January 12, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A
Meet author Rene Denfeld at library’s author series
H
appy 2018 to all of our
library friends and visitors!
It may be cold and drizzly
outdoors, but inside the Library
the fireplace is lit, the shelves are
well-stocked with books to read and
DVDs to watch, and we have some
upcoming experiences to share with
all of you!
First of all, Cannon Beach
Reads, our library reading/discus-
sion group will be meeting at the
library at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan.
17.
For January the group has been
reading “Life on the Mississippi,”
by Mark Twain. The book contains
anecdotes about Twain’s training on
the Mississippi River as a steamboat
pilot. In the second half of the book,
the author describes a trip many
years later on a steamboat from St.
Louis to New Orleans. Tom Schaef-
fer will be the discussion leader. As
always, the group encourages and
welcomes new participants. Call the
library for more information.
AT THE LIBRARY
CARLA O’REILLY
We welcome author Rene Denfeld
on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m. for
our Northwest Author special event.
As well as being an author, Rene is
a licensed investigator in the state of
Oregon and a therapeutic foster-adop-
tive parent. She will be talking about
her latest novel “The Child Finder,”
which is a literary thriller examining
the role of a young woman in finding
a missing child. Her talk promises to
be interesting as well as informative.
Cannon Beach ESL Literacy Pro-
gram continues! Thanks to the city
of Cannon Beach grant in the spring
of 2017, the literacy liaison position
sponsored by the Clatsop Community
College was able to continue its out-
reach efforts to provide adult English
language classes for the second year.
In partnership with the Cannon Beach
Library, weekly English classes
resumed Nov. 14, at the library, from
6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday nights. These
ESL (English as a Second Language)
classes have served a close-knit group
of adult students, mostly immigrant
women who work in hospitality and
service industry jobs. These students
aspire to learn English so that they
can better perform their jobs plus
learn the skills that will enable them
to eventually become active, contrib-
uting members of their new commu-
nity. The program continues to need
volunteers who can provide English
language instruction to an individual
learner for at least one hour per week
on a one on one basis. Please contact
Judith Pearson at 971-201-6605 for
more information.
Looking ahead to early Febru-
ary, we eagerly anticipate our first
library membership meeting of the
new year. As always it includes a
delicious brunch prepared by our
hosts/hostesses, as well as what
COURTESY CANNON BEACH LIBRARY
Book discussion
centers on “The
Child Finder,” by
Rene Denfeld.
promises to be an interesting and
informative talk by our own Marc
Bates, a well-known cheese maker.
Marc has also provided much assis-
tance to our library over the years.
Plan on attending the meeting if for
no other reason than sampling his
delicious cheeses!
So as you can see, library support-
ers, the Cannon Beach Library re-
mains warm, cozy and active over the
course of our winter! Come join us!
Term limits are needed on all federal government legislators
re you in any way satisfied
with the way our country is
being run? I’m not referring
to the president. I’m speaking of
our representatives in the House
and Senate. Those people whose
sole large accomplishment for 2017
was to pass a bill that according to
our president, “made the rich a lot
richer.”
I don’t care if you are a Repub-
lican, Democrat or independent, it’s
pretty clear that our elected officials
are not doing our bidding. They all
seem most interested in retaining
their jobs. This seems their first
priority. As a result, money in the
form of political contributions is
what they all spend much of their
A
MAKING WAVES
JOHN HUISMANN
time pursuing. Our representatives
literally spend at least half their time
every day “dialing for dollars” at
offices near the Capitol. Both Re-
publicans and Democrats maintain
offices just for this purpose.
Yes, a lot of us contribute to our
personal favorites, but this is just
pocket change for our represen-
tatives. The big money, for both
parties, comes from big business,
millionaires, billionaires and special
interests like the NRA and others.
Hold on — it’s just one example of
a special interest. I will address that
issue another time.
It seems that most people favor
term limits, except for their own
senator or representative. My guy is
good — it’s the others that are bad.
The point is, when any particular
issue comes up, there are always
interested parties looking for a
return on their investment (read
campaign contributions). Big money
is the reason that nothing is getting
done in the congress. Senators and
congressmen cannot get reelected
without a big pile of cash to make
it possible. The price paid for that
cash is selling their votes on any
number of issues. No wonder we
can’t get them to work for us!
They’ve been bought and paid for
by the wealthy and special interests.
So how do we get out of this
situation that our founding fathers
never contemplated? I believe that
it’s really pretty simple; take the
money out of politics. Do I really
believe that our legislators would
really vote for something like this?
No! Their desire seems to be to
continue feeding from the public
trough.
What we as citizens could do
is to petition for a constitutional
amendment that would impose strict
term limits on all federal govern-
ment legislators. I believe that two
terms is sufficient for any office. It
is the same thing we did for the of-
fice of the president. As part of this
amendment, we should provide fed-
eral funding for all federal elections
and forbid private fundraising.
This, of course, is far easier said
than done. But, if we actually did it,
think what we could accomplish for
our country. The money would be
gone from the election process and
our legislators would be forced to
work for us again.
As Bobby Kennedy once said,
“Some people look at things as they
are and ask why. I try to look at things
as they could be and ask why not?”
John Huismann is a Cannon
Beach resident.
LETTERS
Candidate would ‘hit
the ground running’
After considerable reflec-
tion on my 20 years as a Tilla-
mook County commissioner,
it is time to announce what
my plans are for the future.
I have decided not to run
for reelection as Tillamook
County commissioner when
my term expires on Dec. 31.
This was a very difficult deci-
sion for me to make because I
love being a county commis-
sioner. Not only do I enjoy
working with commissioners
Baertlein and Yamamoto, but
I am honored to serve the citi-
zens of Tillamook County and
to work alongside the county’s
dedicated staff. Being a coun-
ty commissioner has been a
truly meaningful experience.
Before becoming a Tilla-
mook County commissioner,
I served for eight years as a
state representative until term
limits, which existed at that
time, forced me to leave. As a
county commissioner, I have
had the privilege to work with
people across the state and the
nation to find creative solu-
tions to complex issues. As a
result, I have determined that
the time is right for me to run
again for the Oregon State
Legislature as the District 32
representative.
Several people have en-
couraged me to run again for
the Legislature, including my
family, State Rep. Debbie
Boone, and State Sen. Betsy
Johnson. My experience as a
former legislator and a coun-
ty commissioner gives me a
unique opportunity to be ef-
fective in solving Oregon’s
complex budgetary, social and
environmental issues.
If elected, I would hit the
ground running. Fortunately,
I know the legislative process
very well through almost 30
years of experience. I also
have a solid understanding of
the issues and problems that
we face at the local, regional,
state and national levels. Most
importantly, I have learned
how to work collaboratively
with both Democrats and Re-
publicans to forge solutions
that fit our needs and move us
in a positive direction.
We face a number of chal-
lenges that must be resolved
soon. Many of our cities and
counties are in, or soon will
be in, financial crisis due to
an outdated state tax structure
that was initiated in the mid-
1990s through the referendum
process. My experience as a
county commissioner has giv-
en me a firsthand understand-
ing of the critical services that
cities and counties provide to
the public, and these services
that are too important to see
go away.
Another hurdle that can
and must be overcome is the
Public Employees Retire-
ment System. Unfortunately,
the Legislature’s failure to
stem the rising PERS cost for
schools and public services
across the state has already
compromised our future.
Solving this financial crisis
will allow us to allocate our
limited resources to more
productive areas, such as en-
suring our schools and civic
facilities are earthquake ready
to improve public safety and
upgrading our infrastructure
to support and encourage eco-
nomic development.
I hope you will support my
effort to serve you once again
as a member of the Oregon
State Legislature as your state
representative for District 32.
Tim Josi
Tillamook County
commissioner
Proper precautions
needed
“Rope and rescue team
saves stranded dog off cliff-
side in state park,” the Dec.
26 article detailing Felix’s
dramatic rescue by Cannon
Beach Fire and Rescue per-
sonnel with Seaside Fire Lt.
Genesee Dennis scaling a 60-
foot sharp cliff face to bring
the dog to safety has been
widely shared on Facebook.
As a long-time dog owner and
lover, I’m relieved everyone
emerge unscathed.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Monday, Jan. 15
163 E. Gower St.
Tuesday, March 20
3718 S. Hemlock St.
Ecola Creek Watershed Council,
4:30 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Monday, Jan. 22
Seaside School District Board of
Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin,
Seaside.
Tuesday, May 15
Tuesday, Jan. 16
Cannon Beach Public Works
Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163
E. Gower St.
Utility Rate Discussion, 6 p.m., City
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Seaside School District Board of
Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin,
Seaside.
Thursday, Jan. 18
Cannon Beach Parks and Commu-
nity Services Committee, 9 a.m.,
City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Cannon Beach Design Review
Board Meeting, 6 p.m., City Hall,
Utility Rate Discussion, 6 p.m., City
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Thursday, Jan. 25
Cannon Beach Planning Commis-
sion, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Thursday, Feb. 8
Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m.
3718 S. Hemlock St.
Tuesday, Feb. 20
Seaside School District Board of
Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin,
Seaside.
Thursday, March 8
Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m.
3718 S. Hemlock St.
Experience Family Dining in
a Relaxed & Friendly
Environment
Serving Seafood, Pizza,
Sandwiches, Espressos, Beer,
Wine, Ice Cream and our
Homemade Desserts
We have a fabulous patio
where you can enjoy the
weather and your meal.
“TO-GO”
Orders Welcome
Thursday, April 12
Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m.
3718 S. Hemlock St.
Seaside School District Board of
Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin,
Seaside.
Thursday, June 14
Tuesday, April 17
Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m.
3718 S. Hemlock St.
Seaside School District Board of Di-
rectors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin, Seaside.
Tuesday, June 19
Thursday, May 10
Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m.
Seaside School District Board of
Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin,
Seaside.
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!
156 N. Hemlock • Cannon Beach
Located in SOUTH Cannon Beach
Owned and Operated by the Cleary Family
3301 S. Hemlock St. • Tolovana Park
503.436.1130 • Minors Welcome
503.436.9551
However, the article didn’t
detail the fact that Felix’s
owner is a fan of letting her
dog run off leash as this helps
him “decompress.” It didn’t
note that Ms. Stremming
had Felix running off-leash
through the park — a park
that requires dogs to be on
leash at all times.
Nor did the article detail
that the entire incident — one
that put rescuers in harm’s
way, took them away from
their family and friends at
Christmas time, saw expendi-
ture of municipal money, like-
ly caused Felix stress from
being trapped on a narrow
ledge without food or water,
and caused his owner and her
friends heartache — could
have been avoided had Ms.
Stremming simply obeyed
Ecola State Park’s leash law
and had Felix leashed.
If Ms. Stremming con-
tinues to have Felix run off
leash, perhaps doing so on her
own property or within the
confines of a securely fenced
area is best.
Dorianne Almann
Hinsdale, NH
Phone and Internet Discounts
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within its service area for universal service purposes.
CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential
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service more affordable to eligible low-income individuals
and families. Eligible customers are those that meet
eligibility standards as defined by the FCC and state
commissions. Residents who live on federally recognized
Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal benefits if
they participate in certain additional federal eligibility
programs. The Lifeline discount is available for only one
telephone or qualifying broadband service per household,
which can be either a wireline or wireless service.
Broadband speeds must be 15 Mbps download and 2 Mbps
upload or faster to qualify.
Lifeline discounts include a transfer restriction (port
freeze). This means that you are unable to obtain the
Lifeline discount on service with another provider for a
period of time. The length of time depends on the services
you purchase – 60 days for voice telephone service,
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aspx for more information.
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