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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM | SIUSLAWNEWS | WEDNESDAY EDITION | OCTOBER 24, 2018 | $1.00 @ SIUSLAWNEWS Good Life Boomer & Senior Expo Program Mapleton tries to break through SPORTS — B 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 85 INSIDE — A3 FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 The politicization of Florence’s city council election: Part I ‘Chaos’ in the community By Jared Anderson & Ned Hickson Sieslaw News “I have a brief statement as may- or,” City of Florence Mayor Joe Henry said on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in an interview with the Siuslaw News. “The city currently has no official position on this matter. Up until this point, despite some very differ- ent views and backgrounds, we’ve managed to work as a team to make Florence a ‘City in Motion,’ and we’ve accomplished that mainly through the efforts of our city staff and team- work. … I’m afraid that these recent incidents will have a dramatic impact on our ability to continue to function as a team.” The mayor was speaking about the recent incident involving two sitting city councilors, Joshua Greene and Susy Lacer, who spoke to current council candidate Geraldine Lucio about her readiness to run. Their actions have turned into a heated ex- change between the mayor and the councilors over what is considered appropriate conduct, with Henry Nov. 6 General Election Measure 104 expands ‘raising revenue’ definition calling Greene and Lacer’s actions “inappropriate” and “morally unethi- cal” during personal comments about the matter. “As I have said many times before, one of the reasons for our success is that I have managed to direct the af- fairs of the city in a non-partisan way to keep political agendas, including my own, out of the mix. I’m afraid the recent actions by members of the city council will have a lasting effect on that relationship. From an official standpoint, that’s all I can say,” Henry concluded. Henry was speaking on events sur- rounding the City of Florence elec- tion campaign, which finds three candidates running for two seats in the Nov. 6 General Election. Woody Woodbury is defending his seat, while Lucio and Miltenberger are vy- ing for a position left vacant by Lacer, who is retiring from her position af- ter one term. Despite Henry’s official stand on rallying against partisanship in the election, the Siuslaw News has dis- covered a host of ethical questions that have come to light regarding the WONDROUS BRAS Soroptimist International of Florence’s third annual Bras for a Cause Fundraiser highlights area artistry By Damien Sherwood Sieslaw News INSIDE Oregon Measure 104 — Amends Constitu- tion: Expands (beyond taxes) application of re- quirement that three-fifths legislative majority approve bills raising revenue. Oregon voters will decide this November if the state’s supermajority rule for raising revenue needs to be more broadly defined. If passed, Measure 104 will amend Section 25 of Article IV of the Oregon Constitution to ex- pand the definition of “bills for raising revenue” to include tax or fee increases and any changes to tax exemptions, credits or deductions which result in increased revenue. As it stands, this provision in the state’s consti- tution already requires a three-fifths vote from both legislative chambers to raise revenue, but it has been interpreted by Oregon courts to be re- stricted to new levies and tax increases that bring money into the state treasury. Proponents of the measure believe this interpretation has opened the door to a range of so-called “loopholes” which allow legislators to skirt the Constitution with a simple majority vote. Oregon has required a three-fifths superma- jority to raise revenue since 1996 when Measure 25 passed with 54.69 percent approval. In 2015, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in the case of City of Seattle v. Department of Reve- nue that reforming or repealing tax expenditures — deductions, credits, subtractions and exemp- tions — requires only a simple majority vote, changing the playing field for where sources of revenue come from. One of those sources has been cutting tax breaks. Oregon has around 350 state tax breaks for items like business expenses and interest on mortgages. Eliminating these brings in more money for the government without technically raising taxes. Because Democrats are currently one seat shy of a supermajority in each house, these revenue sources have been an appealing target. See MEASURE 104 page 6A Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . B6 A3 B5 A5 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 COURTESY PHOTOS T alented people across the Siuslaw region dressed up 11 bras for Soroptimist International of Florence’s third annual Bras for a Cause Fundraiser, held Oct. 20 at the Florence Events Center. The completed masterpiec- es — with themes ranging from Wonder Woman to “Nightmare Before Christmas,” as well as patri- otic, whimsical and west- ern — were then auc- tioned off. Proceeds from Bras for a Cause go to support scholarships for girls and women in the Siuslaw region. Every year, Soroptimist International distributes more than $2 million in education grants to about 1,500 women all over the world. The dead- line for the “Live Your Dream” Award is Nov. 15. THIS WEEK ’ S TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 57 49 59 53 59 52 64 52 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 local election. Among them: The use of out-of-town campaign managers, alleged coordination between candi- dates to swing the election and rising tensions within the current city coun- cil. As a result, what has been histori- cally been a non-partisan race for city council has become anything but. “People have long memories,” Hen- ry said of the two councilors’ actions. “I think it would be a shame if some- one dropped out of the campaign be- cause of this.” See POLITICS page 8A Nov. 6 General Election Measure 105 seeks to overturn ‘Sanctuary State’ law in place for 30 years Oregon Measure 105 — Repeals law limiting use of state/local law enforcement resources to enforce federal immigration laws. One of the most discussed measures on the Nov. 6 ballot is Measure 105, which would re- By Mark Brennan peal Oregon Revised Statute 181a.820, known Sieslaw News as the “Sanctuary State” law, which was passed in 1987. The intent of the original legislation was to address racial profiling of people of color by local, state and federal authorities. The law significantly constrained the methods and re- sources that law enforcement could use to de- termine an immigrant’s residency status. Measure 105 would allow authorities to use all methods at their disposal to detect, pursue and prosecute all illegal immigrants in the state. Measure 105 was placed on the ballot af- ter three Republican members of the Oregon House of Representatives, Sal Esquivel, Mike Nearman and Greg Barretto, filed the proposal with the Secretary of State’s office in April 2017. “It’s time that Oregon complies with federal law, like it should have in the first place,” Es- quivel said when introducing the measure. “If you want to become an American, become an American. If you want to come here for eco- nomic advantages and do it illegally, then I don’t think you should belong here.” Measure 105 would allow any law enforce- ment agency to use agency funds, personnel and equipment to detect and apprehend people whose only violation of the law is a violation of federal immigration law. Jim Ludwick, communications director for Oregonians for Immigration Reform, one of the main financial supporters of 105 said, “We’re seeing right now this big hubbub about the See MEASURE 105 page 6A S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2018