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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2020)
A8 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Recall Continued from Page A1 The Republicans had focused on Brown’s orders closing businesses and other restrictions that they said were unnecessarily sweeping and led to the sharp downturn in the state economy. Brown has said the restrictions were necessary for public Receipts Continued from Page A1 information officer, and Jim Hamsher, EOC liaison, should no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of the center. Gray, former Harney County emergency manager, said when he came to Grant County to help at the EOC in March, he noticed Palmer and Hamsher coming in and out of the EOC when it was at the Forest Service building. “I saw two commission- ers coming in and out of that EOC,” he said. “That’s not the way that it runs. Com- missioners make policy and tell us how much we have to spend.” Hamsher told Gray that the county’s emergency operations plan lists the court as the entity that oversees the EOC and that the court is there to do more than set policy. After the meeting, Gray told the Eagle that the coun- ty’s plan lists the court as the policy group, but within the EOC, he is at the leadership level. “I did look in the EOP like Commissoner Hamsher said, and within the EOC I am still at the leadership level,” he said. “And it shows them (county court) at the policy group level.” Gray said that he does not allow politics at his EOC. He said it’s not necessar- ily that the commissioners would do anything “not up and on the level.” “I’m just saying I don’t allow politics of any type within my EOC,” he said. “This is not just me,” he health and safety and pointed to the state’s relatively low level of infec- tions and deaths compared to other parts of the country. Currier said the effort was also hampered by what he said were lim- its on electronically submitted peti- tions, requirements to renumber petition forms and intimidation tac- tics against those who tried to gather signatures. Wednesday, September 2, 2020 If the petitions had been sub- mitted, they would have first been checked by the Secretary of State’s Elections Division. Most petition drives seek to have at least 20% more signatures than are required because of the standard number of signers who are thrown out because they are not residents, or don’t meet other state standards. If the recall had enough signa- tures, a special election, most likely in October, would have been held. If a governor is recalled, the secretary of state becomes governor. Though litigation could have affected the process, Clarno — a Republican appointed by Brown — would be first in line to serve as gov- ernor, most likely until the 2022 gen- eral election. Brown’s term ends in 2022. Twenty states allow for the recall of a governor, according to the polit- ical website Ballotpedia. Recall efforts rarely result in a governor losing office. No Oregon governor has been recalled. Califor- nia Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, was recalled in 2003. Scott Walker, the Republican governor of Wiscon- sin, faced a recall election in 2012, but retained his position. said. “This is how we teach an incident command system that your county commission- ers, administrators and oth- ers are in the policy group. They help change policy. If I need something changed, like a county ordinance, that’s where I go and say, ‘Hey, this ordinance is blocking me from doing something that I need to be done,’ or ‘I need an ordinance to be able to do something,’ or ‘I need extra funding from the county to do a job.’” Gray said he spoke with both Palmer and Hamsher after the meeting and said that they both seem to under- stand where he is coming from. “I was on the phone with Commissioner Palmer last night,” he said. “I was explaining, if I have you guys working in my EOC, then I’m wasting a good resource. You guys deal with politics, all day long. I don’t have time to be on the phone with state Rep. Mark Owens or any of these other state officials.” Past EOC staff Gray said he wanted to be clear that the past EOC staff did the best they could with- out extensive knowledge of incident command or what the Federal Emergency Man- agement Agency requires to get reimbursed for the costs the county incurred. “Yes, we’re getting all the money back this time because of the CARES Act,” he said. “But if it wasn’t the CARES Act, and we had to do it the FEMA way, we would be getting zero dol- lars back because none of the paperwork was done correctly.” The Eagle/Steven Mitchell From left, Leslie Traylor, Gary Miller, Mary Ellen Brooks and Shawn Duncan protest what they see as problems at the hospital, includ- ing the firing of a former nurse practitioner. Hospital Continued from Page A1 the county, but that is no lon- ger the case, and it is becom- ing a problem for many in the community. “People are having to 2020 Harney County Fair September 8th – 12th Thursday Livestock Judging 8am Talent Show 7pm ADMISSION Friday Livestock Judging 8am Big Loop Roping 3pm Local Rodeo 7pm $15 for cars of 2+ people $5 for walk ups and single occupancy vehicles $5 for admission into grandstands (good all day) Saturday Parade 10am Big Loop Roping 1pm Auction 3pm Open Rodeo 6pm travel, and traveling from Grant County can be an issue,” she said. “Especially in the winter, and I am a big chicken on the road, so some- body’s going to have to take me, and I hope I never have to take my husband.” Gary Miller, longtime Grant County resident and former hospital board chair, said it is time for the hospital’s board to consider cutting ties with the hospital’s manage- ment company HealthtechS3 Management Services. “The management com- pany has neutered the board,” Miller said. “It is time for the hospital to get back to the way it used to be, instead of sending the money back to Tennessee.” Miller said he has to “take a little responsibility” for the hiring of the management firm since he was chairman of the board at the time, but he said the company has been in Grant County for a “long time,” since 1990, and that it is time for a change. Hospital district CEO Derek Daly was on vacation when the Eagle attempted to contact him last week. Hos- pital district Chief Finan- cial Officer Cam Marlowe said he was not authorized to comment. The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Mary Ellen Brooks of Mt. Vernon expresses her concerns Thursday at the Blue Mountain Hospital District board of directors meeting. Mt. Vernon resident Mary Ellen Brooks said she was on the board for 14 years and told the members that she under- stands their job is stressful. “You’ve got a big burden on your shoulders,” she said. “But you were hired on for the job, and you need to get it done to the best of your ability, and I’m going to watch until it’s done.” Brooks said she would make herself available to help if the board needed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I have a hard time supporting something that I no longer can believe in.” Kreger, the board chair, did not immediately respond to a request for com- ment regarding the other complaints. 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