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News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 2, 2018 A3 Ethics complaint against Prairie City officials investigated Investigator: appears no one intentionally violated executive session law By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle State investigators are looking into a possible ethics violation by Prairie City offi- cials. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted 7-1 to investigate a possible violation of Oregon’s exec- utive session law by Mayor Jim Hamsher and Council- ors Carole Garrison, Georgia Patterson, Les Church, Frank Primozic and Joe Phippen Jan. 5. Oregon law provides a narrow list of matters that en- tities may discuss in private, outside of open session, if proper notice is given, but no final decisions may be made. Commission investigator Michael Thornicroft told the Prairie City officials the pos- Eagle file photo Prairie City Mayor and Grant County Commissioner Jim Hamsher. Eagle file photo Prairie City City Council meets in this file photo. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is investigating a possible executive session violation by the city council. sible violation did not appear to be intentional, in a Jan. 2 letter provided by Hamsher. “Should the Commission- ers vote to move this matter to an investigation, my rec- ommendation to the Director and the Commissioners will be that this matter be settled with a Letter of Education and not a fine,” Thornicroft wrote. “It appears from the Preliminary Review that the Executive Session was done in good faith and it does not appear that anyone intention- ally violated Executive Ses- sion provisions.” Prairie City resident Dan Becker said he filed the com- plaint after an August city council meeting where an executive session was held that was not included on the agenda. After the executive session, he said, the council reconvened in open session and voted to give a raise to the city public works director. He said he filed the com- plaint in November to get the attention of the council with- out causing financial hardship to the city, in hopes of getting them to obey open meeting laws. “They need to allow the public an opportunity to know what they’re going to be dis- cussing,” Becker said. Oregon law requires pub- lic bodies to provide at least 24 hours notice for meetings, except in the case of an actual emergency. An executive ses- sion notice must include the “specific statutory provision(s) authorizing the executive ses- sion,” according to the Attor- ney General’s Public Records and Meeting Manual 2014. Hamsher said a city em- ployee requested to discuss personnel matters in executive session right before the meet- ing, and the council “didn’t want to take the chance of talking about personnel mat- ters we could get sued over.” He said, at the time, they be- lieved the matter was a labor negotiation — which is al- lowed as an executive session if negotiators from both sides request it to be, and which is the only executive session allowed without public no- tice — before learning labor negotiations were related to unions. Hamsher, who is running for county judge in the upcom- ing election, said he believed the ethics complaint was polit- ically motivated. “I think bringing this up at this point is just trying to smear the city,” he said. “It’s just a way to slander me be- fore the election.” Superintendent reports on New publisher takes reins school disciplinary policies By Antonio Sierra EO Media Group Shelley: Some improvements are needed By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Grant School District 3’s disciplinary policies are in compliance with state re- quirements, but some im- provements could be made, Superintendent Curt Shelley told the school board during its April 18 meeting in Sen- eca. The matter was brought up at the board’s March 21 meeting by Baker City at- torney Kyra Rohner-Ingram, who represented a student suspended from Grant Union High School following an Oct. 4 incident involving marijuana use and posses- sion. She told the Eagle that district policy was not being followed correctly. Rohner-Ingram was joined by Tracey Blood and Lisa Weigum, who expressed concerns that the district’s policies deprived students of essential support services and implemented discipline, not intervention. At the conclusion of the meeting, the board asked Shelley to review the dis- trict’s suspension and expul- sion policies and present a report at their next meeting. Shelley reported April 18 that he asked Salem-based attorney Rebecca Jacobson to review the district’s poli- cies to see if they complied with state requirements. Jacobson found that the district’s policies complied with state rules, but some policies should be included in an updated student handbook, Shelley said. The handbook is available online. The Eagle/Richard Hanners Grant School District 3 board vice chairman Zach Williams, left, and Superintendent Curt Shelley during a meeting in Seneca on April 18. Jacobson also found that a signed agreement was needed when alternative ed- ucation is provided in lieu of expulsion. This would provide a better explanation of what additional supports would be available for stu- dents under the district’s dis- ciplinary process. A written plan would be created, and a copy would be provided to parents, Shelley said. Students receiving dis- cipline need additional sup- port, Shelley told the Eagle. The district needs to work through this matter and make improvements, he said. School board member Haley Walker told the Ea- gle the district is working through a process to ensure the district is in line with state requirements and to ensure the district is doing what’s right for students. “We asked the superin- tendent to follow up on our policies, and if we need more we’ll ask for it,” she said. Attention Grant County Veterans: Blood was present at the April 18 meeting and told the Eagle she was encour- aged by Shelley’s acknowl- edgment of a need for im- provement. “I look forward to seeing that happen,” she said. “I see opportunities for the district to improve.” One thing Blood said she’d like to see more of is the trauma-informed ap- proach to counseling, which takes into account the long- term effects of trauma on the brains of young people as they grow up. Some of the students who get into trouble at school need this additional support, she said. “I’d like to see that ap- proach built into the dis- trict’s disciplinary policy,” she said. Cinco de Mayo Train Ride! Delicious Mexican Food Fantastic Grande Ronde Scenery! May 5, 11 a.m. EOU IS CONNECTED Women’s basketball standout Maya Ah You-Dias earned the NAIA’s national character award EOU’s Trapshooting Club made its first 180 regional teens tried hands-on STEM activities at the IMESD Tech Expo on campus For more information visit eou.edu/connected Mother’s Day Brunch May 13 10am-4pm Monday-Friday • 541-620-8057 49769 Great things are happening! Elgin, Oregon See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. 530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR communities we serve and the newspapers we produce.” Brown said Rush was a wor- thy successor. “Chris is also a highly intel- ligent, friendly and positive per- son,” she said. “He shares our family’s values and a passion for community journalism, and I expect that he will be a great fit here in Eastern Oregon.” Rush said he’s always been attracted to living and working in small communities and he intends to keep the media group’s four Eastern Oregon newspapers fo- cused on community news. Rush will arrive in Eastern Oregon Thursday, and he and Brown will spend the coming weeks working on the transition between publishers. Brown will be stepping down from her role as publisher of the East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald in order to launch a mag- azine called “The Other Oregon,” focusing on rural Oregon’s issues, values, culture and lifestyle. She will remain on the East Orego- nian’s editorial board and will be involved in special projects at the newspaper. She also serves on the EO Media Group’s board of direc- tors as an owner of the company. Rush will move to Pendleton with his wife. He has two adult children, a son who will graduate from Oklahoma State University this spring and a daughter attend- ing the school as well. appearance at national competition Did you know Grant County Veterans Services Officer is available to assist YOU in applying for all VA benefits you may be entitled to? Katee Hoffman Chris Rush will be new to Eastern Oregon, but he’s no stranger to community journal- ism. EO Media Group recently named Rush as the regional pub- lisher and revenue director of the East Oregonian, Hermiston Her- ald, Blue Mountain Eagle and Wallowa County Chieftain. He will replace Kathryn Brown, who has been publish- er of the East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald since 2013. Brown has been interim pub- lisher of the Eagle and Chieftain since former publisher Marissa Williams left in March for a new position at the Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch. Rush, a 25-year veteran of the journalism industry and na- tive of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had an inauspicious start to his career. Equipped with a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s de- gree from the University of Central Oklahoma, Rush had trouble breaking into the field as a young man in 1993. He had sent dozens of résumés to vari- ous news organizations when he applied for a reporting position with the Sapulpa Daily Herald, a newspaper based in a Tulsa sub- urb of about 20,000 people. Noticing his experience sell- ing furniture and men’s clothing, the Daily Herald instead offered Rush an advertising job, which paid a commission in addition to a base salary. “At that time, I had just got- ten married, and that sounded good to me,” he said. His foot in the door, Rush crisscrossed Oklahoma and Ar- kansas as a reporter, editor, adver- tising director and publisher. Rush moved to Aberdeen, Washington, in 2008 to become the publisher of The Daily World and, after a brief stint back in Oklahoma, be- came publisher of The World Chris Rush in Coos Bay in 2015. Although Rush’s career had been made in print journalism, in 2017 he retired from the newspa- per business and bought a coffee shop in Reedsport, which he ran with his wife, Sheryl, for the past eight months. It was a longtime dream, but running the Rogue River Coffee Co. was also a rigorous enterprise. “I got a lot of respect for any- one who owns a business,” he said. All the while, Rush kept tabs on his old profession. He had originally thought about taking an interim publisher position somewhere to supple- ment the coffee shop’s income, but when the publishing job in Eastern Oregon opened up, he couldn’t pass on the opportunity. EO Media Group officials be- lieve Rush is the right person for the job. “Chris is uniquely qualified to take on this leadership role for our company,” said Heidi Wright, EO Media Group chief operating offi- cer. “He is excited to be working with a family-held media compa- ny that shares his passion for the Book online, eaglecaptrainrides.com or call 800.323.7330 NOW RECEIVING APPLICATIONS FROM VETERAN HOMEOWNERS 1809 First Street • Baker City • (541)523-5439 BARGAIN MATINEE IN ( ) Adults $7 ALL FILMS $6 ON TIGHTWAD TUESDAY MOVIE SCHEDULE MAY 4-10 AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (PG-13) The third and final installment of the 2017-18 property tax is due Tuesday, May 15th, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe. FRI - SUN (4:00) 7:30 MON-THURS 7:00 SUPER TROOPERS 2 (R) Payments may be made at the Tax Collector’s Office at the Grant County Courthouse in Canyon City, or the payment may be mailed and postmarked no later than May 15th, 2018. Please remember that delinquent taxes accrue interest at the rate of 16% per year. If you have any questions, please call the tax office at 575-0107 or 575-0189. When a border dispute arises between the U.S. and Canada, the Super Troopers are tasked with establishing a Highway Patrol station in the disputed area. FRI & SAT (4:20) 7:20 SUNDAY (4:20) 7:20 MON-WED 7:20 I FEEL PRETTY (PG-13) 9:40 A woman wakes from a fall believing she is the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. 9:35 $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth 55402 FRI & SAT (4:10) 7:10 SUNDAY (4:10) 7:10 MON-THUR 7:10 PO Box 185 Canyon City, OR 97820 55389 Community Connection has funds available for home repair for qualified veterans in Union, Wallowa, Baker and Grant counties. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to: Electrical Plumbing Roof/Gutters Foundation Porches/Steps Windows/Doors Sagging Floors Heating System Add Ramps Widen Doorways Siding/Paint Insulation If you are a veteran who owns or is in the process of buying your home and you are interested in the Veteran’s Home Improvement Program, please call Community Connection at (541) 963-3186 for more information. Income limitations apply. 55392
