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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2015)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 13, 2015 The remodeling continues on public records law J ust how public are Oregon’s public records? Public records and open meetings are two of the foundational elements of GHPRFUDF\2UHJRQLDQVOLNH WREHOLHYHWKDWZHKDYHDQ RSHQV\VWHPRIJRYHUQPHQW 7KDWLVQRWHQWLUHO\WUXH The crash-and-burn HQGLQJRIWKH-RKQ.LW]KDEHU administration opened our H\HVWRZKDWRXUJRYHUQRU ZDVQ¶WWHOOLQJXV:LWKLQ his own office there was a subsidiary operation run by KLVFRPSDQLRQ&\OYLD+D\HV who was styled as first lady to heighten her political FXUUHQF\ .LW]KDEHU¶VVXFFHVVRU*RY Kate Brown immediately grasped the need for Oregon VWDWHJRYHUQPHQWWRFRPH FOHDQ,QKHULQDXJXUDO address, the principal topic ZDVHWKLFVUHIRUP Last week the state Senate passed Senate Bill RQHHOHPHQWRI*RY %URZQ¶VSDFNDJH$VVXPLQJ enactment by the House, this law will set in motion an audit of all state agencies’ response to public records UHTXHVWV Promoting her legislation, Brown told a Senate FRPPLWWHH³2UHJRQ¶V public records law is like a Victorian house that has been remodeled one room at a time E\PXOWLSOHRZQHUVRYHUWKH FRXUVHRIVHYHUDOGHFDGHV 7KHUHDUHFXUUHQWO\RYHU H[HPSWLRQVLQ2UHJRQODZ spread throughout our 838 FKDSWHUVRI2UHJRQ5HYLVHG 6WDWXWHV´ We in the media XQGHUVWDQGH[DFWO\ZKDW *RY%URZQZDVVD\LQJ We deal with those myriad H[HPSWLRQVWRWKHSXEOLF UHFRUGVODZ The other two elements RIWKHJRYHUQRU¶VHWKLFV package are about the state (WKLFV&RPPLVVLRQ7KH\ would do three things: shorten the amount of time the commission has to take action, increase penalties for using public office for personal gain and change how commission members DUHDSSRLQWHG To some lawmakers, this ethics package might seem like niggling, bothersome concerns – not the sort of YRWHVIRUZKLFK3$&VZLOO UHZDUGWKHP%XWWKH\ represent the essence of GHPRFUDF\(WKLFVDOVRKDVD lot to do with how efficiently WKHPDVVLYHEXVLQHVVRIVWDWH JRYHUQPHQWRSHUDWHV :HLQWKHSULYDWH sector know candor is the smartest way to deal with RXUFXVWRPHUV$PHDVXUH of candor is what state JRYHUQPHQW¶VFXVWRPHUV±WKH YRWHUVDQGWD[SD\HUV±KDYHD ULJKWWRH[SHFW E DITOR ’ S NOTEBOOK A new stage – retirement – beckons Eagle editor By Scotta Callister Blue Mountain Eagle Years ago I had an editor who de- ¿QHGDIXOOOLIHDVRQHOLYHGLQWKUHH SDUWVHGXFDWLRQYRFDWLRQDQGDYR- FDWLRQ My younger, career-oriented self FRXOGQ¶W TXLWH HQYLVLRQ D WUDQVLWLRQ WRWKDWWKLUGVWDJH(YHQWRGD\LW¶VD OLWWOHP\VWHULRXVWRPH Ask me about it in a couple of PRQWKV I plan to retire at the end of June, after 42 years in the newspaper busi- QHVV,W¶VEHHQDVPRUJDVERUGRIH[- SHULHQFHV±0\MREVKDYHWDNHQPH DFURVVWKHVWDWHDQG,¶YHZRUNHGLQ QHZVSDSHURI¿FHVODUJHDQGVPDOO ,¶YH VSHQW WKH ODVW HLJKWSOXV \HDUV DV HGLWRU RI WKH (DJOH , ZDV drawn to Grant County by two unde- QLDEOH OXUHV WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WR OLYH on the jewel of a ranch my husband Les and I bought in 2004, and the op- portunity to continue working in my FKRVHQ¿HOGFRPPXQLW\MRXUQDOLVP 1HLWKHUKDVGLVDSSRLQWHG For a unabashed news hound like me, the county has offered a ULFK YHLQ RI QHZV VWRULHV WR PLQH elections, recall elections, mill clo- sures, mill resurrections, economic XSKHDYDOFDWDVWURSKLF¿UHVJUD]LQJ FKDOOHQJHVZLOGKRUVHVZROYHVDQG – who could forget them? – the Ary- Kudos to CC duo Blue Mountain EAGLE 195 N. Canyon Blvd. • John Day, OR 97845 541-575-0710 • Fax 541-575-1244 USPS 226-340 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT E DITORIAL A SSISTANT C OMMUNITY N EWS S PORTS M ARKETING R EP C USTOMER S ERVICE R EP Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scotta Callister, editor@bmeagle.com Kristina Kreger, kristina@bmeagle.com Cheryl Hoefler, cheryl@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Lindsay Bullock office@bmeagle.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY: EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDOV3RVWDJH3DLGDW-RKQ'D\DQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County Elsewhere in Oregon Continental U.S., Outside Oregon Outside Continental U.S. 1 year $40.00 $48.00 $55.00 $60.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Blue Mountain Eagle on the Internet www.MyEagleNews.com POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2015 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. L &RXQW\WLFNDQG,¶YHEHHQKRQRUHG to get to get to know you, and to call PDQ\RI\RXIULHQGV ,ZLOOPLVVRXUVSLULWHGFRQYHUVD- tions – well, let’s be honest, almost DOORIWKHP$QG,KRSHWKH¿QDODQDO- ysis will show I helped in some way WR SURYLGH D YRLFH IRU \RX DQG WKLV community, and a path toward solu- WLRQVIRUWKHFKDOOHQJHVZHIDFH $V IRU WKDW DYRFDWLRQ VWDJH ,¶P not entering it with any illusions about loitering in the hammock or OD]\QDSVE\WKH¿UH0\SODWHVHHPV WREH¿OOLQJXSDOUHDG\ I plan to continue supporting JURXSV ,¶YH EHHQ LQYROYHG LQ ± WKH county library board, the New Hope animal rescue group, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Boulder Creek Ranch Pie Social planning commit- WHHWRQDPHDIHZ And then there are the ranch FKRUHV ± WKH GRJV WR FLYLOL]H WKH horses to spoil, the goats to contain, the weeds to kill, the trees to plant «$IWHU \HDUV RI ¿QGLQJ P\ ³KRQ- ey-do” lists taped to the fridge and the computer screen, I’m sure Les is looking forward to returning the IDYRU As for the rest of you, I’m just UHWLULQJQRWOHDYLQJ6HH\RXDWWKH JURFHU\VWRUH Scotta Callister joined the Eagle staff as editor in January 2007. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Still saying no to pot To the Editor: I am writing to offer credit to Can- yon City’s maintenance men, Lester DQG7LP7KHVH¿QHJX\VKDYHJRQH DERYH DQG EH\RQG WKHLU UHJXODU GX- WLHVLQVRPDQ\ZD\V They take time out of their busy days to pay special attention to my 10-year-old grandson, who is capti- YDWHGZLWKDQ\NLQGRIKHDY\HTXLS- PHQW 7KH\ DOORZ KLP WR ZDWFK DV they perform their tasks, engaging ZLWK KLP LQ KLV HQWKXVLDVP ,I \RX OLYHRQRUDURXQG+XPEROW6WUHHWLQ &DQ\RQ&LW\\RXKDYHPRVWO\OLNH- ly seen us walking, and Lester and 7LPDOZD\VZDYHDWXVZKLFKSLTXHV 5RFFR¶V FXULRVLW\ DQG H[FLWHPHQW When the chain on his go-cart comes off occasionally, these wonderful JX\VDUHULJKWWKHUHWRJHWXV³EDFN RQWKHURDG´ ,WLVDSOHDVXUHDQGDSULYLOHJHWR OLYH LQ D FRPPXQLW\ ZKHUH SHRSOH truly do care and take time to show it! Kudos to Tim and Lester – You DUHDSSUHFLDWHG Debbie Bloom Canyon City Washington, D.C. The White House, 1600 3HQQV\OYDQLD $YH 1: :DVKLQJWRQ '& Phone-comments: 202-456- 1111; Switchboard: 202-456- 86 6HQ 5RQ :\GHQ '²+DUW6HQDWH2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVKLQJWRQ '& 3KRQH Email: wayne_kinney@ Z\GHQVHQDWHJRY :HEVLWH KWWSZ\GHQVHQDWHJRY )D[ 86 6HQ -HII 0HUNOH\ an Nations interlopers we booed out RIWRZQEDFNLQ Today, the county remains at the crossroads of a number of public lands issues, and much of what is happening here will chart a course for natural resources-based econ- RPLHV DFURVV WKH ODQG :KLOH VXFK change may stir angst and frustra- tion at times, this has been – and will FRQWLQXHWREH±DQH[FLWLQJSODFHWR OLYH My successor has not yet been chosen, but I hope the communi- ty will put out the welcome mat as WKDW OXFN\ SHUVRQ WDFNOHV WKH MRE 0HDQZKLOH , H[SHFW WKH (DJOH ZLOO continue to play an important role, empowering the community through LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG SURYLGLQJ D IRUXP IRU WKH SHRSOH ZKR OLYH DQG ZRUN KHUH ,¶YHKDGWKHSOHDVXUHRIZRUNLQJ with a great crew at the Eagle, folks who are truly dedicated to the com- munity and quite simply work their KHDUWVRXWWRPDNHLWDEHWWHUSODFH Marissa, Cheryl, Angel, Kim, Lind- VD\.ULVWLQD*DU\±<RXURFN Before I step away from the key- ERDUG , DOVR KDYH WR UHFRJQL]H WKH NLQVKLS,¶YHIHOWZLWKDQRWKHULPSRUW- ant group of people: you, the read- HUV6XSSRUWLYHFULWLFDOGHPDQGLQJ generous, opinionated and full of heart – you are what makes Grant To the Editor: :KLOH WUDYHOLQJ WKURXJK 3UDLULH City I stopped by a mini-market to buy a few things, including the May %OXH 0RXQWDLQ (DJOH , VHH IURP WKHOHWWHU³3RW¶VKHDOLQJSRZHUV´WKDW what’s ailing Ontario has affected \RXU¿QHFRPPXQLWLHVDVZHOO The use of marijuana is nothing new; it was in the public schools , DWWHQGHG ZHOO RYHU \HDUV DJR The arguments for its use were old WKHQ DQG VRXQG HYHQ ROGHU QRZ 2QO\QRZWKH\¶YHDGGHG³PHGLFDO´ to marijuana to make it sound more DSSHDOLQJ 2UHJRQ¶V JRYHUQPHQW RI¿FLDOV PXVW EH EHVLGH WKHPVHOYHV IRU DO- lowing Washington and Colorado to EHDW WKHP LQ OHJDOL]LQJ UHFUHDWLRQDO XVHRIPDULMXDQD¿UVW%XWZKDWGLG WKHVHVWDWHV¿QGRXW" 7KHLQFUHDVHLQWD[UHYHQXHSURP- ised by Washington’s politicians did QRW PDWHULDOL]H 6HHPV D GUXJ WKDW ZDV SUHYLRXVO\ EODFN PDUNHWHG LV now sold by people who know how WRJHWDURXQGWKHWD[ODZVLH³EXQ- GOLQJ´ &RORUDGR 'HQYHU LQ SDUWLFXODU IRXQGWKDWWKHQXPEHURISHRSOHOLY- ing on the streets increased, especial- O\ \RXQJ FROOHJHDJH PHQ ,Q RWKHU words, the number of people who VLPSO\ZDQWHGWREHVWRQHGZHQWXS California found that the number RIYHKLFOHDFFLGHQWVZHQWXSEHFDXVH RISHRSOHGULYLQJXQGHULQWKHLQÀX- HQFHRI³PHGLFDO´PDULMXDQD In truth, about 9 percent of mar- LMXDQD XVHUV EHFRPH DGGLFWHG WR LW And, yes, for some it is a gateway GUXJ OHDGLQJ WR JUHDWHU DGGLFWLRQV And the younger a person starts us- ing it, the more detrimental effect it KDVRQWKHPDQGWKHLUGHYHORSPHQW As for the Internet being full of sites proclaiming marijuana’s pos- LWLYH EHQH¿WV ZHOO FRQVLGHU WKH VRXUFH 7KH SURPDULMXDQD JURXSV KDYH D ORW RI PRQH\ DQG UHVRXUFHV for putting up misleading sites and LQIRUPDWLRQ 2XUVWDWHPD\KDYHPHGLFDOPDU- ijuana now and recreational marijua- na in its future, but there will be a SULFHWRSD\ Bill Williams Ontario W HERE TO WRITE '²+DUW6HQDWH2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVKLQJWRQ '& " 3KRQH (PDLO VHQDWRU#PHUN- OH\VHQDWHJRY)D[ 2UHJRQRI¿FHVLQFOXGH One World Trade Center, 121 6:6DOPRQ6W6XLWH Portland, OR 97204; and 310 6( 6HFRQG 6W 6XLWH 3HQGOHWRQ253KRQH 503-326-3386; 541-278- )D[ 86 5HS *UHJ :DOGHQ 5 ² 6HFRQG 'LVWULFW Longworth Building, Wash- VWDWHRUXVJRYHUQRUKWPO Oregon Legislature — 6WDWH &DSLWRO 6DOHP 3KRQH:HE- VLWH ZZZ OHJVWDWHRUXV LQ- cludes Oregon Constitution DQG2UHJRQ5HYLVHG6WDWXWHV 6WDWH 5HS &OLII %HQW] 52QWDULR 'LVWULFW Room H-475, State Capitol, Salem &RXUW 6W 1( 6DOHP *RY.DWH%URZQ'² 25 3KRQH 254 State Capitol, Salem (PDLO UHSFOLII- 3KRQH EHQW]#VWDWHRUXV :HEVLWH )D[ ZZZOHJVWDWHRUXVEHQW] :HEVLWH ZZZJRYHUQRU KRPHKWP LQJWRQ '& 3KRQH 1R GLUHFW HPDLOEHFDXVHRIVSDP:HE- VLWH ZZZZDOGHQKRXVHJRY )D[0HGIRUG RI¿FH1RUWK&HQWUDO6XLWH 0HGIRUG 25 3KRQH )D[ etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.