Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 14, 2020 -- THREE
~ Letters to the Editor ~
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the right to
edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Diehl doing a great job Re-elect Ken Matlack
To the editor:
that claims to have some Morrow County Sheriff
I have met Judge Diehl. experience, Glen Diehl has
Peterson has what
county requires
To the editor:
I strongly encourage
the voters of Morrow Coun-
ty to vote for Joel Peterson
as Morrow County Com-
missioner. Joel has the ex-
perience, temperament,
attitude and work ethic
that the county commission
requires.
Joel is a lifelong res-
ident of Morrow County.
He makes his living from a
multi-generation farm. He
understands the economy
of Morrow County. He has
been an involved citizen
serving many years on the
county planning commis-
sion. He also served as a di-
rector for various civic and
professional organizations.
He has been a proponent of
a strong education system
in the area. He gets it. He
understands the intricacies
of living and working in
Morrow County.
My experience with
Joel comes primarily
through his time as a direc-
tor for BEO Bancorp and
Bank of Eastern Oregon.
Joel has served as board
chair in previous years.
He is currently chair of
the Funds Management
committee and serves on
the loan and compensation
committees. In all interac-
tions with Joel, he is hon-
est, forthright, intelligent,
thoughtful and a stickler
for details. Joel is rarely
the loudest voice in the
room, but when he speaks,
whatever he says, is worth
hearing. He possesses great
common sense and has
earned the respect of his
fellow directors, as well
as the bank employees.
He has been a visionary in
helping Bank of Eastern
Oregon grow from three
branches in 1993 when he
joined the board, to the
20 branches and four loan
offices of 2020. I have no
doubt he will serve Morrow
County in like manner, with
honesty, integrity, profes-
sionalism, vision and with
common sense, which sadly
isn’t so common these days.
Please join me in voting
for Joel Peterson, Morrow
County Commissioner.
Jeff Bailey, Heppner
Matlack will do what is
right
To the editor:
I started in Morrow
County as a patrol deputy in
1989 and in the years since
I have been honored to
work with some outstand-
ing leaders. However, none
have been as inspirational
to me as Sheriff Kenneth
W. Matlack.
I had the honor of
working for Ken from Jan-
uary of 2005 through March
of 2016 when I retired as
his undersheriff. During
that time frame, I came to
know Ken as a great admin-
istrator, mentor and friend.
Ken continually worked
to ensure that the Sheriff’s
Office not only enforced
the laws but would also
“Do what was right” by the
citizens of Morrow County
whenever possible.
When he was cam-
paigning originally, his
slogan was “Go the Extra
Mile” and I am here to tell
you he has never failed to
do just that.
I encourage you to re-
elect Kenneth W. Matlack
as your Morrow County
sheriff. Do not risk a proven
track record. I know he will
have my vote for as long as
he wants to remain sheriff.
Steve Myren, Board-
man
Retired Morrow Coun-
ty Undersheriff
Need educated,
passionate person to
lead county
To the editor:
I am writing this letter
in support of Jim Doherty
for Morrow County Com-
missioner. These are im-
portant times for our coun-
ty. We need a commissioner
that understands all of the
issues impacting our com-
munities. Every citizen in
Morrow County needs to
be recognized.
Jim Doherty has served
us well for the last 2-3/4
years. He has fought for the
underdog. He has worked
for our schools and special
districts. He cares about the
county and understands the
consequences of the chang-
es that are occurring in our
communities. We need an
educated and passionate
person to lead our county.
Jim Doherty is that man.
Please vote for Jim
Doherty Morrow County
Commissioner.
Kim Cutsforth,
Heppner
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
He is a straightforward,
honest, unbiased man who
is already doing a great
job as our justice of the
peace. This is echoed by
the long list of impressive
endorsements from pre-
vious great leaders of our
community and that should
not be ignored. During my
conversations with him, I
know he not only has great
respect for the law as it
applies to all people but a
great love for our county
and way of life.
Unlike his challenger
more than 35 years of full
time, true criminal justice
experience and knows the
difference between a mis-
demeanor and a violation.
I don’t know about you,
but I can’t afford to have
someone learn on my fam-
ily and friends because they
don’t have the experience
necessary to perform the
job.
To me the choice is
clear. Please join me in
retaining Glen Diehl as the
justice of the peace.
Joey Munkers, Irrigon
Move statues to
Heppner
To the editor:
Monday morning I
learned that Antifa rioters
in Portland have torn down
the statues of Abraham Lin-
coln and Teddy Roosevelt
that stood in the South Park
Blocks of Portland. The city
government of Portland
has demonstrated, by their
refusal to stop this destruc-
tion, that they side with the
rioters and that they do not
want the statues.
Before Denise and I
moved to Heppner from
the Portland area, we of-
ten took long walks in the
South Park Blocks with
its giant and beautiful old
trees, the historical society
on one side and the Portland
Art Museum on the oth-
er, through the university
campus and back. Seeing
Lincoln on a plinth with his
head bowed and Roosevelt
on his horse was a part of
what made this park a won-
derful place.
Also, on June 14 the
statue of Thomas Jefferson
was toppled from its place
at Jefferson High School
a few blocks from where
I once lived in north Port-
land. And less than a week
later the statue of George
Washington was pulled
down where it stood on
the grounds of the German
American Society. The day
after, the director of public
art at the Regional Arts
Council went to the site and
asked people gathered there
what should be done with
the statue of Washington.
One citizen stated a desire
to see the statue relocated
somewhere and displayed
exactly as it was that morn-
ing: tipped over, face down,
sprayed with graffiti, an ob-
ject of scorn and contempt.
I write this letter not
in a momentary burst of
outrage, but because I have
thought many times in the
past several months about
statues all over the country
that need to be taken to
places where they will be
preserved and appreciated.
My question now is
this: Are the citizens of
Heppner interested in ac-
quiring these statues?
Sincerely,
Dale A. Woods,
Heppner
Crawford is very
hard-working
To the editor:
Morrow County resi-
dents, I urge you to vote for
Theresa Crawford for the
justice of the peace.
I have known Theresa
for over 16 years and in
that time, I have known
her to be a very hard-work-
ing individual. Theresa is
a self-starter and highly
motivated in her work with
the Morrow County clerk’s
office and I have no doubt
that she will carry this work
ethic into the justice of the
peace position.
Theresa has been a
committed Morrow Coun-
ty resident for over 30 years
and is an active member
of the communities that
she has lived in. She has
volunteered a lot of time to
the children of this county
Taking care of all your needs since 1959!
Pharmacy • Hallmark Cards • Gifts • Liquor Store
217 North Main St.,
Heppner, OR
Phone: 676-9158 | Floral: 676-9426
murraysdrug.com
coaching baseball and bas-
ketball. She is currently a
volunteer for People Help-
ing People.
Theresa has always
been interested in the law.
She worked with a local at-
torney for several years and
in her position in the clerk’s
office she would handle the
juvenile files and attend ju-
venile hearings. She took it
upon herself to go back to
school and received her As-
sociates Degree in Criminal
Justice and graduated with
honors.
It is very important for
our elected officials to live
in this county full-time. It
shows that they are com-
mitted to the people that
elected them into office and
to Morrow County. I know
Theresa will be fair to the
people that come see her at
Justice Court and listen to
both sides without prejudg-
ing the case.
Vote Theresa Crawford
for justice of the peace.
Gayle L. Gutierrez
Heppner, Oregon
To the editor:
Ken and I lost our
spouses in 2013. We met in
late 2014 and were married
in 2015.
I was not sure how we
were going to work out as
a couple, in the beginning
because I saw a man with
a strong personality and
having a strong personality
myself, I thought this could
be very interesting. And I
was right.
I have learned more
about the Constitution than
I ever learned in school.
Ken honestly believes in the
Constitution and that every
citizen has their Constitu-
tional rights, not just when
it is convenient, but all the
time, for every citizen of
our great country.
I learned how kind and
giving Ken was and how
he cares deeply about the
citizens of Morrow County
early in our marriage. He
will take a phone call in
the middle of dinner from
a concerned citizen and will
stay on the phone as long as
necessary to complete the
conversation and hopefully
resolve the areas of con-
cern. You cannot imagine
how many times I have had
to warm up his meal.
He is a Christian man
and believes strongly he
would not be here today
without the help of our
Lord.
He is a family man.
Family means the world to
him. He is a wonderful hus-
band, father and grandfa-
ther. My son and grandkids
think the world of him.
Ken is proud to be your
sheriff because that puts
him in a position to help
all the citizens of Mor-
row County and be some-
one who is available and
accessible for those who
seek help from him or the
Sheriff’s Office. His long
law enforcement career
has provided him a wealth
of information and experi-
ence to make good and fair
decisions for the people in
Morrow County.
God, family and the
Constitution are my favor-
ite words to describe Ken-
neth Matlack, my husband.
Sincerely,
Shirley Matlack
Irrigon, OR
Endorsing Crawford
To the Editor:
Morrow County resi-
dents, I want to go on re-
cord as endorsing Theresa
Crawford for the office of
Morrow County Justice
of the Peace. Theresa has
worked effectively in the
county clerk’s office for
over 16 years. One of her
duties required filing accu-
rate juvenile court records
and going to juvenile court
when the clerk couldn’t go.
Those records were con-
fidential and were always
kept in good order.
Theresa is the chief
deputy clerk in charge of
recording. She understands
the importance of keeping
good records and how to
serve the public. She is hon-
est, reliable and willing to
work long hours if needed.
Theresa acquired an
Associate of Applied Sci-
ence Degree in Criminal
Justice, while working full
time. She has lived in Mor-
row County for over 30
years, raised her children
in Morrow County and has
supported our communities
by volunteering her time
whenever it’s been needed.
I believe that Theresa
is the best qualified person
to be our next justice of the
peace. I urge you to vote for
Theresa Crawford, a long-
time resident of Morrow
County.
Bobbi Childers, Ione
Peterson committed
to making Morrow
County better
To the editor:
Morrow County resi-
dents, vote for Joel Peterson
for Morrow County com-
missioner.
As a lifelong resident
of Morrow County Joel
has been involved in many
aspects of life in Morrow
County. He is a farmer and
rancher and has volunteered
to serve on many organi-
zations’ boards including
the Morrow County Plan-
ning Commission, Bank of
Eastern Oregon, Morrow
County Wheat Growers,
lone Community Agri Busi-
ness Organization and the
lone School board to name
a few. Joel has also served
on the budget committee
for the Port of Morrow and
the Ione Fire Department.
This tells me that he is com-
mitted to making Morrow
County a better place to live
and work and that he has a
working knowledge of the
county. It also proves that
he is a hard worker with a
strong work ethic.
A Morrow County
commissioner needs to
be a person that doesn’t
have a personal agenda.
A commissioner needs to
be respectful of the people
they work with and the
people of Morrow County.
A commissioner needs to
build trust and then trust the
other elected officials and
department heads within
the county so everyone
involved can build a better
future for this county. .
I have known Joel Pe-
terson for over 50 years and
I believe he is the best per-
son for this very important
position. Join me and vote
for Joel Peterson for Mor-
row County commissioner.
Gayle L Gutierrez
Heppner, Oregon