EIGHT - Heppner Gaz*tt*-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 28,1998
court? Why?
While our present judge has
been able to handle the juvenile
court load and other county
issues, with the growing
population in Morrow County
and the increasing juvenile court
case load it may be approaching
the time to begin looking at
other options. When you
consider the increasing demands
being placed on the county's
judge and commissioners, I feel
the county may be better served
by allowing the judge to spend
more time on county-wide issues
and less time on juvenile issues.
Therefore, as a matter of
practicality at some time in the
future the county may need to
look at other options, including
the possibility of transferring
this responsibility over to the
circuit court.
Candidates' Forum
Rea is currently employed as a
Morrow County Commissioner created by the plan to
paralegal
with the Schroeder
candidates, Dan Brosnan, incinerate chemicals at the
Law
Offices
in Boardman. She
Heppner, and Leann Rea, Army Depot? How would you
works
primarily
on property and
Boardman, will face off address this problem?
water
right
issues.
Major Problem=lack of
Tuesday, November 3, at the
has served as a 4-H leader,
polls as will the two candidates planning and proper allocation a She
member
of Morrow County
for Morrow County Judge, Terry of resources from the state and Fair Committee,
a Director on
Tallman of Boardman, and John federal levels.
the
Oregon
Water
Resources
Mollahan of Lexington.
M ajor
Stumbling Congress Board and as co-chair
Following is a candidate's forum Block=Oregon Office of for the Rural Residential Sub-
concerning the two positions.
Emergency Management. We Committee for the Lower
must involve management of Umatilla Basin Groundwater
OEM’s Parent agency, the Management Area. She is
Oregon State Police, and the ( currently serving on the OSU
governor's office in demanding Extension Advisory Board, is a
cooperation and accountability director of the Umatilla/Morrow
from OEM.
Counties Oregon Farm Bureau, a
Outline a brief plan to allocate member of the Umatilla/Morrow
Morrow County's tippage fees, Counties Oregon Farm Bureau
or, if you are satisfied with the Water/Wetlands
Advisory
present plan, explain that.
Committee and is a member of
I support the present plan of the Trail Advisory Committee
using the SCERT process to for the Morrow County
prioritize projects to bring to the Columbia River Heritage Trail.
county court for funding. The Rea is also a commissioner on
county court should then be the Morrow County Planning
responsible and accountable for Commission, and was appointed
making sure that all regions - to the Umatilla Basin Watershed
urban and rural - get a fair share Council in December of last year
of the fees.
by the Umatilla County
Briefly outline a plan to Commissioners.
allocate county services, such
Other qualifications include
Dan Brosnan
as road construction and familiarity with rules governing
Dan Brosnan, 55, Republican maintenance, among the public entities, responsibility for
candidate for Morrow County communities.
the
development
and
Commissioner, lives in Heppner.
(A transportation plan that implementation of public
He and his wife, Doris, have two takes into consideration
and experience dealing
children, Damon, 30, and Darci, expected growth, as well as the budgets
with
various
and state
26. Brosnan graduated from present condition of the county agencies, such federal
as
BPA,
ODF&W
Heppner High School and wide transportation system, has and Oregon Water Resources.
attended Blue Mountain been adopted; absolutely critical Why would a voter select you
Community College. He served to wise allocation of resources.) over your opponent?:
with the U.S. Air £orce, 1. ) View the county as a single
A voter would select me
achieving rank of #-4, for two unit with parts.
because
a fair and honest
years in Louisiana and two years 2. ) Encourage all citizens to individual, I am
willing
to listen to all
in Japan.
remember that we all are sides of an issue and make
Brosnan was employed with members of one county.
decisions based on the best
the Oregon State Police for 25
3.) Ensure that county available information. I am a
1/2 years, retiring in 1993 at the departments and agencies are long-time county resident with
rank of captain. Brosnan is a responsive to changing needs personal
knowledge of all areas
member of the Oregon Livestock and proactive in planning.
of
the
county,
having lived or
Growers, served on the St.
4.) Maintain close worked in all five of the county's
Patrick's Parish Council; was communication among the communities. I will take this job
vice-chair for the Heppner county departments and citizens. very seriously and will devote as
Coordinating Council one year; 5.) Base allocations on need.
time and energy as is
was a member of the Heppner Are you in favor of much
needed
to give the residents of
Chamber of Commerce Board establishing a road between
one year; and is presently the lone and Boardman? Why or Morrow County what they
deserve.
chair for the Morrow County why not?
If elected, what is the biggest
Museum Committee. *
I believe that the county should challenge
facing you?:
Brosnan's other qualifications secure rights of way across the
While budgetary issues are
include supervision of 130 involved properties, so when the
employees; oversight of an road is needed and affordable, always a challenge for our
county, at this time the rapid
annual 7.5 million dollar budget; the county can put one in.
and extensive experience I favor a direct link between the growth in the Columbia River
working on natural resource Willow Creek Valley and the communities is creating some
issues with other states, the north end's industrial base and major strains on community's
federal government and transportation system, to foster infrastructures. It is an ongoing
to maintain adequate
Northwest Indian tribes.
growth
and
economic struggle
services
stay within the
Why would a voter select you development
in the south end of budget and
restrains
that are
over your opponent?
the county. However, we must mandated by recent legislation.
Past professional experiences, be
about expenses and Therefore, one of my biggest
depth of natural resource must realistic
listen
to
citizens.
will be to continue
experiences, and depth of Do you agree the
with
the current challenges
the work our current county
supervisory and budgetary system of two commissioners
court has initiated in attempting
experiences.
and
a
judge
elected
at
large?
to obtain "Impact Fees" from the
If elected, what is the biggest Why or why not?
federal government for the
challenge facing you?
I favor the current system. It is impacts
with the
and is responsive to the disposal of created
Unifying and preparing working
chemicals
at the
needs and desires of the county Umatilla Army Depot. At
Morrow County to meet the residents.
Under a home rule same time we must work the
challenges posed to us, such as system, administrators
to
be protect our right to prudently use
crime, family violence, safe and hired and not be would
timely destruction of agents at answerable to voters. directly our natural resources, including
Ordinance and defending Do you think the present water, timber and lands.
against attacks on our continue
major project would you
County juvenile court What
responsible use of our natural Morrow
like
to
see accomplished?
system should be retained or What is your
resources.
priority?:
jurisdiction be I would like first
What major project would you should
to
see
transferred to circuit court? regarding incineration all of issues
like to see accomplished?
the
The present juvenile court chemicals at the Army Depot
A lowering of domestic system
should be retained. resolved. This would include
violence and juvenile crime in Transferring
jurisdiction to the obtaining impact fees, all
Morrow County.
circuit
court
would mean necessary safety equipment and
What is your first priority?
relinquishing
local
control over training for our first responders,
Destruction of chemical agents our troubled youth. Circuit
at Ordinance. The first priority judges are not members of court
installation of the Tone Alert
our the
must be to get all safety communities and are less
Radios in all areas near the
equipment in place and familiar with our problems.
Depot and the completion of the
functional and to provide
protection facilities at all of the
adequate training to citizens and
local schools. My first priorities
first responders.
are to provide a safe
Please outline a brief plan to
environment and economic
help North Morrow County
stability for all of our county's
accommodate growth:
residents.
1. ) Allocate necessary resources
Please outline a brief plan to
to ensure infrastructure adequate
help North Morrow County
to meet expansion.
accommodate growth:
2. ) Allocate adequate resources
City and county planning
to meet law enforcement, health
commissions need to coordinate
services, and land-use planning
their efforts to ensure an
needs,
organized growth in both the
3.) Use Port of Morrow
cities and in the urban areas.
resources to attract desirable
This would include all of the
employers with fair family-wage
necessary
infrastructures.
job« and to secure grants and Leann A. Rea
Special attention needs to be
loans to site those employers.
Leann A. Rea, 57, Democratic given to ensure all residents
How can yon assist South candidate for Morrow County have a safe drinking water
Morrow County in retaining Commissioner, lives in supply. Cities may need to
and creating jobs?
with her husband of extend water and sewer services
Use the Morrow County Boardman
39 years, Jerald Rea. They have and some subdivisions may need
Economic Development Coordi four grown children, Rick, 38, to consider community wells.
nator for searching out Darla,
36, Terrell, 32, and We need to take advantage of
businesses looking to relocate Robert 28.
available grants and loan
and for accessing state and
Her
parents
resided
on
the
programs
to assist with the
federal agencies' resources such Padberg family homestead on establishment
as job retraining, economic lower Rhea Creek when she was businesses. of new small
studies and job feasibility bom. She graduated from lone How ¿an you assist South
studies. Assist communities in High School and attended Blue Morrow County in retaining
securing loans and grants to
upgrade services and facilities. Mountain Community College. and creating jobs?:
What Is the major problem
We need to remain alert to any
possibilities for new industries
expressing an interest in our
rural areas. Management of our
forest lands needs to be
encouraged to maintain the
operation of the Kinzua mill in
Heppner for as long as natural
resources are available without
jeopardizing future generations.
What is the major problem
created by the plan to
incinerate chemicals at the
Army Depot? How would you
address this problem?:
While a chance of an accident
during incineration is remote, we
still need to be totally prepared
for the worst-case scenario. An
accident of this nature would not
allow for mistakes without loss
of lives. One of the major
problems is going to be the large
influx of people for a short
period of time. This will place a
strain on all county services,
including the schools, roads, law
enforcement, local water and
sewer services. We need to
vigorously pursue every avenue
to obtain impact fees from the
Army to assist in resolving this
situation. Once the incineration
program is completed, many of
these workers may move to
other areas. If we are unable to
obtain these impact fees, this
may leave our local citizens with
large bond payments for the
necessary upgrades that have
been made to the infrastructures
of our communities.
Outline a brief plan to allocate
Morrow County's tippage fees,
or if you are satisfied with the
present plan, explain that.:
I believe the current plan of
allocating the "tippage fees” is
well managed. A committee of
citizens, one from each of the
communities, has been formed
to review all requests for tippage
fees. This committee is
responsible for making
recommendations of allocation
to the county court with the final
decision for dispersal being
made by the county court. The
county court has retained a small
portion of the fees for disposal at
their discretion. This method of
dispersal makes your elected
officials ultimately responsible
for the fair and equitable
disposition of the fees.
Briefly outline a plan to
allocate county services, such
as road construction and
maintenance, among the
communities:
All residents of the county
deserve to have safe roads.
However, cost-versus-use needs
to be factored into the plan. A
review plan needs to be
developed whereby roads are
considered not only on use but
also on their general condition.
It is better to spend money on
maintenance rather than to wait
until a road needs to be totally
rebuilt. Safety factors must
always have a priority in making
decisions regarding the
maintenance and construction of
our county roads. Regarding
other county services, I feet the
Morrow County Sheriffs
Department is doing a great job
in providing services to the
entire county.
Are you in favor of
establishing a road between
lone and Boardman? Why or
why not?:
Yes. This road would greatly
benefit the farmers in the lone
area by making a more direct
farm to market route. It would
also create an opportunity to
increase population in the lone
area, by providing a shorter and
more direct route to job
opportunities that are in the
north end of the county. This
would be a definite benefit to the
lone school systems. Boardman
would also see benefits with the
connection of these two
communities.
Do you agree with the current
county system of two
commissioners and a judge
elected at large? Why or why
not? If not, what system
would you propose?:
Yes. With the small population
base in our county I feel the "at
large" system is appropriate, At
some time in the future, if the
population base increases
considerably, then it may be
appropriate to divide the county
into three districts (as equal in
population as possible) and have
an individual elected from each
of these three districts.
Do you think the present
Morrow County juvenile court
system should be retained or
should jurisdiction be
transferred over to circuit
Terry K. Tallman
Terry K. Tallman, 52, Repub
lican candidate for Morrow
County Judge, lives in Boardman.
He and his wife, Cheryl, have
three children, Jonathan, 22,
Crystal, 19, and Derrm, 17.
Tallman, who came to Morrow
County in 1978, graduated from
Adrian High School, Adrian, in
1964. He attended Treasure Val
ley Community College, the Uni
versity of Oregon and Oregon
State University.
Tallman served with the U.S.
Navy as a petty officer 2nd class,
and saw both US and overseas
duty. He served in Vietnam from
1967-71. He was honorably dis
charged in 1971.
He has been self-employed
with Keith Tallman and Sons
from 1974 to present.
He has been a Little- League
coach, Columbia Youth Basket
ball coach, is a member of the
Riverside High School Booster
Club and the Boardman Chamber
of Commerce.
Tallman has been mayor of the
city of Boardman from January
1997 to present. His political ex
perience also includes: planning
commission, city of Boardman,
1985-96 (chair 1991-96); budget
committee, city of Boardman,
1987-89; Morrow County School
District Computer Technology
Advisory Committee, 1989-90;
board member, Port of Morrow/
Umatilla Development Fund
Committee, 1990-95; board
member, Morrow County Unified
Recreation District, 1995-present;
Morrow County Budget Commit
tee, 1997-present; Morrow
County Transportation System
Planning Committee, 1997;
Boardman Community Strategic
Planning Committee, 1997-
present; and Boardman Area
Emergency Planning Group,
1997-present.
If elected, what is the biggest
challenge facing you? My big
gest challenge will be keeping
everyone happy in Morrow
County. Communication and
open access will be key in accom
plishing this goal. We can self-
destruct if we fight rather than
cooperate.
What major project would
you like to see accomplished?
What is your first priority? The
major project of the next judge
will be finding enough money to
fund all the services the citizens
of our county have come to ex
pect and do it without cutting per
sonnel. We need to deal with our
youth problems, roads and eco
nomic development.
Please outline a brief plan to
help North Morrow County ac
commodate growth; how can
you assist South Morrow
County in retaining and creat
ing jobs? Most growth is going
to take place within the bound
aries of our cities. We need to be
ready to assist them, when we
can. Growth throughout the
county is going to come about
because of the efforts of the Port
of Morrow. We need to maintain
open communication with the
I
port manager and the commis
sioners. I see the county’s job as
keeping informed, helping find
funding and staying out of the
way, letting the port function as
the “economic engine.” Our
county economic coordinator will
also assist and lead the way to
help with finding funds for the
county and cities, if they want and
need the help.
What is the major problem
created by the plan to inciner
ate chemicals at the Army De
pot? How would you address
this problem? My major efforts
will be to keep the citizens of
Morrow County safe. In order to
do that, we must have help from
the Army, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
and Chemical Stockpile Emer
gency Preparedness Program
(CSEPP). The Army has been
mandated to safely bum these
chemicals and CSEPP is to keep
the citizens safe as this is done. I
intend to make sure both carry out
their responsibilities by seeking
the proper equipment and train
ing and reasonable storage fees as
allowed by law.
Outline a brief plan to allo
cate Morrow County's tippage
fees, or if you are satisfied with
the present plan, explain that:
Presently, I do not think I would
change the process for allocation.
There is a need for some discre
tionary funds and then allocate
the rest through the State Eco
nomic Revitalization Team
(SERT) process. Everyone needs
to know what the ground rules are
for this process and have access
based on those rules.
Briefly outline a plan to allo
cate county services, such as
road construction and mainte
nance, among the communities:
As with any service, a need must
be established and where needs
often outrun resources, priorities
must be determined. This implies
a plan. In the example of road and
maintenance, we need a formal
road plan based on priorities and
greatest need. The three commis
sioners would establish the policy
and county employees would
carry out these policies.
Are you in favor of establish
ing a road between lone and
Boardman? Why or why not? I
would support the road. The ma
jor issues facing the county will
be the route and funding. The
route is being planned. The Com
missioners are as close as they
have ever been to getting this road
started.The funding will come
from us, the citizens, and be de
termined by a vote. The road his
short and long term impacts for
economic development for Mor
row County as well.
Do you agree with the cur
rent county system of two com
missioners and a judge elected
at large? Why or why not? If
not, what system would you
propose? We have had a vote in
the recent past to determine if we
needed a change. I don’t think it
is broke. I would not change our
present form of county govern
ment.
Do you think the present
Morrow County juvenile court
system should be retained or
should jurisdiction be trans
ferred over to circuit court?
Why? What are your qualifica
tions for serving as juvenile
court judge? I would leave the
court in its present system. We
maintain local control with no
change. The circuit court has its
hands full now. Another judge
would be needed and we would
have to find more money if we
made a change. If I am elected, I
believe I can perform those du
ties needed to be juvenile judge.
John F. Mollahan
John F. Mollahan, 62, Democrat
candidate for Morrow County
Judge, lives in Lexington with
his wife, Christina Sharp
Mollahan. He has a grown son
and daughter, seven grown step-
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