FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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Letters to the Editor ~
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Pleased to endorse and support Sample
An open letter to Morrow County voters
To the editor:
I have known, supervised and worked closely with
Larry Sample for many years. 1 personally did the back
ground investigation on Larry when he was hired by the
Morrow County Sheriff’s Office and was very impressed
by what his peers and other agencies had to say about
him.
During the time 1 worked w ith Larry 1 learned that
he is a man o f integrity; that he is a man dedicated to the
kind of hard work and professionalism that is absolutely
necessary to lead an organization like the sheriIT’s office.
He is highly respected by his peers and is very approach
able and accessible leader.
As undersheriff he supervised, and was responsible
for, the daily operation o f the sheriff’s office. He was highly
respected and looked up to by the office employees, which
is so important to retaining experienced and professional
deputies working in the county. He treated employees
with the respect and professionalism they deserved. While
undersheriff Larry fostered an efficient and professional
work environment in the sheriff's office.
Larry has had considerable experience in working
with tight budgets and making do with less during times
o f limited resources. He is careful with the tax payer’s
dollars and does not condone spending them in frivolous
ways. Larry cares a great deal about the county as a whole
and its people.
It was my privilege to serve Morrow County in
the sheriff’s office for 21 years and in my opinion Larry
Sample will make an excellent sheriff for the county. 1
am very pleased to endorse and support Larry for Mor
row County sheriff and would encourage others to do so
as well.
Verlin Denton, Sheriff, Ret.
Pendleton
Dear Editor:
Ken Matlack is a law man and a gentleman. I served
on the Irrigon City Council w ith Ken and I know him to be
deserv ing o f another term as Morrow County sheriff.
Ken is ideal for this job. He does not flaunt his au
thority w ith arrogance. He treats people with the courtesy
and respect they deserve. He practices a participative style
o f management wherein he seeks the adv ice and counsel
o f others before deciding on a final course o f action.
Ken spends much o f his time as he should out on
the roads and streets o f the county, sharing some of the
patrol and enforcement duties with his deputies. He does
not stay cooped up in his office while delegating every
thing to subordinates. This keeps him well informed on
the needs and issues affecting Morrow County residents.
He stays abreast o f advances in technology and constantly
looks for better ways to get things done.
Here in Irrigon we cannot afford to fund our own
police force and Ken provides the kind o f public safety
protection that we need at a very economical cost. I sleep
better at night knowing that Ken and his deputies are
providing skilled and able law enforcement for our com
munity. I wholeheartedly endorse Ken Matlack for another
term as Sheriff o f Morrow County and I urge you to do
the same.
Arnold J. Theisen
Former Irrigon Mayor Pro-Tern
Re-elect Ken Matlack for sheriff of
Morrow County
Dear Editor:
When 1 first met Ken Matlack, he was an OSP of
ficer and my impression then and now, is that he is a very
caring individual when it concerns someone’s welfare, as
well as an effective law officer. That was approximately
12 years ago.
Presently, as sheriff of Morrow County, 1 have
had the pleasure o f working with Ken and his deputies on
several animal abuse cases. This rarely happened prior to
Sheriff Matlack’s tenure.
He has developed a reputation around the county
that the sheriff’s department is watching for abuse situa
tions.
1 consider Ken Matlack to be a man o f great char
acter, very well qualified for the job as sheriff, a caring
person, a family man, and I am proud to call him my
friend. I highly recommend him for re-election as sheriff
o f Morrow County.
Dr. James A. Burgess, DVM
Country Animal Hospital
Hermiston
A pleasure to support Larry Sample
Letter to the editor:
It is my pleasure to support Larry Sample for Mor
row County sheriff. I have known Mr. Sample for nearly 15
years and hold him in the highest regard, both personally
and professionally.
While working together with Larry on a daily
basis for over five years. I’ve experienced first hand his
honesty and integrity, strong work ethic and commitment
to his profession. Mr. Sample is a highly experienced law
enforcement officer and administrator, yet remains ap
proachable and down to earth. Larry has been a resident
of Morrow County for many years, and has a long history
of community serv ice as well.
I believe that Mr. Sample has the best interest o f
the citizens o f Morrow County at heart, and they would
be very well served in electing Larry Sample as their next
sheriff.
Jim Littlefield, Detective
Pendleton Police Department
A proud Larry Sample supporter
To the editor:
My pet peeve, when it comes to political campaign
ing, is that we rarely get the opportunity to vote for the
candidate we feel is best qualified for the job. Instead of
telling voters what he believes and hopes to accomplish,
the candidate spends the entire campaign trying to convince
us that he isn’t as bad as the “other guy.” This leaves me
with the feeling that I am casting my vote for the lesser
o f the two evils.
However, in the race for Morrow County sheriff,
the voters o f Morrow County will not be faced with this
dilemma. We have the rare opportunity to cast our vote for
the best man for the job. And that man is Larry Sample.
No mud-slinging, no finger-pointing, to coin an old phrase
- “no brag, just fact.”
It goes without saying that Larry is a great cop. He
brings 34 years o f law enforcement experience to the job.
He has held positions at every level o f law enforcement
from reserve officer, to patrol sergeant, to Morrow County
undersheriff. He served on the drug task force (BENT)
for 10 years. Larry knows the duties o f each position and
knows what it takes to get the job done.
Beyond the fact that he is an outstanding officer,
Larry is a man o f character:
-He is a man o f his word - he will not make prom
ises he may not be able to keep.
-He is a man o f integrity - his handshake is as reli
able as any legal document.
-He is a man o f conviction - he recognized a need
and decided to do something about it. Rather than sit back
and wait for someone else to fix the problem, he stepped
forward and offered his form o f leadership to the citizens
o f Morrow County.
Larry, himself, will be the first to share that public
speaking is not his strong suit. But if you have or will
attend any o f the public forums, I invite you to listen to
his answers. See the look o f sincerity on his face and in
his eyes. Hear the determination in his voice. Feel the
confidence he conveys with his straight forward answers.
I think you will then believe, as I do, that Larry Sample is
the best man for the job o f Morrow County sheriff.
I am proud to be a Larry Sample supporter. I hope
you will join me in casting your vote for Larry Sample for
Morrow County sheriff.
Robin Huxoll
Irrigon
More Letters to the Editor can be found on Page FIVE.
Email your Letters to the Editor to:
editor@rapidserve.net
Heppner Booster Club Annual
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Bank o f
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Eastern Oregon
Oct. 18th, 2 0 0 8
Support Ken Matlack
To the editor:
I came to Morrow County in 1989 as a patrol
deputy with the Sheriff’s Office. Since that time, I have
been involved w ith Morrow County emergency services in
one capacity or another. 1 have also had the unique oppor
tunity to be involved with several national level disasters
as a responder. I have been deployed to the World Trade
Center, the Olympics, and numerous hurricanes around the
US, most recently to Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana.
The point to all o f this is quite simple. In all o f
my travels, and with all o f the administrators that I have
worked with and/or around across this great nation, none
o f them have impressed me as much as Ken Matlack.
In late 2004 when Ken won the election for Mor
row County Sheriff, he came to me and asked me to be his
undersheriff. While 1 had worked with Ken before, I was
not completely sure what to expect. I accepted his offer
and started as his second in command on January 3,2005.
What I have found as I have worked with Sheriff Mat-
lack these past four years is a man that is deeply involved
in the county. He cares about the issues that concern all o f
us as citizens o f the county.
I am very proud of the fact that over the past four
years we have accomplished a number o f significant goals.
We have updated a lot o f the equipment to current stan
dards, sent deputies to more updated training, put more
offenders in jail, and increased our ability to respond to
specific problems.
All o f this has been accomplished while actually
slowing the rate o f growth in the budget from 20+% in
2003 to less than 5% last year. Throughout the process, Ken
has been instrumental in guiding the path o f the sheriff’s
office as we have dealt with various issues.
During this entire time, I have learned to both re
spect and admire his thought process and dedication to the
citizens. His decisions are not guided purely by what the
law says, but also by “what is right.” In addition, he has
another quality that I can personally relate to in that he is
a “workaholic.” It is not at all unusual for him to work an
entire shift, go home for a few hours and then come back
out on patrol for a few more hours. Both he and I believe
strongly that administrators have a duty to be on patrol
at least some o f their time. In fact, both he and I wear
uniforms every day and perform a minimum o f a couple
hours o f patrol duty per shift.
The average call volume per deputy in Morrow
County is approximately 400 calls for service. Last year,
Sheriff Matlack had over 400 and 1 had just under 400. This
means that, in effect, we added two more positions to the
patrol division just with our activities. As a side note, we
totaled up all o f our hours for 2007 and found that we had
both put in the equivalent to three full months o f “extra”
time to our jobs. This means that while we got paid for
40 hours per week for 52 weeks, we actually put in an ad
ditional 12 weeks worth o f time above and beyond.
As the time to mark the ballot comes closer, please
take time to review the facts and make an informed deci
sion. There are a number o f persons who will ask you to
vote a particular way on any given issue or candidate based
solely on a friendship.
I think that is an incorrect way to approach an
important decision such as this. Use your heart and your
head to do research, ask questions, and finally make an
informed decision.
A number o f you have approached me on the street
and asked two questions. First, you have asked me if I will
still be here after the election. Sadly, no, I will not be. The
opposition has stated publicly that one o f his first acts as
sheriff would be to replace the undersheriff. It’s just a guess
mind you, but I think that means no!
Secondly, a number o f you have asked me for
my opinion regarding the sheriff’s election. I appreciate
the fact that you value my judgment and input into this
decision. I recommend you visit the following web site
www.aworkingsheriff.com and use it to help you make a
decision.
If you still just want to rely on my suggestion, then
it is very simple. Sheriff Matlack believes in doing the job
right. He uses the very best o f his abilities to increase the
livability of the County for the betterment o f all persons.
I believe whole-heartedly that he is the right man for the
job and I encourage you to support him in his re-election
campaign.
Please help Sheriff Matlack and I by allowing us
the honor o f serving you for another four years.
Steven L. Myren
Boardman
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