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FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday. March 6, 1996
The Official Newspaper of the
City of Heppner and the
County of Morrow
The right decision
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U S P S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly
Newspaper
Published weekly and entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Hepp
ner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second class postage paid at Hepp
ner. Oregon Office at 147 West Willow Street Telephone (503) 676-9228
Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P O . Box 337.
Heppner. Oregon 97836 Subscriptions: $18 in Morrow, Wheeler, Gilliam and
Grant Counties; $25 elsewhere.
April Hilton-Sykes........................................................................................ News Editor
Stephanie Jen sen ................................................... Typesetting, Layout, Distribution
Monicjue Devin .......................................................... Advertising layout & Graphics
Penni Keersemaker .....................................................
.................................Printer
David Sykes, Publisher
County has weed control authority
To the Editor:
In response to last week's
(2/28/96) front page article
about home rule, I feel as
though some clarification is
needed in regards to Morrow
County's authority over weed
control (specifically noxious
weed control).
Contrary to a statment that
was printed, Morrow County
does have the statutory author
ity under Oregon Revised
Statutes 570.505 through
570.600 to enforce noxious
weed control laws.
Violation of the Morrow
County Weed Control Or
dinance #MC-C-3-90 is punish
able upon conviction by a fine
not to exceed $500. Also if the
landowner fails or refuses to
control noxious weeds, the
landowner will become liable
for all expenses incurred by the
county for enforcement and
control of the posted noxious
weeds. However, if the des
truction or control of the weeds
in question is impracticable be
cause the weeds may be too far
advanced, the county court
may request the Oregon De
partment of Agriculture to im
mediately quarantine the in
fested property to prevent the
movement of infested crops or
of livestock from such proper
ty except under conditions
prescribed in the quarantine
that will prevent the spread of
such noxious weeds by such
crops or livestock.
If further clarification is need
ed regarding the county weed
control law, please do not
hesitate to contact myself, or
Morrow County counsel, Val
Doherty.
(s) Dave Pranger
Morrow County
Weed Inspector
Positions can be consolidated
To the Editor:
It has been stated by certain
county officials that the adop
tion of home rule would not
allow us to consolidate or eli
minate the elected positions of
clerk, treasurer, assessor or
surveyor. If this is the case, I
would like to know why seven
out of nine Oregon counties
who have adopted, home rule
have done exactly that.
For example, Lane County
chose to retain their elected
assessor, but they consolidated
the functions of the clerk,
treasurer, tax collector, finance
director and personnel services
under one department of
human resources and manage
ment services. They also incor
porated the functions of the
surveyor into their public
works department. The man
dated functions are still provid
ed, but they are consolidated to
provide better efficiency.
Hood River County chose to
eliminate the elected assessor
as well, leaving only the board
of commissioners, the sheriff,
the district attorney and the
justice of the peace elected.
They have created a combined
records/assessment office and
have consolidated the functions
of treasurer, tax collector and
finance director under one
finance department. Umatilla,
Washington, Clatsop, Mult
nomah and Benton counties
have adopted similiar structural
changes. Only Josephine and
Jackson counties have retained
all of the positions mandated
by Oregon State statute.
So, as you see, this is some
thing that can and has been
done under home rule in the
state of Oregon. Home rule
gives us, the citizens of Morrow
County, the ability to define
our own county government,
and the possibilities are end
less. In fact, some counties
under home rule have even
added the elected positions of
auditor and legal council. Isn't
it time we took control of our
county government?
Sincerely,
(s) Lisa Rietmann
lone
Come Share With Us
at
Willow Creek Baptist Church
Bible Study for all ages 2 p.m.
Worship Service 3 p.m.
Meeting in the
7th Day Adventist Church
560 North Minor
Home rule a
boondoggle
To the Editor:
I would like to add my voice
and vote to urge all Morrow
County voters to vote no on the
proposed home rule charter.
This charter would be a boon
doggle that we as residents
would regret for the rest of our
lives and the lives of our
children. Let's do the decent
thing and give this monster a
decent burial at the ballot box.
There are assertions that
home rule would be a panacea
to our county government.
They say first and foremost that
it would create a more efficient
and responsive government.
This is simply a falsehood. Any
time that more levels of bu
reaucracy are added to any
government, it becomes more
cumbersome and less respon
sive to the people it was meant
to serve.
There is the assertion that we
now do not have the ability to
adopt ordinances under the
Judge's father
March 7:
Old Timer-PER-Ladles Night. Dinner 6-8 p.m.
BBQ Chicken By Jean Ann and crew. Lodge,
ladies’ cards and bingo 8:00 p.m.
March 15:
St. Patrick’s Celebration. Dining 6-9 p.m.
March 16:
Kuma Coffee Hour 10:00 a.m.; Brunch
11:30-1:30 p.m. Dining from 6-9 p.m.; live
music 9-1:30 a.m.
March 30:
Installation of officers (new E.R. Jay and Lori
Straley) and “ Thank” Bob and Yvonne
Lovgren for a job well done.
Dining room open Fri.-Sat.-6-9 p.m.
Bingo every Wednesday 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Heppner Elks 358
676-9I8I
To the Editor:
We feel it's time to express
our appreciation to the Hepp
ner Volunteer Fire Department
firefighters for their dedicated
service. Recent letters to the
editor regarding the Kilkenny
fire have given the impression
that an uncaring attitude pre
vails in the department and
that we should be ashamed of
the service they provide. While
circumstances surrounding the
Kilkenny fire were certainly un-
. fortunate, we believe fire chief
Rusty Estes responded appro-
priately-by not responding to
this call.
While it may not have been
apparent in the emotion of the
moment, his action (dictated by
state regulations) protected the
lives of those residing within
fire district boundaries. The
question should be asked:
"W hat if the department had
responded and a second fire oc
curred where lives were lost
because firefighters were out
side the district and too far
away to be of any help?" Our
hearts go out to the Kilkennys
for their loss; members of our
family lost everything they
owned in a wildfire where no
firefighting efforts could be
made. The aftereffects were
truly devastating. But thankful
ly, as in the Kilkenny fire, no
lives were ever endangered or
lost.
Firefighting is a dangerous
activity. Many men and wo
men do this for money and
make a career of it. In our rural
area, this service comes by way
of volunteers. They contribute
countless hours toward train
ing for all types of emergency
response. They are there no
matter if the call goes out in the
middle of the day or the mid
dle of the night. They stay un
til the job is done, not because
they have to but because of
their commitment to serving
us. We are extremely fortunate
to have the number and quali
ty of dedicated firefighters that
we do. It would be to our dis
credit if we let them think we
believe otherwise.
(s) Bob Sagely
(s) Pam Sagely
Heppner
" I t Inn hn in l\ Miri
l"U N. Main
built house
To the Editor:
Regarding your Feb. 21 story
on the Kilkenny house fire, it
was stated that the house was
built by the late federal judge
John Kilkenny in 1914.
Not likely.
The judge was 13 years old at
the time. Credit construction to
the judge's father, John Kilken
ny, who arrived in Morrow
County from County Leitrim,
Ireland in 1890, at the tender
age of 21 and who later was to
set up a vast sheep empire.
(s) Bill Mitchell
Daly City, CA
Letters to the Editor
present governmental struc
ture. My sources say that this
is simply untrue. The reason
many ordinances are not
adopted, or those that may
have been adopted are not be
ing enforced is just a matter of
having the will to enforce them.
The best assertion of those
who are looking to pass this
aberration is that we have be
fore us a plan to finally put to
rest the division between north
and south here in Morrow
County. The response to that
assertion is (Bravo Sierra). The
divisions between north and
south in this county run very
deep and extremely strong and
won't be cured by creating a
new form of government, no
matter how many new seats are
created on the county commis
sion. Let's face it, the divisive
ness in this county won't be
cured until we-as individuals
and groups-manage to address
the lack of communication and
enter in a dialogue for the
betterment of the county as a
whole, and (yes, I am going to
say it) realize that there are in
dividuals in this county that
have played themselves into
that division for their own per
sonal benefit. Until then, divi
sion and strife will be the order
for Morrow County and it
won't go away with a stroke of
a pen at the ballot box.
So please, let's do the right
thing and vote no on home rule
and begin the task of building
a better Morrow County
through common sense and
communication.
(s) David Campbell
Heppner
Home rule a
smart choice
To the Editor:
Please join me in voting for
home rule. I believe it is vital to
have a county government run
by qualified, educated person
nel. As a taxpayer, I feel my
county dollars should be spend
wisely with personnel trained
to do the job.
Having a trained administrat
or running the county govern
ment not only makes economic
sense but is a smart choice. Our
present city manager for Hepp
ner has the expertise to better
administer the needs of the ci
ty. He has the education and
knowledge in which to accom
plish his job to the highest
degree and the city of Hepp
ner has benefited.
Our good old boys syndrome
can no longer be effec
tive in this modern society.
County commissioners today
lack the education, knowledge
and skills needed to run a
county government efficiently
and effectively.
(s) Marcia Kemp
Lexington
Vote no on
home rule
To the Editor:
At the beginning, we were
more or less neutral about the
issue of Morrow County Home
Rule, but have been disturbed
about the treatment of a very
kind, intelligent man whom we
respect very much.
Flal Dinkins has had a distin
guished career as a U.S. Army
officer and university-level pro
fessor in economics and politi
cal science. Fortunately, for us,
he has had the moral courage
to stand up for what he knows
to be true whether it is pleas
ing to everyone or not.
When it comes to changing
our county government we
believe that he is telling it like
it is. The personal attacks of his
detractors tell you more about
themselves than they do about
him.
Vote no on Morrow County
Home Rule.
Sincerely,
(s) Randy Lott
(s) Floyd and Lorena Jones
Home rule can
work, but not this
charter
To the Editor:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it";
"The cure is worse than the
curse"; "Don't throw the baby
out with the wash"; etc.-so
goes some of the adages by
which we live, reminding our
selves of past lessons learned.
We are now in the learning
process as we debate home
rule. Unfortunately, the data by
which we are to make our
choice is slanted, full of innuen
does and contains unspoken
agendas. It is truly the political
process.
I find myself returning to the
old adages for answers, to wit:
Is it broke? Yes. But do we
"throw the baby out with the
wash" to fix it? No. We should
make sure the "cure is not
worse than the curse". To vote
in a charter that even the ad
vocates recognize will have to
be later put to the voters (how
many times?) in order to make
our county government stream
lined and responsive, to me, is
a poor decision. It is a choice
that will constantly keep the
community at odds with our
selves, cost us money and may
not accomplish the ends we
seek. Furthermore, design
flaws are usually fatal to the
success of any product.
If we really want to effect the
changes I have heard (seen)
voiced, we can do that by just
"getting involved". We do
have whips to use-ballot box
(budget and levy votes as well
as elections), letters, attending
meetings, etc. The governing
body that knows, "unless they
become responsive and avail
able to us all, they will definite
ly not receive their funding,"
will either opt to the mandate
or streamline and stay within
the tax base. "Punitive cost
cutting" can and should be ad
dressed by voters either at elec
tion times, or, if necessary, by
recall.
Our commissioners can use
these same principles (parti
cularly funding) to encourage
(?) our other elected officials to
accept consolidation of depart
ments, economy, respon
siveness, etc. This concept has
been effectively used through
out Oregon in both chartered
and non-chartered counties-all
it takes is a commission with
the fortitude to act in the best
interests of the people they
serve.
In closing, I want a strong,
responsive, economical and ac
countable county government.
All department heads with dis
cretionary authority should be
elected by the citizens whose
lives they affect. To make them
appointed and responsive to an
appointed administrator, only
adds another layer of bureau
cratic fat that insulates the
"system" from direct actions of
the people. I do believe that
home rule can work-but not
with this charter. We need one
that makes our government
responsive and cooperative,
not aloof and divisive.
As a "newcomer" to Morrow
County, I offer these thoughts
which are backed by over 18
years of experience in county
government-eight of which
were as an elected official.
(s) Allen A. Swenson
Lexington
Well done, Cards
To the Editor
The lone Cardinals boys'
basketball team provided a
good lesson at the state tour
nament.
In the first half of their game
with North Gackamas Chris
tian School, our boys were 16
points behind. Instead of be
coming discouraged and giving
up, the Cards made an incredi
ble rally to become seven points
ahead in the second half.
NCCS had to work hard for
their narrow victory.
We talk a lot about what
sports teach our children, but
at that game, the boys taught
all of tis m the bleachers a
lesson v about determination,
persistence and passion. Well
done.
(s) The Reverend Lea Mathieu
lone
Elect Buchanan
To the Editor:
We urge all Republican vot
ers to elect Pat Buchanan for
U.S. President in the upcoming
March 12 Republican primary.
Mr. Buchanan is a God-fearing,
patriotic, old-fashioned Ameri
can who has a great love for his
country. He believes in a strong
America whose vital interests
must be protected.
Only by being strong have
we been able to help others
countries. We have not acted
selfishly and we have given
other countries the benefit of
our food surpluses and tech
nology. Our system of govern
ment has allowed us to achieve
all this. We stand ready to help
any country in need. We hope
that they want to use our same
system of government to
develop themselves.
Pat Buchanan is descended
from the lineage of our 15th
President James Buchanan
(1857-1861). President Buchan
an successfully kept the peace
between the North and the
South during his term.
Pat Buchanan's prior govern
mental experience includes
eight years working in the
White House as communica
tions director for President
Reagan and special assistant to
presidents Ford and Nixon.
Mr. Buchanan is also a jour
nalist, radio and TV commen
tator and author of three books.
His syndicated column appears
in 150 newspapers.
i
George Washington warned
us to avoid foreign entangle
ments. Pat Buchanan has re
freshing ideas which would
help our country. America is
the bastion of the free world.
Read the voter's pamphlet to
learn his 18-point agenda.
Some people label him as an
extremist. However, we are a
nation of laws, not men. The
founding fathers feared a king
(one-man rule). They set up the
three branches of government,
separate but equal, which is the
balance of powers. Congress
will balance and temper
Buchanan's policies.
Our country needs Pat
Buchanan as the next president
of the U.S.
(s) J.H. Johnson
Astoria
No for now
To the Editor:
Regarding the proposed
county home rule charter and
vote, I would like to suggest we
lower the heat of rhetoric and
replace it with cool analysis.
The committee formulated a
proposed charter which it felt
would fit Morrow County's
situation. They did a conscien
tious job and the committee
members submitted a charter
which might lead to cost sav
ings and improved efficiency.
Unfortunately we don't have
any specifics about potential
savings or efficiencies to con
sider.
Consequently, even though
"hom e rule" may eventually
be a good option for governing
Morrow County, it is an ap
proach which needs to be more
carefully studied as to financial
data and organizational struc
tures.
I have voted no on the home
rule charter as presently for
mulated, but I'm very willing
to give home rule further con
sideration as a desirable change
at some time in the future.
(s) John Edmundson
Heppner
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