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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2018)
SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 | 9A CANDIDATES from page 1A Oregon House of Repre- sentatives in Salem, including serving on the Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee, the Economic Development and Trade Committee and as Chair of the Joint Commission on Transportation. McKeown then opened the meeting to questions from the crowd. While some of the que- ries questioned decisions made by the current administration, most revolved around the fund- ing levels for education and the possible need for a state-wide sales tax. McKeown cited some of the state’s history surrounding ear- lier attempts at passing a sales tax and asked for a show of hands of those in attendance who would support a sales tax. Though she seemed somewhat surprised when most of the hands in the room were raised, McKeown appeared resigned to the difficulties of passing a state sales tax. “We’ve had a sales tax on the ballot at least nine times, may- be more, and it has always gone DENTURE SERVICES INC. 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While the congressman was direct in his criticism of Presi- dent Trump and the adminis- tration’s policies, changes and cuts during its first two years in office, DeFazio was primarily focused on the work within his district. “The greatest accomplish- ment of this partisan Republi- can Congress is the passage of the massive tax cut bill. Seven- ty-three percent of the benefits flow to corporations … and six percent of Americans have got- ten a raise or a bonus due to the tax cut,” DeFazio said. “The six largest banks in America, al- ready profitable, will get a $20 billion tax break this year. This means we will borrow $20 bil- lion and add it to the national debt and give to the six largest banks in the country.” DeFazio then pointed to the ongoing needs of towns along the Oregon coast, mentioning continued efforts to provide the funding needed to maintain and improve the conditions of Oregon’s small ports and, in particular, the Siuslaw Estuary. “Small ports are the lifeblood of many small communities on the Oregon coast, and the Corps (Army Corps of Engi- neers) has a budget that is not adequate,” DeFazio said. “They have huge needs on the Colum- bia, and elsewhere, and they tend to ignore the small ports … But I was able to get 10 per- cent set aside to dredge small ports and we are still benefit- ting from that.” The question of cutting fund- ing for social programs like Medicare and Social Security was raised and DeFazio again turned to the problems created by recent tax cuts. He reiterat- ed his belief that the cuts are a major problem that will become more serious over time. “We are projected to have a trillion-dollar deficits next year. A couple of hundred mil- lion of that is due to the tax bill, and that is a real concern. You can’t borrow a trillion dollars a year in peace time and make it work,” DeFazio said. “This means the debt will equal all of our other economic activity … and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has said this will undoubt- edly lead to cuts in social Secu- rity and Medicare.” One question from the au- dience moved away from eco- nomics when someone who identified himself as a local veteran asked DeFazio about the death of longtime sena- tor and former prison of war (POW) John McCain, wanting to know the Congressman’s response to the way McCain’s passing had been handled by the president. “John and I served togeth- er while he was on the senate side for many years. Mostly we worked together on Coast Guard issues, as we shared ju- risdiction there and also things that related to commercial avi- ation,” DeFazio explained. “He was a patriot that served his country both in uniform and in the senate for many years, he suffered horribly as a POW in Vietnam and, while we had our political differences, I think we had a mutual respect for each other. I honor his life and pass- ing.” When asked if he had an opinion on the manner in which President Trump han- dled the death of McCain, De- Fazio paused for a moment, obviously choosing his words carefully before answering, “The president showed himself to be very small.” Both DeFazio and McKeown will be on the ballot on the Nov. 7 General Election. also looking to support local schools, this time with a Safe The City of Florence is Routes to School Infrastruc- ture Competitive Grant Pro- gram. At a meeting on Aug. 20, Florence City Council directed staff to submit a letter of intent about participating in the FY 2019-20 grant cycle. This project looks to com- plete sidewalks on 26th and 27th streets between Highway 101 and Oak Street to help stu- dents walk or bike to school, as well as potentially adding a Rectangular Rapid Flash Bea- con near the schools on High- way 101. If the letter of intent is ap- proved, the city will submit a formal grant proposal in Oc- tober. Also in October, the Siuslaw School Board plans to host fa- cilities open houses to encour- age community members to come in and see for themselves the state of the buildings. “A lot of the folks I know who are chamber members went to school at Siuslaw 15, 20, 30 years ago, and they don’t know the current condi- tions,” Pierson said. “Over the years, the district has cobbled together classroom spaces in places never intended as class- rooms. There is inadequate ventilation, there is no exterior lighting and there are a lot of interesting things to see.” Erickson also encouraged people to talk to current and recently graduated Siuslaw students to get their opinion about the facilities. “It is very interesting to see how they take it,” she said. “They are very bright, they understand and they will ful- ly tell you of the issues with the school. They don’t have any reason to hold back, since they are the ones who use the school on a daily basis. It is a big eye opener to hear what they say.” People who wish to know more should visit the Siuslaw School District website, attend or request a presentation at a community meeting or take the survey at www.survey- monkey.com/r/bap2. “We just want to get the in- formation out there,” Erickson said. “We won’t tell people how they should or should not vote. It’s their decision. 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