4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| APRIL 24, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
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LETTERS
Miltenberger for
school board
I will be voting for Maureen
Miltenberger for Siuslaw School
Board Position 4.
Maureen and I met in 2018,
shortly after I retired from a career
in various marketing/sales admin-
istrative positions. I moved in with
family and love it here in Florence.
I am an aunt to two nephews
who graduated from Siuslaw High
School. It is important to me that
Maureen will bring a variety of
administrative experience to our
school board as I know how im-
portant that is. It is also important
to have someone on the board who
has spent time in the classroom.
Maureen began teaching in
Yachats in 1970 after graduating
from Oregon State University
with a BA in Elementary Teach-
ing. She spent several years sub-
stitute teaching and tutoring in a
variety of school districts, most
recently for Siuslaw schools.
As an administrator, Maureen
was executive director of a Com-
munity Action Agency in Idaho
that oversaw Head Start, food
banks and other assistance pro-
grams.
As a board member, I know
Maureen will work hard with oth-
er board members to see that each
student in the district receives a
well-rounded, science-based edu-
cation regardless of their cultural
or economic background or learn-
ing capabilities.
She will also use her educational
and administrative knowledge of
working with people of all back-
grounds in an effort to meet and
achieve the goals outlined in the
Superintendent Goals — 2020-23.
I am voting for Maureen to the
school board for the children and
their future.
—Sheila Evans
Florence
Letters to the Editor policy
Supporting Martindale
for school board
It is an honor to write this letter
of support for Larry Martindale,
who is a valued friend and col-
league.
I have had the pleasure of
working with Larry when he was
the principal of Siuslaw Mid-
dle School. He always placed the
students first and foremost and
made sure his staff had the nec-
essary tools to do what was in the
best interests of the students.
I know him as being: truthful,
honest, straight forward, hard
working, dedicated, passionate,
knowledgeable, intelligent — and
all accomplished with integrity.
Larry Martindale will make and
excellent school board member
for the Siuslaw School District.
—Boomer Wright
Reedsport
Reflections on the City’s new workplan
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub-
missions on this and other topics are
always welcome as part of our goal to
encourage community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
I read with interest the City Work-
plan for the next two years adopted
by the Florence City Council at its
April 19 meeting. My prime interest
was in finding reference to a sub-
committee for the Environmental
Management Advisory Committee
(EMAC) dedicated to the climate,
one that I and many other environ-
mental activists both on and off the
EMAC requested.
I did not find one.
I then looked for an a community
based commission dedicated to cre-
ating a comprehensive climate ac-
tion plan, one that I and 384 people
including Florence residents, area
residents and visitors to Florence re-
quested on a petition.
I did not find one.
It’s an understatement to say that
I’m very disappointed, but not dis-
heartened. I did see a glimmer of
hope with two items in the work
plan that followed our requests for
climate solutions.
One is an objective under Sustain-
ability & Conservation (page 33):
“Research opportunities and an-
alyze financial feasibility to capture
and utilize methane at the Wastewa-
ter Treatment Plant.”
This objective is assigned to the
EMAC’s Bio-Solids subcommittee.
Our original recommendation was
that this initiative be assigned to a
separate Sustainability Subcommit-
tee since methane is one of the worst
greenhouse gas emissions and needs
a focused attention. I hope you take
that under consideration.
Another positive climate related
initiative is found under City Facil-
ities (page 29). It is a task for City
Hall updates:
“Pursue opportunities to support
public electric vehicle charging op-
tions.”
Guest Viewpoint
By Michael Allen
Florence Climate Emergency Campaign
Founder
This task is one that is assigned to
Public Works under Director Mike
Miller, along with other climate re-
lated initiatives that have already
been completed such as solar/wind
powered lighting.
I believe this task is a great first
step in demonstrating a commit-
ment to support the ever increas-
ing use of electric vehicles. I urge
the City of Florence to consider
our original request to expand the
installation of public charging sta-
tions, particularly along the Coastal
Highway. Again, we recommend a
separate Sustainability Committee
be created with a focus on looking
for funds that will become available
to support a much needed EV infra-
structure.
These two new climate initiatives
join several others already promot-
ed by EMAC that include Tree City,
bio-solids and composting. Each of
them contributes to mitigating or
reducing green house gas emissions.
What puzzles me is why the lead-
ers of our city government and our
“environment” committee refuse to
acknowledge that they are support-
ing actions that address our climate
Office Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to noon
emergency.
One disappointment was found
in Community Outreach & Com-
munications. I saw no objectives
that came close to what we proposed
regarding the involvement of com-
munity members in a Sustainability
Committee. A suggestion would be
to include well thought out climate
questions in the work plan objective
for “a community attitudes survey.”
A head in the sand attitude by
city leaders rose to another lev-
el when several EMAC members
obstructed an attempt by their fel-
low committee members to move
forward. Their failure to attend
the special session on climate was
strongly condemned by Councilor
Sally Wantz. She also reported that
the vice chair and one other EMAC
member asked that the committee
be dissolved.
None of these actions were con-
demned by Mayor Henry or other
councilors. Instead, he suggested it
was okay since their lack of interest
and attendance reflected the earlier
deliberations of the committee. He
forgot this is a new committee with
a new perspective.
This outrageous behavior did not
go unnoticed by the community
on social media, nor did it go un-
reported in local media including
Siuslaw News, KCST Coast Radio
and our community radio station
KXCR.
Most recently, the Register-Guard
sent a photographer from Eugene to
cover our 83rd Climate Strike held
last Friday, which drew 20 strikers.
Attention to Florence’s reluctance
to acknowledge and act on the cli-
mate emergency is gaining atten-
tion well beyond our boundary.
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor
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Email letters to:
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WHERE TO WRITE
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Rep.
Boomer Wright (Dist. 9)
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Salem, OR 97301
Message Line:
503-986-1409
503-378-4582
Email: Rep.BoomerWright@
www.oregon.gov/gov
oregonlegislature.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
Lane County Dist. 1
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750
Florence City Council
www.merkley.senate.gov
& Mayor Joe Henry
Florence City Hall, 250
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Highway 101, Florence, 97439
(4th Dist.)
541-997-3437
2134 Rayburn HOB
ci.florence.or.us
Washington, DC 20515
Email comments to Florence
202-225-6416
City Recorder Kelli Weese at
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 kelli.weese@ci.florence.or.us
www.defazio.house.gov