EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner. Oregon Wednesday, October 30, 1 9 %
Letters to the Editor
Wenholz best for county
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After careful consideration of
the candidates for Morrow
County Commissioner, 1 have
reached the conclusion that the
best man for all of Morrow
County is John Wenholz. I
with your money.
believe that John has the vision
3)
How much did this lawsuit
for the whole county and the
cost the taxpayers in the way of
court costs, lawyer fees, time
off the job to attend court hear­
ings? That cost would be in­
teresting to know. Taxpayer To the Editor:
With the general election on­
money, folks. I understand the
lawsuit did not even stand up ly a week away, we hope Mor­
in the court system. Apparently row County voters will con­
the lawsuit did not have a leg sider and support G ayle
to stand on. Should we vote for Gutierrez for Morrow County
someone who is willing to Treasurer.
Gayle has shown commit­
waste our precious tax dollars
ment, honesty and cooperation
on a farce?
All county proceedings are in all her endeavors. She
subject to public knowledge. tackles all of her endeavors
Minutes of the county court with a commitment to get the
meetings can be requested and job done. She has gained the
any information concerning the respect of her co-workers and
finances of this county. I urge county officials because of this
all interested citizens to call the
courthouse, or visit, and re­
quest this information.
One last question: As tax­
payers in Morrow County, do To the Editor:
we really want a treasurer who
If we're truly going to defeat
has the potential to do more Measure 38 in the next few
harm than good? Not me. days, we need every farmer,
Especially if there is another rancher, livestock owner and
candidate that is well-qualified anyone else who values our
and has the ability to cooperate rural Oregonian lifestyle to call
with all officials and employees (or write) all of their friends and
of our county. My vote will relatives in the urban areas to­
definitely go to Gayle Gutier­ day. Appeal to them not to let
rez.
a bunch of radicals decide the
(s) Arlynda Gates future of farmers and ranchers
lone and the largely agricultural
economy of our state. Tell them
how they will be affected.
If 100 people in each county
Kevin has broad experience,
make 10 phone calls to friends
ranging from soil and water
and relative in Portland and the
boards to school boards, from
Grant County Judge to presi­
dent of the Association of
Oregon Counties. Kevin is in
To the Editor:
touch with this district and its
As a family physician who
people, and will be a strong
opposes Measure 38, I was sur­
voice for Morrow County in
prised to find an argument in
Salem.
favor of that measure entitled
Don't forget to go to the polls
“ Family Doctors Support
on Nov. 5 and vote for our
Measure 3 8 ...“ in my Voter's
neighbor and supporter, Kevin
Pamphlet.
Campbell, for state senate.
When I looked up the doctors
(s) Dustin Cossitt
who signed that argument in
Heppner
my American Board of Family
Practice Directory, I found that
Wenholz is in a positon to only one of the six was listed.
It is bothersome that six
spend the time and energy
physicians
would misrepresent
needed to serve our county.
themselves as speaking for
In response to Irv Rauch's
letter on 10/23/96: it's better to family doctors, when most of
them are not certified in that
start a colt while you still have
specialty. It is, however, in
a couple well-trained horses
keeping with Measure 38 itself,
around. Please vote Wenholz
which misrepresents itself as
for county commissioner; he
being for clean water, when it
has worked in a harness before
is in fact against ranching.
and will help pull the load for
The basic premise of the
Morrow County.
measure, that cattle are neces­
Sincerely,
sarily bad for stream quality, is
(s) Daniel R. Van Schoiack
faulty. One need only look at
Heppner
the fall issue of Range maga­
zine to find examples, in Ore­
gon, of cattle being used to
where Campbell knew a cash
restore riparian areas.
infusion was coming? You
Also faulty is the measure’s
decide.
focus on cattle and exclusion of
Also, in reaction to OEA's
other known sources of stream
ann ou ncem ent, Cam pbell
contamination. The proponents
thanked the state's teachers for
of Measure 38 discuss cattle as
their support. Honestly, Kevin,
a source of Giardia, but leave
do you think the state's tea­
out that this organism is com­
chers have a clue where the
monly called “ beaver fever,"
OEA dollars are going? It's no
which suggests another source.
wonder the residents of Ore­
Portland has a sewer system
gon want campaign reform
that combines sewage and rain
when shenanigans like this
runoff and dumps the mix, un­
occur.
treated, into the Willamette
Sincerely,
River when overloaded. The
(s) Chuck Burley
worst case of illness from drink­
Bend
ing surface water that I have
cared for, was in someone who
fell into the Willamette and got
a few mouthfuls of that river's
water.
Potamus Creek Canyon, which
Measure 38 does not address
is 2000' below. It is a beautiful,
these or other sources of water
awesome view of the canyon
pollution. It is not really for
anytime of the year.
clean streams, just against
The area could be improved
by extending the road on out to
the very point overlooking the
Devil's Backbone and the John
Day River below, and the To the Editor:
scenic area to the south and
I would like to encourage
west.
everyone in Morrow County to
I think it would be a great vote for John Wenholz for
idea to make the lower Pota­ county commissioner. He is a
mus Canyon complex includ­ long-time resident of our coun­
ing the lower Little Potamus ty and is familiar with our pro­
and Gilbert canyons into scenic blems and how to address
and recreation areas. If this area them.
had been in California, Col­
I am glad we have someone
orado or Utah, it would have that is successfully self-employ­
been made into some sort of a ed that has the time and the
protected area many years ago energy to take on this difficult
as a great tourist attraction.
job. We will find him to be fair,
(s) Barbara Gilbert informed and to the point
Heppner
Wants questions answered
To the Editor:
I would like questions an­
swered regarding the lawsuit
that Margo Sherer filed against
Morrow County:
1) Exactly why did the coun­
ty dismiss Margo from the posi­
tion of tax collector? I am posi­
tive that our county commis­
sioners do not make their deci­
sions based on “ sc u ttle ."
Seems to me that there has to
be a substantial reason(s) for
the dismissal. Could the court's
decision have anything to do
with several mental stress suits
filed against the county by
county employees working
under Margo? I would really be
interested in the answer to this
question.
2) Why did Margo sue Mor­
row County Court? (Which, by
the way, does affect every tax-
paying citizen in the county.)
The court did not reduce Mar­
go's salary after her dismissal.
Now tell me, would you com­
plain if you were being paid to
do a job that you were not even
performing? Would your em­
ployer continue to pay you for
work that you do not do? I do
not think many employers
would. Think about it, tax­
payers. They are doing this
Kevin Campbell worthy of support
To the Editor:
State Senate candidate Kevin
Campbell is worthy of the sup­
port of everyone in this area.
The Campbells immigrated
from Ireland to this region a
century ago, and Kevin has
continued their commitment to
ranching as well as public ser­
vice. Kevin's opponent, on the
other hand, just moved to the
district from the Eugene area
two years ago.
Wenholz will help pull load
To the Editor:
I believe John Wenholz to be
an excellent candidate for coun­
ty commissioner. Wenholz
chose to reside in Morrow
County because he enjoys the
lifestyle here.
Wenholz has been involved
in numerous community ac­
tivities and served on various
school and county committees.
He has been successful as an
independent businessman and
in a corporate position as well.
O ÉA buying seats?
To the Editor:
It's incredible how the OEA
is throwing its money around
this election season. With
$47,000 for Democrat Bob
Pickard in the House District 55
race and $72,000 for Democrat
Kevin Campbell in the Senate
District 28 race, OEA certainly
appears to be buying seats.
The Senate District 28 race is
particularly interesting. Camp­
bell, with $10,000, was behind
Ferrioli's $24,000 of contribu­
tions. Was this due to a lack of
support in the district for
Campbell or part of a plan
Create scenic recreation area
To the Editor:
I have, in the past, been
critical of the Forest Service-the
supervisors, administrators and
district rangers-in their practice
of coddling the timber indus-
try.
It has seemed as though the
USFS had forgotten that the
forest is public property and in­
dividuals did have the right to
use it for recreation-e.g., hun­
ting, fishing, camping, trail
riding and to just plain sit and
enjoy the solitude.
Now, they have done some­
thing I really approve of. The
road to Thompson Flat and
Potamus Point has been im­
proved. They have built a cir­
cle turnout with an interpretive
display at the overlook into
understanding of county-wide
needs.
I am voting for John Wenholz
and urge you to vote for John
also.
Sincerely,
(s) Cliff Green
Heppner
Support Gutierrez
commitment. It is also an in­
teresting note that in the pri­
mary, the precinct that pro­
bably knew the three candi­
dates the best chose Gayle by
over 60 percent. That means
that the other two candidates
split less than 40 percent of the
lone vote. We believe they
know something.
Please join in voting for the
new Morrow County Treasur­
er, Gayle Gutierrez.
(s) Ron Bowman
Cathie Pointer
Mark Pointer
Everyone to defeat 38
Campbell for state senator
To the Editor:
We write to urge your vote
for Kevin Campbell, State
Senator, District 28. Eastern
Oregon has a tradition of elec­
ting superb state legislators.
The recent loss of such state
legislative leaders as Greg
Walden, Ray Baum and Gor­
don Smith leave a big leader­
ship gap in Salem. Kevin
Campbell offers the leadership
and experience to help main­
tain strong and effective repre­
sentation in Salem for Eastern
Oregon.
Kevin is known as a tireless
public servant in Grant Coun­
ty and throughout Eastern Ore­
gon. His experience as Grant
County Judge for six years has
made him aware of the pro­
blems faced by local govern­
ments and their citizens. His
dedication to his community is
indicated by the dozens of com­
missions on which he has serv­
ed. As a third-generation
eastern Oregonian, he is com­
mitted to the preservation of
the Eastern Oregon lifestyle
and its agriculture and forest
economies.
Kevin strongly supports
public education and has work­
ed hard to bring economic
development dollars to Grant
County. He will do the same
for District 28. He is familiar
with the needs of senior
citizens and ranchers. Their
concerns will be priority with
Kevin as state senator.
We know Kevin Campbell
will make the type of strong
and effective legislative leader
that we in Eastern Oregon have
come to expect in Salem. He is
the best choice for District 28
Senator.
(s) Annetta L. Spicer
(s) William J. Kuhn
Sherer most qualified
To the Editor:
Willamette Valley and change
I would like to encourage the
10 “ y es" votes to 10 “ n o "
citizens of Morrow County to
votes, that could swing thou­
re-elect Margo Sherer as our
sands of votes. “ Don't Fence
county treasurer. Being a fellow
Oregon" is still targeting blocks
employee of Morrow County
of voters with effective direct
for the past few years, I have
mail pieces. For every $1 rais­
had the occasion to work direct­
ed, that's four more direct mail­
ly with Margo not only in the
ings to targeted voters. Your
treasurer's office, but also on
contributions can still make a
the Public Information Com­
difference, so if you have not
mittee, which publishes the
yet contributed, call one of our
county newsletter. Margo is a
thorough, conscientious, hon­
cou nty
coord inators
at
est and skilled professional.
676-5106, 676-9823 or 676-5319.
She runs her office very res­
(s) Pam Wunderlich
ponsibly and pays great atten­
Morrow County “ Don't Fence
tion to detail and accuracy,
O regon" Committee
which is very important given
Heppner
that 18 million dollars passed
through the treasurer's office
last year alone.
Margo is constantly working
livestock.
to make Morrow County more
The biggest reason to vote prosperous and her dedica­
against Measure 38, however, tion to the citizens, county
has nothing to do with cows or departments and taxing dis­
water. All Oregonians should tricts is evidenced by her strides
object to how the measure to offer convenient, efficient
treats ranchers. Rather than and accommodating service
promote a cooperative ap­ when conducting business with
proach to water quality, the the treasurer's office. On a dai­
measure imposes a “ zero ly basis, accounts are updated
tolerance" on one user group, and transactions posted as she
while not requiring anything of makes every effort to have cur­
the other user groups.
rent and accurate date available
No one has asked the people immediately upon request. .
of Portland to stop using their
toilets, bathtubs and storm
drains until their sewer system
is fixed. It is no less unreason­ To the Editor:
able or disruptive to the lives of
The political process is very
ranchers to demand that no interesting. We often think be­
livestock ever be allowed near cause something is important
a stream.
to us, it is important to every­
Even worse than the target­ one. We also tend to believe
ing of one group is the lan­ everyone must know how we
guage of Measure 38 that en­ feel on different issues and they
courages lawsuits against that must agree with us or they are
group. The measure specifies wrong. These are both danger­
that “ Any person may com­ ous traps to fall into.
mence a civil action ..." and
First, let me say there are a
limits the ability of the court to few people working really hard
award costs to the person be­ in the local area for their issues.
ing sued, even if they win the But for the most part, it appears
suit.
that most people sit back and
If this measure passes, the wait to see if someone else will
proliferation of lawsuits will not promote their views. In this
just affect the ranchers. Extra day and age, if something is
lawsuits will place additional
demands on our legal system,
which will affect all of us. Other
measures may target other To the Editor:
I would like to address some
groups. Complicated issues
such as water or air quality will concerns on re-electing Margo
become more difficult to solve Sherer for Morrow County
coop eratively as law suits Treasurer. I do not think, at this
replace dialogue, and we will point, it is a widely known fact
that there was a lawsuit pen­
all suffer for that.
In sum, Measure 38 is a dan­ ding against the Morrow Coun­
gerous process, based on a faul­ ty Court, both as officials and
ty premise, focusing on only individuals; also, an employee
not on the court was named.
one aspect of a complicated
The
suit, I believe, was filed on
issue. I urge all Oregonians to
behalf
of Ms. Sherer by her at­
vote “ n o " on Measure 38.
torney.
This action was taken
Sincerely,
after
the
county court decided
(s) William M. Bitsas, MD
to
separate
the tax collector and
Heppner
the treasurer's office. My un­
derstanding is that at one time
it was two offices. I believe that
if one checked the records, it
when he gives his input to our would show that there was no
county government. John has cut in pay, nor any in benefits.
been very active in communi­ The only action taken was to
ty affairs and really cares about split the two offices.
the way Morrow County is
Why this lawsuit was filed is
administered.
hard to determine. I personal­
I believe John will represent ly cannot help but feel that it
all the residents of the county
with the same ability and
honesty he has shown the last
20 years living in this county.
Please vote for John when you To the Editor:
cast your ballot.
For a treasurer, we need so­
(s) Gary Frederickson meone with knowledge and,
Boardman above all, experience in making
Measure 38 a dangerous process
Over the last 16 years, Margo
has exclusively managed the
county's four to seven million
dollar investment portfolio with
great success by making wise,
but secure investments. She
manages the cash flow by en­
suring liquidity to pay county
obligations, while maximizing
investment revenue. Not con­
tent to stop there, she has been
doing the preliminary planning
to assemble a Morrow County
Investment Advisory Commit­
tee to broaden knowledge
among citizens about current
investments and explore future
opportunities.
In my opinion, this is one
position that requires experi­
ence, an investment back­
ground and, most of all, ac­
countability. The one candidate
that has 16 years of proven ex­
perience, an established work­
ing relationship with the coun­
ty court and all other county
departments, and is dedicated
to the betterment of Morrow
County is Margo Sherer.
1 urge you to vote for the
most qualified candidate for
Morrow County Treasurer,
Margo Sherer.
Sincerely,
(s) Nicole R. Mahoney
Heppner
No one to blame but yourself
Vote for Gutierrez
Cast ballot for Wenholz
important to you or your in­
dustry, you can't wait for so­
meone else to fight the battle.
There is too much at stake.
Everyone must get involved.
Don't assume everyone knows
about your issues. Talk to
everyone you see to make sure
they understand the entire
issue. Many initiatives sound
good on the surface, but once
they learn “ the rest of the
story," it may be very different
from what they first thought.
If your issues are defeated
and you did nothing, you have
no one to blame but yourself.
Sincerely,
(s) Bill Broderick
Hermiston
directly affects not only the two
offices involved in the separa­
tion, but, indirectly, the whole
courthouse. It has created hard
feelings and a lot of dissension
between the employees work­
ing there. It also affects all peo­
ple who are taxpayers in Mor­
row County. I unsuccessfully
tried to find out the actual cost
to the taxpayers in our county.
Although as a property owner
I don't want to pay more in
taxes, I am more concerned
with the effect this could poten­
tially have on our county.
I personally do not see how
one can bring suit against your
colleagues and co-workers, and
be a competent and efficient
leader.
I, for one, feel that the peo­
ple of Morrow County need to
take a long, hard look at this
situation and vote accordingly.
Gayle Gutierrez works for me.
(s) Marie Boor
lone
Vote for Sherer
investments for our county.
We'd better re-elect Margo
Sherer.
(s) Jane Rawlins
Heppner