A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Legislature
should pass
records bills
T
he resignation of Or-
egon’s former public
records advocate, Gin-
ger McCall, still echoes with
consequences.
First, over the holidays,
The Oregonian reported on an
investigation from Gov. Kate
Brown’s offi ce. It concluded
that a member of the gover-
nor’s staff did not pressure
McCall to take the governor’s
side. An attorney hired by the
governor’s offi ce authored the
report. McCall has challenged
it.
Second, a related bill is
on the Oregon Legislature’s
agenda for the 2021 session.
Legislative Concept 1478
attempts to make it clear that
Oregon’s Public Records
Advocate is to be an inde-
pendent offi ce. The governor
would no longer get to appoint
the advocate. The state’s Pub-
lic Records Advisory Council
would.
Oregon actually has good
laws that are supposed to
ensure the public gets access
to government records and
government meetings. But
sometimes because of lack
of training of government
employees or a desire for
secrecy, it can be hard for the
public to get access. The pub-
lic records advocate is sup-
posed to help with both.
The advocate position is
relatively new. With any new
position there can be a lack of
clarity how it should work.
McCall resigned, in part,
when she believed Misha
Isaak — now the former gen-
eral counsel to the governor —
was using his political power
to exert pressure on her to pur-
sue the governor’s agenda on
public records but to tell no
one.
LC 1478 will not settle
every question about how the
advocate is supposed to oper-
ate. It should help. The pur-
pose of the public records
advocate should be to improve
understanding of the exist-
ing law, help mediate pub-
lic records disputes, point out
walls blocking transparency
and recommend fi xes.
Another bill for the 2021
session, Legislative Con-
cept 2036, is one of those
fi xes. It would mean the Pub-
lic Records Advisory Coun-
cil would do a survey every
even-numbered year.
The existing law just says
the surveys should be done
“periodically.” The survey
would be used to determine
how state agencies and other
public bodies are complying
with the public records law —
what fees they are charging,
what decisions they have
made about records that are
exempt from disclosure and
other questions the council
deems appropriate.
Oregonians can’t know how
the public records law is work-
ing without information like
that.
We urge the 2021 Legis-
lature to pass both of these
proposals.
WHERE TO WRITE
GRANT COUNTY
• Grant County Courthouse — 201
S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax:
541-575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon
City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509.
Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@
centurylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville
97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-
987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John
Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028.
Fax: 541-575-1721. Email: cityjd@
centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long
Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601.
Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@
cityofl ongcreek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426,
Monument 97864. Phone
and fax: 541-934-2025. Email:
cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt.
Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688.
Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@
ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie
City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax:
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website:
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State
Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503)
986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us
(includes Oregon Constitution and
Oregon Revised Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol
or messages for legislators) — 800-
332-2313.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Lost and (hopefully) found
I
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
‘Peace be with you’ Grant County voted for Trump. I’m ‘Those who ignore
To the Editor:
not sure how many are Christians, but history are doomed
This is to the person who seems to I would guess at least 77.28%. I don’t
take some kind of pleasure in writing know you personally. All I do know
to repeat it’
letters to this newspaper in an attempt
to insult the people who support our
President Donald Trump. Referring to
the latest letter, he called us “thugs”
among other derogatory things. He
insinuates that anyone who supports
the President could not be a Christian
and we are all evil. For one, I am very
surprised this paper would give this
person the audience he so craves in
his attempt to shame the people who
live in this county and country —
77.28% of the voting population in
is what you seem to be trying to do
is start something that is not positive.
Well I do not believe you will suc-
ceed because God is love, and we are
all good people that honor our Lord
and savior and law and order. You
seem to be quite divisive. Hate will
get you nowhere. Take a drive. God’s
gifts are everywhere. You live in the
most beautiful place there is. Peace
be with you.
Sandra Rue
Prairie City
To the Editor:
“It doesn’t matter who votes,
it matters who counts the votes,”
attributed to Soviet dictator Joseph
Stalin, the infamous mass mur-
derer responsible for the deaths of
20 million Russians through delib-
erate starvation or murder. Those
who ignore history are doomed to
repeat it.
Dave Traylor
John Day
L
ETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues.
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questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. 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.
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
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MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
sweater stall. In fi ve minutes, I’d
purchased two armloads of sweaters.
I exited Old Town, surprised to
see that I’d actually been within a
few feet of the sweater stall when
I’d arrived that morning, which peo-
ple with the “Ability to Get Lost”
DNA gene frequently fi nd.
Another favorite “get lost”
trick of mine occurred in
Vienna, Austria. Our tour leader
announced that shortly the mag-
nifi cent Lipizzaner stallions would
be practicing at the Spanish Riding
School and the public was invited
at no cost.
A map showed the way, which
looped through the town. On foot,
I’d never make it in time. No prob-
lem. I employed the “shortcut”
method, a favorite of those talented
for getting lost.
I drew a straight line to the venue
and headed out. I ended up at the
“Happy Needle Tattoo Parlor.” I
did not employ their services but
took off on one of those last-minute
dashes utilized by those of us who
fall for the “shortcut” route.
Once, fi nding myself lost in deep
woods, I shot off three quick shouts.
“I’m lost! I’m lost! I’m lost!”
“Don’t panic,” advised the sur-
vival manual. “Stay put.”
I was able to hyperventilate in
place. I heard a mechanical whop,
whop and knew the rescue crew was
on its way.
The driver of the golf cart gave
me a ride, and that is how I was res-
cued on the ninth hole of the rural
golf course.
Jean Moultrie is a freelance
writer from Grant County. She
advises that if one visits China to
collect plants and uses a local map,
it’s prudent not to mistake a mil-
itary installation for a tree-fi lled
arboretum.
don’t wish to brag, but I possess turn left at Wolf Breath Hollow.
a special talent.
Then a right at McGuzzle’s machine
I have the propensity, the
shed. Don’t miss that turn-off or
ability, the skill, the knack for get-
you’ll end up on a dead-end dirt
ting lost.
road too narrow to turn around on
Some people possess a sharp
and no cell service.”
sense of direction. They hike deep
Much later — me returning a
into the woods, get clunked
call, a sharpness in my
on the head by falling tree
voice. “Did you mean
branches and nabbed by Big-
McGuzzle’s machine shed
foot who blindfolds them
that burned down fi ve years
and spins them around sev-
ago?”
eral times. These direction-
“That’s what happens
ally fortunate people remove
when you give a woman
their blindfolds and locate
direc…”
Jean Ann
their vehicle within 15
Phone disconnect.
Moultrie
minutes.
Overseas travel gives me
I dash into a grocery store
additional opportunities to
for bread and milk and spend 15
“get lost.”
minutes lost in the parking lot trying
The phrase, “Old Town,” has two
to locate my car.
meanings. 1. Unique shopping 2.
My gift for getting lost mani-
Place for tourists to get lost.
fest itself at age 4. Mother, with her
Take Tallin, Estonia, for exam-
attention diverted by a new baby,
ple. Easy day trip by boat from Hel-
didn’t notice that I boosted my
sinki, Finland. Old Town shopping
younger brother into my red wagon
draw — a stall selling reasonably
and started off on an adventure.
priced, hand-knit wool sweaters.
I was an obedient child. Parents
The map showing the sweater loca-
taught that I should never cross the
tion looked like the equivalent of a
street without an adult. I obeyed.
10-acre Iowa corn maize designed
I calculated that if I stayed on the
by a computer in which several
sidewalk I would circle the block
dozen tourists are still missing two
and end up back home. I couldn’t
weeks after it closed.
fi nd home, so I turned and headed
Even I with my talent for getting
back. Back and forth I went, lost in
lost found this challenge daunting.
our neighborhood.
“Turn left at the corner near the
A neighbor spotted me and called town square,” instructed a Tallin
my mother.
local.
New rule: Stay in the yard. After
At the corner, there were sev-
Dad got home, my red wagon mys-
eral turn-left options: sorta left, left
teriously disappeared.
with slight south hook, left with
As an adult, taking directions
gusto (dead-end), lefty left, etc.
was fraught with misguidance. Pre-
Impressive.
GPS, the family installed a compass
I spent the day lost in Tallin’s
in my car. Even that wasn’t always
Old Town, and it was only when I
helpful.
heard the boat whistle from the dock
Over-the-phone directions I
shriek a warning that passengers
received:
needed to board for their trip back
“Go out Grizzly Paw Lane and
to Helsinki that I stumbled onto the
Phone: 541-575-0710
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