A4
BAKER CITY
Opinion
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news@bakercityherald.com
Thursday, September 29, 2022 • Baker City, Oregon
EDITORIAL
Sad milestone
for city fire
department
A
service that several generations of Baker
City residents have relied on reaches an
ignominious end this week.
The Baker City Fire Department will cease operat-
ing ambulances.
This sad conclusion was set in motion six months
ago, on March 22 when the City Council decided to
notify Baker County commissioners that the city in-
tended to discontinue ambulance service on Sept. 30.
Under Oregon law, the county, not the city, is re-
sponsible for ensuring there are ambulances on call.
In June, commissioners contracted with Metro West,
a private ambulance company, to cover Baker City as
well as much of the rest of Baker County.
Metro West has been operating ambulances here
since early June. The Baker City Fire Department has
responded occasionally, when Metro West was al-
ready handling other calls. But soon the fire depart-
ment at 1616 Second St. will be limited to responding
to fires, which are much more rare than calls for an
ambulance.
Unfortunately, the department’s firefighting capac-
ity has been reduced due to the city council’s decision.
Without ambulance runs — and the approximately
$1 million in yearly revenue they bring in — the fire
department’s staffing was trimmed from 16.25 full-
time equivalents to 10.5 for the fiscal year that started
July 1.
City Manager Jonathan Cannon told councilors at
their March 22 meeting, and reiterated at subsequent
meetings, that the city can’t afford to continue run-
ning ambulances because the cost was rising faster
than revenue.
The city faces financial challenges in operating am-
bulances to be sure.
Most of the patients transported in ambulances lo-
cally are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and those
federal program reimburse the city for a relatively
small fraction of what it bills, often around 20%.
But the city’s budget situation isn’t so dire that end-
ing ambulance service this fiscal year was necessary.
The city could have continued the service for at least
this year without cutting back on other important
public services.
Keeping the fire department intact for another year
would have given city and county officials a chance to
pursue other revenue sources, the most plausible be-
ing to ask voters, both inside the city and in parts of
the county where Baker City (and now Metro West)
ambulances operate, to form a taxing district.
County commissioners were interested in that idea,
but it’s a moot point now, at least in terms of preserv-
ing the fire department as the dual-role agency it has
been for so many decades.
We can remain assured that if we have an emer-
gency, an ambulance with trained personnel will rush
to our aid.
But the city’s ability to handle the full range of dan-
gerous situations, including fires, is not as robust as
we’ve come to expect.
That we’ve lost some of that capacity unnecessarily
only makes this week’s milestone all the more bitter.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
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, OR 97310; 503-378-3111;
www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@ost.state.or.us; 350
Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice Building, Salem, OR
97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information are available
online at www.leg.state.or.us.
State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Ontario): Salem office: 900 Court St. N.E., S-403,
Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. Email: Sen.LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane): Salem office: 900 Court St. N.E., H-475,
Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.gov
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker City, OR 97814; 541-523-
6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at
7 p.m. in Council Chambers. Councilors Jason Spriet, Kerry McQuisten, Shane
Alderson, Joanna Dixon, Kenyon Damschen, Johnny Waggoner Sr. and Dean
Guyer.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541. Jonathan Cannon, city manager; Ty
Duby, police chief; Sean Lee, fire chief; Michelle Owen, public works director.
YOUR VIEWS
Garrick the best choice
for county commission chair
I have personally spent many hours
watching Bill Harvey pray every day
and research every decision and vote
he makes while serving as your Baker
County Commission Chair.
Dan Garrick used this last year spend-
ing time with Commissioners Bill Harvey,
Mark Bennett and Bruce Nichols, learn-
ing the job and what you as Baker County
citizens require for the position.
Dan asks many questions and is seen
at several County meetings as he gath-
ers information in preparation to serve
you as your Commission Chair for Baker
County.
I see many of the same qualities in Dan
as I have seen in Bill. This is a great indi-
cation that Baker County will continue to
be diligent is serving all of us in a positive
direction.
My vote will be for Dan Garrick this
November.
Lorrie Harvey
Haines
Editor’s note: Th e author is Bill
Harvey’s wife.
City needs councilors dedicated
to serving all citizens
Our founders understood that city gov-
ernment needed to be focused on us, on
the needs of all of the citizens of Baker
City. Our City Charter specifically states
that all city offices must be nonpartisan.
There is no room for party politics, the
protection and safety of the whole com-
munity must always be the focus of the
city council.
That makes perfect sense to me. If you
are willing to serve your neighbor, you
should serve all your neighbors. There
is no room, nor need, in a small city for
anything other than what is best for us all.
That doesn’t mean that everyone gets
what they want, but it does create a clear
and honorable goal for the council. Work-
ing to serve the citizens of Baker City is
an admirable quest. We are all in the same
small boat and the council and the city
administration are the oars and the rud-
der.
The past two years have been difficult
for us all.
In addition to the challenges and chaos
that the pandemic put upon us, our coun-
cil has not served us well. I want to be
pragmatic and positive, but at the same
time, I feel no need to gloss over the prob-
lems. In fact, I think it’s important to talk
about all of this and to remind ourselves
that we can do better and that we deserve,
and should therefore demand, better
from our elected leaders.
There is no room for disrespect from
any member of our city council, not for
other members of council, for citizens, or
for other public servants — past or pres-
ent in their participation. Our city council
must be leaders in the community, acces-
sible to the public, not beholden to any
party agenda nor hiding behind some
perceived privilege.
They must be respectable.
This council has allowed a mayor,
who has no greater power than any sin-
gle member of the council, to bully other
council members, demean past public
servants, and to severely limit public par-
ticipation in our city governance. The
mayor is chosen by council to chair the
meetings and is tasked with preserving
order. The mayor has no veto power and
should encourage discussion, not dictate
opinions, and should demand respectful
conduct from other members.
The next council has an obligation to
change that course.
We must elect representatives that
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
• We welcome letters on any issue of public inter-
est. Customer complaints about specific businesses
will not be printed.
• The Baker City Herald will not knowingly print
false or misleading claims. However, we cannot
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and legal reasons.
Mail: To the Editor, Baker City Herald,
P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814
Email: news@bakercityherald.com
love this city and want to work to make
it better for us all. We do not need any-
one looking to launch a political career
months after taking a vow to serve. We do
not need anyone with an agenda beyond
serving this community for the length of
the term they are elected to.
We need city councilors who are will-
ing to support all of the work that has
been accomplished before, and to build
upon that good work. We need city coun-
cilors who are willing to study issues,
understand process, support volunteer
advisory boards and have the time and
energy to conduct the business of the city
with some level of bootstrap grace and
humility.
We need councilors dedicated to reset-
ting the standard, and the tone, of what
is expected from a public servant. I be-
lieve there are some current members of
the council that want this as well and as
a candidate for the Baker City Council, I
am committed to doing just that.
Beverly Calder
Baker City
COLUMN
It’s an exciting time at Blue
Mountain Community College
The collective exhale we all heard Sunday
morning, Sept. 18 as horse trailers, RVs and
vendors headed out of town officially sig-
naled the completion of the 112th Pendle-
ton Round-Up. A tip of the hat to countless
volunteers and the entire Round-Up board
for another wonderful event. Round-Up is
truly an Eastern Oregon classic!
While another successful Round-Up
is now in the rearview mirror, activity is
increasing here at Blue Mountain Com-
munity College. Last week we welcomed
faculty back to campus on Monday, Sept.
19 with the first in-person preservice
event in several years. Tuesday, Sept. 20,
BMCC staff and faculty greeted students
with our signature event: Welcome to the
Pack!
Welcome to the Pack helps students nav-
igate their way through all those first jitters;
finding the building where their classes are
to be held, clearing registrations, learning
all the ways they are supported through
advising, tutoring, financial aid, scholar-
ships, club and athletic activities and more.
My thanks to all who worked so diligently
to make this event a grand success.
On the topic of success, BMCC is mov-
ing forward with several successes in our
quest to continuously improve the way
we serve students and our communities.
We recently held a splicing academy in
conjunction with Amazon Web Services
(AWS). This was the second such training
this year, the first being held in Hermis-
ton in May 2022. This most recent saw 28
students dig in over two days to complete
their certifications. These type of industry
recognized certifications are exception-
ally sought after in today’s tech workplace.
This is where we see a very bright future
for students who choose these types of
courses and for BMCC as we work to ful-
fill our role as a major provider of work-
J. Mark
Browning
force training in the region.
Another area where BMCC is excelling
is with our nursing program. Each and
every one of this spring’s registered nurs-
ing graduates not only had a job offer be-
fore they walked across the stage, but all
13 of them stayed right here in Northeast-
ern Oregon to live and work in one of our
many high-quality health care facilities.
This happens because of exceptional in-
struction from our nursing faculty, rigor-
ous and relevant hands-on clinical train-
ing in partnership with local hospitals
and clinics and the support of many, in-
cluding those students’ family and friends
who do so much to keep households run-
ning, families tended to and more so that
these nurses excel. BMCC nurses this last
year passed the licensure exam (NCLEX)
with an astonishing 85% rate on the first
attempt, and the two who did not, passed
it on the second. When you and I need
health care, we are in good hands thanks
to these nurses!
Bright futures are in store for our stu-
dents in the UAS Professional Pilot pro-
gram. Pendleton is such a unique area
for drone work and training. Companies
from all over the world are taking advan-
tage and BMCC students are positioned
for successful careers. Two different cer-
tificates are available right here locally.
The first certificate is called UAS Profes-
sional Pilot and the second is called Flight
Lab. The first certificate trains students
on mission planning via computer simu-
lation using an advanced Flight Manage-
ment System called Piccolo. Our partners,
Volatus Group, had to receive special per-
mission to offer training on Piccolo from
the developer, Collins Aerospace. So, out-
side of the military, we are part of a select
group that can offer training on that sys-
tem. Students also learn everything they
need to know to pass the exam to earn
their Part 107 Certification.
Flight Lab is a continuation of the UAS
Professional Pilot Certificate where stu-
dents get hands-on experience using Pic-
colo and other systems and fly various
drone platforms, including multi-rotor
and fixed-wing VTOL.
Additionally, state grant monies have
been secured and committed to help ad-
dress the critical shortage of commer-
cial truck drivers through a CDL train-
ing program that will be mobile. Yes, the
training can and will come to you! The
Future Ready Oregon program passed
by the Legislature and signed into law by
Governor Brown will help us with the
equipment and start-up costs. Address-
ing critical needs for our local agricultural
producers, processors and industries in
need of moving products to and from
market through licensed trained drivers
is at the core of our mission: “As a com-
prehensive community college, we are
committed to providing responsive and
high-quality innovated educational pro-
grams and services that promote personal
and professional growth to strengthen
our communities.”
As president of this incredible college,
I thank you for your support of our stu-
dents, our staff and faculty and our mis-
sion. Blue Mountain Community College
looks forward to our continued partner-
ship throughout this academic year and
for years to come.
J. Mark Browning is president of Blue Mountain
Community College.