October 19, 2018
T he C olumbia P ress
Local woman appointed to state panel
Letters to the Editor
City transparent
under Balensifer
There have been some un-
fortunate and misinformed
opinions circulating about
Mayor Balensifer, the City
Commission and the work
they have done.
The accusation that the cur-
rent city administration and
government is not transpar-
ent is simply untrue.
My husband and I began at-
tending weekly Mayor’s Cof-
fee meetings a couple years
ago, as well as the City Com-
mission meetings. Through
our attendance, we’ve met
some neat people, have
been able to voice our ideas
on improving our city, and
even found ways to be bet-
ter involved, such as joining
the Economic Roadmapping
process that Mayor Balen-
sifer helped start.
From our observation,
Mayor Balensifer and the
commission work well to-
gether, and we see no reason
to change that.
If you don’t want to sit
through the formality of
commission meetings, or fall
asleep reading budgets, the
mayor hosts a coffee every
week and holds town halls on
pressing issues. The coffee is
a low-pressure informal hour
focused on providing updates
and listening to constituents.
We also hear from the school
district and nonprofits like
the VFW. Both the Mayor’s
Coffees and town halls are
a great opportunity to meet
city employees responsible
for daily operations and bet-
ter understand how the city
operates.
The mayor has an occasion-
al column in The Columbia
Press, posts a great deal of in-
formation on Facebook and,
under the new city manager’s
leadership, now has a City
Administration
Facebook
page to provide updates not
covered by the police or fire
department Facebook pages.
With the exception of legal
documents, the city website
contains the packet of infor-
mation the commission gets
ahead of the meetings, as
well as the budget and capi-
tal improvement plan, which
outlines all the infrastructure
projects and equipment pur-
chases the city plans to do in
the next six years. That’s all
information available from
your smartphone or comput-
er. Sounds like a transparent
city government to me.
Brenda Hoxsey
Warrenton
sionalism is demonstrated
by staying informed through
contact with city staff and
researching and reading up
on the various issues that are
of concern to the citizens of
Warrenton.
If issues require additional
information, he makes sure
that they are looked into and
the results shared with the
citizens and city commis-
sion. He runs meetings that
are kept under control and
is respectful of the differing
opinions that come before
the commission.
Please join me in voting to
retain Henry Balensifer as
the mayor of Warrenton.
Ken Yuill
Warrenton
Balensifer should
remain mayor
Just say ‘yes’ this
This letter is in support of
election period
Mayor Henry Balensifer.
Over the years, I have had
the opportunity to observe
Henry, first when he was
appointed to the Warrenton
Planning Commission, and
then when he was elected to
the Warrenton City Commis-
sion.
After Mayor Mark Kujala
resigned his position, the City
Commission voted to appoint
Henry as Mayor Pro Tem in
order to fill Mr. Kujala’s un-
finished term.
Mayor Balensifer does an
excellent job of serving all the
citizens of Warrenton and he
makes sure that all of the ar-
eas in our city are included --
from the airport to Fort Ste-
vens, the Hammond area and
our marinas.
I have seen our mayor han-
dle items brought forth by
citizens that were not listed
on commission agendas in
addition to answering ques-
tions that come up at his
weekly “Coffee with the May-
or,” where everything is on
the table.
Mayor Balensifer’s profes-
9
There is a lot for our
community to say “yes” to on
this year’s November ballot.
“Yes” on Measure 105
protects families, Oregon
jobs and our state’s economy.
“Yes” on Measure 104
limits the power of Oregon
government to raise taxes
and allows families to keep
more of their hard-earned
money.
“Yes” on Measure 106 gives
Oregonians the choice of
how their own tax dollars are
spent.
“Yes” on Measure 103
prevents local governments
from taxing groceries.
A “yes” vote on these
measures and a “yes” vote
on 4-195, Clatsop County’s
Jail Bond Measure, supports
local law enforcement who
protect our families and
communities, upholds our
most important values and
keeps power in the hands of
the people.
Oregon wins with “yes”!
Christine Bridgens
Warrenton
Tiffany Brown, Clat-
The Oregon Legis-
sop County’s emergen-
lature established the
cy services manager,
group in 1991 to influ-
has been appointed by
ence decisions and pol-
Gov. Kate Brown to the
icies regarding pre-di-
Oregon Seismic Safety
saster minimalizing of
Policy Advisory Com- T. Brown earthquake and tsu-
mission.
nami hazards, increase
The panel, also known as public understanding of the
the Earthquake Commis- risks, exposure and vulnera-
sion, is tasked with promot- bility through education, and
ing statewide awareness and be responsive to new stud-
preparedness for natural di- ies and issues raised around
sasters.
earthquakes and tsunamis.
Brown’s appointment runs
Brown has been emergency
through June 2022.
services manager since 2013.