Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - NINE
Deputy shares
thoughts on
current sheriff
To the Editor:
I have received a lot
of questions from different
people about this election
and what my views o f our
current Sheriff are I would
like to respond to those
questions and let everyone
know what kind o f person
that I work for as a Morrow
County Deputy.
First, let me say that
1 have no idea what kind o f
Sheriff Mr Matlack would
be None o f us know what
kind o f Sheriff he would be
Mr. M atlack has never
worked in a Sheriff’s Office
and has never been
responsible for a $2 million
budget He has never been
responsible for the making of
policies, for hiring and firing
people He has never served
as
an
elected
law
enforcement official. He has
never had to stretch his
resources during constantly
diminishing budget issues.
So, Mr. M atlack do esn ’t
know what being the Sheriff
o f M orrow C ounty will
entail and as v o te rs we
certainly cannot know what
kind o f Sheriff he will be
Mr M atlack has
listed six points in his public
mailing The first point is that
he believes th at the
U ndersheriff and Sheriff
should be out patrolling and
helping the deputies take
calls. That sounds great; but,
who is going to run the
Sheriff’s Office when they
are out on patrol? In most
businesses, the boss doesn’t
help the employee do their
job because the boss is busy
making sure the business is
taken care of. It is no
different in the S heriff’s
Office. As deputies, we don’t
need or want the Sheriff to
help us do our jobs. We want
him doing his job of keeping
the office running so that we
can just focus on taking our
calls. In saying that he would
be out on patrol, it is clear
that Mr. Matlack has no idea
what goes on in a Sheriff’s
Office.
Mr.
M a tlac k ’s
second point is that he will
maintain a patrol schedule
for all sections o f the county
and that patrol w on’t be
pulled from one place to
co v er calls in an o th er
location. I know from
ex p erien ce th a t this is
physically impossible. We
currently have six patrol
deputies. With scheduled
days off and different shifts,
we often times only have one
deputy on at a time. The
S h e riff tries to get tw o
deputies on during busier
tim es and schedules the
deputies for rural patrol It
is just impossible to expect
the deputies or even the
Sheriff and Undersheriff to
be able to cover the entire
county all the time And, to
say that a deputy won’t be
pulled from his area to cover
a call in another area is
unrealistic at best. How
would any voter feel if they
knew there was a deputy that
was not on a call in another
area and would not respond
for their complaint or to
back-up another deputy on
an officer-safety issue? Our
Sheriff already maintains the
best possible patrol schedule
to give all the citizens o f
Morrow County the services
they need It is easy to point
the finger at someone else
when they are doing the job
and you are not. Sheriff
Denton has expanded our
reserve program to fifteen
reserves and has additional
volunteers in the Search and
Rescue organization These
tw o program s w ork to
augment our patrols and help
us give more o f a service to
our communities. Sheriff
Denton is already doing all
that can be done at this time
to increase our patrol levels
Mr. Matlack’s third
point is that he would ensure
that each area o f the county
sees regular police coverage
This is already happening
Often times we patrol during
the night when people are
sleeping or during the day
when they are away at work
The thousands o f miles we
each put on our patrol cars
each month is proof that we
are patrolling the over 2,000
square miles o f M orrow
County to the best o f our
abilities.
Mr Matlack’s fourth
point is that he would stress
the
im po rtan ce
of
investigating drug houses
and known drug dealers.
This is also something that
Sheriff Denton is already
doing O ur d ep artm en t
recently hosted a nationally
recognized training in rural
patrol drug investigation.
Our deputies are encouraged
to investigate drugs and have
been doing so. Recently,
several meth labs have been
seized by the M o rro w
County Sheriff’s Office and
investigations continue As
w ith anything, we have
limited resources when it
comes to man hours and
many different duties that
must be done during a shift.
A S h e riff’s D eputy is
responsible for taking all
calls on their shift (even non
emergency calls), serving
civil p ro cess p ap ers,
tra n sp o rtin g p riso n ers,
writing reports, testifying in
court, conducting follow-up
c o n ta c ts and enforcing
traffic violations. W hile
doing all these other duties
we also attempt to focus on
the illegal drug activity in our
county.
Mr M atlack’s fifth
point is th at he w ould
explore a C o -O p erativ e
Policing Agreement with the
Oregon State Police He may
not be aware of this, but one
already exists. We do have
an agreement with them and
it was last modified in 1991.
O regon State Police has
alw ays been helpful in
responding to assist us with
emergency calls or officer-
safety
related
calls.
Unfortunately, their staffing
levels have dropped also and
they cannot start responding
to the non-emergency calls
for our county To expect
this o f the O regon State
Police would be unrealistic.
Mr. Matlack’s sixth
point is th at he w ould
support the effort to create
a School Resource Officer
th ro u g h gran t funding.
Sheriff Denton has already
tried to obtain this position
th ro u g h g ran ts S heriff
D enton has never been
unsupportive o f the idea o f
a School Resource Officer
but unfortunately it takes a
lot more than just an idea to
m ake it happen G rant
funding is highly competitive
and most grants come with
many different requirements
for matching funds
I believe that Mr.
Matlack’s points show that
he does not have the
knowledge o f what it would
really be like to run the
Sheriffs Office But I know
someone who does know
what it is like to run the
Sheriff’s Office because he
has been doing it for many
years. Sheriff Denton has
been doing a great job as the
Sheriff o f Morrow County.
Let me tell you what it is like
to work for Sheriff Denton:
Sheriff Denton is a
man with a lot o f integrity.
His employees respect him
and look to him fo r an
example o f professionalism
and honesty Sheriff Denton
holds his employees to a high
standard o f conduct and
expects nothing but their
b est w hile serving the
citizens o f our county When
thinking about what kind of
manager a person is, you can
get the best answer by asking
th eir em ployees Sheriff
D e n to n ’s em ployees are
sending a very clear message
th at they are m ore than
happy with him and want
him to continue to be their
Sheriff
I think that I can best
describe the type o f person
Sheriff Denton is by sharing
what his response was on
April 12, 2004. Two of our
deputies were injured and
tak en to the hospital in
Hermiston. Sheriff Denton
immediately responded to
the scene and arrived as the
tw o deputies were being
placed into the w aiting
ambulance. Sheriff Denton
made a point to reach out to
each o f those deputies so
that they knew he was there
and was supporting them
A fter they left in th e
ambulance, Sheriff Denton
did not linger at the scene or
return to the office to talk
with the media and handle
the flood o f questions. You
m ight ask w here Sheriff
Denton was Well, he was
waiting at the hospital He
felt that his first priority was
to see th at both o f his
deputies were going to be
okay and he be able to talk
to them and tell them how
much he appreciated them
and supported them. Most
law enforcement officers go
th ro u g h th e ir careers
wondering if that awful day
comes and they are forced to
tak e the life o f an o th er
person; will their department
stand by them Our deputies
w ere not left to w onder
about this because Sheriff
Denton was there to set their
minds at ease.
I w ork for a man
with experience, integrity
and the desire to serve his
public. I know what kind of
Sheriff he is: the kind that I
am proud to work for. His
em ployees unanim ously
su p p o rt him as sheriff;
shouldn’t you?
(s) Karen Zeiler
Senior Deputy with the
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office
Measure 37
provides
opportunity for
just
compensation
To the Editor:
We strongly disagree
with the decision o f several
county Farm Bureaus not to
support Ballot Measure 37.
Neither o f their two
main
argum ents
for
opposing this measure: “It
will break the government if
they have to pay” and “It will
gut the land use planning we
have in place” are true
If this Measure will
“cost too much”; then it
m ight
be
said
the
governm ent is taking or
diminishing the value o f too
much property That is why
th e
fram ers o f our
Constitution included in the
Fifth Amendment the words
“Nor shall private property
be tak en fo r public use
without just compensation.”
G o v ern m en ts have not
protected this right, in many
cases governm ents have
abused it. G overnm ent
regulators tend to view the
taking clause o f the Fifth
A m endm ent
as
an
unfortunate obstacle This
measure addresses that
The
second
argument is an emotional
one This measure does not
V
change the land use laws
already in place It only
provides an opportunity for
a landowner to ask for just
co m p en satio n when ,a
regulation, zoning or land
use change restricts the use
o f their property and/or
diminishes the value o f that
property
Property rights need
to be taken seriously and are
essential to the generation of
w ealth upon w hich all
government depends And,
most importantly, clear title
to property is a cornerstone
to the freedom we have in
this country and directly
resp o n sib le
for
our
prosperity.
According to Saint
Thomas Aquinas: “Private
ownership o f property is the
best guarantee o f a peaceful
and orderly society for it
provides maximum incentive
for
resp o n sib le
stewardship ” Our Oregon
cen tu ry farm s are an
excellent example o f this.
Measure 37 deserves
a resounding yes vote
(s) Jerry and Deanna
Dyksterhuis
Monroe, OR
the best man for the sheriff
position and would like to
encourage everyone to vote
for him
(s) Connie Jo Yutzie
Arlington
4-H helps local
girl with dreams
Lewis will bring
fresh approach to
city government
To the Editor
I am w riting this
letter in support o f Keith
Lew is for the office o f
Heppner City Mayor I have
know n K eith for over a
decade and believe that he
will bring a fresh approach
to the city’s government.
As a local business
owner he has brought many
new families to the area As
owner of 15 rental properties
in Heppner, he has a keen
view as to the economic
development needed in the
city. He has invested heavily
in the Heppner community
and economy
His stewardship o f
the city and its finances
w ould create a m ore
attractiv e com m unity to
families looking to find an
affo rd ab le
and
safe
com m unity in which to
Balanced plan
reside. Now that is the very
definition o f pro-growth
already exists,
Please jo in me in
vote no on 34
v o tin g K eith Lew is for
mayor. The city deserves his
To the Editor:
leadership.
The State Forest
(s) Calvin and Beverly
Management Plan is diverse
Sherman
The members who made up
Heppner
the planning forum were also
diverse.
The
groups
represented are as follows:
Oregon Trout, North Coast
Land Conservancy, Coast
Range Association, Sierra
Club, O regon F orest
The
C ardinal
Industries Council, Oregon
Booster
Club
met
Monday,
State University, Tillamook
Oct.
4
at
the
school
library
County, Forestry Extension
President
Lynn
Dee
Ramos
Agent and Stimson Lumber
had
design
samples
for the
Company. The plan was also
banners
the
club
plans
to
peer reviewed by another
diverse group of 26 scientists order for the sixth grade to
sell. It will take two to three
from around the country.
weeks
for a sample to be sent
The planning effort
back
to the club for
included input from all
approval
The club plans to
segments o f our population.
This is a b alanced, order 50 banners to sell for
th o u g h tfu l
fo rest $50 each
The club will take
management plan that will
o
rd
ers
for ey e-catch ers
ensure predictable timber
during
basketball
season
and revenues for our schools
Mr
Holland’s
math
and local economies, diverse
habitats for wildlife and fish class measured the cafeteria
and
recreatio n al hallway and calculated the
amount of paint needed to
opportunities
Ballot Measure 34 paint it. The ceiling needs to
proponents say they have a be repaired before painting
balanced approach to forest can begin. Bryn Browning
management. The diverse will give a progress report at
membership who worked the next meeting
The
com m unity
seven years on the State
calendar
changes
have been
Forest Management Plan,
forwarded
to
Anne
Morter
know what a balanced plan
and the committee will meet
is.
to
finalize the 2005 calendar
Win or lose the
Progress
is also being made
Rainforest Coalition is using
on
the
2004-05 sport
Measure 34 to raise money
schedule
poster
on sound bites, not science,
The club voted to
for their corporate profits
retain
the same slate o f
(s) Charles J. iW liman
o
fficers
T hat includes
Tillamook County
Ramos,
president;
Sharon
Commissioner
Rietmann,
vice
president;
Tillamook
Jeri McElligott, secretary/
tre a su rer; and A rlynda
Matlack served
concessions/dinner
with honesty and Gates,
chairperson
M cElligott read a
integrity
letter from the Townsend
family expressing concern
To the Editor:
I am w riting in for the rem oval o f the
Tow nsend
support o f Ken Matlack for M ancell
Memorial
trophy
case from
M orrow County Sheriff I
th
e
hallw
ay
M
em bers
met Ken when he lived in
Arlington and served on the agreed to clean out the case
Oregon State Police force and place it in the high
Ken was a great asset to our school hallway. A trophy
community and served with co m m ittee o f Laurel
honesty and integrity He Cannon, Betty Gray and
tre a te d everybody w ith Lynn Dee Ram os was
respect and did not use his formed to clean out the cases
and rearrange the trophies
position to intimidate
The junior varsity
He served on our
girls’
basketball
coaching
school board and his
comments and insights were position will remain open
g reatly re sp ected
We until filled
The next meeting of
considered it a great loss
Cardinal
Booster Club will
when he left our community
be
Monday,
Nov 1 at the
I believe that Ken would be
school library
Cardinal
Booster Club
news
Jessica W ainwright
By Lin Wolfe, Oregon State
Fair Marketing Director
We’ve all heard the
story before: small town girl
dreams o f leaving behind her
small town life for the bright
lights of the big city. Jessica
Wainwright plans to follow
this script but she has a twist
ending: she plans to return
to Morrow County “ I like
this lifesty le in rural
Oregon,” said Jessica, age
17, “While 1 look forward to
leaving my home to pursue
my career, I know 1 will be
back.”
Jessica plans to
pursue
p o litics
and
advertising - two topics that
she wouldn't have dreamed
she would enjoy if it wasn’t
for her experience with 4-H
“I have more self confidence
because o f 4-H and my
experience at the Morrow
County Fair has taught me
that I can meet any new
challenge.”
In the eight years of
being a 4-Her, Jessica has
been able to improve her
social and speaking skills In
addition, she has learned
responsibility through raising
a market lamb and working
through all the basics o f
nurturing an animal feeding,
watering, and working her
lamb,
and
p ro v id in g
necessary veterinarian care
When she showed
her market lamb at the recent
Morrow County Fair, Jessica
didn’t get butterflies in her
stomach On the contrary,
she revels in the challenges
of figuring out the various
judges and their styles “I
really enjoy the guessing
game,” she said Her lamb
took first place, something
she is proud of. It also
caught the eye of a generous
anonymous donor who has
provided $450 to Jessica
toward her Oregon State
Fair experience in 2005 4-
H appealed to her just as it
appealed to her m other
Jessica’s mother was a 4-H
m em ber when she was
young and she has been
Jessica’s club leader for the
past 12 years
This winter Jessica
will set her sights on learning
the finer points o f livestock
judging She intends to learn
how to ev alu ate the
co n form ation and the
different cuts of livestock
As for the future,
yes, Jessica does intend to
leave the wide-open spaces
of Morrow County to study
politics and, perhaps, get an
opportunity to change things
for the better She also has
an eye toward photography
- she’s an avid photographer
and hopes to weave that into
her advertising pursuit
♦