Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current, December 14, 2016, Image 4

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Polk County itemizer observer., December 14, 2016, Page 4A, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextPolk County Voices Polk County itemizer-Observer • December 14, 2016 4A How to Contact Officials EDITORIALS Offer chamber fixes, not just problems Don’t talk behind our back. Just tell us. Help us get bet- ter. That is JD Shinn’s request of the Dallas community. The new chief executive officer of the Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce isn’t afraid to hear compliments or complaints. He’s heard plenty of the latter: Communication is bad. Follow through is lacking. Don’t join the chamber; they don’t do anything worth- while. “That one hurts, but it’s a real perception,” Shinn said during his “state of the chamber” address on Monday. “‘There is nothing applicable to business going on there.’ If that is true, this thing needs to blow up and go away. I don’t think it’s true, but it’s a real perception.” Shinn wants to find the truth behind those perceptions and address it. In the spirit of collaboration — something Dallas is good at when it gives it an honest effort — Shinn also asks a favor of those who lodge complaints: provide solutions. If something is off, tell him or a chamber board member how, in your opinion, it can be fixed. Rebuilding — and the chamber does need to be re- built — is intricate business and more ideas, not fewer, make the work easier. Shinn appears to want to piece together solutions one conversation at a time; keep what is working and change what is not. We think that is wise — more so than tearing the whole thing down and starting over. Shinn used a timely analogy about losing control while driving on ice; you over correct, you will crash your car. He appears to have a steady hand on the wheel. Let’s help him steer the car through this icy patch because he can’t do it by himself. If you have concerns and suggestions, seek Shinn out, if he hasn’t found you already. Dallas, and its chamber of commerce, will be better for it. PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via email (ionews@polkio.com). — WedNesdAy, deC. 14 • Independence Heritage Museum Commission — 4 p.m., independence Heritage museum, 112 S. third St., independ- ence. 503-838-1212. • Monmouth Library Advisory Board — 7 a.m., monmouth Public library, 168 Ecols St. S., monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Monmouth Parks and Recreation Board — 7 p.m., Volun- teer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, ﬁrst ﬂoor conference room, 850 main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. THuRsdAy, deC. 15 • Monmouth Arts and Culture Commission — 7 p.m., Vol- unteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Independence Parks and Recreation Board — 6 p.m., in- dependence Civic Center, third ﬂoor, 555 S. main St., independ- ence. 503-838-1212. • Polk County Fair Board — 8 a.m., Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center, main Building, meeting room no. 2, 520 S. Pa- ciﬁc Highway (99W), rickreall. 503-623-3048. • Rickreall Watershed Council — noon. Hancock Forest management oﬃce, independence. 503-623-9680. MoNdAy, deC. 19 • Independence Tourism and events Commission — 6:30 p.m., independence Civic Center, 555 S. main St., independence. 503-838-1212. TuesdAy, deC. 20 • Independence Historic Preservation Commission — 4 p.m., independence Civic Center, 555 S. main St., independence. 503-838-1212. • Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., monmouth. 503-838-0725. • dallas Parks Advisory Board — 5:30 p.m., Dallas City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502. • Falls City school Board — 6:30 p.m., Falls City High School, 111 n. main St., Falls City. 503-787-3521. • Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC oﬃce, 850 main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. GOVErnOr Gov. Kate Brown (dem.) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-378-4582 Email: via website, http://governor.oregon.gov/ — StAtE lEGiSlAtOrS sen. Arnie Roblan (District 5, Democrat) S-417 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-986-1705 sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Thank you Polk public works Just wanted to let you guys know how hard work- ing the road department is in this county. I’ve been lis- tening to these guys work- ing all hours of the day and night, making sure they have plowed and sanded the roads for us. Thank you, road department. Tina Smith Dallas Deptula shows integrity, decency The final, final results are in, and I was elected to the Monmouth city council by a mere five-vote margin over Stephen Deptula. I got to know Stephen during the election. You won’t meet a nicer man, nor one with a more distin- guished background. He and I were among nine can- didates competing for four spots on the Monmouth council, but were the only candidates who put up signs, and that’s where Stephen showed real decen- cy and integrity. Stephen and I had placed signs along the S-curves leading to/from Independence. One day, someone came along and pulled out all the cam- paign signs there and tossed them into brush and into the street. Stephen gathered his signs and put them back up. He saw my signs in the street had been run over by cars. He collected them, took them home, washed them off, and then replaced them where they would continue to compete with his own signs. So it was that when the election-night results came in and I saw that Steve had beaten me out for the fourth spot on the Monmouth council by nine votes that I happily congratulated him. It was great to see such a terrific guy elected. But, by the following morning the vote tally had changed. Through it all, Stephen has been tremendously en- couraging and supportive, and is going to bring me up to speed on the city's budg- et (he serves on the Budget Committee). Surely it has occurred to Stephen as it has to me, that washing and replacing my signs on one of the most traveled sections of road could have made that five- vote difference. The decency and integrity it showed to put my signs back and, having lost, to ex- tend offers of help as I take office, impress me to no end. Thom Steinke Monmouth Oh Joy to the World Many years ago, when we used to get comics in the paper, I came across this (B.C. comic by Johnny Hart) and it so profoundly affect- ed me, I clipped it and have had it on my fridge for near- ly two decades now. Although the paper and ink are faded and frayed, the truth of the words are immutable: B.C. by Johnny Hart: It seems to me that since the “fall” Without even thinking it odd — That man has had no trouble at all Believing he can be god. How he would do this, I cannot conceive, Tho he certainly thinks that he can — and yet, he cannot bring himself to believe the God became ... a man. Merry Christmas. sen. Jackie Winters (District 10, republican) S-301 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-986-1710 sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters sen. Brian Boquist (District 12, republican) S-305 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-986-1712 sen.brianboquist@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist Rep. david Gomberg (District 10, Democrat) H-471 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-986-1410 rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg Rep. Paul evans (District 20, Democrat) H-281 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-986-1420 rep.paulevans@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans Rep. Mike Nearman (District 23, republican) H-378 State Capitol 900 Court St. nE Salem, Or 97301 503-986-1423 rep.mikenearman@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman — U.S. COnGrESS sen. Ron Wyden (dem.) 221 Dirksen SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Fax: 202-228-2717 Salem oﬃce: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, Or 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov Carolyn Huff Dallas WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. longer letters will be edited. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. letters to the editor that are obvious promotions for a busi- ness, products or services will not be printed. letters, like all editorial mate- rial submitted to the newspa- per, are edited for length, grammar and content. letters must include the au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. this includes letters submitted via the I-O’s web- site. names and cities of residence are published; street addresses and telephone numbers are used for veriﬁcation purposes only. letters must be submitted from individuals, not organiza- tions, and must be original sub- missions to the I-O, not copies of letters sent to other media. letters of thanks to busi- nesses, individuals and organi- zations are limited to 10 names. the deadline for letters to the editor is 10 a.m. monday. let- ters submitted may not be re- tractable after this deadline. For the full letters policy: polkio.com. Questions? 503- 623-2373 ext. 117. sen. Jeﬀ Merkley (dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem oﬃce: 495 State St. SE, Suite 330, Salem, Or 97301 Phone: 503-362-8102 Email: via website, www.merkley.senate.gov Rep. Kurt schrader (dem.) 108 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5711 Fax: 202-225-5699 Salem oﬃce: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem, Or 97301 Phone: 503-588-9100 Fax: 503-588-5517 Email: via website, www.schrader.house.gov — POlK COUnty Board of Commissioners 850 main St. Dallas, Or 97338 Phone: 503-623-8173 www.co.polk.or.us — CitiES dallas 187 SE Court St. Dallas, Or 97338 503-623-2338 www.ci.dallas.or.us Falls City 299 mill St. Falls City, Or 97344 503-787-3631 www.fallscityoregon.gov Independence 555 S. main St. independence, Or 97351 503-838-1212 www.ci.independence.or.us Monmouth 151 W. main St. monmouth, Or 97361 503-838-0722 www.ci.monmouth.or.us HOW TO REACH US NeWsRooM Emily mentzer ..............Editor/monmouth/independence reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Vol. 141, No. 50 (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 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. Box 108, dallas, oregon 97338 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. it will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement Web: www.polkio.com Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 which is in error if the itemizer-Observer is at fault.