B4 The BulleTin • SaTurday, May 1, 2021
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
Heidi Wright
Gerry O’Brien
Richard Coe
Publisher
Editor
Editorial Page Editor
Change transit
to better meet
transit need
B
end may not have the level of bus service some would
like the city to have. It does continue to have something
special: For now, it’s free.
And on May 1, which for many
readers is today, bus service on Sat-
urday returns. Dial-A-Ride will also
offer Saturday and Sunday service.
That’s welcome news for people
who ride the bus or to anybody who
wants to see more use of transit.
But has the pandemic changed the
appetite for transit? Will transit be
changing with it? It seems likely what
people call microtransit will grow.
Traditional, fixed-route buses can
still be the right answer in many
cases. One example may be the Ride
the River Shuttle. That’s used by
many people who float the river in
Bend. Another is the shuttle out to
Lava Butte. Cascades East Transit
is proposing an increased fare for
the river shuttle from $3 to $4 a day.
A fare increase is also proposed for
the Lava Butte shuttle from $2 to $3.
The board of Central Oregon Inter-
governmental Council is scheduled
to vote on those next week.
Those proposed increases are in
part driven by the pandemic. Or-
egon Health Authority guidelines
mean fewer people can ride on each
bus. CET will likely have to run
more shuttles with more drivers to
meet demand.
Overall ridership for all CET ser-
vices has been down because of
the pandemic — even after CET
switched to no-cost bus fares. For
instance, total ridership was down
30% year over year comparing
March 2020 to March 2021.
We do wonder how much after
the pandemic the future needs for
transit have been reshaped. Some
people will not be returning to
work as often. Telecommuting may
become more permanent. Many
people will still need transit to get
to work, get to the store and get to
other places they want to go. Micro-
transit may better suit their needs
and provide more flexibility for CET.
Microtransit is more of an on-de-
mand system with smaller vans that
can vary service level according to
demand or even take people right
to their destination. Typically pas-
sengers can request rides through
apps on their phones. There’s already
been some experiments with that in
Bend, and CET has more pilots in its
planning documents.
People may find it more appeal-
ing, as long as the fare is reasonable.
It can be an excellent way to meet
demand during off-hours or in areas
where there is low demand for ser-
vice. The hourly unit cost can also be
lower than a fixed-route bus.
The pandemic may have shifted
the need of transit. And more micro-
transit could better meet the need.
Historical editorial:
Money and politics
e e
Editor’s note: The following historical editorial
originally appeared in what was then called The
Bend Bulletin on May 11, 1906.
The result of the late primary elec-
tion in the main seems to have been
satisfactory to the people of the state
but they have had to pay roundly for
the privilege of nominating the can-
didate of their choice.
In Multnomah County each vote
cost the tax payers 50 cents and in
some of the outside counties the cost
was as high as $1 for each cast. Expe-
rience shows that the primary is more
expensive that the election. In as
much as there is no limit to the num-
ber of candidates that can seek office
at the primary and as that number is
limited at the election, much more
time will be consumed in counting
votes cast as the former than at the
latter with a corresponding increase
in cost.
Doubtless after the novelty wears
away fewer candidates will seek nom-
ination at the primary but there will
always be plenty of public spirited
citizens who believe that the people
want them and who are willing to
sacrifice themselves and incidentally
to swell the cost of primary elections.
The cost to candidates seems
much greater than under the conven-
tion system. Bourne, the successful
candidate for senator, paid out over
$12,000 for postage alone; his expen-
diture for printing and newspaper
advertising, which is now apparently
the chief expenditure for candidates,
must have been several times that
amount. It is said that an unsuccessful
candidate for a state office paid out
$24,000 while the man who received
the nomination got off with $10,000.
These sums are out of all rea-
son and are prohibitive to any man
of moderate means who aspires to
higher office....
Editorials reflect the views of The Bulletin’s editorial board, Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor
Gerry O’Brien and Editorial Page Editor Richard Coe. They are written by Richard Coe.
My Nickel’s Worth
Vote Douglass for Bend schools
Carrie McPherson Douglass has
been a strong leader of the Bend-La
Pine School Board. She is not an
extremist. She listens to all sides of
arguments in our increasingly po-
larized world. She has an excellent
financial background and under-
stands how school budgets work.
Her business background makes her
uniquely qualified to represent the
views of both business and education
in her decision-making. She has led
the board during the pandemic with
balance, transparency and commu-
nity engagement. She has appeared in
candidate forums and has been will-
ing to answer tough questions from
The Bulletin editorial board. We are
grateful to her for agreeing to run
again.
Carrie will take the right actions
for our students, teachers and tax-
payers.
I urge you to reelect Carrie
McPherson Douglass to the Bend-La
Pine School Board.
— Mike Hollern, Bend
Poor county leadership
I am extremely disappointed by
the rise in COVID-19 infection rates
in Deschutes County, causing a re-
turn to extreme risk category. Across
Oregon, we have worked very hard
in the past year, resulting in nation-
wide lows in infections and deaths.
I and many others have volunteered
this year at the mass vaccination site
at the fairgrounds, helping get life-
saving shots in arms. The site will ex-
ceed 100,000 vaccinations this week.
However, our infection rate has risen
by 67% in the last two weeks, and 700
students are now quarantined in our
county. On the heels of this news, in
a stunning display of poor leadership,
County Commissioners Patti Adair
and Tony DeBone have signed a let-
ter petitioning the governor to ease
restrictions! Instead of whining to the
governor, these two commissioners
should be traveling the county, urging
citizens to adhere to proven safety be-
haviors such as masking, physical dis-
tancing, avoiding large indoor gath-
erings and getting vaccinations. That
is the only way to crush this disease
and allow all of us to safely return to
normal.
— David Buhaly, Sunriver
Why I am voting for Janet Sarai
Llerandi for Bend schools
Janet Sarai Llerandi wants to give
a voice to families in our community
who are left out. Janet wants to help
our education system gain the knowl-
edge and resources to enable all stu-
dents to succeed. She has lived expe-
rience as a Latina mother and years of
personal and professional advocacy.
Janet sees the students who bridge
the communication gap between
their school and their family. She sees
LGBTQ youth and their families. We
will all benefit from the time, energy
and expertise Janet is offering to us
on the school board. We should take
this opportunity to uplift a Latina
leader in our community and show
our youth we care about them and
their families. Thank you, Janet, for
your commitment to making our
community welcoming. Thank you,
Janet, for valuing equity and rep-
resentation so that all students and
families can thrive and feel included.
Please join me in voting for Janet Sa-
rai Llerandi.
— Renee Goin, Bend
Reelect Doug Cox and Jerry Hubbard
to La Pine Fire
Both Doug Cox and Jerry Hubbard
have demonstrated the ability to pro-
vide board oversight and leadership
to the La Pine Fire District. They have
worked with fire staff to establish
critical long-range planning for the
district’s standard of cover and strate-
gic plan. Most importantly, through
their stewardship they have closely
managed taxpayer dollars to provide
the best level of fire and ambulance
services possible with the limited re-
sources available. It should be noted
that the district is debt-free, which is
unusual for fire districts in general.
The district is also known as an in-
novator and is highly regarded by its
peers.
In the 1980s, district taxpayers au-
thorized the fire district to commence
EMS ambulance services to transport
critical patients in need of Advanced
Life Support procedures to St. Charles
Hospital in Bend. Both Cox and Hub-
bard have adhered to what the taxpay-
ers expected and authorized. These
services for ALS were stipulated by
the taxpayers to be fee based and not
taxpayer supported.
Cox and Hubbard have demon-
strated how board members should
interface with district staff, taxpayers
and others and deserve your contin-
ued support.
— Richard Swails, Sunriver
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How to decide what activities to bring back once you’re vaccinated
BY LEANA WEN
Special to The Washington Post
W
ith 30% of Americans
fully vaccinated against
COVID-19 and a larger seg-
ment that either won’t or can’t yet re-
ceive the vaccine, the United States is in
an “in-between” place. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has is-
sued new, color-coded charts intended
to show what people can do once we’ve
received our shots, but they are confus-
ing, impractical and overly cautious.
The only useful takeaway is that vacci-
nation makes every activity safer.
So how should people navigate this
uncertain period? I think we need to
acknowledge that there is no one-size-
fits-all answer. Though vaccines are ex-
tremely effective, they won’t protect us
100%. Most of us are not willing to wait
years for the pandemic to be over to re-
sume our lives, so we need to live with
risk and accept the idea that others will
make very different choices from us.
I’d encourage vaccinated people to
consider three factors when deciding
which activities to bring back to your
lives: medical risk of your household;
personal risk tolerance; and circum-
stances involved.
First, what’s the risk profile of your
household? It’s low if everyone is vac-
cinated. The exception is if a family
member is severely immunocompro-
mised — for example, an organ trans-
plant recipient taking anti-rejection
medications. There is a small chance
that vaccinated people can still trans-
mit the coronavirus.
Then there are families with unvac-
cinated members. That does not nec-
essarily mean that the household must
take extra precautions. If all adults are
inoculated but the children are not yet,
and the kids are generally healthy, I’d
consider the household to have a low
risk profile overall. Children are much
less likely to become severely ill from
the coronavirus than adults. Since the
beginning of the pandemic, 3.7 mil-
lion children have been diagnosed with
COVID-19. Of the states reporting the
age distribution of hospitalizations,
only 0.8% of pediatric infections have
resulted in hospitalizations. As of April
22, based on data from 43 states, New
York City, Puerto Rico and Guam, 296
children have died of COVID-19; in
comparison, annual pediatric deaths
from influenza have ranged from 35 to
186 in recent years.
Of course, the coronavirus carries
the potential of long-haul COVID-19
and unknown long-term conse-
quences, including in children. In addi-
tion, breakthrough infections could oc-
cur: Out of more than 87 million fully
vaccinated people, the CDC received
reports of 7,157 COVID-19 infections.
Of these, 498 people were hospitalized
and 88 died.
This is why the second question re-
ally matters: What’s your tolerance of
risk? To those who are risk-averse, the
possibility of being among the tragic
few who die looms large. They are con-
cerned about emerging variants, and
they would rather continue hunker-
ing down. Others will see the 0.008%
chance of infection and 0.0001%
chance of death and decide that they
can take off their masks and return to
pre-pandemic normal.
Most people are probably some-
where in between. In that case, I’d
advise them to move on to the third
factor and assess the risk of each ac-
tivity. An indoor restaurant that fol-
lows CDC guidelines for distancing
has much lower risk than a packed bar
with hundreds of patrons. An outdoor
wedding with 50 people where proof
of vaccination is required is much
safer than an indoor banquet of 200
with guests of unknown vaccination
status.
This is how my family would ap-
ply the three factors. My husband
and I would go to well-distanced and
well-ventilated restaurants but not
crowded bars; we wouldn’t bring the
kids except to outdoor eateries. I’d
attend full-capacity church services
where everyone is masked. My tod-
dler has playdates, always outdoors,
mask-optional. He’s going back to
preschool, where masks are required
indoors. We’d have no problem with
the family taking an airplane for short
flights. If a social gathering won’t have
masks or distancing, I’d go if it’s out-
doors or requires proof of vaccination.
Others with a different risk profile
and tolerance will choose differently.
Some won’t dine in a restaurant or
travel until the level of community
transmission is lower. Others will have
no concerns resuming all activities as
long as they themselves are vaccinated.
These are both reasonable decisions.
We shouldn’t mock the cautious for
taking things at their own pace, nor
should we condemn those who en-
gage in activities we might not dare
ourselves. After all, vaccinated people
pose very little threat to public health;
our energy is better spent getting the
unvaccinated to get the shots.
Ultimately, getting through this
“in-between” time requires that we
have tolerance for one another’s indi-
vidual choices, as we keep making the
case that vaccination is our society’s
pathway back to normalcy.
e e
Leana Wen is a visiting professor at George
Washington University Milken Institute School of
Public Health and author of the forthcoming book
“Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for the
Public’s Health.”