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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2016)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 19, 2016 4A LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Garton’s history qualifies him Jim’s past legislative record and his heartfelt and long-standing work to im- prove industrial and agri- cultural endeavors in our area is proof that he will be a positive representative for our area. It is badly needed. His opposition, Mr. Near- man, has done little to nothing to improve our economy in any way. Vote Jim Thompson next month. I don’t see how anyone could be more qualified than Mark Garton to be Polk County Sheriff. He has been a member of the Sher- iff’s Office since he joined as a cadet in 1997, and has worked well in every facet of the office, giving him a perspective that few could possibly match. His experience as a re- serve deputy, jail deputy, full deputy, detective, patrol sergeant and finally, sheriff, make him an incomparable asset to the office. Ken Jacroux Dallas Change the cycle: Nearman, Trump John Hancock Dallas Sheriff asks for your vote in Nov. Over the past 11 months, we’ve been busy transform- ing your Sheriff’s Office after passage of the public safety levy. I take this profession very seriously. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and be assured that I’ll do just that. Voters gave clear and spe- cific direction on how their public safety system should serve its people. With that in mind, we have restored 24-hour pa- trols, POINT and created a Mobile Crisis Response Team to help address men- tal illness in our communi- ty, but the work isn’t done. I would be honored to con- tinue serving as your sheriff. Thompson best choice for HD 23 Mark Garton Dallas Whitlow is local, will improve office Rickreall footbridge long time coming The footbridge that is being built across Rickreall Creek. How long has it been talked about? It was all talk for many years. When the LaCreole Junior High School was built, we were told there would be a footbridge to get to the school. I and my family lived on the south side of the creek. There was no bridge on LaCreole to go by car or bus. The only bridge was Main Street-Levens Street and Fir Villa in the city of Dallas. There was no Jefferson Street Bridge. Jefferson was a dead end street. Walnut Street did not go all the way to LaCreole Street. To get to the junior high school, my daughter and son walked down Miller Av- enue west to Main Street (it was two-way street then) north up to Hanbel Street going east to LaCreole. That was about two and a half miles. On days my son had sports after school, he would walk through the cherry trees and wade the creek to get home. There was and is a pipe in the creek he walked on until water was too high to cross. My daughter will be 62 years old in January 2017. How many years ago was LaCreole Junior High built? It takes a long time to get a footbridge. Alice Down Dallas It is abundantly clear that Jim Thompson is our best choice for state representa- tive District 23. We need someone who is dedicated to good govern- ment and service to our citi- zens. Jim Thompson has shown those qualities and is willing to serve District 23 again. Failing to elect Jim will be failing to have adequate representation in the state Legislature. We need Jim Thompson: Our only rea- sonable choice. John Schoon Rickreall Todd Whitlow and his family is a long-time Dallas family. His children attend Dallas schools, as Todd did. Todd Whitlow has in- depth experience in dealing with elected and appointed officials in his capacity, as sergeant for management of all contract cities’ law en- forcement for Yamhill County Sheriff. Todd is for the advance- ment of the Sheriff’s Office. Todd will bring fresh, new ideas to the Sheriff’s Office, and key improvements being from the outside. He will serve the rural residents and assist city pol- icy, working collaboratively with our professional col- leagues and the public. Vote Whitlow for Sheriff. Scott Zeigler Rickreall Thompson hangs with smart people Add my voice to those supporting Jim Thompson for Oregon’s House District 23. My main reason for sup- porting Jim is the people supporting him. I’ve been to two of Jim’s meetings and met intelli- gent, thoughtful people, po- litely discussing how we can improve our community — a refreshing contrast from what we encounter when tuning in to the 2016 Presi- dential debates. Integrity matters. Compe- tence matters. This liberal that voted for Bernie Sanders says vote for Jim Thompson. Liberty and justice for all. Don Ellingson Dallas Support teachers, students, bond Students and teachers in Central School District are used to making do with what they have. Closets become testing centers, PE classes are de- layed as floors dry in gyms that are also cafeterias, and students are taught in portable buildings that were discarded by other schools. Bond Measure 27-122 will improve the functionality and equity of schools in our district by adding multi- purpose space to schools and replacing outdated portable classrooms. Our students and teach- ers have done well with what they have. Vote yes on Bond Meas- ure 27-122 and give them the opportunity to elevate education available in our community. Jessica Steed Monmouth Bond would improve safety I was invited to serve on the Bond Committee for the Central School District. Be- fore saying yes, I checked it out, and I agree with all the improvements for safety, upgrades, growth, and fu- ture use by the Monmouth and Independence commu- nity. I was on the school board several years and volun- teered for eight years at In- dependence elementary. I know these improvements are necessary at Talmadge Middle School, Monmouth elementary, and Independ- ence elementary. There is no increase in taxes expected. This is a win for us all. Betty Plude Independence Thompson will represent us again I am supporting Jim Thompson for District 23 State Representative. As a rural Polk County resident, I have a keen in- terest in the few elected po- sitions that closely repre- sent us. We do not have a city council to hear our direct concerns, so we count more on the next layer of govern- ment to be our voice. Un- fortunately, for the past two years, we have been cast into the wilderness, without open-minded representa- tion at the state level. Jim Thompson will change that. Jim Thompson will work for all residents within the district, and not just those with a specific agenda. Danny Jaffer Independence Thompson would help county thrive There is no question for me who will serve this Dis- trict and provide enhanced economic support needed to make our counties thrive. Political change will never happen if we keep voting for career politi- cians, Republicans and De- mocrats, who have crafted the art of telling us what we want to hear and promise to “work for us,” and when elected, just “go along to get along.” Americans are losing jobs, income, wealth, affordable health care and education, peace and secu- rity, our moral compass and unique American cul- ture. Real change can come only if we elect “outsider” candidates with ability, in- tegrity and courage, com- mitted to fighting for the American people: for you. Vote Donald Trump and re-elect State Rep. Mike Nearman. Ron Finster Independence Nearman slows Salem’s agenda Keep Nearman for Dis- trict 23. Mike is for small business and stands with Republicans and conserva- tives. He won’t cave into the progressives in Salem. We must slow down Salem’s agenda. We don’t need a representative who changes parties so he can work with big spenders. Jim Thompson has been in and on the PERS system long enough. We don’t need any more longtime Legislators. We need fresh ideas to get gov- ernment off our backs. Legislators are supposed to control the PERS system, but most are on PERS (Mike is not). We cannot afford the growth of government. Vote for Mike. Larry Sundberg Dallas 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 ac- cepted. 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 businesses or individuals will not be printed. Letters to the editor that are obvious promotions for a busi- ness, 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 au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. This includes letters submit- ted via the I-O’s website. Names and cities of residence are published; street ad- dresses and telephone num- bers are used for verification purposes only. Letters must be submitted from individuals, not organiza- tions, 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., Dal- las. Garton clear choice for sheriff Read Jolene Guzman’s ex- cellent article on sheriff candidates. Mr. Whitlow never volun- teered in Polk County, (check his website) he worked reserve for De- schutes County driving 2-3 hours on weekends. What was wrong with volunteer- ing with a local agency? He worked a reserve posi- tion with Yamhill County and then was hired as a deputy. He didn’t work on the public safety levy. Where was he when we needed him? Now that we have stable funding, he wants be in- volved. He has never been one of us. Gary Weis Dallas Volunteers can rescue lost chicks Who’re you gonna call? The program allowing city chickens in Monmouth and Independence has been very successful and chicken owners compliant with the regulations, but chicks can escape or be abandoned and just left to wander and either starve or be killed by cars or dogs. Doesn’t have to happen. Your police department can put you in touch with a Chicken Revolution volun- teer who can trap and re- home the chicks. Please call. Sue Barker Independence Riverview Farmer’s Market manager Independence How much is PERS costing us, anyway It would be interesting to know what the total cost of PERS is for Polk County since taxes are coming out. Bill J. Kluting Monmouth Garton proved leadership skills Garton passed the test. Upon his appointment, Sheriff Garton stepped in and immediately started finding solutions. Under his management, many of the vital services we expect from our Sheriff’s Office have been restored. His many years of service working in every facet of the department has proven to be invaluable; his leader- ship has earned the respect of the deputies. He’s committed to the community, and fulfilling the promises he made re- garding the Public Safety Levy funding. We have had an opportu- nity to put Sheriff Garton to the test before casting a vote; he’s exceeded expecta- tions. Vote yes for Sheriff Gar- ton. Micky Garus City Councilor Dallas See LETTERS, Page 10A HOW TO REACH US Vol. 141, No. 42 (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. 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Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 NEWSROOM Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING Heidi Leppin .................Display Advertising Manager ....................................hleppin@polkio.com Rachel Best ....................Display Advertising.............................................................rbest@polkio.com Karen Sanks...................Client Services ...................................................................ksanks@polkio.com CLASSIFIED LINE ADVERTISING Dawn Ohren.....................................................................................................................ioads@polkio.com PRODUCTION Kathy Huggins ..............................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com Karyn Pressel .................................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in advertise- ments. 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