A6
News
wallowa.com
Roland Johnson named
Wallowa’s city attorney
Johnson resigns
from same post
in Enterprise
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Local attorney Roland John-
son will remain with Wallowa
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torney but has tendered his
resignation as city attorney for
Enterprise.
Johnson was selected from
a pool of four applicants as the
contract attorney for Wallowa
City at the regular Wallowa
City Council meeting on Nov.
17.
Johnson, who keeps an of-
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Wallowa, has worked for the
city of Wallowa, as needed,
since the late 1970s. The coun-
cil had published a request for
proposals as part of their effort
to modernize business practic-
es as recommended by the Or-
egon Association Cities. Once
the proposals were received,
city councilors took their time
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nal selection, according to City
Recorder Carol Long.
In the end, no other appli-
cant measured up with regard
to experience, especially local
experience.
“Johnson is so knowledge-
able about zoning, land use in
Wallowa, grant issues and city
business,” Long said. “He’s
had lots of experience being a
municipal attorney.”
Johnson had been key in
helping the city manage the
grant process that led to them
receiving $3.5 million to mod-
ernize the city water system,
Long said.
“When you do a huge grant
process as was required by the
Oregon Community Develop-
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numerous documents and we,
at the city, were just not qual-
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“Our engineer, Troy Baker of
Anderson and Perry, recom-
mended Johnson to protect the
city and manage us through
that process because he was so
knowledgeable.”
Johnson also has worked
with the City of Enterprise for
decades, but tendered a letter
of resignation this summer.
“I’ve been here since 1977
and was city attorney in 1979,”
Johnson said. “There’s been a
lot of issues and a lot of dif-
ferent kinds of work over the
years. I used to prosecute and
have jury trials in municipal
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in circuit court. I’m still prac-
ticing law and still attorney
for Wallowa. I just decided I’d
been doing it long enough.”
He offered to remain in
the position of city attorney
as Enterprise through the pro-
cess of collecting and consid-
ering new proposals.
Enterprise has so far re-
ceived three proposals. The
process of selecting a new at-
torney is ongoing, according
to City Administrator Michele
Young.
November 25, 2015
Wallowa County Chieftain
IRS-related phone
scams targeting
county residents
Hite estimated Thursday af-
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ceived approximately 10 re-
ports within the previous few
days of supposed IRS-related
By Scot Heisel
Wallowa County Chieftain
calls seeking money from lo-
cal residents.
“They’re threatening jail
If you receive a phone call
from someone claiming to time, saying they’re going
be a representative of the In- to come out and arrest you,”
ternal Revenue Service, keep Hite said. “Some are comput-
in mind odds are pretty good er-generated calls, others are
that you’re being targeted by from live people.”
Hite said that phone calls
a scam.
Several people in Wallowa are seldom used by IRS staff
County have reported receiv- to resolve tax issues.
ing such calls recently, and a
“They don’t call you on the
ORFDO ¿QDQFLDO ¿UP LV VRXQG- phone unless they’ve sent you
ing the alarm.
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“They’re getting pretty haven’t responded,” she said.
aggressive in our area right
Hite also suggested that if
QRZ´ VDLG 7LQD +LWH RI¿FH you do receive a notice from
manager at Edison, Perry & the IRS in the mail, to take it
Company, PC in Enterprise. to your tax professional.
Callers threaten
jail time
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ranchers had also called for the
governor to appoint commis-
SALEM — The Oregon sioners who represented their
Senate voted this week to perspectives. Commissioners
FRQ¿UP WZR PHPEHUV RI WKH are appointed to represent Or-
Oregon Fish and Wildlife egon’s congressional districts.
The Senate voted 22-8 on
Commission whom Gov. Kate
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Brown reappointed in April.
The move was a reversal re-appointees, Holly Akenson
from earlier this year, when the of Enterprise, and Michael
Senate Committee on Rules Finley of Medford. Akenson
delayed action on the two re- is a wildlife biologist, man-
appointments over concerns ages a tree farm with her hus-
that commissioners had failed band and is an archery and ri-
to adequately oversee the Or- ÀHELJJDPHKXQWHUDFFRUGLQJ
egon Department of Fish and to the Department of Fish and
Wildlife budget. The sport Wildlife’s website. Finley is
president of a grant-making
foundation, and previously
served as superintendent of
Yellowstone, Yosemite and
Everglades national parks. He
is also a hunter and angler.
By Hillary Borrud
Also specializing in
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Ahead of the vote Wednes-
day, Senate Republicans said
they had been under the im-
pression Brown would recon-
sider the reappointments.
The Senate voted in May
WR FRQ¿UP WZR RWKHU FRQ-
troversial appointees to the
commission, Astoria resident
Bruce Buckmaster who has
ties to the commercial gillnet
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state lawmaker Jason Atkin-
son of Jacksonville.
“You cannot continue to
load the board with philo-
sophical people that represent
the big cities,” said state Sen.
Fred Girod, R-Stayton. “It
does not work ... The legisla-
ture deserves a lot of the cred-
ibility for this agency going
down the toilet, and the gov-
ernor deserves a lot of cred-
ibility for this agency going
down the toilet. I urge a ‘no’
vote.”
Girod’s language dis-
pleased Senate President Pe-
ter Courtney, D-Salem.
“Sen. Ted Ferrioli, try not
using the word toilet, please,”
Courtney said, as the Senate
minority leader from John
Day prepared to speak.
Ferrioli said the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wild-
life’s budget trouble is an in-
dication the commission has
QRW IXO¿OOHG LWV ¿GXFLDU\ UH-
sponsibility.
“But there’s another issue
here, and that is the credibil-
ity of the governor and the
credibility of the appoint-
ments secretary,” Ferrioli
said. “Members who voted
unanimously (in committee)
for the last round of appoint-
ments to ODFW did so on
the assurance there would be
FRQVLGHUDWLRQ RI D VSRUW ¿VK-
ing member and a landowner.
That did not happen. That to
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and a sort of a disconnect be-
tween credibility of the gov-
ernor and the expectation that
her asks will be respected.”
Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Spring-
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do represent hunters and an-
glers.
SEARCH
Continued from Page A1
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(QWHUSULVH 3ROLFH 2I¿FHU
George Kohlhepp will contin-
ue to shoulder extra respon-
sibilities as the search begins
again. The City Council re-
cently voted to increase Kohl-
hepp’s pay by 2 percent to
compensate him for the extra
workload.
The city also has hired
retired Oregon State Police
Trooper Jed Stone as a tem-
SRUDU\ FLW\ SROLFH RI¿FHU WR
assist Kohlhepp. In addition
to having deep roots in the
community, Stone already
was current on a number of
FHUWL¿FDWLRQV UHTXLUHG IRU WKH
position and was able to hit
the streets without requiring
extensive training.
A part-time evidence tech
also has been hired to manage
the newly organized evidence
room shared by the Wallowa
&RXQW\ 6KHULII¶V 2I¿FH DQG
Enterprise Police Department.
Enterprise began the
search for a new chief af-
ter the resignation of former
Chief of Police Wes Kilgore
on March 23.
Before launching their
search the city requested an
Oregon Association Chiefs of
Police Executive Resources
Agency review to reveal any
areas in need of correction.
The city has been working
to address the problem areas
revealed by the subsequent
report.
The three police chiefs that
made up the review board
— Pendleton Police Chief
Stuart Roberts, La Grande
Police Chief Brian Harvey
and Baker City Police Chief
Wyn Lohner — also assisted
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didates. That assistance will
continue, Young said Friday.