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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2020)
OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle A4 Wednesday, October 7, 2020 County’s public records policy keeps the public in the dark G rant County’s public records policy is problematic on several levels, and it cer- tainly seems as if county officials are trying to make it more difficult for the public to see these public records. The policy is not only unnec- essary in most situations, it is also causing confusion and delays among county staff. Worst of all, county officials have routinely — and illegally — ignored records requests that were submitted fol- lowing this policy, which is sup- posed to ensure county officials obey public records laws and treat everyone fairly. The policy adopted late last year requires approval from the county court, or the county judge, before any county department can release any documents. If you want to see a list of peo- ple who filed to run for office, the county clerk will now need approval from the court before she can give that out. If you need infor- mation about a Planning Commis- sion decision, the planning direc- tor is going to have to ask before delivering it. If you want to see the county budget — you get the picture. The problem isn’t that the county has a defined policy. The problem is that the county court is inserting itself between the public and public officials, even when it is unnecessary. For years, the county clerk and treasurer have provided documents directly to the public without hav- ing to ask for permission. They are public records, after all. If these public officials had a question about whether or not a document could be released, they could easily ask for guidance from the court or county counsel in that situation — while continuing to provide routine records they don’t have questions about directly to the public on their own without interference. Now, however, they must be considered about retribution if they violate the county court’s policy, simply by providing public records to the public. During a recent interview, a county official told us they could not answer questions we had because it might violate the pub- lic records policy. We pointed out that we already had the records and were merely trying to get an explanation of what they meant, and after some thought, the official agreed with us and answered the questions. But the fear is real. County offi- cials are afraid to discuss pub- lic business and answer ques- tions, which has nothing to do with records requests, because of the county’s public records policy. This should concern everyone. These public officials are doing public business, your business. They should be able to explain to anyone who asks how they are con- ducting business on behalf of the public — how they are spending your tax dollars. And when public officials won’t talk, or are afraid to talk, there is a serious breakdown in our system of open government. Beyond that, though, these pub- lic records are your records. Oregon law states “every person has a right to inspect any public record of a public body in this state” except for certain, limited exceptions. The county’s public records pol- icy seems to ignore the underly- ing importance of public access to information about what govern- ment officials are doing. Instead, it seems as if they are purposely put- ting up red tape — more hoops to jump through — to make it more difficult for the public to stay informed. If they don’t have anything to hide, why make access to records more difficult? The worst part about the policy is that, after county officials have required us to fill out a form and wait for court approval, they hav- en’t been following through to ful- fill those requests, as required by law. Since May, the Eagle has sub- mitted only three records requests to the county, and none have been fulfilled. Legally, the county is sup- posed to provide the documents or an explanation within 15 days. We’re still waiting on a credit card statement requested May 15; doc- umentation related to COVID- 19 county court labor expenses requested July 16; and tort claim notices requested Aug. 14. By forcing the public to jump through hoops to request records and then by ignoring the law about fulfilling them, county officials are keeping public records from the public. By implementing a pol- icy that causes county employees to fear explaining county business, the public is being further kept in the dark. The county court members should remember they repre- sent the public. More importantly, they should recognize that county records belong to the public. Grant County should revise its unnecessary public records policy to make clear that county officials can provide nonexempt records directly to the public without delay or interference — unless they have a question about releasing the record. The county court should make it very clear that answering questions does not, and cannot, violate the records policy so county employees can explain what is going on. And the county should actually follow Oregon’s public records law. Unless, that is, they have some- thing to hide. Blue Mountain EAGLE USPS 226-340 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Email: www.MyEagleNews.com Phone: 541-575-0710 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION E DITOR & G ENERAL M ANAGER R EPORTER R EPORTER S PORTS M ARKETING R EP O FFICE A SSISTANT Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com sports@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY EO Media Group Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .....................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$57 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2020 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be repro- duced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including pho- tocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. www.facebook.com/ @MyEagleNews LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ‘The biggest landslide in the country’s history’ To the Editor: The upcoming election cannot be over soon enough. While support- ers of the president hold huge patri- otic rallies including motorcycle ral- lies and boat rallies, supporters of the Democratic nominee riot, burn down cities and loot stores. I supported the once great Dem- ocratic party for many years, but no more! Today’s party has become controlled by radicals who have turned the party into something ugly, dangerous and destructive to America. The party has presented no viable presidential candidates with the exception of Tulsi Gab- bard who was too smart, patriotic, a military officer and an independent thinker who the radicals could not control so the party shunned her like a rattlesnake. The current panic by the Demo- crats is another example of lunacy. President Trump will nominate a new Supreme Court justice, whether before the election or after, doesn’t really make any difference. The great American silent major- ity has been watching the unbe- lievable lunacy by the Democratic party and is not happy. President Trump will not only be reelected, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he is reelected by the biggest landslide in the country’s history. Frank C. Gardner Fernley, Nevada ‘Talk about poetic justice’ To the Editor: Talk about poetic justice! I won- der if that self-centered moron many Grant County residents helped elect president has swallowed “a light bulb and chased it with a cocktail of bleach and Lysol?” Terry Steele Ritter Non-masking complaints To the Editor: Does a complaint exist if the filer is anonymous, or the accused is not allowed to face the complainant? The Sixth Amendment provides that a person accused of a crime has the right to confront a witness against him or her in a criminal action. (Cornell Law School). The Oregon Health Authori- ties clearly defines “People with a disability or medical condition may request accommodation from the business if they cannot wear one.” Did the complainants stop to think that the people not wearing a mask had a disability or medical condition? A public records request has been filed for copies of the com- plaints that were submitted against Chester’s Thriftway, the response so far has been: “Please let me know what your relationship is with this company. Please note if the complainant requests to be confidential that information is never released. “The complaints you are request- ing are still in process and sev- eral are anonymous. Until the complaints are closed and our Administrator approves the request they cannot be released.” We all have a right to know the nature of the complaints filed against one of the two grocery stores that keep our county going. Chester’s, Huffman’s Market and the Mountain Mart deserve better than this. This looks like a veiled attempt to coerce the people of Grant County into complying with something most do not agree with, which is low ball, even for the more progressive-minded in the county. Again, the question is simple, if an American is not allowed to face their accuser, is the complaint valid? I would argue no, but some are fighting hard to gain your compli- ance. Are you willing to comply? Maybe if you get hungry enough, or it becomes too expensive to shop out of town, you will. Billie Jo George Bates people in our community through his church and charitable events. At work and in the community, Rob is a caring and generous guy. You can often find him out and about with a big smile on his face. I know that Rob Raschio will make an excellent judge for the cir- cuit court in Grant and Harney counties, and he certainly has my vote. I hope that you will join me in voting for him this November. He is the right man for the job, no doubt in my mind. Tracey Blood Canyon City Rob Raschio for judge ‘Who will apologize to the dedicated EOC staffers?’ To the Editor: Having worked for the Law Office of Robert Raschio for five years prior to retiring, I can tell you that I believe Rob will be a great cir- cuit court judge for Grant and Har- ney counties. Rob totally believes in our justice system and takes it very seriously. He has, and endorses, integrity practicing law. Having extensive experience in child depen- dency cases, he is adamant about keeping our kids safe in our com- munities. He believes that everyone is entitled to the same constitutional rights and is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and that the punishment should fit the crime. Rob Raschio has compassion and understanding for those who come from socio-economic disadvantaged environments and believes there are programs available for life-chang- ing education if a person chooses to better themselves and their situa- tion. Rob would work hard to create a positive relationship between the public and the courts. Rob is a family man and loves living and raising his kids in Grant County. His wife’s family is from Harney County — point being, they are very invested in these two coun- ties and are in it for the long run. At the Law Office of Robert Raschio, we often sponsored community events and youth sports teams. Rob will work hard on behalf of our communities, and I hope that you will join me in voting for Rob Raschio as our next circuit court judge. Kerry L. Allen Mt. Vernon ‘Rob Raschio will make an excellent judge’ To the Editor: Supporting Rob Raschio for cir- cuit court judge is an easy choice for me. I love the feeling of com- munity in Grant County, and I know that this is something Rob will con- tinue to uphold. He will do his abso- lute best to protect our community and those in it. The people here are eagerly willing to help one another out, whether it’s with work, fam- ily or anything else they could pos- sibly need, and Rob is no exception to that. As a Court Appointed Spe- cial Advocate for children, I have worked with Rob through depen- dency proceedings in Grant and Harney counties since 2015. He has demonstrated his legal knowl- edge and dedication to advocating for his clients consistently over the years we’ve worked together. Rob is a skilled planning partner and will increase accountability in our dependency court proceedings. His law firm sponsors local events and youth organizations, and Rob often volunteers his personal time to give to the most vulnerable To the Editor: Where to start? Sex talk and the continuing saga of the Emergency Management Center (EOC)? I don’t even try to follow the sex talk because it is just meandering smut stirred up just in time for elections. Go figure. The EOC story runs on with no end in sight. The EOC staff resigned, but no one asked why. The decision was made to move EOC out of the airport, although that location alone met the dictates of the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Act (FEMA) in effect at that time, which was based primarily on such emergencies and recover- ies as Katrina. The FEMA directives changed daily and required many “do-overs.” A security breached by identified airport staff was witnessed and security violated again by per- son or persons unknown. Equip- ment, keys, supplies, and receipts “disappear.” The EOC continues to be disparaged by those who have never dealt with a pandemic but reap the rewards of the successful pioneering actions of others that lent a platform for them to brag from. Amazingly, the elusive keys, sup- plies, equipment and receipts sprung forth. Now, where were they hid- ing? In plain sight? Intentional? But, wait, another document is missing, and the media has another target to pounce on. Have they missed any- one from the original EOC staff for their smear tactics? All the report- ing thus far has been based on assumed accurate information from the incompetent and uninformed, which, if you consider it, can be eas- ily traced back to the source. In my opinion, journalism standards are deteriorating, and it only seeks out a target to vilify. Does smut have more value than the truth? Wil- liam Shakespeare is quoted, “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” Who will apologize to the dedicated EOC staffers who assured Grant County was adequately rep- resented and enabled CARES and the county to move to Level 2 open- ing? You might give a thought as to the 75% reimbursement of FEMA expenses before you blindly believe the county is in dire straits. Judy Kerr Canyon City Editor’s note: Former COVID- 19 Emergency Operations Center staffer Jodi Cook thanked the Eagle for providing her the documenta- tion from our investigation that states she provided “no backup” for county court labor costs. “I hadn’t seen that detailed form with notes before, so thanks for shar- ing,” she said. Cook said there is backup. The Eagle will continue investigating.
