4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| NOVEMBER 27, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR
Opinion
|
CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion or prohibit-
ing the free exercise thereof; or abridg-
ing the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peace-
ably to assemble, and to petition the
Government 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)
Not Going Silent Into That Good Night
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis-
sions on this and other topics are al-
ways welcome as part of our goal to
encourage community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
to the Mapleton pool to keep it run-
ning. I also donated time to the Siu-
slaw River Swim Team. It was a sheer
joy, watching kids overcome fears and
grow self-confident through swim-
ming in competition. This was a great
First of all, I would like to give a lit- asset for the Siuslaw Valley.
tle background of who I am, as some
I also coached basketball, donated
new residents of Mapleton many
not know and some of the others
may have forgotten. I am a third
By Terry W. Saubert
generation Mapleton resident and
Former superintendent of
a fourth generation Siuslaw Valley
resident.
Mapleton Water District
I was superintendent of the Ma-
pleton Water District (MWD) from to the shop program and chaperoned
1996 to 2021 and worked for the dis- field trips. In addition, I was a volun-
trict for more than 28 years. In my teer firefighter for 25+ years and was
time at the MWD, I put in about 9,000 on the Mapleton Fire District Board
feet of new water mains, mostly up- of Directors, and was the chairman
grading and replacing old lines. This for two years.
was done primarily by myself and one
In the last two years I worked for
other individual.
the MWD, I was on call 24/7 and had
When I first started running the no time off other than two days in the
MWD, the board chairman at that hospital for an infection and a half-
time had acquired a $750,000 grant, day visit with four broken ribs. I still
which was instrumental in putting in kept working through all of it, as there
a new 300,000 gallon storage reser- was no one else to do the job.
voir, new main line and branch lines
When I finely retired in March
up Chestnut Street, new pumps in the 2021, I was physically and mentally
booster station, a hydro pneumatic burnt out. I still have not recovered
station, two bridge crossings and 10 completely.
new fire hydrants.
When I left the district, it had about
Later in my career, I personally $200,000 in the bank, a $1.4 million
acquired a $750,000 grant to put in grant/loan, and a new temporary
a new water treatment plant. This treatment plant that was more than
plant had a multitude of issues and adequate to provide the Mapleton
ultimately failed. However, MWD ac- community with clean safe drink-
quired a $1.4 million part grant, part ing water. I and one other individual
loan to put in a new filtration system. installed it, saving the district about
In my adult life, I have always giv- $40,000 on the install. At that time,
en what I could for the betterment of engineering had been started on the
the community. I donated labor and new treatment plant.
enough money to have the “Saubert”
I have always tried to give people
name put on a lane at the Mapleton space and time to do the right thing. I
School District Track.
have kept quiet long enough.
I created a scholarship fund for
Quite frankly, I’m tired of get-
graduating seniors. I donated time ting blamed for other people’s short
Guest Viewpoint
comings. It’s easy to sit back in one’s
armchair and pass judgment, slinging
your own specific brand of mud. It’s
quite another to do the research and
get the facts. Perhaps all that mud
slinging is why MWD’s water plant
plugged up.
To get to the point, it is not my
fault if someone can’t maintain the
headworks diversion pond to keep
the mud out, periodically clean
leaves off the intake screen or even,
at the very least, push the off but-
ton on the treatment skid when the
sky has opened up and buckets of
rain are coming down.
I retired eight months ago.
I would have gladly helped the
MWD through the transition of my
retirement. I even put it down in writ-
ing.
What I received for the last two
years of 24/7 work and my 28+ years
of service was a cease and desist order
from the MWD Board of Directors.
Perhaps the media needs to ask the
right questions of the new MWD su-
perintendent/board vice chairman.
Maybe things like
1. How were you chosen to be su-
perintendent?
2. What are your Qualifications?
3. Have you had previous experi-
ence running a water district?
4. Do you have state certification to
run the water plant and distribution
system?
5. Is the district paying both you
and another firm to run the system?
And just things like who is the su-
perintendent’s boss? Don’t you feel its
a conflict to be on the board of direc-
tors and to hold a paid position for
the district?
In closing, if anyone needs proof of
any my statements I will gladly pro-
vide it. I hope this will clear up some
people’s questions.
LETTERS
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis-
sions on these and other topics are al-
ways welcome as part of our goal to
encourage community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
Doing Our Part
Once again, the pounding was an
awesome experience. What a wonder-
ful community wide “day of volunteer-
ing” that Cindy Wobbe puts together.
The quality and quantity of volunteers
helping her was so awe-inspiring and
it just made a person want to do more,
more and more to help our communi-
ty and show humanity to each other.
Thank you, Cindy.
I was so pleased to donate 315
pounds of food to help our needed
brothers and sisters. I left the pound-
ing on a high and headed to Highway
126 to give a few hours of my time to
help Raymond Furr and Leaven No
Trace in picking up the used diapers,
plastic cups, straws, food wrappers,
unknown foam, thousands of cigarette
butts, face masks and old tires that
were strewn across the highway and
down into the beautiful river, where
they could end up on our not so pris-
tine beaches.
The disparity between the two vol-
unteer groups was astounding. Where
Cindy had dozens of active volunteers,
Raymond had three — myself and my
two daughters.
Cindy’s group of volunteers were
hi-fiving each other and encouraging
each other to work harder and fast-
er and smarter. Raymond’s group, as
small as we were, also were encour-
aging each other in picking up that
dirty diaper, or to fill another bag to
the brim.
I have to say it was one of the more
disgusting mornings I’ve spent in a
very long time.
It all came to an abrupt halt when
the police showed up and arrested
Raymond for picking up trash within
the city limits.
I have no words in my vocabulary to
express my utter and complete dismay
at the short-sidedness of the City of
Florence for imposing the restriction
on Raymond to not pick up any trash
USPS# 497-660
Copyright 2021 © 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.
Siuslaw News Front Office
For Advertising: ext. 318
For Obituaries: ext. 320
Jenna Bartlett
Chantelle Meyer
Misty Berg
Jeanna Petersen
Mark Brennan
Zac Burtt
541-997-3441
For Classifieds: ext. 320
For Faxes: 541-997-7979
Publisher, ext. 318
Editor, ext. 314
Office Manager, ext. 320
Advertising, ext. 325
Lead Reporter, ext. 317
Sports Reporter, ext. 324
DEADLINES:
Wednesday Issue—General news releases, Monday noon; Classified line
ads, Monday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Friday noon.
Saturday Issue—General news releases, Thursday noon; Classified line ads,
Thursday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Wednesday 5 p.m.
NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
In Lane County — 1-year, $84; 6-month , $61; 3-month subscription,
$37.50; Out of Lane County — 1-year, $107; 6-month, $74; -month subscrip-
tion, $50; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year, $65; 6-month, $35;
3-month, $15. Ask about our senior discounts.
Mail subscription includes E-Edition.
Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com
Submit press releases to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com.
Siuslaw News
Office:
148 Maple St./PO Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
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 and
Guest Viewpoints as part of a community discussion of
issues on the local, state and national level. Letters are
subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Pub-
lication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on
space available and the volume of letters received.
Email letters to cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com
To be considered for publication:
Letters must address pertinent or timely issues of in-
terest to our readers at-large. In addition:
• Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Siuslaw
News cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made
in letters. Authors should ensure any information is ac-
curate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or
hearsay, and include sources where possible.
• Letters have a suggested 300-word limit and may be
edited for grammar and clarity.
• Authors must sign their full name and include their
street address (only city will be printed), as well as a day-
time phone number and/or email address for verifica-
tion. The person who signs the letter must be the actual
author. Siuslaw News does not accept anonymous Letters
to the Editor.
• Siuslaw News will not print form letters, libelous let-
ters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry,
open letters, letters espousing religious views without
reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor
taste. Letters also may not be part of letter-writing cam-
paigns.
• Writers are limited to one published letter every two
weeks.
To submit to the Siuslaw News:
Emailed submissions are preferred. All letters need
to include full name, address and phone number; only
name and city will be printed. Handwritten or typed let-
ters must be signed.
The newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish-
er and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that
doesn’t follow the above criteria.
within the city limits. The man’s only
goal is to keep Florence looking clean
for our community, the wildlife and
the tourist that flock here.
I am so confused at what the real is-
sue is here. Why in the world would
it take two separate city police cars
and officers to arrest Raymond? What
does the city have to gain by forbid-
ding Raymond to clean up OUR mess-
es?
I am so disappointed in the commu-
nity as a whole for not supporting the
clean-up effort. I can’t help but think
how different the city would look if
someone like Cindy Wobbe were to
get behind this cause. But she is only
one woman, remarkable as she is, she
can’t take on all of Florence’s causes. It
takes a whole village. Are you doing
your part?
— Margaret J. Free
Florence
Hope For The Future
We have seen a lot of changes to our
daily lives and in our society over the
last 18 months. Things such as man-
dates, shutdowns, business closures,
church closures, burning and looting
cities, lies and deception from our
current administration, open borders,
defunding police, increase in crime,
attacks on first and second amend-
ments, CRT, Afghanistan debacle
and the propagation of division and
racism from the left. These changes
have caused many folks to become
discouraged and hopeless.
Even though these issues can be
disappointing there is hope for the
Christian/Believer because our time
here on earth is short compared to
eternity. We have read the back of the
book and know how this all turns out.
There are over 3,000 promises in the
Bible that will give us hope. Below are
just a few.
• John 11:25 — Jesus said, “He who
believes in me will live even though
he dies.”
• John 14:2-3 — Jesus said, “In my
Father’s house are many rooms, if it
were not so, I would have told you. I
am going there to prepare a place for
you and if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and take you
to be with me that you also may be
where I am.”
• John 6:40 — Jesus said, “For my
Father’s will is that everyone who
looks to the son (Jesus) and believes
in him shall have eternal life.”
• John 10:27 — Jesus said, “My
sheep listen to my voice, I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eter-
nal life and they shall never perish.”
• 1 John 5:11 — “God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in his son
(Jesus ). He who has the son has life,
he who does not have the son of God
does not have life.”
— Marshall Denton
Florence
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
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-303
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Boomer
Wright (Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE, H-476
Salem, OR 97301
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
PO Box 39000
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Florence, OR 97439
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
Florence City Hall, 250
Highway 101, Florence, 97439
541-997-3437
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
ci.florence.or.us
(4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Dunes City Council
Washington, DC 20515
Dunes City Hall, 82877 Spruce
202-225-6416
St., Westlake, OR 97493
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732
541-997-3338
dunescityhall.com
www.defazio.house.gov