T he C olumbia P ress
1
50 ¢
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
www.thecolumbiapress.com
August 31, 2018
Lest we forget
Vol. 2, Issue 35
Hammond man
to challenge
Balensifer for
mayor’s post
B y C indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
Left: Warrenton Grade School teacher Mindy Little leads sign-language stu-
dents in “Proud to be an American” below the just-unveiled veterans statue.
Above: About 200 people attended Saturday’s monument dedication.
Below: VFW Auxiliary President Debbie Little presents the monument’s
history while state Sen. Betsy Johnson looks on.
Vets statue
dedicated
A celebration honoring
veterans and unveiling a
statue three decades in
the making brought peo-
ple downtown Saturday.
The 13-foot bronze fig-
ure was dedicated as the
Photos by Peggy Yingst/The Columbia Press
See ‘Veterans’ on Page 4
New detective named to Warrenton Police Department
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
Police Chief Matt Workman introduc-
es Detective Tyler Johnston to the City
Commission Tuesday night.
The Columbia Press
Warrenton’s new police detective hit
the ground running.
On July 25, the first day of Tyler
Johnston’s new assignment, he was di-
verted to help with an officer-involved
shooting in Seaside, Police Chief Matt
Workman told the City Commission.
“There’s a lot of variety,” Johnston
said. “Since I started, I don’t think I’ve
had a dull moment.”
The detective, who has been with the
department since April 2015, was in-
troduced Tuesday night.
The new position was made possible
through an increase commissioners ap-
proved in the police budget for the 2018-
19 fiscal year. Johnston’s contract is for
three years with the option of renewing.
“He’s one of these guys that’s just
thirsty for knowledge,” Workman said.
“He’s our go-to guy for electronic evi-
dence, search warrants, preservation of
evidence.”
Johnston has specialized training in
child-abuse investigations, sex-offend-
er interviewing, child and infant death
investigations, use-of-force documenta-
tion, school safety and active shooter sce-
narios, and social media investigations.
He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal
justice from Western Oregon University.
Henry Balensifer will have some
competition in his race for Warren-
ton mayor.
Retired commercial truck driver
John Washington, 54, of Hammond
has filed for the post, which will be
decided in the
Nov. 6 election.
Balensifer, who
was 23 when first
elected to the
City Commission
in 2012, was ap-
pointed to the
mayor’s post by
fellow
commis-
sioners last year
Washington
when then-Mayor
Mark Kujala stepped down.
Washington said he first got inter-
ested in local politics when the city
placed a moratorium on marijuana
dispensaries and then relegated them
south of Highway 101 after voters ap-
proved legalizing the drug.
“Astoria doesn’t need money for
their schools. Seaside doesn’t need
money for their schools,” Washing-
ton said. “But in Warrenton, the city
council made it their job to say no to
marijuana stores in town. … I don’t
think it should have been up to the
city council and mayor. It should have
been put to a vote of the citizens.”
Washington, who has lived in Ham-
mond for 18 years, has no beef with
Balensifer.
“Not one,” he said. “But I see no
reason to come in second place. I’ve
always been an overachiever. If I’m
going to do it, I’m going to do it all.”
See ‘Election’ on Page 6