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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2016)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 27, 2016 4A LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Street bond would add double whammy dollars would have been to apply those funds to repair- ing our streets. Vote ‘no’ on the street bond. Don’t forget this Novem- ber the law enforcement bond is added to your prop- erty tax bill for the first time, and now the city of Dallas is trying to slip in a street bond, which we vote on in May. So if the street bond pass- es, we are looking at very large increases in Novem- ber. Not one, but two tax in- creases for the business and property owners in the city of Dallas. Please vote no on the Dallas street bond. Shirley Mannenbach Dallas Dallas deserves good streets Sandra Mayer Dallas Wheeler and Jones are best choices I have had the honor of working with Beth Jones and Jennifer Wheeler over the last eight months. Our team of veterans and local organizations have worked hard to establish the Battle Buddies and a Veter- an Service Officer for Polk County. Jones and Wheeler work tirelessly to improve our community, and as a state representative in HD 23 and Polk County Commissioner, they will stand in the gap with integrity, courage and passion for all the commu- nity members. We have worked well to- gether to help our Veterans. Please vote for Beth Jones and Jennifer Wheeler. Wayne Crowder Dallas Wheeler’s positive attitude for office Jennifer Wheeler is clearly the best candidate for Polk County Commissioner. She maintains a positive attitude and strong work ethic as she gets in the trenches and works side by side with her constituents. At community events such as Falls City Night Out, Dallas Christmas Cheer, Community Connect, Mad Hatter Run and fundraisers for various nonprofit organ- izations, Jennifer can be seen working alongside other community volun- teers. Jennifer is someone you can trust to get the job done. Please join me in voting for Jennifer Wheeler for Polk County Commissioner. Cynthia Jaramillo Independence Fixing streets essential to Dallas Passing the Dallas street bond is essential for this great community of ours. If streets deteriorate (go to dirt or gravel), then neighborhoods will also de- teriorate, home values will plunge, people will move out, sections of the city will become unsightly, crime will increase. You’ve seen it happen in other cities. The small tax increase, surely a factor to us on fixed incomes, is truly more an investment than an ex- pense. Some say we can’t af- ford to fix the streets, but the fact is, we really cannot afford to lose value in our homes. Gene Henshaw Dallas Nearman clear choice for HD 23 Mike Nearman is a real conservative that does not waiver or compromise on his principles. If we are ever going to re- verse the political and fi- nancial mess in Oregon, we need to elect Constitution- al-minded, pro-life, fiscal conservatives like Mike. Bret McGregor Independence Jones has whole community in mind Beth Jones has definitely got my vote. Over the years Beth has displayed a genuine heart for the wellbeing of others in the community including myself. I believe she is running for all of the right reasons. Her concern and love for others is what drives her to do everything she does. Michaela Peters Dallas Jones has integrity and is honest With the election coming up, I feel that we need to see those running for office as individuals. Ask yourself what will they contribute to our coun- ty, state and nation. It is so vital that those running are doing it because they want to serve, not to be served. Having someone in office that is honest, loyal to our country, and willing to con- tribute to our community and state is important. Beth Jones has shown us that she is hardworking, has integrity, and loves to help and serve the people. Won’t you join me and vote for Beth? Juli Tschiegg Dallas FedEx, UPS don’t care about streets In a recent meeting where elected Dallas city leaders presented the need for the Dallas street im- provement bond, a propo- nent told the audience that UPS and FedEx would re- fuse to make deliveries on streets needing repair. I have personally been in contact with both of these agencies and both said this was untrue. They will only delay de- liveries if personal injury or damage to delivery vehicles was extreme. Potholes in city streets were no prob- lem. Dallas residents need to verify arguments presented by proponents supporting the $10-million street bond on the upcoming ballot. Vote no on this measure. Faye Frei Dallas Streets to get more expensive Why should I vote yes on the Dallas Street Bond? Even if my street is in good shape, two blocks away, my neighbor’s is crumbling. It’s all about preserving our community that we all love. The city’s research has been done on how to pay for the work, and the bond is by far the best answer. For the average Dallas home, that means about $220 per year for the next 10 years — a relatively small price to pay for a huge ben- efit. Many Dallas streets are badly in need of repair, overlay or replacement. Vote yes for Dallas. Ken Jacroux Dallas Keep Nearman in House District 23 Keep Mike Nearman for House District 23. Mike has done a great job of holding the line against the one-party government of Gov. Kate Brown. I’m sure Mike has learned a lot and needs to have the chance to put the experi- ence he has gained to work for the state and District 23. Mike and his wife are dedicated to Oregon, and both are doing a great job. Think about Oregon and vote for Mike. Larry Sundberg Dallas Jones best choice for all of HD 23 I am voting for Beth Jones for state representative, Dis- trict 23, because she has vowed to represent all the people in her district. She travels from Willami- na to Monroe to Jefferson and points in between to meet and listen to their concerns, something the in- cumbent has failed to do. My vote goes to the can- didate who is interested and willing to represent all. Join me in voting for Beth Jones. Jim Perkins Dallas No time like now to care for streets If not now, when? Today, in Dallas, the question pertains to streets. When do we repair them? Oregon’s unemployment rate is at a record low and our state had the second fastest growing economy in the nation last year. Oil is now relatively abundant and cheap, as is asphalt. When better to tackle this growing problem of broken- down streets? So, for the good of Dallas, for our community and for our economy (jobs), mark your ballot with a bold stroke to vote ‘yes’ to fix our streets. The timing will never be better. If not now, when? Brian Dalton Dallas City should spend money wisely The city of Dallas has spent thousands of dollars on public opinion surveys and studies. A better use of taxpayer Dallas’s residential streets are in bad shape and getting worse. And the reason is basic: money. Property taxes do not fund our street repair. Those funds come from the gas tax, passed down to the cities from Salem. Problem is, people are driving fewer miles with in- creasingly efficient cars, and the state sends through less each year. The proposed street bond is a responsible, measured solution that will fix the worst of the problem before it passes the point of no return and becomes truly unfixable. It deserves to be support- ed. We deserve good roads. Bev Shein Dallas Street condition to get worse over time I want Dallas to be a safe, great place to live and raise a family. A Dallas citizens commit- tee made a recommenda- tion to the council. They did an outstanding job and, we are asking for a bond to address 22 miles of street repairs. We need to take care of the most traveled streets and work toward the resi- dential streets. If we don’t address the deteriorating streets, they will become worse and cost our residents far more than what it would now. Join me and vote yes. We need to get this done for Dallas’ future to sustain our liability. LaVonne Wilson Dallas Don’t put off street repair in Dallas It’s time to fix Dallas streets. We have all put things off that we needed to get done only to find out our procrastination made the job bigger and harder than it would have been to take care of it when it first came up. It’s time to do the right thing and fix our streets. To put off these much- needed repairs will only cost us more and further deteriorate our city's crucial infrastructure. Please vote yes to keep Dallas moving in the right direction. Warren and Sue Lamb Dallas Honor the work of federal employees May 1 through 7 is Public Service Recognition Week. Across the country and in communities like Polk County, federal, state, coun- ty and local government employees serve us every day. Please join me in publicly acknowledging the good work done by the active and retired federal workers in Oregon. At a time when much of the talk about federal em- ployees is biased or unin- formed, let’s use this week to talk about what federal employees really do. They work alongside our military at home and abroad to defend our coun- try. They conduct cutting- edge research to improve health and prevent dis- ease. They regulate food and drug products to keep us safe. And when natural disas- ters strike, they are there to provide relief and help us rebuild. Some of us did research on global climate change, salmon decline, and water- shed health (U.S. EPA, Re- tired). Despite popular belief, 85 percent of federal employ- ees work outside of Wash- ington, D.C. All around this country, federal employees help seniors get their Social Se- curity benefits, guide air- planes safely through our skies, and care for our vet- erans and wounded war- riors. During Public Service Recognition Week, please join me in recognizing the important work of the pub- lic employees in our com- munity and thanking them for their service. Michael Cairns Independence WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? Letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. Longer let- ters will be edited. Election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one election-related letter per election season. Election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. Letters that are libelous, ob- scene or in bad taste will not be printed. Attacks by name on busi- nesses or individuals will not be printed. Letters to the editor that are obvious promotions for a business, products or services will not be printed. The Itemizer-Observer does not guarantee the accuracy of facts presented by letter writ- ers; dissenters are welcome to respond. Letter writers who disagree with other published letter writers should maintain a civil discourse and address the subject, not the author. Letters, like all editorial ma- terial submitted to the news- paper, are edited for length, grammar and content. Letters must include the author’s name, address and telephone number. This includes letters sub- mitted via the I-O’s website. names and cities of resi- dence are published; street addresses and telephone numbers are used for verifica- tion purposes only. Letters must be submitted from individuals, not organi- zations, and must be original submissions to the I-O, not copies of letters sent to other media. Letters of thanks to busi- nesses, individuals and organ- izations are limited to 10 names. The deadline for letters to the editor is 10 a.m. monday. Letters submitted may not be retractable after this deadline. — reach us at: Mail: Editor, Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Or 97338. Fax: 503-623-2395. Email: ionews@polkio.com. Office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas. HOW TO REACH US NEWSROOM Emily mentzer ..............Editor/monmouth/Independence reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Vol. 141, No. 17 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Or, Independence, Or and monmouth, Or. Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SUBSCrIPTIOn rATES: Polk County — One year $35 Other Oregon Counties — One year $40 Outside of Oregon — One year $45 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. 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