Sheriff will not
enforce Governor’s
COVID edicts
50¢
VOL. 139
NO. 48
8 Pages
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
‘We have not engaged in
any criminal enforcement on
COVID-19 measures or orders
sent down from Governor Brown
and we will not start now,’ says
Sheriff Matlack
Four locals join 51 Eastern Oregon
officials signing push-back letter against
Governor Brown’s COVID rules
‘Our students are struggling in their education as well as their mental
and emotional fitness, families have been stressed to the maximum, and
decade-old businesses that are the lifeblood of our Oregon communities
have closed for good.’
We have been living
Oregon Democrat Gov. position for our commu- for employing tens of thou-
sands of Oregonians and with extreme difficulty with
Kate Brown received a nities.
Our COVID-19 cases keeping our already fragile COVID-19 for over eight
letter last Wednesday from
economy moving. Our months and have taken
51 legislators and commis- will ebb and flow
restaurants and bars the necessary precautions
sioners from across eastern over the next sev-
need to be able
during this time, but
Oregon. They urged her to eral months just as
to extend their
we have another six,
stop her one-size-fits-all they have over the
hours beyond the
12, 18 months, or
approach to COVID-19. last several weeks.
arbitrary closing
longer to go as we
Below is the full text of the This metric is not
a reliable indica-
time of 10 p.m.
continue to under-
letter sent to Brown:
Commissioner
stand this pandemic.
Dear Governor Brown, tor of the situa- Don Russell and need to safe-
ly expand their
Further shutdowns
We appreciate and un- tion. The metric
that is most important indoor occupancy es- Commissioner are not sustainable.
derstand the chal-
to reconsider at this pecially as we head Jim Doherty We must adapt our
lenges you have
time is the original into the holiday sea-
phases to allow for
faced as our Gov-
goal of ensuring there son and winter when indoor therapeutic
ernor during this
is adequate hospital restaurants, lodging and r e m e d i e s
challenging time in
capacity and not over- tourism activity will grow. that appear
Oregon. We have
whelming our medi- We are at risk for nearly 40 to be on the
seen improvements Morrow
cal facilities. We have percent of our remaining horizon.
in the response to County
At this
COVID-19 and the Commission met this goal from the businesses closing in the
Melissa
onset
and
continue
to
next
six
months
if
we
do
juncture,
by
executive decisions Chair
Lindsay
meet this goal. This not allow for reasonable not allowing State Senator
you have made that
must be the bench- expansion of these services our kids to Bill Hansell
have slowed the
go to school,
spread of the virus. In our mark for future conversa- and industries.
2. Schools: Our schools our parents and families to
roles as state legislators, tions on how we learn to
need to be allowed to fully work, our agencies to open
county commissioners and live with COVID-19.
There is still much re-open for in-classroom for services, and our small
judges, and regional lead-
ers, we’ve encouraged ev- we don’t know about learning, and our students businesses to reopen for
ery effort available to do COVID-19, but what we need to be allowed to par- business, we are failing our
do know is the continued ticipate in extracurricu- state and devastating the
the same.
A one-size-fits-all ap- closure and limitations un- lar activities. All teachers, lives of tens of thousands
proach to shutting down der these guidelines dispro- students, staff and volun- of Oregonians. Our rural
the state was logical and portionally impact women, teers who want to return to communities are being left
appropriate in March when single-parent homes, rural in-person learning should out and left behind. As
the onset of this pandemic communities and small be able to do so in a safe leaders, we are failing our
was new and was unknown. businesses. Our students manner. All teachers, stu- constituents and the future
Over time, we have learned, are struggling in their ed- dents, staff, and volunteers of our state’s survival is at
adapted, adjusted and im- ucation as well as their that desire to continue CDL risk.
We urge you to consid-
proved. Keeping counties mental and emotional fit- should be able to do so. If it
and regions in a Phase II ness, families have been is safe for college athletes to er a more realistic approach
for an indefinite period of stressed to the maximum, return to sports, assuredly and set a course of action
time is a one-size-fits-all and decade-old businesses it is safe for high school that allows for freedoms,
approach that does not work that are the lifeblood of our students. Parents need to be safety and sustainability to
Oregon communities have able to return to work, and work in conjunction with
any longer.
our students and teachers one another. In order to
It is time to re-evaluate closed for good.
Over the past few need the stability of the accomplish this, we must
the metrics and the ev-
empower our local public
er-changing goal posts re- weeks, we have safely met classroom.
3. State Agencies: We health authorities to work
lated to slowing the spread with school superinten-
of COVID-19 in our ru- dents, the ODE Director, need to reopen our state with the local elected lead-
ral, semi-rural, eastern and county sheriffs, county agencies at all levels, in- ership, both of whom fully
frontier communities. We public health authorities cluding and specifically know local situations, to
have shut down for months, and agency representatives DMVs, across the state. We work together and in part-
we have met the metrics to discuss how we move would argue, and assume nership with the OHA to
you would agree, that our move forward with what
required, we have followed forward.
We must make signifi- state agencies and state can become a regional
the goal posts as they’ve
moved, we have adhered to cant changes to the way our employees are essential. version of Phase II-A and
the rules, we have slowed systems are being managed These agencies are funded Phase II-B.
We are having these
the spread—and yet, our going forward. It is not with public dollars and our
counties, communities, realistic or sustainable to public needs full access to conversations now, and
more importantly, we are
small businesses, K-12 continue in Phase I or II, these essential services.
4. Religious institu- taking the necessary steps
schools, childcare and col- as currently described, for
leges, health departments our districts, counties and tions: Release our church- to develop these plans so
es and places of worship. we can act and move our
and more, sit in a stale communities wherein.
We propose four areas While outliers will exist unique regions forward to-
and stagnant state without
as the exception, most wards a sustainable, viable
forward progress. We have for change:
1. Restaurants and bars: churches and places of future. Something has to
done and continue to do all
that is within our capac- Our hospitality industry, worship will be and have change, and we’re prepared
ity to slow the spread of restaurants and bars must been more than scrupulous to move ahead.
We have a simple ask.
COVID-19, and now, some be able to stay open. The in protecting their congre-
of our border counties are data shared by OHA does gations from harm from
being directly affected by not show any indication that COVID-19. Give pastors,
decisions and actions from our restaurants and bars are religious leaders and gov-
outside our state over which the cause of increased cas- erning boards the latitude
es. In addition, our hospital- to exercise their best judge-
we have no control.
This is not a sustainable ity industry is responsible ment for safety.
Sheriff Ken Matlack
Morrow County Sheriff
Ken Matlack last week is-
sued a statement saying his
office will not be enforcing
any COVID orders sent
from Salem by Democrat
Governor Kate Brown.
Following is the sheriff’s
complete statement:
A message from Mor-
row County Sheriff Ken
Matlack
First, I wish to thank the
people of Morrow County
for my re-election as your
sheriff. It continues to be
a great honor to serve you.
2020 has been a very
challenging year as a na-
tion, state and county. Like
I said in April, “We are
facing the COVID-19 pan-
demic head on, at the state,
county and local level. To
say our everyday lives have
been changed would be an
understatement.”
Following Governor
Brown’s latest executive or-
der, the “Two Week Freeze”
we have been asked by
members of the public,
“Are you going to be en-
forcing the order. Are you
going to be citing and ar-
resting people for spending
Thanksgiving with their
loved ones, in their own
As the leaders chosen by
Oregonians to represent
their best interests and be
their advocates, throughout
and across our beautiful
state, we would ask that the
governor and governor’s
office participate in these
meetings and work with
us, assess the proposals and
plans we put forward, and
consider the options we will
be recommending for your
consideration and approval.
We look forward to hearing
from you soon.
The letter is signed by
Sen. Lynn Findley, Sen. Bill
Hansell, Rep. Mark Owens,
Sen. Kim Thatcher, Sen.
Fred Girod, Sen. Brian Bo-
quist, Sen. Chuck Thomsen,
Rep. Greg Barreto, Rep.
Racquel Moore-Green,
Rep. Shelly Boshart-Da-
vis, Rep. Mike Nearman,
Rep. Bill Post, Rep. Rick
Lewis, Rep. Carl Wilson,
Rep-Elect Lily Morgan,
Rep.-Elect Bobby Levy,
homes? The short answer
to that question is no.
When this pandem-
ic started in early 2020,
as your sheriff I took the
position that the Sheriff’s
Office would be educating
the public on safety mea-
sures, recommendations
and guidelines. I said at
the time we would not be
the primary enforcers of
the Governor’s executive
orders. The Governor has
the Oregon State Police
who work directly for her.
In addition, the Governor
exercises direct control
of OSHA for work-place
violations and agencies
like OLCC that regulate
alcohol use in businesses
and restaurants etc., along
with other state entities
that are controlled by the
governor’s office.
We have not engaged in
any criminal enforcement
on COVID-19 measures
or orders sent down from
Governor Brown and we
will not start now. If citi-
zens or businesses refuse
to follow the safety recom-
mendations, they could face
civil litigation or fines from
OSHA or OLCC. They will
not be cited or arrested by
any member of the Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office.
As a county we have
worked through the state
of emergencies, executive
orders, shutdowns, restric-
tions, health guidelines and
safety recommendations.
We have been successful
by working together as a
community of family and
-See MATLACK/PAGE TWO
county commissioners from
Baker, Crook, Deschutes,
Grant, Harney Jefferson,
Klamath, Lake, Malheur,
Morrow, Polk, Umatilla,
Union and Wallowa coun-
ties. Local elected officials
signing the letter were:
G-T closed for Thanksgiving
The Heppner Ga -
zette-Times will be closed
for the Thanksgiving hol-
iday on Thursday and Fri-
day, November 26 and 27.
Normal business hours will
resume Monday, November
30.
The Gazette-Times
wishes everyone a hap-
py and safe Thanksgiving
weekend.
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
350 MAIN STREET LEXINGTON OR 97839
CONTACT JUSTIN BAILEY 541-256-0229, 541-989-8221 EXT.
204
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