A4 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2022
BAKER CITY
Opinion
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Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
Public records
and real numbers
N
inety million dollars. It’s a lot of money. It’s the num-
ber Adam Crawford, external relations director for
the state’s Department of Administrative Services,
used last week about the cost of public records. He said that’s
what he thought Oregon might be spending to give media or-
ganizations and others public records at reduced cost or free.
“I think the number may be even higher,” Crawford re-
plied, when he was challenged on it by another member
of the Oregon Public Records Advisory Council. The dis-
cussion then quickly shifted away.
If it really is $90 million or more, it’s a mighty sum that
Crawford pointed out the state is transferring, in part, to
for-profit companies.
But when we later asked him about that number, it
seemed an educated guess. He didn’t make it clear where
it came from. He did mention a survey of state agencies
from 2018. It said agencies fulfilled roughly 25,000 public
records requests and charged under $150,000 for doing
that, waiving all other staff and legal costs.
Would that add up to $90 million? Maybe. Maybe not.
If Crawford believes that number is right, though, and
he’s a member of the executive team of a key state agency,
journalists and the public should not be surprised when
they face enormous fees when they ask for public records.
Government officials may believe they are simply giving
away too much at the cost of other state priorities.
Public agencies can charge reasonable fees for public
records in Oregon. They don’t have to. They can waive
some or all of the cost. Charging high fees can be the
same as denying a request. What should be charged and
who should pay it is at the heart of the questions the state
committee, the Oregon Public Records Advisory Council,
is looking at, as Crawford said.
For government bodies, releasing public records isn’t just
a matter of doing a computer search, the computer spits out
the records and then the government can hand them over in
minutes. State and local government agencies don’t always
have the most modern computers. The state is in the pro-
cess of upgrading many outdated systems. The old systems
weren’t designed to make public records searches easy.
There can also be a problem with how information is
stored. Releasable information can be stored mixed in
with personal information that should not be disclosed.
Scouring records and redacting personal information
takes time and effort. Who should pay for that?
And there can be issues when people take on new roles
volunteering to serve on government committees. They
can end up using their personal email accounts when
they email about government business. Those particu-
lar emails would be public records. That would mean the
volunteers would have to compile them and hand them
over if requested. If some of the emails didn’t show them
in the best light, would they?
What is the solution? That’s what Oregon’s Public Records
Advisory Council is working on. Real numbers should be the
foundation of the discussion.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Baker City Herald.
Columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions
of the authors and not necessarily that of the Baker City Herald.
YOUR VIEWS
Commissioners need to ness of the county in a non- cepting Mr. Bentz’s word that that the Center for Tech and
the CTCL acted to influence Civic Life turned the election
stick to county business, political manner.
people to vote a certain way in favor of President Biden.
Christine
and
Casey
not politics
My name is Christine
Howard. My husband, Casey
Howard, and I have been res-
idents of Baker County for
over 40 years.
We are concerned about
the attempts by far right ex-
tremist groups coming to
Baker and attempting to
make radical changes to how
our county does its business
and to the character of the
county as a whole.
We are opposed to the ef-
forts by both individuals, and
such groups as Baker County
United, becoming involved
in the running of our county.
Our expectations are that
the County Commission-
ers are elected to take care
of Baker County business,
not politics. We thank you
for your years of service and
hard work in doing the busi-
Howard or for election workers to
Baker City swing the election one way
or another.
Bentz misses mark in
Next, I found an article
from another organization
claiming election was
that calls itself 2022 Influ-
fraudulent
ence Watch that has in-
formation about what the
Rep. Clifford Bentz says
the 2020 election was fraud- CTCL has done. If the in-
formation is correct, it is
ulent. He cites information
specific as to where fund-
written in the Federalist
ing went to electoral offices
that a group of people with
around the country. I did not
money to do so, donated
funds to the Center for Tech see any proof in their article
that proves that the CTCL is
and Civic Life.
First, The Center for Tech in any way partisan. I ques-
and Civic Life is an organi-
tion the assertion in the 2022
zation of and for election
Influence Watch article that
workers across the country.
names the CTCL as a “left-
If offers courses for how to
wing” group.
conduct safe and secure elec-
I disagree with Mr. Bentz.
tions. Anyone can go into
One, the Federalist is a
their website and check out
mouthpiece for the Republi-
the courses they offer for
can party. It is not in any way
election workers. I recom-
a non-partisan publication.
mend doing that before ac-
Two, I find it illogical to infer
The Center’s aim is to pro-
vide information to election
workers about doing their
job fairly and effectively. It is
not logical to say that Presi-
dent Trump lost just because
of the training given. Anyone
can check the content of the
training to discern whether it
favored any candidate.
My conclusions are: Giv-
ing a person or group a
name, such as “left-wing”
or “right-wing” does not
provide the validity or
non-validity of that person
or group. “Correlation does
not equal causation” is still
the case in any logical ar-
gument. I would also infer
that Mr. Bentz believes that
any election is fraudulent in
which his candidate is not
the victor.
Evelyn Swart
Joseph
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Joe Biden: The White House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500;
202-456-1111; to send comments, go to www.
whitehouse.gov.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. office: 313 Hart Senate
Office Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510;
202-224-3753; fax 202-228-3997. Portland office:
One World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St. Suite
1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386; fax 503-
326-2900. Baker City office, 1705 Main St., Suite 504,
541-278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. office: 221 Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-
224-5244; fax 202-228-2717. La Grande office: 105 Fir
St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-962-7691; fax,
541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (2nd District): D.C. office: 1239
Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-225-5774. Medford
office: 14 N. Central Avenue Suite 112, Medford, OR
97850; Phone: 541-776-4646; fax: 541-779-0204;
Ontario office: 2430 S.W. Fourth Ave., No. 2, Ontario,
OR 97914; Phone: 541-709-2040. bentz.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, Kerry McQuisten, Shane Alderson, Joanna Dixon,
OR 97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov. Heather Sells and Johnny Waggoner Sr. and Dean
Guyer.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541.
treasurer@ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite
Jonathan Cannon, city manager; Ty Duby, police
100, Salem OR 97301-3896; 503-378-4000.
chief; Sean Lee, fire chief; Michelle Owen, public
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum:
works director.
Justice Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-
Baker County Commission: Baker County
4400.
Courthouse 1995 3rd St., Baker City, OR 97814; 541-
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and
523-8200. Meets the first and third Wednesdays at 9
information are available online at www.leg.state.
a.m.; Bill Harvey (chair), Mark Bennett, Bruce Nichols.
or.us.
Baker County departments: 541-523-8200. Travis
State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Ontario): Salem office: Ash, sheriff; Noodle Perkins, roadmaster; Greg
900 Court St. N.E., S-403, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986- Baxter, district attorney; Alice Durflinger, county
1730. Email: Sen.LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov treasurer; Stefanie Kirby, county clerk; Kerry Savage,
county assessor.
State Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane): Salem office:
900 Court St. N.E., H-475, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986- Baker School District: 2090 4th Street, Baker
1460. Email: Rep.MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.gov City, OR 97814; 541-524-2260; fax 541-524-2564.
Superintendent: Mark Witty. Board meets the third
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Council Chambers,
City, OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Baker City Hall,1655 First St.; Chris Hawkins,
Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7
Andrew Bryan, Travis Cook, Jessica Dougherty, Julie
Huntington.
p.m. in Council Chambers. Councilors Jason Spriet,
In rumpled topography, not every mile is equal
A
two-dimensional map never
seems quite so useless, so
starkly ignorant of the hard
reality of the our planet’s pimpled sur-
face, as in that instant when the only
thing sparing you from a nasty tum-
ble is the toe of your right boot.
Which is wedged between a stem
of sagebrush and a fist-size stone on
a slope approximately as steep as the
north face of the Eiger.
A situation, to put it another way,
that’s about as precarious as that fac-
ing the Joe Pesci character in the last
20 minutes of a Martin Scorsese film.
We understand, of course, that a
2-D map can’t completely convey the
decidedly 3-D world.
The absence of that third dimen-
sion is significant.
Maps are flat.
Baker County, at least outside the
paved, civilized towns and valleys,
rarely is.
I had occasion, on a Sunday this
past November, to ponder this matter
in both a theoretical sense, over a cup
of breakfast coffee with my brothers-
in-law, and in the immediate and tan-
gible predicament I found myself in
on that nearly vertical hillside.
My wife Lisa’s brothers, Chuck and
Dave Britton, are Baker City natives
who now live in the Portland area.
They had driven over to hunt elk in
the Lookout Mountain unit, a tradi-
tion that their dad, Howard Britton,
started about a decade and a half ago.
They invited me to come along
although my aptitude as a hunter is
about the same as my aptitude for
calculus. Which is to say — and as
multiple math teachers who had the
misfortunate of drawing my name
for their class would attest — approx-
imately zero. I suspect I’m a some-
what welcome companion largely
because there’s little to no chance
that I’ll interfere with anybody else’s
hunt by doing something loony.
Shooting an elk, for instance.
We were chatting, Chuck and
Dave and I, before embarking on the
day’s hunt.
Chuck asked me if I had heard of
what you might call “flattening the
map.”
I said that’s an idea I have pon-
dered often, and that I find endlessly
fascinating as a conceptual exercise,
however impractical it might be.
The basic idea is to take a piece
of ground with the type of rum-
pled topography common to Baker
County, and to estimate how much
more space, in acres or square miles
or some other 2-D measurement,
that piece would sprawl across if you
Jayson
Jacoby
could account for all the ups and
downs.
Very much more space, we all
agreed, if the ground in question is
as rugged as the Lookout Mountain
unit.
We also speculated that, given the
capabilities of computers, it ought
not be terribly complicated to come
up with a pretty fair approximation
of what you’d have if you could, in
effect, flatten every ridge, butte and
pinnacle.
Regardless, it’s a compelling
thought experiment.
Later in the day, Dave and I — he
had his rifle and I brought along a
shotgun in case we came across some
chukars interested in embarrassing
me — had a more practical experi-
ence with the gaping difference be-
tween map and ground.
Over five hours or so we hunted
an area of no more than three square
miles.
A basic map — one that doesn’t
include contour lines, which depict
the topography — reduces such an
area to a trifle. Any reasonably fit
person can walk a couple miles in
well under an hour.
Dave had his GPS receiver, which
displays topographic maps. These
come rather nearer the truth — the
closer the contour lines, for instance,
the steeper the slope.
But even the most detailed topo-
graphic map can’t convey just how
much land can be crammed into one
square mile.
An awful lot more than a mile,
according to my calves and thighs,
which were still complaining a couple
days later.
Dave and I, despite the seemingly
modest distance implied by a map,
climbed from the bottom of one
gulch to the top of a ridge, and then
repeated this twice more.
In each case the top of the ridge was
several hundred feet above the draw.
This terrain is typical of eastern
Baker County, where erosion has
gouged deeply into the land, leaving
a landscape of immense proportions
that make the map scale seem ludi-
crously inadequate.
As we made our grueling, tendon-
and ligament-straining way, I thought
about our conversation a couple
hours before, a time my abused liga-
ments and tendons, I have no doubt,
thought of with a nostalgic fondness.
I tried to imagine compressing
all the ground we had covered, the
knee-punishing descents and the
lung-expanding climbs, smashing it
and rolling it flat as a baker would do
with a mound of bread dough.
My brain, which struggles with
concepts that don’t involve clauses
and sentences, couldn’t create a dis-
tinct mental picture of this terrain
ironing.
But it was easy to understand
that the sheer verticality of the place
makes it much larger, for anyone who
gets around on the ground (I never
envy the birds quite so much as in
such terrain), than those neat carto-
graphic lines denoting each square
mile suggest.
Einstein, among his many achieve-
ments, recognized that time isn’t quite
the predictably linear thing which
we of lesser intellect suppose it to be,
assuming we even think of it in such
terms.
It seems to me that anyone who
thinks of land solely, or largely, based
on a map, doesn’t grasp the nature of
Earth’s surface.
Not every mile, suffice it to say, is
created equal.
Jayson Jacoby is editor of the
Baker City Herald.