Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 20, 2022 -- SEVEN
~ Letters to the Editor ~
...continued from page six
Fight the injustice
To the editor;
I write this letter after
just leaving another funeral
meal that Melissa Lindsay
is organizing. This may be
the tenth one that I have
observed her helping the
families that need help. I
see her everywhere doing
this. That is the person that
she is.
My thought is as I pass
the people manning the
tables to spread half-truths
and misinformation so that
they can waste our county’s
resources on an unneces-
sary recall action, that I
never seen them helping,
organizing or volunteering.
This may be why they have
time to do this horrible
thing. I say horrible because
it is unfair and presents an
inaccurate picture.
As a long-time resident
of our community, I have
witnessed the hard work
Melissa Lindsay has un-
dertaken to assist the efforts
of our local organizations.
I can speak for Heppner
Day Care. She approached
Amazon regarding their
community outreach pro-
gram and directed them to
this struggling non-profit.
Her efforts brought them
enough money to re-open
after covid, but to also
improve staffing and many
programs. She encouraged
them to apply for covid
relief funding and other
available dollars that helped
to continue operations.
The Heppner Commu-
nity Foundation was also a
recipient of her encourage-
ment. As a board member
I can say that opening the
Gilliam and Bisbee Build-
ing weeks before Covid shut
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us down was discouraging.
Melissa found ways for this
organization to find funding
to finish the projects and
offer a valuable gathering
spot for our area residents.
I hope that the people that
have benefited from this
spot remember that Melis-
sa is a key factor that it is
available for us. Funerals,
weddings, proms, so many
things have been celebrated
there. None of these things
would have been possible
without the foresight of
Melissa Lindsay.
This is just the begin-
ning of my list of reasons
that we need to fight against
this horrible injustice to one
of our best residents. I hope
that many of you think back
– have you been touched
by the day care, preschool
(children, grandchildren?)
Have you had a reason to
use or attend an event at the
Gilliam and Bisbee Build-
ing? If yes, then please stop
and thank Melissa. Let’s
stand up for person that has
helped so many. We truly
need people like her here.
Kim Cutsforth
Done with the lies and misleading timelines
To the editor:
My name is Nazario
Rivera. The purpose of
this letter is to put an end
to speculation around my
resignation as the public
health director. I feel the
need to speak out because
my name continues to be
dragged by other peoples’
narratives. I am done with
the lies, I am done with the
misleading timelines, I AM
DONE!
For those who don’t
know who I am, I will give
you a bit of my background.
I am a queer Latino man. I
was raised in Hermiston.
I graduated from Hermis-
ton High School in 2010
and moved to Corvallis
and attended Oregon State
University and graduated
in 2015 with a degree in
Public Health. I have par-
ticipated in an active role as
a leader in the community
since returning to eastern
Oregon.
What drove me to apply
and pursue a career with
Morrow County was their
mission statement, “Build-
ing healthier individuals,
families, and communi-
ties where they live, learn,
work, and play through
information, advocacy, and
services.” These coincided
with my personal values;
integrity, advocacy and
community.
I began my employ-
ment with Morrow County
as the public health director
with enthusiasm, presum-
ing the biggest challenge
would be COVID 19. I
constantly faced barriers
which prohibited me mov-
ing the department forward.
I followed the chain of
command and reached out
to HR and CIS (liability
insurance company). This
led to a new agreement
revising the nepotism rules.
With the revision came
the recommendation to
have the employees in-
volved follow a new chain
of command. Meaning any
concerns about me or my
ability to lead the depart-
ment would first be made
to our county counsel and
CIS. These events occurred
on or between Decem-
ber 2020 and May 2021.
During that time, I faced
constant scrutiny from my
direct supervisor, Darrel
Green, and his wife, Debra
Green, Public Health Office
Assistant, who is also a
county employee. Through
that, I attempted to continue
to serve the citizens of Mor-
row County and complete
the mission I was hired to
do. Until March 9, 2022, I
resigned from my duty as
the public health director.
This decision was not made
lightly. My biggest fear
was leaving my department
staff. I was afraid that my
experience was going to
repeat. I did not use my
resignation as a way to flee
from the investigation as al-
leged in the April 2022 arti-
cle in the Heppner Gazette.
I participated through the
completion of the investi-
gation and provided honest
accounts of all the events
that transpired. I resigned
on my own terms. I was
done with the continuous
harassment, discrimination
and lack of respect. I left for
my own mental health and
sanity. All of the vicious ac-
cusations against me have
been cleared.
I want to thank the
county commissioners who
voted in favor of what was
just and in the best inter-
est for the county. I want
to thank them for taking
the time to understand the
complex dynamics we were
experiencing within the
public health department.
I ask the rest of the
public to not dismiss my
experience, and to not fol-
low blindly. I ask the public
to stop being quick to con-
demn commissioners with-
out knowing all the facts.
I know this couldn’t have
been an easy vote. I thank
those commissioners who
stood up against harassment
and took all the facts and
the summary of the inves-
tigation into consideration.
I often wonder if the
scrutiny I faced was due to
my capacity to lead or was
it that a queer Latino man
could lead?
Thanks,
Nazario Rivera
Commissioner Russell that
purposely undermined the
integrity of this investiga-
tion in order to remove both
Commissioners. That is
the definition of sophistry.
The investigator was con-
tracted to “conduct a fair
and thorough workplace
investigation…and make
factual findings regarding
the allegations… This in-
vestigator had been hired
by the county under Admin-
istrator Green on numerous
previous occasions.
On April 6, 22 all three
of the Morrow County
Board of Commissioners
met in executive session
when “initial investiga-
tion results were revealed.”
(Compiled from Morrow
County documents) On
April 13, 22 a notice was
sent to Darrell Green re-
garding “SUMMARY OF
INVESTIGATION FIND-
ING”, Darrell Green was
fully aware of the issue he
was facing with the county
nepotism policy, a policy
that Green and his wife
signed and agreed to. The
previous year on April 21,
21 at the Morrow Coun-
ty Board of Commission-
ers meeting, attended by
Darrell Green, the board
approved the nepotism pol-
icy. “In the event that two
employees become imme-
diate family members and
a supervisory relationship
exists, the employees and
the county will jointly at-
tempt to find an alternative
work assignment for one
of the two employees. If
no alternative assignment
is available within ninety
days, it will be necessary
for one of the two employ-
ees to resign. In the event
both employees refuse or
fail to resign, the county
will make a discharge de-
cision based on the same
consideration as applicable
in a layoff.” (Morrow Coun-
ty Board of Commissioners,
April 21, 21) On April 17,
22, Debra Green, wife of
Darrell Green, responded
to findings of the investi-
gation, evidence they were
received. (Email Commis-
sioner April 16, 22, smart-
phone).
The Morrow County
draft investigation report
was officially sent to all
commissioners on April
23,22. On May 25, 22 the
nepotism policy process
was moved forward. (Mor-
row County H.R) In plain
words the Greens were
given an opportunity to
work with the board of
commissioners to resolve
the nepotism issue. By June
24,22 “No response from
either party. Darrell issued
PAL letter and notice of
hearing.” (Morrow County
H.R)
Darrell was offered an
executive session hearing
per Oregon statute. (Mor-
row County) On June 28
Darrell Green “requested a
public hearing.” (Morrow
County) under his rights.
Green knew exactly why an
executive session was being
held. He deceived the pub-
lic and helped orchestrate
the recall campaign. Darrell
Green and Don Russell
manipulated Commissioner
Lindsay and Doherty’s in-
tegrity (to honor their legal
requirement to not speak)
and the attorney client
privilege required to pro-
tect confidential testimo-
ny. They deliberately used
Commissioner Doherty and
Lindsay’s silence to turn
the public against two ded-
icated and esteemed county
commissioners.
If this treachery is al-
lowed to continue in an
attempt to recall two elected
officials, Morrow County
will never recover, and
subterfuge will rule our way
of life until truth prevails.
Corol Mitchell and Annetta
Spicer, you now know that
according to the document-
ed facts your recall petition
is based on falsehoods, de-
liberate lies and a carefully
orchestrated public perfor-
mance to incite the public
to recall two elected county
commissioners. If you have
been misled by Don Rus-
sell and Darrell Green to
produce false statements in
order to initiate this recall
petition, then the citizens of
Morrow County will expect
you both to terminate these
petitions. If you continue
to pursue this recall based
on false accusations against
two dedicated and highly
esteem public servants, then
it will be necessary that the
citizens of Morrow County
rest not until justice for
false statements on a recall
petition be adjudicated ac-
cording to the laws of the
state of Oregon.
Stuart Dick, Irrigon
Recall petitions based on falsehoods
To the editor;
“The truth has no agen-
da,” General George Patton.
When Pilate sought to know
“what accusation bring ye
against this man” (John
18:29) Jesus answered,
“Every one of the truths
hears my voice” (John
18:37). Pilate answered,
“What is truth?” Pilate
knew Jesus’ accusers had
a treacherous agenda, but
he lacked the courage to
stand for truth and justice.
Truth has no agenda, soph-
istry does. In the history of
Morrow County “not only
has a County Commission-
er never been recalled in
the 137-year-old history…
but a recall effort has also
not even been successfully
initiated.” (Gazette Times
July 13, 22)
Corol Mitchell has
initiated a recall petition
against Morrow County
Commissioner Melissa
Lindsay. Mitchell has ac-
cused Lindsay of “intim-
idated county employees
resulting in either firing
or leaving their jobs un-
der duress…The action of
the firing of the Morrow
County Administrator, with
no transparency, refusing
to let the public speak, or
answer the administrator’s
questions about why he was
sitting there, made it clear
that in the remaining time
of her tenure, this behavior
would continue…To pre-
vent irreversible damage,
an immediate recall is the
only answer.” (G.T. July
13, 22)
In like manner Annetta
Spicer has initiated a re-
call of Commissioner Jim
Doherty, accusing him of
“decisions…not in the best
interests of Morrow County
citizens. He is not open and
transparent in his actions
as commissioner, making
decisions in secret and out-
side of public purview and
without the inclusion of the
third county commission-
er…Commission meetings
are not held in accordance
with public open meeting
law requirements.” (G.T.
July 13, 22)
The third commission-
er Spicer referred to is Don
Russell. Russell’s public
criticism of fellow commis-
sioners has fueled the recall
effort. Russell opposed the
firing of County Admin-
istrator Darrell Green and
claimed he “was never
told about the complaints
against Green.” (G.T. June
29, 22) Russell publicly
criticized the county inves-
tigation that led to Green’s
termination. “I was told the
questions were leading and
it seemed there was already
an answer looking for a nar-
rative to support it.” (G.T.
June 29, 22). Spicer’s recall
assertion that Commission-
er Doherty made “decisions
in secret and outside public
purview without the inclu-
sion of the third county
commissioner” (G.T. July
13,22) refers to Russell
being supposedly excluded
from knowledge of the in-
vestigation of Green. “But
you have to have the infor-
mation to make a decision
and that information has not
been provided to me.” (G.T.
June 29, 22)
The termination of
County Administrator
Green has been called a
“witch hunt.” (G.T. June
29, 22) The headline of
Green’s termination, “I’m
struggling to understand
why I’m sitting here” (G.T.
June 29,22) makes Green
appear to be a martyr. Green
claims he was blindsided
by Commissioners Lindsay
and Doherty and had no
knowledge of any com-
plaint lodged against him.
“Wouldn’t a complaint
against me trigger an exec-
utive session to discuss my
performance.” (G.T. June
29, 22)
Based on the public
assertions of Commissioner
Russell and fired Adminis-
ter Green, Corol Mitchell
and Annetta Spicer have
filed two recall petitions.
According to ORS 260.532
it is a felony, punishable
with up to five years in
prison, to provide false
information on a recall
petition. ORS 260.715 re-
quirements for a recall pe-
tition: “A person may not
knowingly make a false
statement, oath, or affidavit
when a statement, oath, or
affidavit is required under
election laws.” My ques-
tion to Corol Mitchell and
Annetta Spicer is this: Did
you do any research or in-
vestigation to determine if
your recall accusation were
truthful? Would not your
recall petition campaign, a
campaign that will divide
our county and potentially
destroy the reputation of
two dedicated and esteemed
elected officials, require
at the bare minimum, that
you to honor the ORS laws
and make sure your accu-
sations are truthful? I have
obtained the documentation
of the truth of the unproven
accusations of this recall
campaign through Oregon
Public Records law. You
both had an obligation to
research and discover the
truth regarding these accu-
sations before you initiate a
recall petition.
Let us document for
the record the public doc-
uments regarding Com-
missioner Russell and Ad-
ministrator Darrell Green:
Russell has publicly stated
he was 1) never told about
the complaints against Ad-
ministrator Green, 2) cast
doubt on the integrity of
the county investigation,
3) publicly asserted he was
not provided information
regarding the investigation
regarding the reason for
Green’s termination. Coun-
ty Administrator Darrell
Green has publicly testified
that he had no foreknowl-
edge of a nepotism com-
plaint, and he was “strug-
gling to understand why
I’m sitting here…Wouldn’t
a complaint against me trig-
ger an executive session to
discuss my performance.”
(G.T June 29, 22)
On December 15, 2021,
Don Russell, chair of the
Morrow County Board of
Commissioners, sent a letter
to all public health depart-
ment employees, county
administer, human resource
director, and all affected
parties. The subject of the
letter was various employ-
ee complaints and allega-
tions that ultimately led to
Green’s termination. “Due
to the complexity of these
issues…I have determined
it best to bring an outside
investigator to interview
all involved parties.” (Don
Russell, Morrow County
Board of Commissioners,
Dec.15, 21) Russell exhort-
ed all parties, “While this
matter is being investigated,
you must refrain from any
conduct that could reason-
ably be expected to affect
the integrity of this investi-
gation.” (Russell, Dec. 15,
21) It was Commissioner
Russell that initiated the
investigation and it was
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