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Volume 142, Issue 50
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December 13, 2017
Ellis takes interim manager in Dallas
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The Dallas
City Council named Greg
Ellis its interim city manager
during a special meeting on
Dec. 6.
Ellis took over Friday for
Ted Cuno, the acting city
manager since Dec. 4, fol-
lowing a vote to terminate
former city manager Ron
Foggin’s contract.
“We’ve had Ted as our act-
ing city manager for two
days and he’s done a really
good job,” said Mayor Brian
Dalton. “I’ve seen him out
there in several meetings al-
ready. He’s done a fine job.
He stepped right up to that
plate after that call.”
The council unanimously
approved paying Cuno, the
city’s building official, an
extra $1,500 for taking on
the additional duties.
Ellis is the former city
manager for Independence
and, more recently, Canby.
Though he retired after
serving in Canby, Ellis filled
in as the interim city man-
ager for Jefferson and
worked for the city of Dallas
as a part-time economic
development consultant for
more than a year.
When asked about his
background during the Dec.
6 meeting, Ellis said he
began working in the public
sector at the age of 45, after
working years in private
business.
“I had some of the same
misconceptions about the
public sector that a lot of
people do,” he said.
Ellis said he learned les-
sons about the difference
between public and private
sectors as city manager in
Estacada.
“In private business you
make a decision; in the pub-
lic sector, you go through a
process,” he said. “I learned
how to work with the
process.”
Ellis said he grew to love
working in local government.
“I just really enjoy work-
ing with people and being a
part of the community and
taking nothing and making
something out of it. As you
all know, there’s limited re-
sources,” he said.
Ellis said he sees his role
with Dallas as making sure
nothing is lost in the transi-
tion from one city manager
to another. He said he will
work with city staff to con-
tinue current projects and
work with the council to
proceed with it has in
progress.
“I think there’s a lot of po-
tential and a lot of stuff hap-
ping in Dallas right now,”
Ellis said. “I just want to
make sure that continues.”
The vote to appoint Ellis
and approve his contract
was unanimous. He will be
paid $12,000 per month
while serving in the interim
role.
Foggin worked for the
city since 2013 and re-
ceived positive annual job
performance reviews until
Dec. 4, when he was dis-
missed on a 5-to-4 vote.
The city will pay him a sev-
erance package of nine
month’s salary and the cash
value of benefits, amount-
ing to $15,400 per month,
unless he takes another job
before nine months have
passed.
Healing through helping
»Page 7A
FAllS CITY
Akha Farm owners
arrested on assault,
mistreatment and sexu-
al abuse charges.
Central’s girls basket-
ball team remains un-
beaten.
»Page 14A
DALLAS — Debbie Mc-
Cleery created Kindness
Club when she decided the
best healing was through
helping.
Kindness Club began in
November 2016 for students
whose families struggled to
put food on the table. A Dal-
las school district employee,
McCleery knew many stu-
dents were in need — and
she decided she needed to
help.
“About more than a year
ago, I found myself in not a
very good healthy place,
mentally, emotionally, so I
reached out to a couple
neighbors and some close
friends,” McCleery said. “I
said ‘I’m calling a meeting.’
I said I need to focus out-
ward, and I need help to do
that.”
At first, the club worked
with Christmas programs
like Adopt-a-Family and
Christmas Cheer, but when
the holidays were over, club
members had to reconsider
how they would continue to
assist students.
One member suggested
“Friday bags,” a program
that sent backpacks with
snacks home with students
over the weekends when
moNmoUTH
City Council ap-
proves two city utility
ordinances.
»Page 2A
SPoRTS
Central hires three
new coaches for spring
sports.
»Page 13A
Independence
police
department
receives grant
Itemizer-observer staff report
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Debbie mcCleery, fourth from left helped create a food pantry for older students to “shop” at every Friday.
they didn’t have access to
school-provided meals.
“A couple of us had heard
about other communities
doing it, so we decided to
start with the Morrison pop-
ulation, which is about 70 to
75 kids,” McCleery said. “A
lot of them are having strug-
gles anyway in life, dis-
placed, homeless. We asked
the counselor to identify
kids for us and took 11 kids
on.”
From February to the end
of the school year, they filled
backpacks, which the stu-
dents would return after the
weekend.
At the time, the club op-
erated out of McCleery’s
house, but soon it would
need more space, so it
moved to the district office
and created a food pantry
for older students to “shop”
on Fridays.
See mCCleeRY, Page 15A
Polk Connect zeroes in on homeless
Event switches focus from ‘at risk’ to aiding people who are unsheltered now
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The Polk County
Homeless Connect is sharpening its
focus for the event in 2018.
Previously, the event brought to-
gether resources to help individuals
and families who were homeless or
at risk of becoming homeless.
Heather Wright, the Living Hope
City Church pastor with the Dallas
Ministerial Association, an event
sponsor, said the emphasis at the
Jan. 31, 2018, event will be helping
unsheltered adults.
“We’re taking it back to what we
had originally dreamt it for, which is
to help homeless people with re-
sources and give them a vacation
day,” Wright said. “We have been
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
Focus group testing
about a public safety
building doesn’t pro-
vide much insight.
INDePeNDeNCe
The Itemizer-Observer
7
DAllAS
»Page 3A
By Jolene Guzman
THE NEXT
IN
YOUR
TOWN
serving a large amount of guests
who have not been homeless.”
Wright said the connect coincides
each year with the annual “point-in-
time count,” which attempts to ac-
count for all people who are home-
less in Polk County and the U.S.
That count contributes to secur-
ing grants and resources to help
homeless people.
Wright said most of the people
participating in the connect event
did not qualify as homeless under
the count’s definition.
“Our statistics from last year and
previous years have not been good
on actually surveying people that
(are homeless),” Wright said. “We
have reason to believe that some-
times, when you open it up and
make it a family environment, it isn’t
wed
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as friendly for the unsheltered
homeless.”
In 2018, event organizers want to
change that.
The connect will be held at Valley
Life Center from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. and will offer a free meal, cloth-
ing, and resources to help get people
off the streets.
Wright said all those who com-
plete the point-in-time count survey
will receive either a tent or a sleeping
bag, even those who are surveyed in
homeless camps and don’t attend.
Event sponsors so far, are: City
Vibe West Salem, Polk County, Dal-
las Ministerial Association, Ace
Hardware in West Salem, Polk Coun-
ty Free Clinic, Salem Leadership
Foundation, Salt Creek Baptist
Church and Marion-Polk Foodshare.
Wright said organizers are seeking
donations of tents and sleeping
bags, as well as volunteers to be part
of mobile teams completing surveys
in Falls City, Grand Ronde, Mon-
mouth, Independence and West
Salem. Volunteers are needed for the
event, as well.
Polk Connect will still offer bike
repair, pet care, haircuts, medical
care, dental care and connections
with a yet-to-be determined list of
agencies offering assistance.
“We anticipate fewer guests but,
service on a grander scale for the in-
dividual,” Wright said.
She said no one will be turned
away, but services and clothing do-
nations are suited toward homeless
adults.
See HomeleSS, Page 6A
INDEPENDENCE —
Oregon Impact, in part-
nership with the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, awarded
the Independence Police
Department funding for
1 0 0 o f f i ce r ove r t i m e
hours for the next calen-
dar year.
The grant is for officers
to patrol the streets look-
ing for and arresting driv-
ers under the influence of
intoxicants.
Two DUII arrests were
made in November where
suspects refused to sub-
mit a blood alcohol con-
tent test.
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fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
The annual “Sounds
of Christmas” pro-
gram will be at
Guthrie Park Com-
munity Center.
Santa will be there.
7 p.m. Donations.
The Oregon Old Time
Fiddlers will perform
in Dallas City Hall
annex tonight. Ex-
pect fiddlers from
around the state.
1-3 p.m. Free.
Western Oregon
University’s men’s
basketball team
hosts Alaska An-
chorage in a confer-
ence battle.
5 p.m. $7/adults
Polk County Battle
Buddies meets the
third Monday of
each month at the
Veterans Service Of-
fice in Dallas.
6-8 p.m. Free.
The Cloverbuds will
host a “Holiday
Swag” class twice,
whether you’re a 4-
H’er or not. Register
by Thursday.
4 and 6 p.m. $2-$3.
Cloudy
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Lo: 39
Mostly cloudy
Hi: 50
Lo: 40
Cloudy
Hi: 49
Lo: 37
Cloudy
Hi: 48
Lo: 35