October 26, 2018
T he C olumbia P ress
Letters to the Editor
Balensifer always
answers questions
As a 50-year resident of
Warrenton, I can confidently
say that our city has been
fortunate to have some of
the finest leadership in the
county, and Henry Balensifer
has been central to the current
progress we are experiencing
in our city.
He is a strong advocate for
business and has successfully
worked with local, state and
national lawmakers to keep
Warrenton moving forward.
Whether it’s at a weekly
Mayor’s Coffee meeting,
regular City Commission
meeting or just a phone call, I
have always had any concerns
or questions answered by
Mayor Balensifer, or any of
the other commissioners, in a
timely manner.
Please join me in voting to
re-elect Henry Balensifer as
Warrenton mayor.
Christine Bridgens
Warrenton
Balensifer stands
for transparency
An important and illumi-
nating issue has emerged
in the race for the mayor of
Warrenton This issue is the
relocation of the city library.
The charge of lack of trans-
parency, leveled by candi-
date John Washington, in
the process of relocation is
simply false. City Commis-
sioners held public meetings
over a two-year period before
the new library opened at its
present location.
The library board also held
an open meeting that saw a
packed house of both Ham-
mond and Warrenton citi-
zens. If Mr. Washington had
cared to attend any of these
meetings, he would have
seen, firsthand, transparency
on display.
Henry Balensifer has an ac-
curate understanding of the
problems and processes of
city government. His tenure
as mayor has been of truth
and transparency. He should
be re-elected.
Diane Collier
Former member,
Warrenton Community
Library Board
Differences in
candidates is vast
This letter is in response to
Mr. Washington’s complaint
No. 5 (on his flyer).
The difference in the two
candidates for mayor of the
City of Warrenton are strik-
ing. Henry Balensifer as the
current mayor has been ex-
emplary in his determination
to provide transparency for
all citizens of the city.
John Washington’s com-
plaints often center around
the issue of transparency.
One such complaint specifi-
cally concerns the executive
sessions of the commission-
ers. Mr. Washington charges
that the city commissioners
and the city manager, with
the compliance of the city at-
torney, are using these ses-
sions to conceal what they are
actually doing.
Mr. Washington further
states that he, if elected may-
or, would convince the city
attorney that these executive
sessions should stop.
Typically, however, elected
officials (i.e. the mayor) do
not decide when or whether
to hold executive meetings
as this is the duty of the city
manager and staff. Mr. Wash-
ington fails to understand
either the scope or the limita-
tions of the office he seeks.
Furthermore, contrary to
another of Mr. Washington’s
complaints, the press is and
always has been, welcome at
these sessions.
9
Public safety calls
Henry Balensifer, because
of his excellent service to
the City of Warrenton, de-
serves our support in his bid
for re-election to the office of
mayor.
Lori Beth Kulp
Warrenton
Land variance
begs for scrutiny
On Sep. 4, the city of War-
renton received a formal pro-
posal from Pacific Seafood to
create a new type of housing
adjacent to the Columbia
River to be used only by the
seasonal transient employees
of this company.
The
two-stage
project
would require a land zoning
variance along with a major
modification to the Warren-
ton building code.
On Oct. 19, The Columbia
Press printed the limited in-
formation available to the
public for this proposal.
This is another non-trans-
parent Warrenton govern-
ment process used to conceal
from the voters what is about
to happen in their city.
The news article stated
there will be a meeting in No-
vember to discuss the zoning
variance. It did not state if
there would be a vote at that
time on the zone variance.
Creating a totally new type
of housing for Warrenton,
which is the implied goal of
this proposal, is a citywide is-
sue of great interest to a large
number of voters.
We need a public meeting
where voters can voice objec-
tions to this proposal without
the maximum three-minute
time limit the mayor allows.
It is necessary for newspa-
pers to report these public
objections at least two weeks
before a final re-zoning vote
so newspaper readers are ful-
ly informed.
Scott Widdicombe
Warrenton
Continued from Page 2
peace officer, failure to carry and
present a license and driving
while suspended.
• Speeding, 12:06 p.m. Oct. 14,
Ridge Road at soccer fields.
Driver cited for going 70 in a 45
mph zone.
• Speeding, 12:06 p.m. Oct. 14,
Ridge Road at Southwest Ninth
Street. Driver cited for going 69
in a 45 mph zone.
• Drunken driving, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 14, South Main at Alternate
Highway 101. Jose J. Tellez,
21, of Keizer was arrested on
suspicion of driving under the
influence of intoxicants, failing
to install an interlock device and
recklessly endangering another.
He was booked at Clatsop Coun-
ty Jail, where his blood-alcohol
content was recorded at 0.19
percent.
• Traffic stop, 9:10 p.m. Oct. 14,
South Main Avenue at Harbor
Drive. Inty Fernando Merca-
do, 33, of Seaside was cited for
criminal failure to carry and
present a license and for driving
while suspended, failure to carry
registration and failure to carry
insurance.
• Possible criminal mischief, 7:44
p.m. Oct. 16, Pacific Drive and
Heceta Street. Pickup truck on a
gravel road sprayed a woman’s
vehicle with rocks.
• Two-vehicle noninjury col-
lision, 10:06 a.m. Oct. 18,
Walmart parking lot.
• Traffic stop, 9 p.m. Oct. 19,
Ensign and Discovery lanes.
Driver cited for driving while
suspended.
• Speeding, 6:38 a.m. Oct. 20,
Highway 101 at Ensign Lane.
Driver cited for going 61 in a 45
mph zone.
• Speeding, 11:15 p.m. Oct. 20,
Highway 101 at Harbor Drive.
Driver cited for going 60 in a 45
mph zone.
• Speeding, 11:35 p.m. Oct. 20,
Ensign Lane at Southeast 19th
Street. Driver cited for going 61
in a 45 mph zone and for driving
while suspended.
f ire and SerViCe CallS
• Smoke, 12:45 p.m. Oct. 16,
0-100 block Skipanon Drive.
• Possible illegal burn, 10:53 p.m.
Oct. 16, 400 block Pacific Drive.
• Structure fire, 1:04 a.m. Oct. 17,
33200 block Sunset Beach Lane.
• Smoke from structure, 5:09
a.m. Oct. 17, 33200 block Sunset
Beach Lane.
• Fire alarm, 4:33 a.m. Oct. 20,
900 block Cedar Avenue.
m ediCal CallS
• Male having seizures, 1:42 p.m.
Oct. 15, 1800 block Southeast
Ensign Lane.
• Male with knee pain, 2:07 p.m.
Oct. 15, 800 block Iredale Street.
• Female child choking, 6:09
p.m. Oct. 15, 1200 block Third
Avenue.
• Disoriented male, 1:46 p.m.
Oct. 16, 500 block Harbor Place.
• Male who fell and hit head,
4:24 p.m. Oct. 16, 1600 block
Southeast Ensign Lane.
• Female fall patient, 5:56 p.m.
Oct. 16, 1100 block South Main.
• Female with stomach ache
and insomnia, 8:59 a.m. Oct.
17, Clatsop Behavioral Respite
Center.
• Male lying beside road, 11:36
a.m. Oct. 19, Highway 101 at
Camp Rilea.
• Male lying beside car, 11:52
a.m. Oct. 19, 1700 block South-
east Ensign Lane.
• Distraught female, 6:08 a.m.
Oct. 20, 33200 block Sunset
Beach Lane.
• Suicidal male with knife, 10:57
a.m. Oct. 20, Par Road and Sun-
set Beach Lane.
• Male with swollen feet and legs,
3:51 p.m. Oct. 20, 200 block
Tyee Street.
• Intoxicated female, 4:29 p.m.
Oct. 20, 90900 block Hwy 101.
• Suicidal male, 1:05 a.m. Oct.
21, Clatsop Behavioral Respite
Center.
• Female who took six Excedrine,
1:28 p.m. Oct. 21, Clatsop Behav-
ioral Respite Center.
• Female who’s weak and unable
to move, 7:45 p.m. Oct. 21, 1100
block South Main Avenue.
• Male with possible overdose,
7:46 p.m. Oct. 21, 0-100 block
East Harbor Drive.