May 5, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A
Thompson pushes back on questions about expenses
Commissioner
claimed more
than half the
total pool
By Jack Heffernan
For EO Media Group
Clatsop County Commis-
sioner Lianne Thompson is
pushing back against accusa-
tions that her travel and ed-
ucation expenses have been
excessive by questioning the
Board of Commissioners’
goals.
Thompson has claimed
$7,328 in expenses during the
first three quarters of the fiscal
year. The five commissioners
combined are allotted a total
of $13,500 each year.
Commissioners have spent
$12,692 in the first three quar-
ters, or 94 percent of the allot-
ted amount.
The board voted unan-
imously Wednesday, April
26, to direct $2,000 until the
end of the fiscal year in June
to account for the decreasing
amount of money for expens-
es.
“We’ve got to wing this
until June,” Scott Lee, the
board’s chairman, said.
Lee addressed the issue in
a March 30 letter to Thomp-
son.
“I know that for the re-
mainder of this fiscal year you
will be mindful that this bud-
get is for all five commission-
ers who also may have travel
or training plans,” he said in
the letter.
Insufficient funds
Need for expenses
Thompson responded at
the commission’s meeting.
“Reimbursement for all
actual and necessary expenses
incurred on county business
while outside the county is
both required by the county
charter and essential for com-
missioners doing that busi-
ness,” she said.
Thompson added she of-
ten seeks to limit expenses
by avoiding hotels and eating
cheaper food such as energy
bars or takeout from a grocery
deli.
While explaining her need
for expenses, Thompson
pointed to a lack of a con-
crete vision or goals from
other commissioners. Three
issues — housing, econom-
ic development and emer-
gency preparedness — have
Lianne Thompson
Scott Lee
been the primary focus of her
county-related travel, Thomp-
son said.
Most of Thompson’s ex-
penses this year came
in March, when she
received
more
than $5,968 in
reimbursements.
A large portion
of those expenses
stem from two con-
ferences: the Earth-
quake Engineering Research
Institute in Portland on March
9 and a Mass Timber confer-
ence March 27 to March 30.
“I called for the whole
board to define its work and
a work plan with goals,”
Thompson said. “I didn’t see
an appetite for that process
or result from others, and I
promised to pursue it on my
own.”
She added that the
board should have
more time to dis-
cuss goals at a re-
treat or additional
work sessions.
Following
Thompson’s
com-
ments, Commissioner Sarah
Nebeker said she was having
a hard time connecting the
points between board goals
and expenses.
“So am I,” Lee said with a
smile to Nebeker.
Thompson also argued the
line-item budget amount allo-
cated to commissioners each
year for expenses is insuffi-
cient. Since the 2013-2014
fiscal year, expenditures by
the board have risen from
$5,527.12 to the figure it
sits at this year. Meanwhile,
the money allocated to com-
missioners has remained the
same.
“With your statement here
and information that will in-
form the county manager and
budget, they should consider,
possibly, an adjustment for
future years to set that bar
a little higher,” Lee said to
Thompson.
Questions about Thomp-
son’s expenses initially sur-
faced during her first year on
the board.
Thompson was sworn in as
a member of the board in Jan-
uary 2015. She has claimed
$16,292 in expenses in the
two years and three months
since. Her $3,653 in expens-
es during her six months of
service in the 2014-2015
fiscal year compared to the
$8,862 by commissioners.
She expended $5,311 of com-
missioners’ $10,116 in 2015-
2016.
“Yes, we’re tracking the
financial
expenditures,”
Thompson said. “What we’re
not doing in my mind is look-
ing at community needs.”
Base budget
Lee added, though, that
it is important for commis-
sioners to pursue their goals
within the parameters of the
county charter.
The county maintains
the same base budget for all
general fund departments,
such as the Board of Com-
missioners, each year, Budget
and Finance Director Moni-
ca Steele said. Departments
then can request additional
funds, prompting the county
to make a decision based on
the previous year’s spending
levels.
“We looked at the histori-
cal levels and since they were
coming in under budget, we
maintained that base budget
amount,” Steele said.
Steele said the best oppor-
tunity to weigh in on expens-
es would be at the county’s
budget committee meeting.
The meeting will take place
in early May.
‘Our guardian angel’
Goodding remembered at fallen officers memorial
By Jack Heffernan
For EO Media Group
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE/FILE PHOTO
SALEM — A misty-eyed
Seaside Police Chief Dave
Ham was in the middle of
thanking Sgt. Jason Good-
ding’s family when he was
abruptly interrupted.
“They’re really helping me
out,” he said. “The strength
and resiliency I see in your
family is amazing, and all the
open arms and hugs …”
Suddenly, a puddle of wa-
ter from the top of a large tent
covering the audience before
Ham splashed to the ground
near the stage.
“Wow. Thanks, Jason,”
Ham said.
Memories of Goodding
were heavily present at the
Oregon Public Safety Acade-
my’s annual Fallen Law En-
forcement Officers’ Memorial
ceremony. Hundreds of people
attended the 80-minute cere-
mony Tuesday in Salem.
Goodding’s name was the
183rd added to a memorial
wall that served as a backdrop
for the ceremony. The wall rec-
ognizes the law enforcement
officers in Oregon who have
died on the job since the 1880s.
Goodding, 39, was shot
and killed in February 2016 on
Broadway in downtown Sea-
side while taking a man into
custody on a warrant.
Phillip Ferry, 55, shot
Goodding once before Good-
ding’s partner, David David-
son, returned fire and killed
Ferry. Goodding died at Prov-
idence Seaside Hospital later
that night.
Goodding is survived by
his wife, Amy, and daughters,
Joslyn and Jayden.
“It’s been difficult driving
by the driveway every day for
a year, but I know I don’t have
it half as bad as those two little
girls and the wife and mom,
Amy,” said Clatsop County
Sheriff Tom Bergin, the Good-
dings’ next-door neighbor. “It
strikes you at the core, it really
does. Jason was a smart man,
a young, just a steadfast indi-
vidual that was not only a good
neighbor, a good friend, but a
great cop.”
Honoring the service
Bagpipes, drums, flag pre-
sentations with the American
and Canadian national an-
thems, a roll call of all 183
slain officers and a 21-gun
salute complemented other re-
marks made by officers, family
and public officials.
Guided by law enforcement
officers from throughout the
state, families of slain officers
filed into their seats to begin
the ceremony. Jerry Gaidos,
a former chaplain for Clatsop
County law enforcement who
consoled local officers after
Goodding’s death, said a prayer.
The Arch Cape Design Review Committee received a re-
prieve from the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals last
week after a decision on the committee’s future was sent
back to the county.
Appeal back to county
Arch Cape from Page 1A
COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP
Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding was honored at the Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial ceremony.
Officer Kenneth J. Henson II of
the Lakewood Police Depart-
ment in Washington state gave
a speech that highlighted how
he and his department rallied to
help the families of lost peers.
‘Daily struggle’
Then, it was Ham’s turn.
“It’s been a long 14 months
since Jason’s been gone,” he
said. “It’s a daily struggle to
keep from crying and missing
my friend.”
Ham delved in to the de-
partment’s struggles with per-
sonnel changes in the past 14
months, Goodding’s death be-
ing the most dramatic.
“Out of the struggle came
the hiring of new faces,” Ham
said. “All of these personnel
changes have brought a new
and fresh face to the department
and a level of excitement that I
know Jason would be proud
of. His excitement for the job
is reflected in the leadership of
our department now and in the
faces of our current staff.”
Amy’s letter
During the speech, Ham
read a letter Amy Goodding
wrote to the Seaside Police
Department shortly after her
husband’s death.
It described how an emo-
tionally exhausted Goodding
would often fall into bed ful-
ly clothed after a long day at
work, only to take a call in
the middle of the night to an-
swer an officer’s question. He
would often confide in Amy
when he felt helpless at a call
on a particular day and wasn’t
sure if he made the right deci-
sion in a given situation.
“He believed that his body
was his weapon and his mind
his tool to protect and serve his
family in service and hope,”
the letter read. “There is noth-
ing he wouldn’t give for you,
and he worked himself into the
ground trying to take care of
everyone but himself.”
COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP
Amy Goodding, widow of
slain Seaside Police Sgt.
Jason Goodding, spoke
through letters about her
husband at the ceremony.
Family letters
The police chief also read
letters the family wrote specif-
ically for the memorial.
“His loss has created an
emptiness in our lives that can
never be filled,” one of Amy’s
letters read. “The hopes and
dreams of our family have
been shattered, and we are still
trying to put the pieces back
together. Jason will always be
my husband, and he will never
stop being Jayden and Joslyn’s
daddy. But now he will be our
guardian angel. We will make
the best of this life that we
are now going to have to face
without him.”
Joslyn and Jayden wrote
about how much they love and
miss their father. Joslyn add-
ed she wished she listened to
more of his basketball coach-
ing advice. Amy Goodding
later helped lay wreaths on
stands in front of the wall.
One moment in Ham’s
speech perhaps illustrated the
struggle and perseverance of
Goodding’s family and com-
munity, both last year and
now.
“Thank you to everyone
who continues to support the
Goodding family and the Sea-
side Police Department as we
navigate through this hard
time and we continue to grow
to what has become our fu-
ture,” Ham said in a progres-
sively soft voice.
“Excuse me,” he then said,
collecting himself.
SERVING
LUNCH &
DINNER
OPEN AT 11:30
Tuesday’s Open at 4pm
Delightful Beer
Garden • Ocean View Deck
Pool Tables • Darts
Full Bar ( including Bill’s Tavern brews )
but that’s not all...
Smoked Pork Ribs • Steak • Seafood
and much, much more!
Located in SOUTH Cannon Beach
3301 S. Hemlock St. • Tolovana Park
503.436.1130 • Minors Welcome
and there is too much judi-
cial power given to too few
people.”
Thompson also said she
thinks the town is more di-
vided on the issue than the
Oregon Coast Alliance as-
serts. She said she’s had resi-
dents tell her they are scared
to express their opinions if
they differ with the commit-
tee’s view.
“It’s gone from being
used as a tool to becoming
a weapon,” Thompson said.
“It’s focused on how much
power the committee has
rather than other’s well-be-
ing. It’s become members
banging on someone’s door
telling them to trim their
tree.”
La Follette said issues can
be resolved through a coop-
erative process rather than
complete dissolution, and
said the committee needs to
be heard.
“There is a difference be-
tween having a hearing and
being listened to,” she said.
“Land use politics is messy.
Everyone wants to do dif-
ferent things with their land.
The county needs to allow
for that complexity.”
Dining on the
North Coast
NORMA’S SEAFOOD & STEAK
20 N. Columbia, Seaside
503-738-4331
Since 1976 discriminating diners have
sought out this Seaside landmark. There’s a
chalkboard fresh catchlist, exclusively natural
Angus beef and a great regional wine list as
well as local microbrews. From Steak & Lobster to Fish &
Chips (and Chowder to die for) - this is worth the drive!
11am-10pm daily. Visit www.normasseaside.com
PIG ‘N PANCAKE
223 S Hemlock
503-436-2851
7AM - 3PM Daily
From hashbrown potatoes ground fresh
daily and award-winning sourdough
pancakes to homemade soups and
clam chowder, you’ll find delicious family friendly dining
at the Pig ‘N Pancake. Over 35 breakfast varieties and a
complete lunch menu, too. Our dining area overlooks a
beautiful wetland area and downtown Cannon Beach.
TO PLACE YOUR
AD HERE!
25
ONLY $
per
issue
Seaside Office: 503-738-5561
Astoria Office: 503-325-3211