Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 28, 2021 -- SEVEN
CANDIDATE FORUM
-Continued from PAGE ONE
of Boardman) that raised
prices on property taxes
when it was actually the
business (at the Port) that
used 90 to 95 percent of
the water.
Jerry Healy: I am run-
ning again (he is an in-
cumbent) to volunteer for
citizens of Morrow Coun-
ty. The port has done an
exceptional job in salary
growth for the county. The
port has also participated
in communities throughout
the county. The first prior-
ity has to be work force de-
velopment so we can keep
our kids in Morrow Coun-
ty and get them into these
good paying jobs at the
port and keep them here.
Rick Weiss: I have a
desire to serve and it is
not so much what the port
does, but how the port is
perceived and I want them
working to improve that
to the entire community.
There is some sense of dis-
trust in what is the port is
doing and how is what the
port is doing going to af-
fect me? There is distrust
particularly for people
who are land owners near
the port district. When the
port is making plans those
plans are reported but what
is behind the scenes and
what plans are being made
and how is that going to
affect properties near the
port? I don’t think that is
being communicated well
and there is a lot of ner-
vousness from people.
Q: As a port commis-
sioner who do you serve
and what can be done to
properly serve the people
or populations that you
are serving?
Stokoe: We serve all
the citizens of Morrow
County. I have a big issue
with north south county. I
am about the entire county.
The Port doesn’t just affect
the county it effects the re-
gion. Work force training
program is outstanding. It
gets high school students
back into our communities.
Tallman: The Port
serves the entire county.
The CREZ III (Columbia
River Enterprise Zone)
fight between county and
city on who was going to
get the money gets back
to conflict of interest. As a
city police chief (Stokoe,
who Tallman is running
against) is in charge of a
budget and he can direct
and steer money to this
budget and fill in those
interests. You are not serv-
ing the best interest of the
county when you are serv-
ing your city budget needs.
There were not mikes
(during CREZIII negoti-
ations between the Port,
County and City of Board-
man) where they talked.
They do not care about the
south end of the county.
You need to be aware that
those things were said and
that they did get said.
Healy: The only reason
the Port is where it is at and
does what it does is for the
people of Morrow County.
We are not building infra-
structure for industry we
are building this as a path
for the citizens of Morrow
County for jobs and the
ability to stay here.
Weiss: We serve the cit-
izens and it should have
nothing to do with north
- south. It says in the port
by laws one of its primary
functions is to solicit citi-
zen input to help make the
decisions we make (at the
Port). Is the Port asking for
opinions from the public?
How are we soliciting pub-
lic opinion?
Kilkenny: I would be
representing all the peo-
ple in the county for the
good of the whole coun-
ty. I would hope the Port
would do better to support
John Kilkenny
Jerry Healy
Rick Stokoe
Johnathan Tallman
Rick Weiss
the small and medium size
businesses, as much as it
does to support the larger
businesses. More emphasis
on small and medium busi-
nesses. There also needs to
be more transparency and
engaging people in the area
on what are their thoughts.
Q: What area of the
Port’s services need addi-
tional resources or atten-
tion?
Tallman: There are
two different kinds of port
meetings, one that is pub-
lic and one that is in ex-
ecutive sessions, and they
don’t say why they are
going into executive ses-
sions. There are conflicts
of interest of Port members
who own businesses on the
sidelines, and they are able
to steer the conversation
and also go to budgets that
they want money to go to.
It is the lack of transparen-
cy at the Port Commission,
and the executive sessions
and the conflict of interests
that have to be addressed.
Healy: There are a lot
of areas not fully up on re-
sources that are needed in
order to carry out the jobs
we need to carry out. We
run a very lean shop and
some employees have lot
to do. We could always use
more people.
Weiss: Has more to do
with that we have done
quite well with the large
businesses but if the en-
tire town is going to grow
we need the development
of small and medium size
businesses. That is part of
the strategic plan we need
to focus on, and how do
we do that?
Kilkenny: The Port
should work better with
other agencies cities and
the people in the area.
Painted Hills announced
they were locating a (new
beef) processing facility
in Gilliam County. The
question was asked why
couldn’t’ we get that in
Morrow County? The an-
swer was ‘We almost did.”
Other people in the area
didn’t know about this (op-
portunity). Maybe if coun-
ty government and other
people in the area had
known about this opportu-
nity it might have come to
this county. Instead of do-
ing everything in a closed
shop (the Port) they could
engage the whole com-
munity, which could have
helped recruit Painted
Hills to locate in Morrow
County instead of Gilliam.
The Port needs to engage
the whole community to
develop more small and
medium size businesses.
Stokoe: It’s important
we continue to invest in
our infrastructure. We have
been able to obtain federal
and state dollars to invest
in our infrastructure for
businesses to locate here
and create jobs. We have
the fourth highest county
for family wage jobs in
the state. If we continue
to attract those opportuni-
ties for businesses both big
and small we will continue
to add opportunity for the
kids so that we keep them
here in Morrow County.
Q: What are your ideas
on county-wide distribu-
tion of monetary funds?
(The Port does not distrib-
ute money directly in the
county, so the questions
is directed at the Colum-
bia River Enterprise Zone,
which does. Several Port
commissioners are ap-
pointed to the CREZ to,
along with others, make
those distribution deci-
sions.)
Healy: I have been a
Port commissioner a long
time and the Port has not
had available funds to dis-
tribute. This is a CREZ
question because that is
where the disposable in-
come is. Originally the
money was to go to those
(taxing) districts that were
impacted by the new busi-
ness. (That) is where the
money went. There is an
annual meeting of CREZ
and I think they have done
a good job of distributing
funds.
Weiss: We have a need
for a significant increase
in housing. When you see
such a significant increase
in employment in Morrow
County, and such a small
percent (of the employees)
living in Morrow County,
that has to be addressed.
With quality of life de-
cisions they have done a
good job with the SAGE
Center.
Kilkenny: It keeps com-
ing back to housing. It is
unfortunate that we have
been able to create all these
jobs yet people have had
to drive from Hermiston
and the Tri-Cities to work
here. The Port has never
been a real estate devel-
oper, but anything the Port
can do to help in any way
with (housing) infrastruc-
ture would help. I would
reemphasize work force
development so we can get
people trained so they can
stay here and live here and
support schools and busi-
nesses in the county, but
they need housing.
Stokoe: The Port has
never had money to dis-
tribute to communities. We
have sent work crews out
to help communities, but
the question is referring to
CREZ. Ten years CREZ
has invested $21 million
county wide to help with
housing and other projects.
Tallman: The Port just
bought the Boardman golf
course. I would like to see
a prospectus for the rate of
return on that investment.
They are doing something
with Red Rock (a bio fuel
company in Lake Coun-
ty getting $65 million in
Port bond funding) and I
would like to see the rate
of return on that money
we are spending. City of
Boardman is going to do a
dog park and the chamber
said the Port is going to do
$90,000 of work to flatten
the ground, so to me what
is our rate of return on
those funds that are distrib-
uted. There is no process
(in spending).
Q: Do you think the
CREZ distribution is eq-
uitable and successful?
Weiss: I can’t answer
that. I have only been here
(in the community) 18
months and not observed
that process. What if have
seen the money seems to
be moving out into the
whole county.
Kilkenny: I think peo-
ple’s intentions are good
on this. (He read off a list
of the money distribution
numbers around the coun-
ty.) It is a conversation we
need to continue to have.
Stokoe: CREZ is more
that just the Port. CREZ II
is the county, Port and city
of Boardman. CREZ board
has taken a wide approach
based on population the
fairest way. CREZ is sup-
posed to (distribute money
to) just special districts af-
fected by those businesses
using CREZ. If you based
your decision on that there
would be zero funds com-
ing to the south end. How-
ever, we wanted to make
sure we give it to all of
Morrow County.
Tallman: There are four
categories in the CREZ
distribution., But there are
conflicts of interest. Port
board members are able to
steer money to their busi-
nesses and to their budgets.
An example is the Mor-
row County Sheriff got no
money from CREZ, but
the Boardman Police De-
partment just got a whole
bunch of money. We need
to make sure there are no
conflicts of interest That is
very important, as much as
the character and integrity
of the people you elect, as
where that money goes.
Healy: Equitability is
in the eye of the beholder.
There is more money now
and that makes a differ-
ence. There are different
pots of money, and there
were guidelines set by the
CREZ board 10 years ago.
There is some distribution
based on population, and
some on flat payments and
I don’t think there is any
question it’s been a very
successful program (CREZ
money distribution).
Q: What element of the
Port do you think is most
effective and why?
Kilkenny: I think the
port has done a fantastic
job using the resources
they have. They have a lo-
cation transportation hub
with freeway, river and
railroad, and the available
electricity and lots of land
they have done a good job
of diversifying from a few
agriculture products years
ago into so many different
industries.
Stokoe: We have a
strong team. It’s important
we get product from farm
to market especially our
ag products. Good vision
from the former port board
members has contribut-
ed greatly to this success.
There is a lot going on and
we do a good job.
Tallman: There is a high
turnover with jobs at the
Port. There is a 50-75 per-
cent turnover with jobs we
need a tax base for people
who are living and paying
taxes here. Amazon data
centers are a sugar rush,
and we have seen it with
Netflix and Blockbust-
er when within five years
a business can go out of
business. We need to make
sure they stay in this com-
munity and make an in-
vestment in the communi-
ty including a tax base for
Morrow County.
Healy: One area is plan-
ning and looking to the fu-
ture. That is an exceptional
job we do at the Port. Stra-
tegic plans have a great
purpose for infrastructure.
We are very effective at
planning.
Stokoe: We have done
a good job at economic
development, especially
moving from food pro-
cessing into other indus-
tries that have now come
into the Port. We have very
impressive long-term plan-
ning looking five-ten-fif-
teen years down the road.
Q: Do you feel it’s im-
portant to keep county
citizens informed of Port
activities and businesses
and how could the Port
keep citizens better in-
formed of its activities?
Stokoe: We put out the
Port report but there are
certain things we cannot
discuss in public meetings.
There are non-disclosure
agreements and companies
very careful about their
process. As soon as able we
try to get that information
out. Commissioners real-
ize keeping the community
informed is imperative and
we are working diligently
to make that happen.
Tallman: I have reached
out to the Port and have
been avoided because I
wanted specific informa-
tion. I was ignored trying
to find out how much peo-
ple pay and what the Port
is doing. I have an issue
with the Port of Morrow
being a public entity and
signing
nondisclosures.
That is a huge conflict of
interest that needs to be
addressed. Those nondis-
closures are not in the best
interests of the county res-
idents and nondisclosures
need to be addressed for a
public entity.
Healy: Communication
is very difficult skill for a
public entity. You can al-
ways do a better job. For
years we did a horrible
job and recognized it. We
brought a communications
person on and she does a
wonderful job with com-
munications. Do we need
to improve? Yes, we do.
We are just so busy work-
ing on a job and then put it
on the shelf and start on the
next one.
Weiss: Commutations is
very important. Erika (Er-
ika Lasater, Port Commu-
nications Manager) does
a terrific job on getting
out what the Port is doing
and what it has done. The
biggest issue is what is the
plan. Somebody has prop-
erty near the Port they can
see activity around the Port
area. They want to know if
the activity or purchases
are going to affect their
property. What is going
to happen to my property
if the Port is doing some-
thing next door? What
is happening and is my
property going to lose val-
ue based on what is being
done? And they can’t get
an answer to that question
from the Port. These peo-
ple need to know.
Kilkenny: It is about
relationships and doing
things in the open and
engaging everyone. The
Army Depot is an exam-
ple. When a decision is
made to leave the property
to the Port, and the county
and the tribes and Umatilla
County are not aware of it
at the time. How can some-
thing like this happen? You
have to have trust and en-
gage people.
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