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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2016)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ MARCH 16, 2016 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion LETTERS A tribute to Don-Lee Davidson Thank you My Uncle Sam once told me that one needed to watch over his pride so it never became vanity. Don-Lee Davidson wore the twin — largely invis- ible — badge of generosity and humility during his earthly adventure. His bountiful disposition was not limited to the Mapleton community, but reached west along the banks of the Siuslaw River to Florence. The hos- pital, library and other civic concerns received the largeness of his goodwill. And, while he made the grand lodge on his compound at Lake Woahink available for community events, Don was content living nearby in more modest circumstances. Often, early in the morning, Don would alight from his familiar Jeep to greet me on Bay Street. From his attire one might assume he was on his way to a manual labor job in the woods, and not the CEO of Davidson Industries. Don seemed to prefer this workman-like to a coat and tie. He once confided to me his concern at the time to preserve the forest of trees across the Siuslaw bay from being harvested. He felt strong- ly that it would spoil the view from Old Town and the Port of Siuslaw. Don’s generosity was reflected as well in small ways. On more than one occasion, at a local restaurant where he and his wife, Gloria, were hav- ing dinner, we would ask for the check only to dis- cover that he was gone and our bill paid. Don was never too far from a smile. Over the years we talked about many things, including weightier matters. Although he and I probably rarely cast our ballots for the same polit- ical parties, we never found it necessary to argue our positions, respecting our differences. Don, instead, was occupied, step by step on stubborn legs, conquering space as he went about the task of living. He cast a long shadow. And, he will be missed. Ron Hogeland Florence To all our good friends of Florence, We would like to thank you for sharing the cel- ebration of life for our loving son, Shawn. Your hugs and prayers have filled our hearts and we felt the love from all of you. He loved his family, his town and his job and showed it every day of his life. Thanks again for being there for him and all of the family and friends. Karen and Bob Morgan-Loren Florence Support Woodbury for judge Traffic violations, domestic disputes, petty thefts, arson and charges of drug-related crimes — these are just a few of the many cases that come through the doors of the Florence Justice Court. And, although its judge has jurisdiction over all of Lane County, our Florence Justice Court is some- what unique in that the majority of its cases involve issues and residents of our local commu- nity. It is a “people’s court.” A justice court judge in a small, rural coastal town plays much the same role as an old-fashioned country doctor: They serve the very folks they live and work with, and we count on them to apply the law with a wise and steady hand. Woody Woodbury has been asked by local leaders to serve as our next Florence Justice Court judge. This is by no means the first time he’s been asked to serve the residents of our city. He’s been an active board member of many local organiza- tions, a respected president of our chamber of commerce, an advocate for strong partnerships between city officials and local businesses, and currently serves as a visionary member of the Urban Renewal Committee. He is respected by all who know him as a man of integrity and humility. He is fair and objective, and a seasoned listener. He approaches people and problems with an open mind and a clean slate. And, when he talks, folks pay attention. As a business owner and concerned citizen, Woody understands the challenges of our local economy and the difficulties that many face put- ting food on their table and keeping a roof over their head. As an employer/mentor/father, he understands people and administers both direction and discipline with generous doses of wisdom and discernment. As a former law enforcement officer, he knows that sometimes good folks make bad choices but that justice for all is the law of our land. For these reasons and more, I support Woody Woodbury’s candidacy for judge of the Florence Justice Court in Lane County and ask that you join me in electing one of our own to the people’s court. Cindy Wobbe Florence Reader’s Choice omission We’re fortunate to have a tax preparation/ book- keeping expert who calls Florence home. That would be Barbara Martin, my tax preparer for almost a decade. After being recognized with the Reader’s Choice Award several years running, her business category wasn’t included in the list of “Professionals” on last year’s ballot, and I was dis- appointed to see the same omission this year. If we’re shining the spotlight on the best our community offers, and if the survey results are meant to be a legitimate tool for those seeking service providers, I know I speak for a legion of devoted clients when I say Barbara very much deserves to be recognized and applauded in the “Taxes and Bookkeeping” category. Allie LeCaux Florence L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY Valuing all opinions To newcomer Elizabeth Burletson and her letter to the editor (“Stones From Glass Houses,” March 9): I will have to say, you delivered some mean- spirited remarks yourself, so you should watch that glass house of yours, too. If you continue to be an outsider in a welcom- ing community like Florence, it is by choice. We value all opinions, following an old saying, “When everyone thinks alike, no one thinks very much.” As for being scared, not to worry. Most of us Florence progressives are people-loving, animal- loving, environment-loving pacifists. So welcome. I promise, you are not the only Republican in Florence. I moved here from Texas — try being an outsider there! Judy Kinsman Florence The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affecting the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are pre- ferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as well as poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com Finding a viable candidate I am really surprised the GOP could not find a viable candidate to run for President. Donald Trump is bombastic, an egotist, creates false per- ceptions and lies about everything when confront- ed. What he does best is to cajole the uneducated to buy into his fantasy. Pushing aside all the other 10 or so wannabes, we have Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, two young upstarts with little Washington experience, more than Trump, and trying to define their agenda and find their voice. What I think it will come down to is that one of these upstarts will challenge Trump and defeat him. The problem is that they will have no ability to defeat Hillary. She has so many good options for the VP position — Gavin Newsom, Kasim Reed, Martin O’Malley or perhaps a lady VP like Kirsten Gillibrand. It will be an interesting number of months ahead for us. Obama will select the next Supreme Court Justice and it will be confirmed after a hasty fight. The GOP needs to get a handle on things and decide if they want to have a separation of states or actually want to work to make this country stronger and what it should be. Win Jolley Florence Wall or bridge? According to Trump, all he has to do to bring a bored audience to a fever pitch is say, “The wall! We gotta build it.” They go crazy. He’s right about that. Whenever he says it, I go crazy. According to engineers, whatever the design, it would take vast amounts of concrete and steel, tens of thousands of workers and many billions of dol- lars. If the purpose is to prevent illegal immigra- tion, a practical solution is a trivial-cost federal program called E-Verify. It’s free and proven. Employers sign up for it online with the Social Security Administration. When a worker applies and gives a Social Security number, the employer emails it to the feds. Within seconds, they get a response: either “yes, legitimate,” or “no, not legitimate.” It’s that simple. No employability, and no attraction to immigrate illegally. The problem is that it’s volun- tary. Sen. Marco Rubio mentioned making E-Verify mandatory during the first Republican debate. No one seemed to notice — not the media, not the public and not even the opposition. Uniquely and obliquely, the best solution may have come from the Holy Father, Pope Francis. He said that we should build bridges between our- selves, not walls. He was talking about bridges of friendships, but maybe it could also mean physical bridges and physical walls. All that concrete. All that steel. All those man-hours. Forget the hateful and ridiculous Trump wall. Build and repair American bridges. Hire American workers. Also hire legal immigrant workers, which would help many of them build up a stake in the community. They are our neighbors and friends. What, really, have we ever done for them? Ron Bruton Florence USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2016 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us