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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2017)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2017 Forum from 7A afterward, where community members spoke for and against Langborg’s eventual reinstate- ment. “There are things the chief has done that I think are good things. Somehow it’s been painted as me being ‘anti chief,’ and I think some of that comes from the meeting,” Hickson said. At the time, he was president of the Siuslaw Valley Firefighter Association. “On behalf of the volunteers, I said, ‘We need to come together as a department and for the bene- fit of the community and the peo- ple. We need to put aside our dif- ferences and we need to come together for the department and the community,’” he said. Farnsworth was also a mem- ber of the firefighter association at the time, and read a letter in support of Langborg. “I do have confidence in Chief Langborg. I have also met with him in preparing to run for this position. ... He answered a num- ber of our questions and I think he has an open door policy and is willing to answer any questions he is asked. I think he is also willing to accept critique and try to go forward that way,” she said. Green said he did not attend the contentious meeting. “Now, I should say I’m not a chief sympathizer,” he said. “I like Jim Langborg, I think he’s doing a good job, but if I was elected I’m not going to pass on him. ... The board will hold him accountable. As well they will for the operation of the IGA. I Faces from 1A of our immigrant and interna- tional student community at LCC, and we certainly want to support all of our students who feel particularly vulnerable this season,” Pierson said. “We also recognize our role as an educa- tional institution in Florence and western Lane County, and one of the best ways to educate our- selves,maybe especially on diffi- cult and complicated issues, is to listen to one another’s stories.” The State of Oregon and the City of Florence already have in place policies and guidelines for dealing with the situation of undocumented students in the think he’s doing a good job, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to keep our eye on him.” He also said that as as some- one who holds a similar role — that of chief administrative offi- cer — he knows the role of the board to direct the position. Tipler said, “The board sets policy, procedure, a budget and guidelines. This IGA is some- thing that I’m really confused about.” Like the candidates in Western Lane, he had a hard time tracking the numbers that refer to the amount of money the IGA will save. “I still to this day feel he is not a good fit for this community,” Tipler said of the fire chief. “He’s leading us in the wrong direction.” The candidates talked about the “family-hood” felt by mem- bers of the fire department and additional budget topics before wrapping up. P ORT OF S IUSLAW The sixth and final board Sneddon invited was the Port of Siuslaw. “If we’ve had contested races in this community the last few years, it’s been the Port of Siuslaw,” Sneddon said. For Commissioner Position 1, incumbent Terry Duman is run- ning against Shayne Burnem. Both candidates are business owners in the area. For Commissioner Position 3, incumbent Mike Buckwald is running against Frank Eisele. Buckwald, who is a certified public accountant, was absent. For Commissioner Position 5, former commissioner Bill Fleenor, Bill Meyer and David Swinney are running for the posi- tion currently held by Ron Caputo. Sneddon asked the three can- didates for Position 5 to begin. Swinney, who is retired, said, “I chose to run because of my past experience of 35 years living on boats in one harbor or anoth- er, San Francisco Bay and up and down the coast. That gives me a very unique perspective of what’s going on at the port. … I think the port should remain an open space and have public access ... where my grandkids can go down and dip their toes in the water.” Meyer said, “There are towns that are mill towns, there are towns that are textile towns, but Florence is a quality of life town. People move here, stay here, live here because of quality of life. … Florence makes up an important part of this region. … I have an emotional and financial invest- ment in Florence and I want to see the port thrive.” He has a background in con- sulting and systems design and advocated taking a deeper look at the port’s assets to determine next steps. Fleenor said he has served on the boards of Central Lincoln PUD, on Lane County Commission and the Port of Siuslaw. “Each time I believe I deliv- ered transparency, accountability and results. This election is no different. I believe that it’s time that the port engages in some soul searching. We need to figure out what we’re doing, why we are here, and whom we are serv- ing. I think it’s time that we ask those questions and demand some answers. I don’t have all the solutions, but I believe I have the education, experience, wis- dom and knowledge to see the port through this transition,” he said. He handed out a form on the port’s financials and focused most of his discussion on restor- ing the port’s economic base. Eisele, who is a local barber, said the real problem the port has is with communication. He said that he knew of a number of peo- ple who were “trespassed” off port property, even if they were within their public or sacred rights to be there. He said his reason for running “is all river — protecting aborig- inal rights to the river.” Duman was elected four years ago. “I’m a sport and commercial fisherman. I use the port. I’ve lived on the Siuslaw my entire life. I was born on the Siuslaw River. ... I never had any desire to leave. I’ve been accused by my opponents of supporting the fish- ing industry — and I’m guilty of it. I support the fishing industry, whether it be sport, recreational or commercial aspects,” he said. Burnem said he ran against Duman four years ago. “I really like to push the eco- nomic development side, but all the reasons (stated) here are my reasons for running. … I love this port and I love our commu- nity. I want to give back. I want it to be a strong port,” he said. “It’s an economic resource and a tool that can be used. ... We need to get it cleaned out and running well.” Sneddon brought the conver- sation around to current Port local district. The event at LCC seeks to help residents understand the life story of immigrant students liv- ing in Florence, according to Pierson. “We are excited to introduce the community to this vibrant population of international and immigrant students who are a wonderful part of our life togeth- er, who are working hard,” he said. “In some cases to learn English, to take citizenship class- es or to brush up on their educa- tional skills in order to become credit students working toward their Associate of Arts degree.” According to information pro- vided by LCC, there are current- ly about 22 immigrant students currently enrolled in English Language Learner and Citizenship programs on the Florence campus. These students are from Mexico, China and the Phillipines. There are also four or five immigrant students study- ing that are originally from Russia and Mexico. Pierson wants the community to have the opportunity to meet the foreign students and believes they will appreciate the lengths to which his students have gone to study and work here. “They are all working to bet- ter their English language skills in order to improve their oppor- tunities. Some are studying to become U.S. citizens and some are upgrading their skills to take placement tests to enter the col- lege program at LCC,” said Pierson, who points out that there have been a number of stu- dents who have received GED’s here and gone on to college. Nearly all of the students work at various jobs in town, with the exception of a couple who are retired people and stay- at-home moms. For more information on the Faces of Florence event call 541- 997-8444. Manager Steven Leskin and the board’s role in working with the manager and with the public. Most of the candidates agreed that the Port of Siuslaw Board of Commission’s power needs to be redefined using Oregon Revised Statute 777. This would give greater clarity on the order of authority and clear up some of the contention at recent Port meetings. The candidates also discussed finances, port assets and possibil- ities to fill moorage and campsite vacancies before concluding. “The port certainly needs to move forward,” Fleenor said. “I believe that under 777, our pri- mary direction is economic development, job creation. The port can’t be all things to all peo- ple, so we must re-vision and re- determine what the port should be doing. … My point is that the Port of Siuslaw is greater than the sum of its assets. It’s a port authority, and that’s what we need to take advantage of.” At the close of the forum, Sneddon thanked all the candi- dates and the listeners, as well as his Coast Radio producer Michael Simmons. Siuslaw News will have the full video version of the Special Election Candidate Forum Our Town on its website, thesius- lawnews.com. DENTURE SERVICES INC. LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Open 4 days a week! 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Florence Rotary commits to the City of Florence to support improvements to Miller Park with a letter of support for the improvement grant 78. Rotary Club of Florence honors James Sangrey with an Honorary Membership in recognition for his service to the club and community 79. Florence Rotary awards $1000 to local students participating in the 4-Way Speech Contest. For more information Call President, Pat Riley: 541-991-6371 www.thefl orencerotary.org theshedd.org/JazzKings My Lucky Star Saturday , May 20, 2 pm matinee Saturday, Florence Events Center 541.997.1994 Free Jazz tickets for Students program Spruce Point Assisted Living & Memory Care Living, Loving, & Thriving T Series g Caregiver Educational Caring for a a loved loved be very disease overwhelming. Caring for one one with can Alzheimer’s or other memory related be very overwhelming. We’re here to help. We are illnesses here to can help. 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