Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 20, 2022 -- THREE
~ Letters to the Editor ~
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Proud to support
Morrow County
Schools
To the editor;
Morrow County School
District has completed its
5-year long-term facilities
planning process, and as
a result, has placed Bond
Measure 25-87 on the ballot
for your consideration this
spring. This bond mea-
sure will be a long-term
investment, create modern
learning environments for
our students, help to reduce
maintenance and energy
costs to the district, as well
as provide much needed se-
curity and safety upgrades.
Even though many of the
buildings look good on the
outside the reality is that
we have several over 60
years old, and they simply
weren’t built for today’s
educational and security
needs.
An important piece of
this, is that as Morrow
County continues to grow
its tax base, the cost of
the bond will decrease for
each taxpayer. We saw this
with the last bond, which
decreased from about $3
per $1,000 of assessed
value when the bond was
passed to about .85 cents
per $1,000 in the last years
it was being paid off. Based
on the current activity in
the county it seems more
likely than not that this will
hold true once again for this
bond measure.
I encourage you to do
the research yourself to
learn exactly how this bond
will impact our schools in
each of our communities.
To learn more please visit
the school website at www.
morrow.k12.or.us or watch
a video at www.yesformor-
rowcountyschools.org.
The schools have al-
ways been a source of pride
for our communities, let’s
continue that. Please join
us in voting yes on Morrow
County School Bond Mea-
sure 25-87.
Steve and Lisanne
Currin, Heppner
Elect Lindsay for
position two
To the editor:
I support Melissa Lind-
say for Morrow County
Commissioner, Position #2.
She has served exemplary
on the county commission
for the past six years, and I
believe has made decisions
and developed policy al-
ways in the best interests
of all Morrow County cit-
izens. She independently
researches topics and issues
and comes to her own opin-
ions as to their merits. No
one person or entity directs
her in how to vote or what
direction to take.
She is a fourth gener-
ation Morrow County ag
family, who, along with
her husband, operates a
successful combined irri-
gated and dryland farming
operation. She holds a true
passion for Morrow County
and exhibits a genuine in-
terest in the continued eco-
nomic and social success of
all Morrow County.
Her grandfather, Gar
Swanson, was a founding
member of the Port of Mor-
row. Melissa has served
several decades on school
and county boards and com-
missions, including terms
on the Morrow County
Planning Commission.
Melissa’s experience,
integrity, and energy bene-
fit all residents of Morrow
County. Please join with me
in supporting and re-elect-
ing Melissa Lindsay as
Morrow County Commis-
sioner, Position 2.
Thomas Wolff,
Certified Public
Accountant, Heppner
More conservative?
To the editor;
Did you know ...
“People say to me
‘don’t you think you’ve
gotten more conservative?’
No, I haven’t. The left has
gotten goofier, so I seem
more conservative, may-
be, but it’s not me who
changed,” said Bill Maher,
‘before listing progressive
talking points he disagrees
with, including abolishing
the police, excessive gov-
ernment spending, the idea
that men can be pregnant
and that people should free-
ly loot stores with minimal
punishment,’ according to
news journalist Nikolas
Lanum.
Critical Race Theory
is not about getting rid of
racism, and judging people
by their character and not
the color of their skin. It’s
about dividing people and
telling them white people
are inherently racist and op-
pressive, and black people
are inherently victims and
have little or no chance to
succeed.
The ‘Don’t say Gay’
bill in Florida doesn’t even
have the word “gay” in it.
It’s also called the ‘Parent’s
Rights’ bill in that it blocks
sex education from being
taught in the schools to
children K-3, especially as
it relates to gender identifi-
cation and homosexuality.
Heterosexuality, too.
Disney has gone woke.
Journalist Christopher F.
Rufo obtained a video from
Disney’s all-hands meeting
where executive producer
Latoya Raveneau admits
“adding queerness ... wher-
ever I could” to children’s
programming. “If you see
anything queer in the show,
no one would stop me,” she
said, “and no one was trying
to stop me.” Disney has also
dropped all mentions of
gender in theme parks-no
“ladies and gentlemen” or
“boys and girls.”
Sandra Johnson
Heppner
Lindsay prioritizes
county’s interests
To the editor;
I am writing this letter
in support of the reelection
of Melissa Lindsay for
Morrow County Commis-
sioner. Melissa has shown
that she prioritizes the inter-
ests of all of Morrow Coun-
ty and the people who live
here. She understands the
importance of business and
job growth in the county,
whether it be agricultural,
data centers, and renewable
energy, while understand-
ing the responsibility the
county has in ensuring that
these new businesses pay
their fair share of prop-
erty tax. It is too easy for
some business’s monetary
interests to be the prima-
ry factor in granting tax
breaks to new businesses,
to ensure they locate inside
the county.
Melissa will always
try to represent the needs
of long standing business
sectors in the county in-
cluding timber, medical,
agriculture, main street, and
tourism, and how important
it is that we make it possi-
ble for them to remain and
prosper here.
Melissa also under-
stands all of the benefits
that Morrow County has to
offer and will work hard to
recruit new businesses to
locate here. Being a lifelong
resident of the county, she
understands the advantages
about the area that com-
mits people to live here for
generations. She is a very
sharp business person and
is a tough negotiator. I have
always found her to be open
minded and willing to listen
to opposing ideas.
Melissa does not show
favoritism to one part of the
county over another, she
tries to do what is best for
the entire county. Residents
of Morrow County deserve
to have commissioners who
represent the concerns of
the taxpayers who live here,
and not a rubber stamp for
providing advantages and
benefits to only certain
businesses in the county.
That is why I will be voting
for Melissa and encourage
you to do the same.
John Kilkenny
Heppner
Being caught
in between
To the editor:
County commissioner
at best can still be a chal-
lenge and at worst, like
being caught between two
equally unpleasant courses
of action. A good example
would be choosing to take
the Governors money on
the table or accepting the
political and financial con-
sequences of standing up to
a tyrant. I share this analogy
because I have been vocal
in encouraging our county
commissioners to stand up
to the dictates of the Gov-
ernor that undermine our
liberty and our ability to
make decisions regarding
our personal health and the
wellbeing our family and
loved ones. In particular
my passion on this subject
has caused me to challenge
Commissioner Melissa
Lindsay in this newspaper.
I was not looking forward to
my next meeting with her.
Magnanimity. The defi-
nition of magnanimity is
“generous or forgiving,
especially toward a rival
or less powerful person.”
A magnanimous person
is able to be criticized or
offended and neverthe-
less retain a generosity of
heart. Few people in this
world have developed the
character to exhibit a mag-
nanimous spirit in the face
of criticism or opposition.
There is no better rea-
son to vote for Melissa
Lindsay than her magnan-
imous spirit.
Stuart Dick, Irrigon
Reelect Lindsay for
Morrow County
Commissioner
To the editor;
Please join us in voting
to reelect Melissa Lind-
say for Morrow County
Commissioner. Melissa has
worked tirelessly for the
last five and a half years as
a Morrow County Commis-
sioner; she has been present
and committed to the job,
spending countless hours
representing and working
on behalf of the county.
Growing up on the fam-
ily farm and spending the
majority of her adult life
here, she understands Mor-
row County’s uniqueness,
its strengths, weaknesses
and its complexities.
She is honest, trust-
worthy, not afraid to put the
work in, and is always striv-
ing to do what’s in the best
interest for Morrow County
and its citizens. She listens,
is intelligent, wants to learn
about issues, and more
importantly. she is willing
to ask tough questions in
order to find a solution that
works.
Melissa lives and
breathes her commitment
which we think makes her
an excellent choice for the
job of Morrow County
Commissioner.
Steve and Lisanne
Currin, Heppner
Support Lindsay for
commissioner
To the editor:
We wholeheartedly
support Melissa Lindsay for
Commissioner of Morrow
County, and here are just a
few reasons why.
Melissa has already
put in six years of very
accomplished service to
all residents of Morrow
County as a commissioner.
Her energy and dedication
to information gathering is
top notch. She attends many
local meetings and travels
frequently out of the coun-
ty to involve herself with
issues that can improve
Morrow County. She just
doesn’t attend meetings;
she is often the guiding
force in making things hap-
pen. She is interested in all
parts of the county. If you
have listened to her speak at
any meeting, you will agree
that she is informed, listens
and gets things done.
Melissa is a leader with
the Morrow County Emer-
gency Response Govern-
ment Command Team and
worked tirelessly during the
pandemic to keep Morrow
County businesses open,
wrote testing and vaccine
plans, brought OHA and
FEMA resources across
Morrow County to get and
keep in-person learning in
our schools. She actively
brought testing and vac-
cination drive-throughs to
clinics in Boardman and
Irrigon.
As a member of the
Regional Solutions Team,
Melissa brought a working
group together to look at
solutions for the Ione waste
water system.
As a member of the
Community Counseling
Solutions Advisory Board,
Melissa was an active part
in bringing a mental health
court to Morrow County
for those suffering mental
health issues that cross over
into the judicial system.
As a chair, and current-
ly vice chair to the county
wide Local Public Safety
Coordinating Council, Me-
lissa solidified funding to
help our county be one of
the most active in the state
dealing with mental health
court, housing issues, pub-
lic safety issues, a juvenile
diversion program, etc.
Melissa has worked
with Umatilla County to
deal with many issues and
opportunities where a dual
county approach is best. She
is a member of the Lower
Umatilla Basin Ground-
water Management Area
Committee that is working
to assist the groundwater
nitrate issues plaguing parts
of our county plus individ-
ual wells.
Melissa has chaired
and is a member of the
Military Economic Agri-
culture Committee where
she works with the Navy, a
large landowner in Morrow
County.
Melissa is working cur-
rently with Willow Creek
Valley Economic Devel-
opment Board and the Port
of Morrow to change the
Heppner mill site FEMA
flood map.
Melissa convened and
chairs the Morrow County
Broadband Team to gain
equitable access and educa-
tion for high speed internet.
Melissa has been elect-
ed by state commissioners
to serve as treasurer for the
Assoc of Oregon Counties.
She is admired and respect-
ed around the state as a
positive force for Morrow
County.
Join us in electing Me-
lissa Lindsay. Thank you
for your time.
Jim and Monica
Swanson, Ione
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