TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 15, 1996
Candidates' Forum
Morrow County Treasurer
Candidates for Morrow
County Treasurer, Gayle
Gutierrez, Marie B. Key and in
cumbent Margo Sherer were
asked to respond to the follow
ing questions concerning their
candidacy: How can you assist
in making the treasurer's office
more accountable to the
voters?; What are the major
issues facing you as Morrow
County Treasurer?; What is
your role as treasurer?; What
changes would you make if
elected?; Do you feel that north
Morrow County is well served
by the treasurer's office?; How
can you assist in healing some
of the interdepartmental cour
thouse problems?; and Why
should the voters elect you over
your opponents?. Following
are their responses:
Marie B. Key, 56 lone, has
lived in the county 18 years.
She and her husband, Joe, w ho
is employed with Kinzua
Resources, have three grown
children, Lenora, Tim and Jef
frey, who are all now living in
lone. Their son, Rick died in
1993. Key has been employed
as the office manager for the
Morrow
County
Public
Works/Road Department Office
for the last three years. Key has
completed 72 college credit
hours and has received a one-
year certificate of completion in
business management at a
Tyler Commercial College. Key
has been a Parent-Teacher's
Association (PTA) treasurer
and president and is past presi
dent of the Women's Aglow
club. She has served two years
on the Commission of Children
and Families and has been
secretary-treasurer for the
Christian Life Center for one
year.
"The treasurer is accountable
to the voters by Oregon
statutes," says Key, "but many
of the voters don't know that.
I would try to make the voters
more aware of what the
treasurer does and the
treasurer's responsibility to
them.
"Trying to re-establish a
healthy, positive cooperative
relationship with other county
officials and departments.
Regaining the taxpayers'
respect for the office and coun
ty government in general.
"T h e treasurer manages
county revenues. There are 30
county funds and 60 trust and
agency funds. The treasurer
manages the special transpor
tation fund (seniors). Those are
the duties and they are govern
ed by Oregon statutes. I feel
that any elected official should
always act as an ambassador to
the people they serve.
"Several positive changes: I
would try to improve com
m unication between the
treasurer's office and the coun
ty court and other county
departments. I would try to be
more aware of what's going on
in county government in
general. I would work very
hard to earn the respect of the
public, other county officials
have learned to interact
positively with all types of peo
ple in all situations; that has
been proven at the Public
Works/Road Department. As
much as the treasurer's posi
tion allows, I will work to bring
healing to north and south
Morrow County.
Margo Sherer, 55, lone, has
lived in Morrow County 37
years. She and her husband,
Dick, who owns a hay and cat
tle ranch, have three grown
sons, Scott, Todd and Brett.
Sherer has been the Morrow
County Treasurer for 15 years.
A 1959 graduate of Odessa
High School, Odessa, WA,
Sherer has attended numerous
classes and workshops relating
to her job. She has a certifica
tion from the Oregon Associa
tion of County Treasurers and
Finance Officers. In addition to
being county treasurer from
1981 to 1996, Sherer was Mor
row County tax collector from
1979 to 1994. She is also a
14-year member of Soroptimist
Gayle Gutierrez, 39, Hepp
International of Heppner and
ner has lived in Heppner for 13
has been their treasurer for five
years. She and her husband,
years.
Kim, who is employed as a
"T h e Morrow County
mechanic with Morrow Coun
Treasurer has long had to
ty Grain Growers, have two
decide whether it is better for
children, Jessica, 12, and
the county for its money to be
Joshua, nine. Gutierrez has
invested locally or whether in
been an accounting technician
vestments should be made
with Morrow County for four
where the very best interest
years. Gutierrez is a graduate
rate can be earned," said
of lone High School and has an
Sherer. " I have always used a
associate of science degree from
combination of both. The
Blue Mountain Community
checking accounts are with the
College. She and her husband
Bank of Eastern Oregon. At the
are active in their children's ac
present time, I have one minion
tivities and she assists him in
invested in government agen
coaching girls' softball.
cy discount notes with First In
terstate, one million in a
"I can assist in making the
bankers acceptance and an
treasurer's office more accoun
agency note with US Bank,
table to the voters by always be
$350,000 in Inland Investment
ing accessible and having any
Fund with Inland Empire Bank
information that they may want
and three million in the Oregon
readily available,'' says Gutier
State Treasurer's Investment
rez. "The door will always be
Pool.
open to the public."
"If elected, I plan to organize
"The major issues facing the
a county investment advisory
treasurer are properly investing
committee, asking four to six
the taxpayer's monies in a safe
professional and lay people to
and secure place while earning
meet with me on a quarterly
the highest interest possible
basis to review and discuss
and ensuring that there is
county investments.
enough accessible cash to be
" I have served all of the
able to do day to day
citizens of Morrow County by
business."
creating procedures that enable
the taxing district to receive
"O ften times people are
their taxes and interst earnings
disgruntled with their elected
in a timely manner, days faster
officials. I want to be a leader
than required by Oregon
in making people proud once
statute. I transfer to their bank
and employees.
again of their elected officials
accounts
whenever possible or
"Taxes assessed in both
and make them feel good about north and south Morrow
offer same day pick up. Coun
their county government.
ty funds and trust and agency
County come into the
"A s for the day to day opera treasurer's office. All monies funds are paid interest earned
tions, 1 see very few changes. that come to the county benefit on commingled funds based
I would work with all the the county as a whole. Exam upon each fund's daily average
departments in a spirit of ple: the health nurses, mental cash balance.
"In cooperation with the tax
cooperation to make certain health, planning, law enforce
that the county runs smoothly ment, roads, etc. Since most of collector, I have made ar
rangem ents so that tax
and efficiently as possible.
the growth is in the north end,
"There is no south end or more personnel resources are payments can be made at any
north end of the county where expended there. Gains made branch of the banks that have
the treasurer is concerned. It is on investments are made to county accounts. I am always
open to new ideas.
one county without boun benefit all of the county.
"I have authorized the state
daries. The funds are not split
" I would improve com
of
Oregon to pay all Morrow
when they are invested.
munication between the
County
revenue directly to our
treasurer's office and other
"I can assist in healing the in departments, and try to be pool account in Salem to avoid
terdepartmental courthouse aware of problems, work load, delayed or lost-in-the-mail
problems by treating everyone etc., they may be having. 1 checks, thereby maximizing in
fairly and with respect. Ensur would never bring personality vestment revenue.
" I report monthly to the
ing that the lines of com conflicts into a professional set
munications are open to every ting. I'm a very positive person departments and districts that
office no matter what problems and always try to be fair and get leave funds with me. Anyone
may occur. When all the along with everyone. To me be wanting a copy of any informa
departments are working as ing positive means encouraging tion I have need only call me,
one, everyone benefits, in the potential of every person. and that information will be
cluding the taxpayers.
To me, being professional sent to you.
"W e're all working together
doesn't mean setting yourself
"H aving worked in the up as superior, it means being under the leadership of the
treasurer's office before, it the best you can be at getting county court to keep the lines
would not be on-the-job train the best out of others.. .and let of communications open bet
ing. Once again I would make ting them know they've done ween departments with staff
certain that communication bet well.
meetings where we express our
ween all the offices are open.
concerns
and discuss our pro
"I have the education and ex
I would be committed to the perience to do the job, and do fessional objectives. We are all
idea that the voters deserve my it well. I have a much broader determined to do the best job
time, loyalty and 100 percent range of experience in both the possible and are always ready
effort."
public and private sector. I to offer our professional sup
port to ther departments.
"1 have demonstrated profes
sionalism , efficiency and
straight forward honesty in my
four terms as treasurer and
would be honored to be re
elected to a fifth term ."
Morrow County Commissioner
Three people are running for
Morrow County Commis
sioner, two on the Democratic
ticket, John Wenholz and
David Burns, and one unop
posed on the Republican ticket,
Bill "Whisker Bill" Marren.
Either Wenholz or Burns will
face Marren in November.
Following are the three can
didates' responses to questions
asked concerning their views
on Morrow County and their
candidacy.
The questions included:
What do you feel is your role
as a Morrow County Commis
sioner?; As a board member,
do you feel you represent the
county as a whole or the area
from which your were elected?;
How can you help accom
modate the growth and in
dustry and accompanying pro
blems in the north end of the
county, while maintaining
quality of life in an uncertain
economic situation in the south
end of the county?; What do
you feel is the commissioner's
role in the current problems
concerning the Morrow Coun
ty Health District? Should the
health district reamin as a
county-wide entity or should
the district be divided?; How
can you encourage the separate
county departments to be more
accountable to the public?; Do
you feel north Morrow Coun
ty is well served in the area of
county services? If not, how
can this be rectified?; How can
you assist in healing the anger
and resentment that exist bet
ween north and south county
residents?; The home rule pro
posal was recently defeated. Do
you believe that home rule
would better serve the citizens
of Morrow county?; Should
county com m issioners be
elected from districts or at
large? Why?; What are the
other major issues facing you as
a oounty. commissioner?; ,What •
changes would you make if
elected?; Why should the
voters elect you over you
opponents?.
David Burns, 49, Irrigon, has
lived 14 years in Morrow Coun
ty. he and his wife, the former
Debbie McCoy, a teacher in Ir
rigon, have two children,
Alysun, 11, and Jessica, nine.
He has been a custom cabinet
maker with "Custom Cuts
Construction" in Irrigon for the
past nine years. He and his
wife have been partners for the
past six years in "Education
with Imagination", writing
children's songs, poems and
stories that she uses in summer
workshops for teachers around
the Northwest. He is also the
owner of "Sportsman Outdoor
Services", setting up hunting
trips to Alaska and Hawaii. He
is a registered Oregon guide
and leases part of the Ron Cur-
rin, Sr., ranch for deer every
year.
Burns attended Pendleton
High School and graduated
from the University of Oregon
with a bachelor of arts degree
in business administration. He
served a two-year term and
was elected vice chair of the
Citizen's Advisory Committee
for Destruction of Chemical
Weapons at Umatilla. Burns is
a member of the Irrigon
Chamber of Commerce, a past
member of Irrigon City Budget
Committee,is a coach for girls'
softball and basketball teams
and has been a member of the
Irrigon Community Church for
the past 14 years.
"The county court is basical
ly responsible for policy mak
ing, budgeting, personnel,
legal counsel and general ad
ministration of the county,"
says Burns. "Additionally,
since our county is fairly large
with over 2000 square miles of
country, I see part of the court's
responsibilty to be sure all parts
of the county are represented
and that we all communicate
with one another so that we all
understand our needs as an in
dividual community as well as
a united county
"By reassuring the south end
that we are not going to leave
them behind. Ours should be
a united county. I would do all
I could to fully understand the
south ends needs and help
them diversify and change to
keep up with the new
economic demands of that area.
The north end needs to have a
long range, well-thought-out
economic plan as well. Too
much economic growth in too
short of time can reap long term
problems including the need
for more housing, increased
crime rate, pollution problems,
etc. We want careful, healthly,
prosperous growth-we also
need to determine just what
type of reputation we want our
area to have. We want to attract
the type of new industry that
will bring steady, long term
employment and that will pro
vide a healthy environment as
well.
"The county court has little
legal standing on the medical
clinic issue in Boardman. My
inclination would be to want
the district to stay united.
Health program benefits, as I
understand it, give lower prices
for larger memberships. I also
think it is just a bad precedent
to have a district withdraw.
However, the Boardman folks
seem determined and seem to
know exactly what they want.
They seem to have the financial
backing to support their own
clinic, so I don't see that the
court has much to say about
this decision. It is still to be
determined, probably in court,
exactly what statutory pro
cedures need to be followed to
legally withdraw, hoever. The
eventual withdrawal could free
up about $150,000 that the
court then could place
elsewhere in the county.
"That's the court's job. I
know there is a serious conflict
in one of the departments at
this point resulting in a lawsuit.
A person needs to be qualified
for the position, but needs to
get along with the staff and
managment to be an overall
good county employee. Since
most of these positions are
elected, it is the voting public's
responsibility to choose the
people that are right for the job.
"The north end has tradi
tionally lagged behind. This
has all begun to shift some with
the new growth at the north
end. We are now seeing the
real possibility of a new medical
clinic in Irrigon as well as a new
community center (with help
from the county court through
tippage fees). Fair distribution
of tippage fees, as well as
available lottery funds and with
the injection of medical district
funding, I think the north end
is now beginning to receive a
fair share of the funding and
services available.
" I grew up in Pendleton,
have lived the past 14 years in
Irrigon. My wife's family mov
ed to Irrigon in the mid-forties.
We have just built a nice, new
home in Irrigon, have two
daughters in school here. 1
have never had any axe to
grind or built-in biases against
any area of the county. I would
see myself as a focal point to
heal the differences-look at the
positive aspects of the county
instead of the negative. I also
don't mind confronting a dif
ficult issue head on and seek
ing a fair solution. Most pro
blems in this world seem to be
based on misunderstanding
and miscommunication. I
would try to always be open to
suggestion and ready to help in
any way possible. We have a
lot we could lose, but an awful
lot more to gain by working
together.
"I think home rule does have
some good benefits. I thing
Eastern Oregonians will always
be a 'show me' type of folks
who are slow to accept new
ideas. I think they will want to
sit back and watch the other
ocunties who have adopted this
scheme and see how it works.
I foresee the issue coming back
up again in the future, possibly
with different results. I think
the main stumbling block now
is that we don't want to lose
any direct control over our
public officials-and that is what
most people perceive as the
problem with home rule.
" I think there should be the
judge, once candidate from the
south end, one repesenting Ir
rigon, one representing Board-
man, and one at large. The
voters may not want to invest
that much in and increased ad
ministration cost, however. If
that is the case, they should all
remain at large and let the
voters decide.
"Road funding for new and
repair. I think we should have
some type of study to show
what roads are being used the
most and where the new needs
might be. Funding should be
allocated according to use and
need; the regional 'narco' jail
should be studied very careful
ly so The Dalles/Hood River
areas don't get the major share
of beds at the expense of Mor
row County; Morrow County
still has, in my opinion, not
tapped fully into the great
recreational potential of the are.
We need to do more to en
courage visitors to stop and
spend money here instead of
going on by to other areas; in
creased gang activity. Although
relatively small, our area has
seen an increase in crime and
gang activity. It has to be stop
ped now; better coordination
with the Hispanic community.
They are playing an ever-
increasing role in the growth of
our area.
" I am better educated. I
worked very hard for my
education and I am proud to
have it behind me. Education
is still at the foundation of what
America is all about. A college
education is available to almost
all kids who really strive to
have it. It is what helps make
a person more well-rounded
and better prepared to take on
the difficulties of life and
business and to make good
decisions.; I am more political
ly involved. The Governor's
Advisory Commission on the
Chemical Weapons is a very
important group who will help
determ ine the future of
Umatilla and Morrow County.
The proposed incinerator (that
is five incinerators) will, in my
opinion and the opinion of an
increasing number of scientists,
will cause long-term health pro
blems for our area and will cost
the taxpayer way too much.
There are alternative methods
that are safer and cheaper and
are ready for use now. I have
served on this committee for
over two yhears and have been
elected as vice-chair. I am cur
rently serving a second two-
year term; I am more creative.
Einstein one said that creativi
ty was more important than
superior intelligence. Every
product we have started was an
idea in some creative person's
head. 1 create custom hard
wood products as well as create
new children's stories and
songs out of my head. The
answer to most of ur county's
problems will be found in the
heads of the most creative peo
ple. I think 1 am one of those.”
Bill "Whisker Bill" Marren,
41, Boardman, has lived in the
county since 1981. Marren,
who is single, has owned the
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