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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2020)
EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 29, 2020 PATTON cense subcommittee, I was responsible for tracking and managing the budget of the yearly conference. Do you have family here? Spouse? Children? My wife Lisa and I reside in Heppner with our two adopted dogs and cat. Lisa is the executive direc- tor of the Neighborhood Center of South Morrow County. My mother, San- di Patton, works at the assessor’s office, stepfa- ther, Mike Gorman, is the county assessment and tax collector, father, Mark Pat- ton, works for the Port of Morrow and stepmother, Taranna Patton is on the Ione City Council and also volunteers with multiple organizations in the area. My maternal grandparents, Jay Dee and Jo Hudson, were both born in Heppner. My paternal grandparents, Ed and Mardean Patton, raised their family in the Cecil area. Mardean was the manager for the Bank of Eastern Oregon in Irrigon before retiring. I also have several other relatives who live in the Ione and Irrigon area. Why are you running for a county office? I’m running for office of treasurer to help build a better working relationship with the Board of Commis- sioners and all of the other departments and offices in the county. Recent events have shown an increased need for communications between the Board of Com- DIEHL missioners and the treasur- er’s office. I believe every- one needs to work together for the benefit of the county and its citizens. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the office you are running for in Morrow County? The biggest challenge coming into the office would be establishing re- lationships with each of the tax paying districts. The current treasurer has been doing a great job for 23 years and I would want to continue providing the same quality service. How would you address that challenge if you win? I would meet and work with each taxing district independently to make sure their needs are being met. If something needs to be changed or if a certain dis- trict needed a special report, I would work my hardest to make that available to them. I would also continue to volunteer as the custodian of funds for several of the taxing districts to help re- duce administrative costs. Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the job? My 16 years of employ- ment with the county and the working relationships I have established are what make me the best candidate for this position. The county treasurer position needs to be filled by a candidate who is professional, honest, ethical and trustworthy. tective, Corporal, Ser- geant and Lieutenant, in charge of the Criminal Di- vision and management of its 1.9-million-dollar budget. Do you have family here? Spouse? Children? My beautiful wife Tra- cie and I have been married over 25 years and have raised two grown children that we are very proud of. Why are you running for a county office? I am running because I love serving and helping the public. Continuing as your Justice of the Peace allows me to continue my life-long career in criminal justice service. Thirty-five plus years ago, I got into law enforcement because I wanted to make a difference and above all help people and that desire still holds true today. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the office you are running for in Morrow County? In today’s environment, where more and more par- ents are required to both work, we are seeing less and less parental involve- ment and/or guidance. This is leading to issues with some juveniles as it pertains to truancy and delinquency. This is becoming a commu- nity issue as today’s youth are tomorrow’s adults and hopeful leaders. The issues are: A. How do we ensure our youth stay in school? How do we get the parents BAILEY CAVE perience, do you have? Four years of temp work with various corpo- rate offices where I was re- sponsible for accounts pay- able, accounts receivable and bank reconciliations. Three years as manager of a non-profit organization where I handled all account- ing records, worked with a board of 12 and helped run fundraising events. Three years as office assistant/cashier for a metal recycling company, re- sponsible for payment of wholesale purchasing, fil- ing monthly and quarterly reports with the State of Oregon. Several years as an ac- counting clerk for four small business, in charge of payables, receivables, pay- roll, quarterly and yearly tax reports. Do you have family here? Spouse? Children? I’m married to my for- ever spouse and between us we have four children, one of whom is still in the nest. I grew up in Ione and at that time was probably related to half of the southern end of Morrow County by blood or marriage. Sadly, most of my relatives have passed or moved away over the years, though I still have an uncle close by and cousins who are descendants of the Lun- dell family. And over the past three years of conver- sations with local people, I have discovered “new” relatives. Since researching family history is a hobby of mine, this has been exciting to learn. Why are you running for a county office? I had been contem- plating running for county treasurer. It’s an office best suited to my skills and experience. I planned to sign up when our current treasurer retired, which happened sooner than I anticipated. I want to con- tribute to the growth and prosperity our county has been experiencing. I be- lieve I can best do that by managing the day-to-day operations of the treasurer’s office with efficiency, trans- parency, and dedication to the handling of all moneys received and disbursed on behalf of the county. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the office you are running for in Morrow County? I feel the biggest chal- lenge facing the treasurer’s office at this time is the state of its working relationship with the Board of Commis- sioners. Somewhere along the way, a breakdown in communication occurred. I feel the impasse has left both offices with hard feel- ings and created a non-co- operative environment that may not get reconciled. How would you address that challenge if you win? All elected offices of our county are governed by Oregon Revised Statutes. All are part of the same team. We should communi- cate and perform as a team for the betterment of the county and remain flexible within the parameters of each office. I believe com- munication is key when working together. I would improve upon my current working relationship with each office and department to help achieve the goals the county has to maintain and/ or improve the services it offers to the people. Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the job? I bring several years of experience working in different business environ- ments and interacting with a variety of personalities. This has given me the abil- ity to communicate in situ- ations where compromise may be needed. Coming from the finance dept, I’m familiar with the financial workings of the county and the software program used and believe my adjustment period will be minimal. My experience with tracking large sums of money, along with my accuracy and at- tention to detail, make me a good fit for the treasurer’s office. I believe my dedica- tion and work ethic make me the right person to be county treasurer. VOTE JOSEPH ARMATO MORROW COUNTY COMMISSIONER PAPINEAU involved? How do we help guide the families and get them the training and edu- cation they need to succeed in a family and as an indi- vidual with a future? B. How do we hold them accountable and teach/ encourage these youth to follow the rules (laws) of society so they can become not only useful, productive, contributing members of our communities now and in the future? How would you address that challenge if you win? By continuing the work already being done in your Justice Court. We are work- ing closely with school dis- trict administrators, school resource officers and our other community partners. We have had multiple meet- ings and recognized that “one size doesn’t fit all.” I have conveyed to these professionals that my door is always open and that I welcome their input as we work together to find ways to keep these kids in school. With our communi- ty partners, I am looking at many “out of the box” ideas and programs as it applies to delinquency. I am committed to working with our community partners to reduce youth crimes and turning them around before they end up in the criminal justice arena. Our goals of teaching them to make pos- itive choices and helping them understand how their actions can affect others as well as their future and by empowering the families to support their children’s positive actions. Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the job? I believe that my com- bination of education, train- ing and experience makes me the best candidate. My record of commitment to the law in addition to my balanced and fair-minded approach makes me unique- ly qualified to continue serving you, as your Justice of the Peace. And with your support I will continue serving. YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! Call 541-676-9228 Or Email graphics@rapidserve.net We also offer design and printing services Heppner Gazette-Times Sykes Printing years. I have two won- derful children. What, if any, prior ex- perience, do you have? While working as the office manager for Molalla River Academy, I loved working with the children and parents and being able to serve the community in that capacity. I have always been able to work together with many diverse groups of people. I am well versed in how our property tax money is distributed to districts, as well as knowl- edgeable in accounts pay- able, receivable and pay- roll. I also have experience providing financial reports and working on budgets as I was the recorder for the Town of Lexington prior to moving to Clackamas County. I already work closely with the current treasurer and feel that I would make the transition smoothly. Why are you running for a county office? I am running for Mor- row County Treasurer to be a beneficial part of the com- munity and for my family. I believe that this position is a great opportunity. I am a team player who excels at working with others. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the office you are running for in Morrow County? I believe that the big- gest challenges facing this position are the diverse skills needed to accomplish the day to day functions. How would you address that challenge if you win? I will use all my expe- rience and knowledge to serve Morrow County with the utmost respect, integ- rity and dedication. I will listen to your concerns and collaborate with all other government entities, as well as the people of Morrow County. Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the job? Morrow County is my home, where my heart has always been. I am excited and grateful to have this new opportunity to serve Morrow County. HIGH businesses I’ve worked or volunteered for. What, if any, prior ex- perience, do you have? As a former council member, mayor, budget member and current Chair of the Morrow County Fair Board, I’ve had numer- ous opportunities tracking multiple funds to assure that everything is running smoothly. I also have had the benefit of tracking ac- counts for most of the busi- nesses I’ve been employed with. I have a keen eye for numbers and I am detail oriented with accounts. Do you have family here? Spouse? Children? I am married to my amazing wife Nichole and we have three wonderful daughters, Keeley, Emery and Reiley. I have no other immediate family from the area but my wife has family throughout Morrow County. Why are you running for a county office? I believe that we all have a duty to do what we can to help. When our current treasurer decided to retire, I knew that we needed someone in office who would continue to hold the office to the same high standards and level of inde- pendence that is so vital. As our commissioners talked of reducing the pay of trea- surer by up to 75 percent, I feared the capability of the individual we could get for this important position. I have the skills and previous experience to perform the work to the highest level and flexible work opportu- nities if needed. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the office you are running for in Morrow County? I feel the biggest chal- lenge is the lack of commu- nication and separation of powers between the com- missioners and treasurer. The position we currently find ourselves in is due to assumptions about retire- ment that could have been cleared up with a simple conversation. I believe this breakdown in communica- tion began with the commis- sioners innocently wanting to exercise more control of the financial duties of the treasurer to better serve the citizens, unaware that those duties are specifically given to the treasurer to safeguard against possible impropri- eties. It is my belief that this disagreement caused a fracture in the relationship that hasn’t healed. How would you address that challenge if you win? I have a good relation- ship with all the commis- sioners and department heads. I would approach all disagreements with the idea that we all are trying our best to serve the people of Morrow County. No one person has all the answers, we each bring skills and knowledge to the table that makes the whole greater than each individual part. Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the job? I feel I am the best candidate for the job be- cause of the experience and knowledge I have in this field. I’m reliable, honest and approachable. I have an excellent relationship with our current treasurer which will prove valuable with transitioning into the position. I have a strong work ethic and will follow all rules governing the role of treasurer. I believe the treasurer’s role as an inde- pendent safeguard of your tax dollars is important and will not hesitate to stand up for your interests. I will not forget, as an elected official, I work for you, the people of Morrow County.
