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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2020)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | OCTOBER 21, 2020 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR | 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respect- ing an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Govern- ment for a redress of grievances. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800) USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2020 © Siuslaw News Siuslaw News 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. Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Cathy Dietz Ron Annis For advertising: ext. 318 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor For classified: ext. 320 DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Dis- play classified ads, Friday noon. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to pub- lication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $79; 6-month in-county, $56; 10-week subscription, $25; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $102; 6-month out- of-county, $69; 10-week subscription, $35; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $134; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com LETTERS Perkins will preserve our freedoms, republic I recently had the opportunity to listen to Jo Rae Perkins give her vi- sion for the State of Oregon and was very impressed with her knowledge and drive to make things better in this state (She is running against incumbant Jeff Merkley). I have been very disturbed of late listening to Mr. Merkley regarding his thoughts on defunding police and supporting the siege that has been going on in Portland for more than three months. It is surely time for a change. Some of the key issues that Jo Rae talked about were: 1) Law and Order: They are es- sential for living a safe and prom- ising future; anarchy should never be tolerated. 2) Medical-health freedom: She supports the right to decide what type of healthcare is best for you and your family. 3) Land: Better management of rangelands, forests and parks. 4) Natural resources: Those clos- est to the land know how to proper- ly care for these resources. Proper utilization will create opportunities for employment. 5) Term limits: Limiting mem- bers of Congress to a combined to- tal of 12 years. 6) She supports the Second Amendment. 7) Foreign policy: Stand by our allies, including Israel. 8) Immigration: We must protect our borders, enforce immigration laws, end sanctuary states and cit- ies, and finish the wall that will stop human, drug and sex trafficking. 8) National defense: A strong de- fense is the best offense. 9) Veterans: Our veterans de- serve the best medical care from the provider of their choosing, with service-related care covered. Our country is the country of freedom, life, liberty and the pur- suit of happiness. I will be voting for her to preserve our Republic. —Linda Payton Florence Kindness of a stranger Many thanks to the honest and wonderful individual who took the money I left in the ATM to the police department along with my receipt. If everyone was as caring and thoughtful, we would have a much better world. —Lori Straley Florence Against Oceana Drive annexation Citizens of Florence should be aware of another attempt to annex a county road for what appears to be the benefit of a wealthy devel- oper. A similar situation occured a few years ago when the city an- nexed Rhododendron Drive. This time, the city is being asked to annex Oceana Drive from Rho- dodendron Drive to the property of a developer. If this is accomplished, the developer will add a significant number of homes to an already overtaxed sewage system and re- quire maintenance to a road now maintained by the county. Should the annexation occur, people living on Oceana Drve will be affected in a number of adverse ways. I feel this policy of using annex- ation of a road to connect with “islands” of land farther out in the county should be of concern to city residents as much as those living outside city limits. Annexing a road to get to a re- mote island of land is an extreme way for any city to expand. It defies common sense and, in my mind, raises questions as to how develop- ers and special interests manage to get city approval for such projects. —Joe Decker Oceana Drive Renewing subscription but not completely happy We are renewing our subscrip- tion to the Siuslaw News but I am not happy with its Investigative Se- ries. Many of us in Florence and sur- rounding community subscribe to the paper for local news and “go- ings on” not editorial ramblings. I am not at all happy with its nega- tive articles about the mayor, city council and others. What happened to the police reports and other items that used to be included? And while I am expressing my unhappiness with the paper presently, I might add I don’t care for the thinness (quality) of the paper material being used as of late. I do appreciate, however, the coverage given to military veterans and local organizations. —Barbara Cavarno Florence Fresh voices needed on city council I would like to thank all of those at the Siuslaw News who were in- volved in writing the recent inves- tigative series about what has been going on in our local politics. Since the articles angered those on the left and those on the right, I’d say it must be a pretty fair ac- count. That being said, at this point I re- ally don’t care about who said what or who started it. What I do care about is that, over the years, I have seen an increase in divisiveness, political maneuvering and in-fight- ing in our local government similar to what is seen at the federal level. Councilors Joshua Greene and Ron Preisler will not be on the bal- lot this time but Joe Henry will be. I think six years of Mayor Hen- ry is enough, especially since — by his own admission — he intends to govern in the same way that he has in the past. No thank you sir. I do not care to see more discord and stonewalling. It’s time for a change. I want some new, fresh voices in our local government, and I feel Maggie Bagon, Sally Wantz and Jo Beaudreau are all excellent choices. —Kim Shields Florence A vote for Boomer is vote for law enforcement I am the dad of a police officer daughter and I strongly stand by our law enforcement officers. I am supporting Boomer Wright for State Representative for many reasons — but especially because of his support of law enforcement. I grew up here, knowing and loving Boomer in his work in ad- ministration in our schools. He is a very special leader and positive problem solver. Now, more than ever, we need someone with his life experience, communication skills and integrity working for us in the legislature. And we especially need someone who supports and understands the importance of law and order. He would never vote to defund the police —and that makes me feel safer for my daughter, all police of- ficers and my community. Boomer’s website shows that he has the endorsement of Oregon Coalition of Police and Sheriffs (ORCOPS) and also the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and the Oregon Sheriff ’s Association. That says a lot. They must think he is the best for keeping us safe as well. Please remember to vote this election in support of people who support law enforcement and especially for Boomer Wright. —Rich DeSantis Florence Cal and Boomer Cal Mukamuto understands forestry as an insider with over 30 years of experience in the timber industry. He wants to keep the for- est products businesses of Oregon running using stewardship and ho- listic approaches that encompass fish, wildlife, tourism and the sci- ence of ecosystems. He has proven experience help- ing businesses overcome challeng- es, including tribal enterprises. He notes in the Siuslaw News Voters Guide 2020 that improving the economy, tackling public health issues and developing strategies for supporting young people in voca- tional success will take leadership and the ability to work with others who hold diverse positions and be- liefs. Boomer’s remarks in the Voters Guide are lacking specific examples of how he would help businesses reopen or school resume. He says he wants what’s best for students, but also does not want taxes, which can pay for educational programs and teacher salaries. Especially concerning is that Boomer is sup- ported by Timber Unity, a spe- cial interest group that advocates leaving the legislature instead of hammering out tough legislation through negotiation and dialogue. Boomer was a coach, teacher, and principal, and Cal did none of those — yet Cal is endorsed by the Oregon Education Association and Boomer is not. —Ivy Medow Florence Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 87439 Office Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. to noon Letters to the Editor policy The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to in- clude full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publica- tion of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are un- sourced or documented will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside the Siu- slaw News readership area will only be published at the discretion of the editor. Political/Election Letters: Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) En- sure any information about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hear- say; and 3) Explain the reasons to support candi- dates based on personal experience and perspective rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhet- oric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and plat- forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid politi- cal advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to re- ject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Email letters to: nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com WHERE TO WRITE Pres. Donald Trump 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 Oregon Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, Ore. 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 U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 www.merkley.senate.gov U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416 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 FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@ oregonlegislature.gov State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown @oregonlegislature.gov 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
