4A • March 11, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Views from the Rock
You can run 3,000 miles but you
can’t hide from Donald Trump
W
henever I’m in CB
people want to talk
to me about Donald
Trump. It’s not be-
cause the Donald
and I have the same hairdresser, but
we did live in the same town, Bed-
ford, New York.
“You must write another article
on your old pal Donald Trump,” Rex
Amos wrote. “You might be interest-
ed to know that I keep telling Diane
that if he’d just shave off that horse’s
mane, he’d look just like Mussolini.
You know, the way he purses his lips
and juts his jaw. Well, today he quot-
ed Mussolini. The NASCAR circuit
loved him for it! We have become
dumbed down in our everloving
search for entertainment. Our culture
is becoming caramel corn (which I
really like).”
For the record, I am no “pal” of
Trump. I talked to him as a journal-
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time after he won a lawsuit against
the town I lived in and another when
he gave comment on a lawsuit he
won against the Nature Conservan-
F\DQRQSUR¿WWKH7UXPS2UJDQL]D
tion doing business as Seven Springs
had just K.O.-ed in court.
Both times, I might add, he was
quite cheerful. In general, though, I
fear I may be in the same category
as the protester Trump singled out at
Central Florida University. “Get that
guy out of here,” Trump snapped to
his security force. “But don’t hurt
him.”
As entertaining as Trump is today
when he’s not discussing actual pol-
icy, he was making us laugh — and
weep — in Bedford long before his
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Trump is the owner of Seven
Springs, 213 acres straddling three
suburban towns. (The address of
Seven Springs, incidentally, 52 Or-
egon Road, may give Trump some-
thing of a “native son” feel to us in
the Beaver State.)
Trump planned to turn the fan-
cy estate into a Masters-quality
750-member golf course. When
neighbors objected to limos arriving
on dirt roads and choppers landing
on wetlands, the plan stalled.
A decade ago Trump said he
would build a ghetto of 109 luxury
in 2006 for $39.5 million. He sold a
portion which is now the Saugatuck
CANNON SHOTS
Harbor Natural Area, but was in-
R.J. MARX
volved in a lengthy legal battle over
his plans for a development that
would include high-end homes, a re-
sort and golf course.
homes if the three towns — Bedford,
The McLendon developer of Sin-
North Castle and New Castle — gapore Dunes has built a two-mile,
didn’t approve his golf course.
paved road in what are described as
While Trump’s plans slogged “critical dunes” along Lake Mich-
through the courts, he decided to rent igan to provide access to proposed
the place out. He made the most dar- homes.
ing short-term rental deal ever, leas-
As I’m writing this my dad in-
ing his property to Libyan dictator formed me McClendon was killed
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in a crash in Oklahoma City after his
The Libyans were occupied car hit a bridge at high speeds early
SLWFKLQJ WHQWV ZKHQ WRZQ RI¿FLDOV this month. It happened the day after
told them they were violating local McClendon was indicted on federal
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bid-rigging charges accusing him of
A couple years later Trump de- conspiring to suppress prices for oil
FODUHG³KHJRWWKHEHWWHURI*DGKD¿ and natural gas leases.
in the deal” by refusing to return the
Castles in the sand
dictator’s deposit.
The North Coast has faced big
Foregoing Seven Springs as
transient lodging, Trump’s son Eric egos before — it took Gov. Tom Mc-
Call to stand up in 1967 in Cannon
moved in.
Meanwhile, there is no golf Beach to the string of developers,
course there and the McMansions successful and not, who have chosen
to take their God-given rights as cor-
have yet to be built.
SRUDWHFLWL]HQVDOOWKHZD\WRWKH86
Supreme Court.
A little more than a century ago,
real estate developer Thomas Ben-
ton Potter and surveyor H.L. Chapin
were so eager to make a quick buck
that despite geologic evidence to the
contrary, he built a town along the
Oregon coast, south of Nehalem,
called Bayocean. It was billed as
“the next Atlantic City.”
“Never once,” wrote author Bert
Webber in his book “Bayocean,”
“did Potter seem concerned about
SUBMITTED PHOTO/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
putting buildings on sand founda-
Advertisements for Bayocean, a tions.” The town of Bayocean fell
development since sunk into the into the sea one house at a time, until
sea.
1952 when giant breakers collapsed
the spit leaving an island separated
from the land by a mile of ocean.
Public, private interest
Within a month the population dwin-
My dad, who retired to western dled to six people.
Michigan a few years back, has long
Author Matt Love may be touch-
been railing about a guy named Au- ing an important nerve when he
brey McClendon, the CEO of Chesa- writes in “The Great Birthright”:
peake Energy, a midwestern Trump, “Ever since the election of Ronald
bullying everyone in his way.
Reagan in 1980, much of the country
McClendon bought what’s known had suffered from an ongoing politi-
as the Denison property, overlooking cal conspiracy to implant a virus to
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Save these
dates at
the library
AT THE LIBRARY
CARLA O’REILLY
B
AP PHOTO/SCOTT HEPPELL
Presidential contender Donald
Trump looks on at the 16th green
on the 1st fi rst day of the Women’s
British Open golf championship
on the Turnberry golf course in
Turnberry, Scotland, 2015.
everything. The virus was of such
a malignant strain that it had weak-
ened the resolve for community
leaders and politicians to come out
in favor of anything that proposed
or even lauded elevating the larger
public good over the smaller private
interest.”
Matt Love is not the only Or-
egonian to share this thought. His
passion for the land and sea — and
the shared goals of most Oregonians
—is what keeps our beaches public
and forests protected. It is important
for Oregonians to cherish this rare
privilege.
Straight to the top
Back to my pal, the Donald.
Long before Trump’s presidential
visions were an apple in Melania’s
eyes, his political charisma was ap-
parent. In 2014, New York’s 19th
congressional district lacked a Re-
publican candidate to face off against
incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney.
Maloney had easily knocked off a
health care industry lobbyist in 2012
and the GOP needed some muscle to
compete.
Perhaps prophetically, we wrote:
³)LQDOO\ZHDUHFRQ¿GHQWWKDW'RQ
ald Trump, despite a Bedford res-
idence, will not run for Congress.
Unless someone asks him to.”
He skipped Congress.
ecause spring break time
is nearly upon us, we have
a very exciting program
planned this month, a special
event for children of all ages —
our own Brett Willyard, a local
magician, will be putting on a
show at the library Saturday,
March 26, at 1 p.m. Well-known
for his appearances at the Can-
non Beach Farmers’ Market in
the summertime, he will be re-
membered from the last time he
visited the library and gave a
standing-room-only magic show.
A not-to-be missed event!
Also in March, as part of the
Northwest Author Series, Re-
becca Harrison will be on hand
to talk about her soon-to-be re-
leased book Aboard the “Port-
land: The History of the North-
west Steamers.” The book takes
us back over 150 years ago when
the grand Columbia and Willa-
mette river sternwheelers were
used for trade and transport. Har-
rison also wrote the book “Deep,
Dark, and Dangerous: On the
Bottom with the Northwest Sal-
vage Divers.”The event takes
place Saturday, March 12, at 2
p.m.
The members of Cannon
Beach Reads group will con-
vene at the library at Wednesday,
March 16, at 7 p.m. This month
the group will be reading and dis-
cussing the book “Being mortal:
Medicine and What Matters in
the End,” by Atul Gawande.
L ooking ahead to April, be-
cause we at the library are be-
yond appreciative of the efforts
of so many library members
and volunteers, we wanted to
do something special. To ex-
press our gratitude and celebrate
your service, we will be hosting
a special member and volunteer
appreciation luncheon Wednes-
day, April 6, from 11:30 a.m.
to 1 p.m., at the Cannon Beach
Chamber of Commerce Com-
munity Hall.
LETTERS
Time for a new board
The Cannon Beach Fire Board
claims they were “elected.” I’m
sorry… how many ran unopposed?
Who was “elected” with less than
200 votes? Exactly.
Folks, this is an appointment by
default. No “majority” has spoken.
Social media posts state, “people
have no idea what it takes to serve on
a public board.” I concur, but not for
reasons the poster intended. What’s
happened is that the community now
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You, the people, are granted the op-
portunity to replace a public board
who has served too long because no
one else would. People are ready and
waiting in the wings. You must vote
to see a change.
Social media posts state, “Voters
needs all of the facts.” The fact is
that this board had issues well before
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pened to him was just icing on a cor-
rupt clique of cupcakes; the same old
B.S. continues, only with more paper
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more regarding Mike and how the
board has alluded to inadequacies in
the media. Due to the lawsuit, we all
have to wait. But regardless to what
happens, the board and their track re-
cord is the reason for this recall. The
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KLPMXVWVHWLWDEOD]H
There are 18 letters (out of 23
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A true majority of the Cannon Beach
Fire Department disagrees with how
their board micromanages and con-
ducts business. Being “elected” by
the hair of their chinny-chin-chins,
these three should’ve resigned. Yet
here we are at the district’s time and
expense.
It’s up to the community to speak
up and vote without fear of public
scrutiny or retaliation. Please don’t
Publisher
Steve Forrester
Editor
R.J. Marx
Reporter
Lyra Fontaine
Advertising Manager
Betty Smith
Production Manager
John D. Bruijn
Circulation Manager
Heather Ramsdell
Advertising Sales
Laura Kaim
IRU0U%HQH¿HOGWKHFRXQFLODOOUH
fused to acknowledge or address the
opponent’s positions. It really does
feel like they are deferring to the city
lawyers and staff. I just can’t under-
stand why they are so pro-Nicholson
Decision was not surprising
in this matter. Is there something
The Cannon Beach City Coun- they have to gain by this alliance?
cil’s decision at its Tuesday night
The city councilors were elect-
meeting on March 1 was not surpris- ed to support and represent their
ing, but so disappointing.
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On the one side, they heard from WKLV WRZQ:KHQ D VL]DEOH JURXS RI
Nicholson and his cohorts talking our community opposes this PUD,
about the threats of destruction of largely because the proposal ran
historic homes, an imaginary 15,000 counter to the requirements set out
sq. ft. “McMansion” and the value of in the city codes, why would three
“small, affordable cottages.” In fact, councilors and the mayor support it?
there will be no restored home, Mc- They approved it with a long list of
Mansion or cottages. His four houses conditions, which made it obvious
ZLOOEHIXOOVL]HGDQGIXOOSULFHG+H that the application was incomplete.
was accompanied by his usual hand- Many opponents begged them to ex-
ful of lawyers, geo-techs and archi- plain why they supported this issue
tects. But we were also treated to an and so far, in the last year, none of
entourage of his “supporters,” a crew them have even tried to explain their
of young people from Portland who rationale.
knew nothing about Cannon Beach
We are frustrated and sad about
or this issue. I wonder if the council the council’s handling of this mat-
and staff weren’t insulted to think he ter. It seems like our new staff is
would try to pull off this charade? It in charge of Cannon Beach and the
was another attempt to fool us into elected representatives have turned
thinking he has viable local support. their power over to their “expert” ad-
7KH UHVW RI WKH FLWL]HQV RI &DQQRQ vice. By the way, do any of the hired
Beach could see right through his lawyers and staff live in Cannon
latest sham. Why couldn’t the coun- Beach? Just asking.
cil?
Fred & Elizabeth Lorish
On the other side, there was a
Eugene
standing room-only crowd of con- Vote no recall
cerned homeowners, both local and
There is much to-do over the
seasonal. Most of the opponents
have had deep connections to Can- ¿ULQJ RI &DQQRQ %HDFK )LUH &KLHI
non Beach for up to 50 years or 0LNH%DO]HU9HU\OLWWOHKDVEHHQVDLG
more. They are taxpayers and over in support of the three board mem-
half are Clatsop County voters. They bers who voted for his termination.
presented incredibly clear, well-re- These three individuals are members
searched arguments for why the of the community, and have also giv-
council should have denied Nichol- en many years of volunteer service
son’s proposal. They couldn’t have to make the Cannon Beach Fire De-
been more respectful, knowledge- SDUWPHQW D ¿QH RUJDQL]DWLRQ7KRVH
able and rational. And yet, except LQWKH¿UHGLVWULFWHQMR\UHGXFHGLQ
cave to these tactics blanketing so-
cial media; I implore you. Vote
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Krysti Ficker
Gearhart
LETTER POLICY
The Seaside Signal welcomes letters to the editor.
The deadline is noon Monday prior to publication.
Letters must be 400 words or less and must be
1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon
signed by the author and include a phone number
97138
for verifi cation. We also request that submissions
be limited to one letter per month. Send to 1555
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N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, OR 97138, drop them
Web: www.cannonbeachgazette.com
off at 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive or fax to 503-738-
Email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com 9285, or email rmarx@seasidesignal.com
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
The Cannon Beach Gazette is published
every other week by EO Media Group.
LQFOXGLQJFRQWULEXWLQJPRQH\WR¿JKW
a losing battle at the Land Use Board
of Appeals.
Instead of providing councilor
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ond so they could discuss his motion
to rule that the council did not have ju-
risdiction to hear the matter, since the
Planning Commission had not yet ap-
proved the application, they sat mute.
None of the other four councilors were
capable of contending with the land
use lawyer hired at $375 per hour to
sit at planner Barnes’s elbow and parse
the code in favor of the applicant.
Proceeding with the public hearing,
a carload of the applicant’s proponents,
most of them from the Portland area,
followed one another with testimo-
ny that amounted to “cottages good,
McMansions bad.” Not one local op-
ponent has ever suggested that a large
house built on the property in question
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of concern to neighbors. This was a
chimera thrown into the fray by the 17
form letters signed by Realtors hungry
for more houses to be available on the
market.
Ignoring the testimony of 22 oppo-
nents, councilors — though the appli-
cation was incomplete — proceeded
to vote 4-1 to approve the application.
This was followed by dithering over
what conditions to require of the ap-
City Council failed to take
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action when needed
if he would be willing to accept each
$Q\ KRSH IRU FRQ¿GHQFH LQ WKH one.
We can only hope that future can-
Cannon Beach City Council’s ability
to deal with a complicated and conten- didates for City Council will be strong
tious issue with integrity was dashed enough to stand up to threats of law-
at its meeting of March 1. Almost 50 suits, do their homework and respect
RIWKHFLWL]HQVZKRPWKH\ZHUHHOHFW the advice of the planning commission
ed to represent came out on a stormy rather than depending completely on
night to urge them to follow the city WKHVWDIIUHSRUWDQGDVXSHUÀXRXVDQG
]RQLQJ FRGH UHJDUGLQJ SODQQHG XQLW expensive land use attorney for their
GHYHORSPHQWV0DQ\RIWKRVHFLWL]HQV decisions.
Diane Amos
have studied the code closely and fol-
Cannon Beach
lowed the process for more than a year,
surance rates, thanks to the direction
that they have given.
A lot has been said about the
manner in which the termination
was handled in the public meeting.
%XW WKH PDQQHU ZDV 0U %DO]HU¶V
choice. The state of Oregon requires
that an individual be informed of the
meeting and given the option of an
executive session (closed meeting),
or having the discussion in public.
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public session. He also knew that he
was going to be terminated, and he
should have arranged for transporta-
tion home after the meeting, leaving
the department-owned car.
There are many facts which can-
not be made public until the trial.
Until all of the facts are known, I
would hope the people in the district
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VHUYLFHJLYHQE\WKHVHRI¿FLDOVFRQ
tinue to support them and give them
the courtesy of voting no on the re-
call.
For four generations my fam-
ily and I have lived and worked in
Cannon Beach. I have only the best
interests of the community at heart
when I urge you to vote no on this
important decision.
David Kent Price
Gearhart
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