COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021
Former councilor protests
when not allowed to speak
HALFWAY
Continued from Page 1A
Olley, who moved to Halfway
about six years ago, said she and
her husband became interested
in cannabis after her husband,
who played football at Boise
State University from 1998 to
2001, had multiple surgeries for
injuries he sustained while play-
ing football.
He had a bad experience with
prescription painkillers following
one surgery, and Amy Olley said
the couple became convinced
of marijuana’s therapeutic
benefi ts.
She said they moved to Or-
egon in part because marijuana
is legal for personal use in the
state, while it remains illegal in
Idaho.
“I think it’s a fair option for
people to have,” she said. “It’s
about helping people have a bet-
ter quality of life without relying
on chemicals. It’s a medicine, not
a drug.”
Olley said that in addition to
making marijuana more readily
available to local residents —
the nearest dispensaries are in
Huntington and Sumpter; mari-
juana businesses are banned
in Baker City — she wants to
create jobs and benefi t the local
economy as well as enrich the
Halfway city coffers.
Olley pointed out that in 2016,
Halfway voters approved a
3-percent city tax on marijuana
sales. However, because voters
also decided to ban marijuana
businesses, the tax was a moot
point, and Halfway City Re-
corder/Manager Salli Hysell
said she’s checking with the
Secretary of State’s offi ce to fi nd
out whether, should a marijuana
dispensary open in the city, the
3-percent city tax could be col-
lected, or whether voters would
have to approve a new version
of the tax.
Olley contends that Halfway
is “missing out” on potential tax
revenue by prohibiting dispen-
saries. She also believes that
visitors would pay much of the
taxes.
“We are a tourist town,” Olley
said. “These are going to be the
people that support the store.”
That potential for tourists to
congregate in downtown Half-
way is one of the reasons Denise
Cairns, a former Halfway City
EXTREME
Continued from Page 1A
The joint letter from the
Association of Oregon Coun-
ties and the Oregon Restau-
rant and Lodging Association
questions Brown’s decision
to restrict indoor dining
despite a lack of evidence that
restaurants and bars are a
signifi cant factor in the recent
surge in cases.
“Our businesses have
proven their ability to adhere
to the highest expectations
in safety, sanitation, and air
quality,” the letter reads. “It
is no coincidence Oregon has
not seen one instance of a
super spreader event tied to
our hospitality industry.”
The letter also mentions
the disparity between restric-
tions on different types of
businesses.
For retail stores, includ-
ing grocery stores, capac-
ity is 50% in both high and
extreme risk counties.
“You must know restric-
tions on specifi c types of busi-
nesses compared to others
within our local communities
is creating rifts and dividing
people rather than bring-
ing Oregonians together,”
the letter reads. “We can fl ip
the script by removing state
mandated business restric-
tions on our communities
while empowering our county
health departments to uphold
high expectations for ongoing
health and safety measures
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Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Downtown Halfway. The town in eastern Baker County has a
population of 300.
Council member, opposes Mea-
sure 1-107.
Cairns is a director with the
political action committee Com-
mittee Against Measure 1-107
ALL Marijuana Businesses in
Halfway City Limits, which was
formed on April 2, according to
the Oregon Secretary of State’s
Elections Division.
Cairns said the medical ben-
efi ts of marijuana “is not an is-
sue” in the opposition campaign
to Measure 1-107.
Rather, Cairns said she is
concerned about how marijuana
businesses could affect Halfway
and the Pine Valley.
She pointed out that the
measure, if approved, would al-
low not only dispensaries, but all
other types of marijuana busi-
nesses such as grow operations
and processors, and with no limit
on the number of businesses.
“That is a real major concern
to us,” Cairns said. “We’re going
to have traffi c. This is a risk
and we’re not willing to take
that risk as to how it’s going to
change our town.”
Cairns contends the Olleys’
proposed dispensary location
in downtown Halfway is a bad
one that would lead to traffi c
congestion.
On April 20 — 4/20, a date as-
sociated with the celebration of
marijuana use — about 30 cars
were parked along Main Street,
each with a campaign sign in
the window, to simulate “what
it might be like if there was a
dispensary,” Cairns said.
“It was an interesting simula-
tion,” she said. “I think it got
people thinking.”
Olley, though, disputes that
what she called a “demonstra-
tion” was a legitimate depiction.
She said the duration of the
as recommended by the
CDC.”
The concept of shift-
ing authority for imposing
restrictions from the state to
county health departments
and public health offi cials is
not new.
Baker County commission-
ers signed a letter in Novem-
ber urging a similar change.
Bennett has said previ-
ously that he believes the
Baker County Health Depart-
ment, working with Dr. Eric
Lamb, the county’s public
health offi cer, can determine
appropriate restrictions based
on the source of COVID-19
infections.
Nancy Staten, the health
department’s director, has
said that the main sources of
the county’s surge in infec-
tions over the past month or
so are private social gather-
ings.
The letter also addresses
the effects of increasing
vaccination rates in Oregon,
particularly among older
residents who are vastly more
likely to die if they’re infected.
Of the 2,488 Oregonians
who have died after testing
positive for the virus, 90%
were 60 or older, and 76%
were 70 or older.
“We have reached the point
where the vast majority of
Oregon’s population most
prone to serious illness has
been successfully protected
from the virus,” the letter
reads. “And we must all admit
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after 13 months of the pandemic, she is
tired of the issue.
Former Baker City Council member
“Basically; don’t tell me what to do,”
Beverly Calder stood in protest Tuesday Dixon said. “I’ll take care of my health,
evening, April 27 when Mayor Kerry
myself. If I’m sick, I stay home, I stay away
McQuisten declined to let Calder speak from other people.”
during a discussion about the pandemic.
Councilor Johnny Waggoner Sr. sug-
Councilors were talking about the
gested the city make a statement wishing
possibility of issuing a public statement for all of Baker City to stay safe.
encouraging residents to take precau-
Perry said she doesn’t feel it’s appropri-
tions against COVID-19.
ate for the council to dictate to citizens how
Councilor Jason Spriet said he thinks they should live.
it would be worthwhile, with Baker
“The city council wishes all of our citi-
County moving to the extreme risk
zens well and to use common sense when
category on Friday, April 30, to post a
it comes to being out and about and live
message on the city’s website and other your lives as you see fit,” Perry said.
social media encouraging residents to
Calder then asked if she could speak to
take whatever measures they see neces- the council on the topic.
sary to protect themselves and their
McQuisten said no, that councilors were
families.
discussing the issue.
“Whether that means they get vac-
“I would like to protest that I am not
cinated, whether that means practicing able to come up as a citizen, as a business
social distancing, masks, whatever they owner, as an employer, as a volunteer in
feel is most appropriate for themselves this community, as a former city council
and their families,” Spriet said.
member, I am not being given just the
Councilor Heather Sells agreed.
courtesy of being able to add to a conversa-
“I think the topic is important and it’s tion,” Calder said.
fi tting for the fact that we’re going into
“It’s about courtesy.”
extreme risk,” she said.
McQuisten asked Calder to sit down.
McQuisten pointed out that council-
“We need to continue with our meeting
ors were deviating from the scheduled
and if we’re not allowed to do that, we’ll
agenda, and the matter was moved to
have you escorted out,” McQuisten said.
the council comments section at the end
Calder refused to sit down.
of the meeting.
Sells asked whether Calder could be
During that discussion, McQuisten
given the three minutes the council usually
said she doesn’t believe it’s the council’s allots for citizens to speak during meetings.
place to act as “nannies” for residents
“We’ve already discussed this, but I’ve
who are capable of making their own
been told that we need to adhere to our
decisions.
rules a little bit firmer and that’s what
Councilor Joanna Dixon said that
we’re doing,” McQuisten said.
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event — Cairns confi rmed that
it was planned from 2 p.m. to 6
p.m. — is not realistic.
“No one shopping at a canna-
bis store would be there for four
hours,” Olley said.
She said she would like to
have a drive-thru option for a
dispensary.
The April 20 parking dem-
onstration isn’t the only part of
the campaign against Measure
1-107.
The political action committee
also mailed a fl ier to registered
voters and has bought ads in the
weekly Hells Canyon Journal
newspaper.
Both include comments from
Baker County Sheriff Travis
Ash, who graduated from Pine
Eagle High School in Halfway
in 1993.
In the fl ier, Ash writes:
“Speaking as the Sheriff of
Baker County and a citizen who
enjoys living in Baker County,
I would not want a marijuana
dispensary in my city or neigh-
borhood.”
Olley said she’s bothered
by what she considers “propa-
ganda” from those opposed to
Measure 1-107.
She contends that Ash’s com-
ments — under the headline
“The view from law enforcement
in Baker County” on the fl ier —
are intended to frighten people,
with references to the sheriff
investigating fatal car crashes
involving “marijuana-impaired
drivers” and “the mental health
crisis that can be created by too
much marijuana usage.”
Given the narrow margin
of the 2016 measure, Olley is
optimistic about the prospects of
the measure in 2021.
“I feel like I’m very confi dent
that it’s going to pass,” she said.
HARVEY
Continued from Page 1A
Myers confi rmed that Harvey
requested an extension. She said the
matter will be added to the Ethics
Commission’s June 11 meeting agenda.
Harvey said on Wednesday morn-
ing, April 28, that he had not read the
investigation report, and that he had
meetings scheduled through 7 o’clock
that day.
The Ethics Commission voted 6-0 on
Nov. 6, 2020, to assign an investigator
to look into allegations that Harvey
violated ethics laws when the company
owned by his son, William S. Harvey,
was paid $1,710 to haul boat docks to a
county park near Richland.
Baker County District Attorney Greg
Baxter fi led a complaint with the Ethics
Like the letter from the As-
sociation of Oregon Counties
and Oregon Restaurant and
Lodging Association, Find-
ley and Owens contend the
extreme risk restrictions will
not help to curb the spread of
Legislators’ letter
COVID-19.
Findley and Owens eschew
“There is no evidence to
any preliminary matters in
show that our small busi-
their letter.
nesses spread COVID-19
“Respectfully, enough is
while following the public
enough,” is the fi rst sentence. safety measures that have
“Our small businesses and been put in place, nor is there
communities cannot endure
any evidence to show that
another extreme adjustment keeping our small businesses
of county risk levels and fur- open would result in higher
ther shutdowns of the mag-
numbers,” the legislators’
nitude you have announced
letter reads. “Your offi ces need
today, April 27, 2021,” the
to make the tough calls to
letter goes on. “We have been meet the virus where it is and
told to follow the science and where it is spreading, not to
this is what we have been
simply fi nd the easiest target.
doing — the data simply does
“Frankly, our small busi-
not support your decision,
nesses are not the problem.
and our businesses are being They should not be penalized
unfairly and unreasonably
again or further; it is not their
targeted.”
responsibility to shoulder the
Findley and Owens’ letter burden of COVID-19.”
acknowledges that Brown
has proposed the Oregon Leg- How long at extreme
islature approve a $20 million risk?
Brown announced on Tues-
emergency relief package
day that counties, including
for businesses in extreme
Baker, will remain at extreme
risk counties through the
state’s commercial rent relief risk for no more than three
weeks.
program.
The governor also said that
But the lawmakers dismiss
state offi cials will review risk
the proposal.
“The additional $20 million levels every week, rather
than every two weeks as has
of support for counties does
been the case since December.
not adequately address the
Counties could drop from
needs nor does it get to solv-
ing the roots of this problem,” the extreme risk level start-
ing May 7 if the number of
the letter reads.
a documented case today does
not carry with it the same
weight as a documented case
in the Fall when so many of
our fellow Oregonians lacked
access to vaccine.”
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people being treated for CO-
VID-19 in hospitals statewide
drops below 300, or the seven-
day hospitalization increase
drops below 15%.
As of Tuesday there were
328 COVID-19 patients in
hospitals across the state.
But counties can poten-
tially move out of extreme
risk starting May 7 if their
case counts and positivity
rates decline.
According to a press
release from Brown’s offi ce,
“counties that improve their
COVID-19 metrics will have
the opportunity to move to a
lower risk level.”
But state offi cials didn’t
say how they will measure
those metrics, and over what
period.
In the past, counties’ risk
levels were based on data
from a two-week measuring
period. For Baker County to
avoid being in the extreme
risk, it would have to have
fewer than 61 new cases over
the two weeks, and a test
positivity rate below 10%.
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It’s not clear what the
metrics will be under the
one-week measuring period,
including whether the state
will simply halve the metrics,
which would mean Baker
County could potentially
drop from extreme risk if it
had 30 or fewer cases in one
week.
The governor’s offi ce said
any changes to individual
counties’ risk levels would be
announced on Tuesday, May
4, the changes to take effect
May 7.
In the past, the two-week
measuring period started on
a Sunday and ended on the
following Saturday.
If the state continued
that schedule, but weekly
rather than bi-weekly, Baker
County’s chance to drop from
extreme risk, starting May
7, would be based on its case
numbers for the period April
25-May 1.
For the fi rst three days
of that week — April 25-27
— the county had nine new
cases.
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Commission on Sept. 16, 2020.
Bill Harvey said on Jan. 4, 2021, that
his son did help him move the docks to
the county park.
That was the least expensive option,
Bill Harvey said.
“It’s normal procedure for me,” he
said. “Everything I’ve ever done for the
county was to save the county money
and get a job done.”
Harvey, who was elected to a four-
year term as the only full-time county
commissioner in 2014 and reelected in
2018, said he doesn’t believe any of his
actions violated ethics laws.
In a Sept. 19, 2020, letter to the Eth-
ics Commission, Harvey wrote that he
spent many hours during the spring of
2020, and used his own pickup truck
and equipment, to prepare Hewitt and
Holcomb parks to open to the public.
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