Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2018)
Wallowa County Chieftain POT Continued from Page A1 particularly in light of the fact that the council has already turned down Flana- gan’s idea twice. The mayor said he’s talked to a number of citizens on both sides of the issue. “Most of the people I’ve talked to say they will vote against it, but I talk to people who say they will vote for it,” Sands said. “I’ve talked to a number of people who may not approve of mari- juana, but they approve of the revenue it may generate.” He agreed the revenue could be counted as “extra money,” but problems that may come with retail mari- juana could make the mea- sure’s approval more trou- ble than it’s worth. “There’s increased law enforcement, and we’re already struggling with our sheriff’s contract,” he said. The mayor said he’s talked with the mayor of Hun- tington, which legalized mar- ijuana sales nearly as quickly as it was able to do so once state law changed. The town has two retail stores, a grow facility and a processing plant. The town budgeted $400,000 for city coffers for expected revenue, but not News wallowa.com everyone is pleased. “They’re not at all happy with the traffic it brings to town,” Sands said. He noted that the town had to make a number of adjustments, including assuring the prod- uct wasn’t used in public restrooms. Much of Huntington’s marijuana traffic comes from Idaho and Ontario. Should either approve sales, Sands said it would greatly inhibit Huntington’s revenue. Sands also said that kids picking up the habit are another concern for him. “I guess it’s just the gen- eral permissiveness of it,” he said. “They can get it on the black market or have an adult buy it for them.” He added that the costs of alcohol abuse are well- known, and he believes legalizing marijuana would add fuel to the fire. Because of language in a city ordinance, a dispensary could only be located on the north end of Joseph, where visitors would see it upon entering town. “I think it affects the city of Joseph,” he said. “Not in a good way.” The mayor predicted the vote would be close. “My estimate is 55 per- cent ‘no’ and 45 percent ‘yes,’” he said. “It could be closer.” October 17, 2018 Three in the running for Wallowa County treasurer position By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain Three local women with extensive histories in account- ing, bookkeeping and office management are running for Wallowa County Treasurer. The County Treasurer is the custodian of cash and the investment manager of the county and its affiliated agencies, such as cemeteries, schools and fire districts. The treasurer maintains bank accounts and accounts with the State Treasury Investment Pool. The Trea- surer distributes all property tax collected by the County Tax Department to taxing districts. The Treasurer’s Office is responsible for billing and collecting the water and sewer fees for the Wallowa Lake County Service District. The treasurer is the tax adminis- trator for the Wallowa County Transient Lodging Tax. This includes the collecting and distributing quarterly. Velda Bales Velda Bales of Enter- prise is a lifelong Wallowa County resident and currently office manager at Main Street Motors in Enterprise and the co-owner of Bales Mobile Mix Concrete. She has more than 30 years experience in account- THINK PINK ing, bookkeeping and office management and describes herself as self-motivated and with an eye toward detail. As a business owner, she has broad experience in working with minimal oversight and as an office manager she has experience in working with customers. She volunteers with the Wallowa County 4-H pro- gram, Catholic Church St Katherine and on the Wallowa County Fair Board and said she had gained a great deal of experience responding to issues and problems profes- sionally through her volunteer work as well. Carolyn Doherty Carolyn Doherty of Joseph resigned from her position as assistant treasurer for per- sonal reasons earlier this year. She believes her experience in the courthouse working in the Wallowa County Tax Depart- ment for seven years and for three years in the assessors office before that have given her the experience she needs to succeed in the treasurer job. She also worked as real estate Bales SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINE Contact Jennifer Cooney today jcooney@wallowa.com 541-805-9630 Call 541-426-4567 to subscribe Doherty agent in Wallowa County before beginning her career at the county courthouse. She believes it is neces- sary for a county employee to really know the community both inside and outside the courthouse. “I believe it is knowing the county, the area we live in, the people that are here,” she said. “I believe it is being able to (call) the person by name.” In addition to provid- ing that personal touch, she believes that the job at the county level requires a knowl- edge of what is happening in the county, particularly with regard to building or other issues that affect the county departments. She is prepared to keep budgets, books and accounts balanced to the penny, she said. “It’s about making sure all the billing goes out correctly. It’s about going through 360 Wallowa County Service Dis- trict bills bi-monthly and Goebel-Burns knowing it has been sent out correctly,” she said. Ginger Goebel-Burns Ginger Goebel-Burns of Wallowa is a fifth-genera- tion county resident and is the current appointed county treasurer. She has worked for the Wallowa County Road Department for the past 15 years and was asked to fill-in as treasurer until the elections. The first day of work, she said, she realized she loved the job. “I decided that first day (as interim treasurer), I wanted this job,” she said. Goebel-Burns is famil- iar with the software used by Wallowa County, which she says will pose quite a chal- lenge for newcomers. Prior work experience included Wallowa County accountant for Silver Creek Financial in Lostine, interim Wallowa County accountant and co-owner of Goebel’s Ser- vice Station in Wallowa. Planning a get-away? PASSPORT PHOTOS In my Joseph studio. 24-hour turn-around for prints. for weekly advertising is 5pm Friday for the following week. Ad copy is due on Monday at 10am. Ads must be approved by Tuesday at 12pm. You can count on the Chieftain for news you can sink your teeth into. A11 $ sized and printed to meet Passport requirements. Ellen Morris Bishop Nature’s Light Photographics LLC 541-398-1810 103 N. Main, Ste 5, Joseph, Oregon 97846 paleobishop@gmail.com www.natureslightphotographics.com 209 NW First St., Enterprise • 541-426-4567 Fighting the OPIOID CRISIS GREG IS LEADING A BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO COMBAT OUR OPIOID CRISIS. The bills that he helped pass give law enforcement more tools to fight this epidemic and provide our local communities with resources to help design and implement better treatment and recovery programs. PARK CLOSED: The public campground at the Wallowa Falls Hydroelectric Project, known as Pacific Park, located at the south terminus of the Wallowa Lake Highway (OR St. Hwy 351) will be closed to all public use for the 2019 and 2020 recreation seasons. Under the new Federal Energy Regula- tory Commission operating license for the Project, PacifiCorp is required to reconstruct the powerhouse tailrace, which runs through the park, to protect threatened bull trout. The work will also include stabilization of the west bank of the West Fork Wallowa River adjacent to the campground. PacifiCorp plans to re-open Pacific Park for the 2021 recreation season. If you have any questions regarding the Wallowa Falls Hydroelectric Project or the closure of Pacific Park, please email recreation@ pacificorp.com or leave a message on our recreation phone line at 503-813-6666. Greg took the input he collected at home -- from discussions with local law enforcement officials, physicians, parents, recovering addicts, and treatment providers -- and put it to work in Washington. Using their experience and ideas, he helped write and pass the most significant effort by Congress against any drug crisis in history. “Walden helped craft & advance nearly 60 opioid-related bills” (6/8/18) “ Everybody is touched by the opioid issue, but I haven’t seen anybody else get out there and fight for it like Greg Walden. He is fighting for all of us. That’s the kind of person I want to represent me.” PAID FOR BY WALDEN FOR CONGRESS, INC. — Winnie, mother from Grants Pass
