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
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Vol. 141, No. 17
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