Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 16, 2021 -- THREE
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Managers or leaders?
To the editor,
I am writing in re-
sponse to the article, Health
District problems aired in
front of packed board meet-
ing, dated Wednesday, May
26, 2021. After reading the
article, I have to wonder,
as I am sure many have
already, if the MCHD is
guided more by managers
rather than leaders.
So let me start by dis-
tinguishing between the
two. Managers are primar-
ily concerned with con-
trolling a group to accom-
plish goals. In an article
from Forbes Magazine enti-
tled, Management vs Lead-
ership: Five Ways They Are
Different, writer Liz Ryan
correctly asserts, “…Man-
agement is task-based and
mechanical… Management
veterans were taught how
to assign work to subordi-
nates, how to evaluate their
teammates’ work,.. and how
to hire and fire staff mem-
bers…”
The writers of The
Leadership Challenge, Jim
Kouzes and Barry Posner
say this about leadership.
“[It is] the art of mobilizing
others to want to struggle
for shared aspirations.”
Leaders influence, moti-
vate and enable others to
contribute toward organi-
zational success.
-First, transformative
and servant leaders model
the way people are treated
and the way goals are ac-
complished.
-Second, leaders in-
spire a shared vision of
the future and create an
ideal and unique image of
what the organization can
become.
-Third, leaders chal-
lenge the process and seek
innovative ways to not only
improve the organizations
but set goals so that people
can achieve small wins as
they work toward larger
objectives.
-Fourth, leaders enable
and involve others with the
goal of making each person
feel capable and powerful.
-Finally, leaders rec-
ognize the contributions of
others, celebrate accom-
plishments and keep hope
and determination alive.
There is an enormous dif-
ference between managers
and leaders.
The community needs
to decide what future they
desire from the Health Dis-
trict. There are many good
people employed there but
based on the article and the
history of fear that prevails
over the organization, and
the heavy hand of disci-
pline, the people of the
community need to decide,
first, do we have managers
or leaders. Both are clearly
needed. Second, if change
is needed, then you as a
resident and stakeholder
in this community need to
speak up. Finally, if change
is needed, then demand
change. The MCHD can
hire a consultant to help
with leadership issues so
that there is accountability
from them to you. Demand
it.
Overall, you want to
trust those who are in ‘lead-
ership’ positions. There is
a great deal at stake and if
change is needed, perhaps
trust from the community
can be won back.
Dr. Carmelo A. Di Salvo
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LEXINGTON RESOLUTION
-Continued from PAGE ONE
of the new flooring planned
for the town hall. The town
received a Willow Creek
Valley Economic Devel-
opment grant to carpet and
paint the town hall. Lamb
also suggested that maybe
the town should look at pur-
chasing a second well pump
to have on hand in case the
pump goes out and would
get the town in water. He
also asked for volunteers
to check on the well when
he is gone on vacation. He
said the town has about two
days of water in the tank.
Councilmembers Bill Beard
and Will Lemmon said they
would be willing to volun-
teer to check on the well.
Resolution declar-
ing an economic, mental
health, crisis due to the
current COVID-related
state emergency declara-
tion and relating OSHA
mandates and guidance.
WHEREAS, the Or-
egon Governor’s Execu-
tive Order 20-03: Declara-
tion of Emergency due to
COVID-19, and all subse-
quent and related OSHA
guidance, and present and
future executive order ex-
tensions of such are ar-
bitrary, ineffective, and
draconian; and
WHEREAS, we as a
municipality have no legal
ability to summarily flout
these mandates, guidelines
and enforcement by OSHA,
and therefore cannot protect
any local business from
State-directed targeting,
repercussions and penal-
ties if such local business
personally chooses to; and
WHEREAS, we also
recognize that neither city,
county nor state govern-
ment has the legal right
to flout the Oregon State
Constitution or the United
States Constitution; and
WHEREAS, we do be-
lieve our citizens are fully
capable of making their
private, individual health-
care and lifestyle decisions
themselves; and
WHEREAS, we rec-
ognize that COVID-19 is
indeed a contagious virus
and contagious viruses do
exist in the world; and
WHEREAS, science
has shown over the last year
that COVID-19 is over-
whelmingly survivable, and
lockdowns do not stop its
spread; and
WHEREAS, all models
and projections used to jus-
tify initial state emergency
mandates have been proven
inaccurate over the past
year; and
WHEREAS, our local
hospital and health care sys-
tem are not overwhelmed
with COVID cases, and
never have been; and
WHEREAS, Town of
Lexington is obligated to
adopt regulations designed
to promote the public safety
and general welfare of its
citizenry; and
WHEREAS, a major-
ity of our local businesses
directly attribute state lock-
downs and OSHA guide-
lines as solely responsible
for their inability to earn a
living or pursue other rights
as outlined in our State and
U.S. Constitutions, and
therefore we believe their
property is being unconsti-
tutionally seized by govern-
ment without due compen-
sation under the auspices of
inappropriately weaponized
State agencies; and
WHEREAS, too many
businesses in the Town of
Lexington are on the brink
of permanent closure, creat-
ing a fiscal emergency and a
devastated local economy;
and
WHEREAS, too many
businesses in the Town of
Lexington have already
closed their doors perma-
nently as a result of the
Governor’s emergency dec-
laration; and
WHEREAS, the Gov-
ernor ’s lockdown and
masking mandates are ac-
tively creating division and
unrest with the increased
potential of physical vio-
lence within our communi-
ty as those of one opinion
are encouraged by it to im-
pose their opinions over the
free will of those of another
in a physical way, and we
are obligated to address and
prevent crime; and
WHEREAS, the Gov-
ernor’s mandates result in
pitting local law enforce-
ment against law-abiding
citizens rather than crim-
inals, which damages our
community’s strong rela-
tionship with our valued
local law enforcement, and
which is a dynamic no com-
munity should tolerate; and
WHEREAS, deliberate
isolation of the ill in hos-
pitals or the elderly left to
die alone of that isolation
is the cruelest of abuses and
is not to be accepted in any
civilized society; and
WHEREAS, it is
a violation of the First
Amendment of the United
States Constitution for a
government to limit how
our churches and citizens
choose to practice their
religious freedoms, which
are crucial to mental health;
and
WHEREAS, social dis-
tancing and prolonged iso-
lation are proven to create
a number of mental health
issues such as anxiety and
depression, sometimes
pushing individuals over
the edge toward suicide as
a last resort; and
WHEREAS, that same
social distancing and pro-
longed isolation, combined
with unemployment and
other stressors, are increas-
ing cases of domestic abuse
and violence; and
WHEREAS, we be-
lieve in the kindness, com-
passion, and common sense
of our citizens and busi-
nesses to help protect the
most fragile and susceptible
in our community; and
WHEREAS, fear is a
tool of untruth, manipula-
tion, and control - charac-
teristics all of which do not
reflect the values of our
citizenry; and finally
WHEREAS, we are
mindful of the sentiments
of our founding fathers
such as Patrick Henry who
said, “Give me liberty or
give me death;” and Samuel
Adams who said, “Our un-
alterable resolution should
be to be free;” and Thomas
Jefferson who said, “The
spirit of resistance to gov-
ernment is so valuable on
certain occasions, that I
wish it to be always kept
alive,” and, “What country
can preserve its liberties if
its rulers are not warned
from time to time that their
people preserve the spirit
of resistance?”; and finally,
John Adams, “But a consti-
tution of government once
changed from freedom can
never be restored. Liberty,
once lost, is lost forever.”
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that
we declare an economic,
mental health, and crime
crisis due to the current
COVID-related State Emer-
gency Declaration and re-
lated OSHA mandates and
guidance, as a means of
loudly and symbolically
supporting our citizenry;
and
BE IT RESOLVED, the
Town will communicate in
writing with the Governor’s
Office to encourage the full
opening of our Town and
county, recategorization
to low-population status,
or suggesting other means
necessary to give our citi-
zens relief from these man-
dates; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the
Town will support upcom-
ing legislation, dependent
upon its straightforward
and unharmful wording,
which provides reparations
to business owners who
have had their businesses
and income taken without
compensation; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the
Town will support future
statewide ballot initiatives
that limit the duration and
extent of Governor’s emer-
gency powers, which may
create similar lockdown
scenarios during future
emergencies, natural disas-
ters, and pandemics; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the
Town will share this reso-
lution with other Oregon
cities, counties, and media
outlets in the hope those en-
tities will also speak more
loudly; and
BE IT RESOLVED
the Town recognizes the
citizenry of the Town of
Lexington are free, sover-
eign individuals within a
Constitutional, Representa-
tive Republic, not subjects
or slaves, and will be recog-
nized as such as we firmly
stand to represent them.
BE IT RESOLVED
the Town recognizes the
citizenry of the Town of
Lexington are free, sover-
eign individuals within a
Constitutional, Representa-
tive Republic, not subjects
or slaves, and will be recog-
nized as such as we firmly
stand to represent them.
Signed by four coun-
cilmembers and the mayor
of Lexington.
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