Heppner gazette-times., May 24, 1979, Page TWO, Image 2

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TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, May 24, 1979
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Commissioner's role:
'Of by and for9 the people
Sifting
through
the
TIMES
At the latest count, six or more
candidates are seeking the position of
county commissioner to fill a vacancy
created by the death of Homer Hughes.
Those candidates were given a brief
sketch of the role of a county
commissioner by incumbent Republican,
Warren McCoy who is in his fifth year in
the job. McCoy said it's not just a one-day
job and often he is contacted at home on
county business. At least two davs of the
week, he spends 12 hour days going to
meetings and taking care of work at the
courthouse.
A great deal of his time, said McCoy,
is occupied with membership on various
boards and intergovernmental council
which deal with Morrow County busi
ness. Citing his future attendance at a
health systems planning program in
Ontario, McCoy said his membership is
important to Morrow County.
We feel the role of a county
commissioner sould have a broader
outlook than a mere job description. The
commissioner's role as a member of the
County Court has a major impact on the
lives of Morrow County citizens, pro
bably more so than the President of the
United States and the state's congress
ional delegation in Washington, D.C. A
commissioner is part of the governing
body which can decide whether a
community should have needed services
or prioritize budgetary items according
to their cost-effectiveness. In times of
disaster or major loss of life, the County
Court is the first to make an official
declaration of impact before state and
federal agencies will allow such aid to
follow.
In Morrow County, the County Court
must approve the hospital levy on the
budget, decide how much and where the
money will be allocated for road
maintenance, approve or reject proposed
social services such as welfare and aid to
senior citizens and regulate the financial
structure of the other county offices, the
District Attorney, Assessor, County
Clerk and County Sheriff, who are
elected independently of the court.
Candidates for the latest vacancy
must also realize that undertaking the
day to day work of a commissioner is
only a small part of the job; it is vitally
necessary that the commissioner become
intimately aware of the problems and
concerns of Morrow County citizens, so
that the person might better represent
them in dealing with city, state and
federal government. It is also important
that the commissioner initiate solutions
and progress toward problems affecting
the county rather than wait until they
reach crisis proportions.
It has been our experience that when
office-holders first enter office, they are
more attuned to the citizen needs.
Barriers develop and some become less
responsive to needs and responsibilities
to the people. An excellent way to avoid
the pitfalls of governmental intransi
gence is for public officials to remember
that government is "of the people, by the
people and for the people."
Following the changing winds of
public opinions can also lead the
commissioner up a blind alley. The
person must try to make the most
responsible decisions based on the best
knowledge at hand.
The County Republican Central
Committee has an excellent field of
candidates to choose from people who
are vitally interested in the workings of
local government.
We are pleased these citizens have
accepted the challenge of governmental
service and Morrow County will reap the
benefits.
Fifty years ago, the Gazette
Times announced the death of
James Morrow, one of Hepp
ner's early pioneers.
His death resulted from in
juries received in a fall
Thursday night at his home at
794 Hoyt Street, fracturing his
pelvis in four places.
Morrow was the son of
Jackson L. and Nancy Mor
row, pioneers of the Northwest
and born at Olympia, Wash.,
May 5, 1859. He died at the age
of 70. When he reached 70, he
was not forced by Union
Pacific rules to retire on a
pension. He had served the
railroad for twenty years as a
general tax agent and a
special provision was made to
continue him in the position.
As a lour year old boy,
Morrow went with his parents
to live in La Grande, then
moved to Heppner in 1872. His
father entered the mercantile
business with Henry Heppner,
for whom the town was
named. Morrow County was
named for his father.
James Morrow served the
county as clerk from 1890 to
1898 and upon retirement from
that office was elected joint
senator for Morrow, Grant
and Harney counties. He
served in the state legislature
for four years, then ran the
Palace Hotel.
He married Katherine Rea
in 1885 and they had two
children, Mrs. Hazel Suther
land and Jackson Lee Mor
row, Portland. Mrs. Morrow
died in 1916.
It was also announced that
17 seniors received diplomas
at Heppner High School. The
students included Virginia
Dix, Vivian Prock, Dorothy
Herren, Patricia Mahoney,
Margaret Notson, V e 1 1 o n
Owens, Gertrude Doherty,
Terrel Benge, Clair Cox, Har
lan Devin, Maurice Edmond
sen, James Hager, Clarence
Hayes, Paul Jones, Hadley
Stewart, John Farley and
Harry Wells.
Twenty-five years ago,
Morrow County voters elected
1 County Judge Garnet Barratt
to another term but elected to
change assessors, voting in
Harry Dinges replacing the
incumbent, Mrs. Olive B.
Hughes. Barratt defeated his
Republican opponent, 440-396.
Phil Church, head of the
meterological department of
the University of Washington
will be the main speaker at the
annual meeting of the Tri
County Weather Research,
next Thursday, June 3 at the
Lexington Grange. Ralph
Crum, a director of the
Morrow County Weather Re
search, a unit of the Tri
County organization, said two
chemical companies will pro
vide a free lunch for those who
attend, f; ;
Morrow County farmers will
have the opportunity on June 1
to observe conservation prac
tices that are setting the pace
for better and more economi
cal farm production for years
to come. First farm to be
visited will be the William
Barratt farm on Hinton Creek,
where tall wheatgrass will be
observed growing in alkali
soil. Next step will be at the
1953 "Conservation Man of the
Year" farm, Kenneth Peck,
Newt. O'Hara's farm, the Nel
son Brothers ranch on Base
line, John Proudfoot ranch at
North lone, Delbert Emert
and Herb Ekstrom ranches
and end at the Donald Peter
son ranch at Eightmile.
Al Lamb, manager of the
Morrow County Grain Grow
ers and a former district
governor of Lions Clubs, was
named new president of the
Heppner Lions Club Thursday
night.
Five years ago, Heppner's
traditional community-wide
Memorial Day Reunion
Luncheon and program was
set for Monday, May 27. Mr.
and Mrs. Orville Cutsforth are
chairmen for this year's
gathering to which everyone is
invited.
Bob Jones was chosen the
county's conservation man of
the year for his conservation
practices at Heppner Flats
and Rhea Creek.
More than 55 area farmers
are scheduled for appeals
before the Morrow County
Board of Equalization as a
result of the land assessment
value raise implemented this
year. They will meet in the
offices of Judge Paul Jones.
And the Heppner Mustangs
finished the season with a
shining 15-3 record, one of the
finest ever compiled by a
baseball team from Heppner
High.
Bike lane
rules set
A standard to delineate bike
lanes to provide greater
traffic safety was adopted as a
temporary rule by the Oregon
Transportation Commission
today.
The standard adopted is a
solid white, eight-inch wide
stripe that will be placed in the
position of the standard four
inch shoulder line. The new
marking will be applied to a
Type 3, one-way bike lane on
each side of a non-curbed
facility.
Reporter
named
LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
Live Stereo
Refutes charges
Editor:
Since only one statement in the letter
you printed last week from L.J. Turner
4606 N.E. Glisan, Portland, Ore. was
correct, I feel I am compelled to answer
it.
It's most questionable what papers
he has been reading to state, "I was
supporting a bill to end particular rodeo
events." HB 2924 at Salem is as all
papers stated, "A bill to outlaw only
steer-busting."
It is not classified as a regulation
rodeo event since it is a unique cruel act
put on stage only at the Pendleton Round
Up. There are hundreds of rodeos all over
Canada and the United States that are
popular and profitable without steer
busting. What a warped brain to say, "My
family and I participated in all rodeo
events in the past." The cowboys don't
even do that! They sign up for events
they are best in. To ask such a question
as this, "why is it any worse to bulldog a
calf then it is to rein your horse so tight
around the barrel races that your horse
bleeds at the mouth from the bit or to run
your horse so hard and so long that it is
hot and exhausted." is tops for stupidity.
Who ever heard of bulldogging a calf?
Has anyone ever seen a horse become
exhausted from running the standard
clover leaf barrel pattern? I have yet to
see my first barrel race horse with a
bleeding mouth.
I've never said, "it is harder on
calves, horses and bulls nowadays than it
was 20 or 30 years ago," But I will state
for his benefit, "My family never
participated in those same events 20 or 30
years ago or at any time as he said."
My dogs were never in a rodeo
parade, nor were they dressed up. The
nearest to dressing old King Tut up was a
pack saddle that I made for him to carry
goodies which I baked for my friends in
different parts of town. He knew them by
name and delivered them to whom I
requested that he take them to. I made
Tilly a pair of pants once to keep her
from having puppies until I could get her
spayed. That was the extent of their
being dressed up.
The only true statement in his letter
was that I used to use a few drops of
harmless cake coloring to put on my
white Spitz dogs after they were bathed
to color them. In comparing that to
animal cruelty, I would have to say L.J.
Turner is really nit picking the bottom of
the barrel.
I'm sure people in this community
have much to be thankful for and proud
of since Morrow County Rodeo has never
presented the revolting act of steer-busting.
I would suggest L.J. Turner read his
The Official Newspaper of the
City of Heppner and the
County of Morrow
H OITPA
Oregon Nwtpapr
Publishers Association -
ine iieppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Published every Thundty and entered as lecond-clus matter at the Pot Office
at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of Mirch3, 1879. Second-class postage
paid at Heppner, Oregon
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
$8.00 In Morrow, Unatilla, Wheeler & Gilliam County; 110.00 elsewhere
G.M. Reed, Publisher Dolores Reed, Co-publisher
Terry M. Hager, General Manager Jim HackeM, News Editor
Eileen Saling, Office Manager Gayle Rush, AdvertisingComposition
Melissa Scott, Composition Cindi rjoherty. Office
Justine Weatherford, Local Columnist
papers more thoroughly or have someone
translate for him before he condemns me
for trying to outlaw something that I
have never done.
As the late Dr. David Starr Jorden
wrote: "There cannot be a perfect
civilization until man realizes that the
rights of every living creature are as
sacred as his own."
Humanely Yours,
Lois Winchester
Correct roster
Editor:
As a subscriber of the Heppner
Gazette-Times I find the column "Sifting
Through The Times" very enjoyable.
However in the ft"iy 10 issue, may I
suggest a correction in the roster of the
item covering the graduation of 1929 of
Heppner High School. The ladies of that
class were Margaret Notson, Patricial
Mahoney, Vivian Cason, Velton Owen,
Elizabeth Elder, Dorothy Heron, Vir
ginia Dix, Julia Harris and Mildred
Hanna. The lads were Paul Jones,
Harlan Devin, Clarence Hayes, Clair
Cox, Hadley Stewart, James Hager,
Maurice Edmundson, Jim Monahan,
John Farley and Harry Wells.
This is the line up of that class as I
best recall it.
Respectfully,
Clair H. Cox
Senior Class Pres.
Class of 1929
Heppner High School
Reunion Sun.
Editor:
I am looking forward to attending the
Memorial Day Picnic, May 27, and I am
wondering if it could be possible to have
those who attended the Golden West
School on Rhea Creek meet in one section
of the building; that school is now part of
the Rhea Creek Grange at Ruggs.
Wouldn't it be delightful to renew old
acquaintances? I attended the school in
the early Twenties and have a picture
which would prove interesting and
perhaps give readers a few laughs.
Virginia Thompson Meek
The Heppner High School Band
performed Thursday under the direct
ion of Jim Ackley at the annual Spring
Concert. The group played a medley of
selections from traditional to contem
porary. It was the final concert of the
year and the last with Jim Ackley as
high school band director. Ackley
resigned his position effective at the
close of the school year.
Sean Griffin, county govern
ment reporter for the Polk
County Itemizer-Observer,
will assume the responsibil
ities of legislative correspon
dent for the Eagle Newspaper
effective May 14.
Griffin, 29, replaces Kath
leen Glanville, who will return
to the Albany Democrat
Herald. The new correspondent's ex
periences include local gov
ernment reporting as well as
education, rural communities
and elections. In 1978, he
earned 1st place honors for in
depth and feature reporting
from the National Newspaper
Assocation, Oregon News
paper Publishers Association
and Sigma Delta Chi, the
Society of Professional Jour
nalists. In addition, SDX-SPJ
awarded him a second place
award in the category of
editorial writing.
How do you spell tax relief?
By Sean Griffin
Eagle Newspapers
Salem Reporter
Confused about the current status of
the Great Property Tax Revolt of
1978-79?
LitHe wonder. To date, Governor
Atiyeh has offered two ways of spelling
tax relief (some would say four) ; each of
the legislative chambers has produced
separate and distinct proposals, and at
least six petitions have been taken out by
lay tax rebels to place tax relief
initiatives on the 1980 general election
ballot.
Not to mention Measures 6 and 11, last
fall's harbingers of the current confu
sion. Complicating matters is the mailing of
1979 property assessments to property
owners. In the new appraisal areas
amounting to one sixth of the property in
the state properties are jumped in
value 50-60 percent and more. Other
property owners has their property
values trended upwards based on the
current housing market.
The new assessments had two distinct
ramifications. Statewide, property tax
payers were irate particularly home
ownersand more than one county
assessor was called on the carpet for
doing the job the law requires him or her
to do.
In the Senate Chambers, alarmed
legislators (whose phones have been
ringing endlessly since the mailing of the
assessment statements) inccorporated a
limit on assessments at the 11th hour of
the development of their tax plan a
limit the Senate had previously rejected.
What the Senate was responding to
was the public perception however
incorrect of the main elements of the
tax dilemna.
In fact assessments are not the
problem. If you doubt that, consider the
situation of Dallas last year. There,
assessments increased 18.1 percent over
the previous year, but the actual tax bill
homeowners paid decreased.
Under the Senate's plan, assessment
increases would be limited to the yearly
increase in the cost of living, with
reappraisals at full market value only
when the property changed hands.
Opponents of that plan argue that doing
so banishes the concept of equal tax
treatment by penalizing at least three
groups of people: first time homeowners,
growing families and achievers, who
frequently are required to move in the
pursuit of career goals.
Reason for the decrease, according to
Polk County assessor John Lamers is
that local governments particularly
City Hall and the Dallas school
district budgeted responsibility effect
ively, reducing-the' overall tax rate 20
percent.
With the lid on assessments, neighbors
living in identical tract homes could
have widely differing tax bills.
The result, obviously, is that the
property tax bills of the long-term
homeowner will be subsidized by the
homestead-changers.
And that's only one of the differences
dividing House and Senate conferences,
whose task is to devise a plan for tax
relief that is simple to comprehend,
effective and marketable to the taxed.
Public Officials
U.S. Sen.
Mark O. Hatfield
Husscll Somite Office Hldg.. Washinslon.
D C. aoio. .Member of Appropriations
('(mmillee. Inlerior Committee. Rules Com
millee. ;md Indian Policy Review Commis
sion I'orlliind office. Pioneer Courthouse.
Km. HIT. .-)jn S W. Morrison. Portland. Ore
97204. phone 22l-:W8(i.
U.S. Sen.
Bob Packwood
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg . Washington.
D.C. 2051(1. Member of Finance Committee
and Commerce Committee. Portland office.
KMI2 N K. Holladay. Km. 7(10 ( P.O. Box 36211.
Portland. Ore. 97208. phone 233-4471.
U.S. Rep. Al Ullman,
Of The Second District
House Office Bldg.. Washington. DC.
20515. Member of Ways and Means Commit
tee. Salem office. 530 Center St.. Rm 330 (P.O.
Box 247i. Salem. Ore. 97308. phone 399-5724.
Gov. Vic Atiyeh
State Capitol. Salem. Ore. 97310. phone
378-3100.
State Sen.
Ken Jernstedt
(Morrow. Gilliam and other counties),
Slate Capitol. Rm. S317. Salem. Ore. 97310
phone 378-8850.
State Sen.
Robert Smith
i Wheeler. Grant and other counties)
Slate Capitol. Rm. S323. Salem. Ore. 97310
phone 378-8176.
State Rep.
Bill Bellamy
(Morrow. Gilliam and other counties)
Stale Capitol. Rm. H364. Salem. Ore. 97310
phone 378-8853.
State Rep.
Max Simpson
(Wheeler. Grant and other counties),
Slate Capitol. Rm. H481, Salem. Ore. 97310,
phone 378-8789.
Persons wanting information on bills,
hearings, and other doings of the
Oregon Legislature may call,
toll-free, 1-800-452-0290