to communities
across the country to learn
how homelessness has been
dealt with in other areas.
Together we will visit home-
less camps to talk with people
in the spirit of truly trying to
learn from others. This task
force will set goals, share
transparently and will have
deadlines to keep the work
productive and results-ori-
ented.
Too often, groups are
formed with good intent, but
do not generate useful infor-
mation or reasonable possi-
ble solutions. Leadership,
organization and account-
ability are necessary to move
ideas forward. As a county
commissioner, I will use my
leadership, organization and
accountability skills to work
with others to look at, under-
stand, and address home-
lessness to include both root
cause and immediate solu-
tions. I will seek and direct
funding needed to address
the root causes of homeless-
ness, which will undoubtedly
involve mental and behav-
ioral health. I will work to
support and enhance the work
Umatilla County commis-
sioners have already started
with Community Counseling
Solutions. I will meet with
each hospital leadership team
to discuss the need for acute
and respite care for people
in crisis, and I will initiate a
conversation with the state
about why such facilities
were closed and advocate that
doing so has gotten us to some
degree where we are now.
I will work with the task
force to develop a sound
business case and plan to
bring back psychiatric care
and places for people to get
the help they need. This plan
creates a win-win situation for
people in need, community
safety, economic development
and social/moral responsibil-
ity.
List and discuss your top
three goals if you are to be
elected.
Please refer to my
campaign FaceBook page and
website at susanbower4coun-
tycommissioner.com for more
detail and specifi city.
Enhance quality of life in
Umatilla County
My vision for Umatilla
County is to be a place where
people choose to live, work
and raise a family. A place
where every person, busi-
ness and non-profi t organiza-
tion can thrive and fulfi ll its
purpose. Residents and busi-
nesses benefit by having a
healthier environment, more
public safety, family-wage
jobs, better schools, access
to health care here at home,
choices for housing and an
increase in behavioral health
and opioid awareness and
resources.
I will form the task force
discussed above.
I will work with leaders to
consider the social impacts of
economic growth and change.
Ensure current needs are met
and future needs are planned
for. Invest in programs and
services that are relevant and
sustainable.
I will review county
commissions and advisory
boards to ensure relevancy
of topics and full representa-
tion of the population served
in Umatilla County. I will
create new advisory groups
for current unmet needs and
community interests and I
will use a multitude of ways to
get the work out to everyone
when there is an opportunity
to serve on a new or existing
committee.
I will work with cities,
businesses and nonprofi ts to
identify creative ways to part-
ner in service to our commu-
nities. Increasing the quality
and decreasing the cost of
serving people.
I will establish a Hispanic
Advisory Group to meet
regularly with the board of
commissioners to discuss
matters of importance and
nurture positive relationships.
I will establish a Native
American Advisory Group to
meet regularly with the board
of commissioners to discuss
matters of importance and
nurture positive relationships.
County-wide economic
development
Residents and businesses
benefi t by having more jobs,
more tax base from industry
to invest back into commu-
nities, more students in our
schools and more choices to
shop and get services.
I will work with all cities
county-wide to keep residents
informed and a part of growth
conversations.
I will work with leaders to
consider the social and infra-
structure impacts of economic
growth.
I will work with cities and
businesses to identify creative
ways to help pay for both
growth and business reten-
tion. I will share the infor-
mation and network that I
have gained by completing
(12/2022) the nation’s only
Economic Development Insti-
tute.
Organizational health of
Umatilla County
Residents, businesses and
future industry leaders bene-
fi t by getting the best service
by happy employees. Happy
employees have less turn-
over, higher engagement
and a greater commitment to
the mission of the county —
which is to serve citizens effi -
ciently and eff ectively.
I will maintain and
increase focus on the profes-
sional development of all
employees.
I will increase internal
communication by routine,
compassionate, produc-
tive contact with all county
employees.
I will work with county
staff to assess each program
and service and support
changes where necessary to
ensure current community
needs are met.
David Nelson, 80,
Pendleton, retired
farmer and former
state senator
If you are elected, what is
your plan to address home-
lessness in the county?
The long term solution to
homelessness is education and
training leading to skill sets
and a job. The short term solu-
tions are complex as there are
many causes leading to home-
lessness, including — but not
limited to — job-loss, mental
illness, medical bills, drug
addiction, domestic violence
and aff ordable housing. The
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban
Development
announced a
fi ght against
homeless-
ness with a
$2.6 billion
nationwide
Nelson
g rant on
March 14,
2022. The question is how
much will come to Oregon
and specifically Umatilla
County. I would continue
to build partnerships with
cities, community nonprofi ts
and religious organizations to
answer the immediate need.
I would not advocate for a
county-wide tax for homeless-
ness as Metro and Multnomah
County have done.
List and discuss your top
three goals if you are to be
elected.
A. Respect and value
the taxpayers of Umatilla
County. The demand for
The most valuable and respected
source of local news, advertising and
information for our communities.
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East Oregonian
public services will always
be greater than the resources
needed to fund them. What
is the will and appetite of
the taxpayer? The Rule of
72 suggests a 6% increase in
annual taxes will double the
tax in 12 years.
I would continue to explore
the available monies under
the trillion dollar spending
program from the federal
government. There is money
for bridges, roads, water
systems, broadband and the
power grid. Additionally,
Oregon may receive $91
million under a settlement
with Purdue Pharma combat-
ing drug use. Umatilla County
needs to be present at the
Salem table to receive these
one time funding sources.
B. Strong families make
strong communities. Family
wage jobs are crucial. I would
use enterprise zones and stra-
tegic investment programs
supported by the state and
work to withdraw water from
the Columbia River. One
percent of the current fl ow of
the Columbia, spread across
the farmland of Umatilla
County, would create a billion
dollar industry providing
jobs, a tax base and shelter
and forage for wildlife.
C. I would work to bring
fl exibility to Oregon’s land
use laws and other regulations
that stunt growth, by using
my legislative experience
to educate legislators of the
strengths of Umatilla County
and Eastern Oregon. The ‘one
size fi ts all’ mentality must be
changed to create an avenue
for progress.
Earlier this year, the
Department of Land Conser-
vation of Oregon and the
Oregon Department of Hous-
ing reported that “The current
housing planning system
chronically underestimates
housing needs …” Those
two agencies admit that our
land use law are better suited
to prevent developments
with time consuming rules
and regulations that delay or
obstruct housing needs. The
Oregon Legislature has not
acted on this information.
My role would be to make
Umatilla County’s presence
felt on this issue.
Cindy Timmons, 58,
Milton-Freewater,
business owner
If you are elected, what is
your plan to address home-
lessness in the county?
A s v ice - chai r of
CAPECO, homelessness is a
problem we have identifi ed
and are addressing through-
out all parts of Umatilla
County. If elected, I will
continue to work on ventures
such as the Promise Inn in
Pendleton and provide assis-
tance where
needed with
the proposed
regional
h o m e -
less proj-
ect on the
west end of
Timmons
the county.
Homeless
populations in more rural
areas of the county receive
assistance through housing
vouchers.
List and discuss your top
three goals if you are to be
elected.
Address adequate hous-
ing needs: Every commu-
nity in Umatilla County
shares in a lack of aff ord-
able housing. I will oppose
taxes and/or regulations that
drive up housing costs and
support policies that provide
Umatilla County housing
growth.
Prioritize elder/mental
health services: Witness-
ing the impact of elder care
and mental health issues and
watching county residents
attempting — and failing
— to fi nd adequate support
makes these issues a priority.
A global pandemic, coupled
with lack of mental health
facilities, has homeless
numbers growing and drug
use skyrocketing. Long-term
eff ects of isolation have, not
only families, but schools,
employers and local offi cials
addressing consequences.
An aging population requires
solutions to help residents
who want to live at home
but require assistance. I will
work in partnership with
communities, professionals
and agencies to alleviate the
problem.
Water: Always a talking
point, water issues are plagu-
ing all parts of Umatilla
County. Adequate supply
for high value crops, cost of
water for homeowners and
preservation/maintenance
of rivers and streams are a
concern. Often referred to as
the life blood of the county, I
will engage all vested parties
in fi nding working solutions
for this limited resource.
Alvin Young, 64,
Hermiston, retired
fi refi ghter and EMT
If you are elected, what
is your plan to address
homelessness in the
county?
Homelessness is a very
signif icant
problem.
Not only in
Umatilla
Cou nt y
but nation-
wide. If I
am elected I
Young
would try to
get the state,
Umatilla County and local
townships together at the
table to try to fi gure things out.
Town by town because every
township has its own circum-
stances and one size does not
fi t all.
List and discuss your top
three goals if you are to be
elected.
My top three goals are to
work on our infrastructure,
roads and medical.
Our roads are out of date
and we need to start from the
base up. We can’t fi x every-
thing at one time. We can
put them on a rotation start-
ing with the worst and work
from there. As far as medi-
cal goes, we need to get more
doctors into the area. Includ-
ing more specialists. Which
we are very much in need
of. We have a huge mental
health problem in this county
and we need to get the right
doctors in here to help.
Last but not least we
need to work on our ground
water resources. Put more
straws in the Columbia
River so we can make our
wonderful soil produce
more. We need the water to
help us be more productive
Then
NOW
2022 Graduates
y
l
n
O
49
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Umatilla, Morrow & Gilliam County
Jennifer Smith
2022
I
Northeast Oregon
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