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VOL. 141
NO. 43
8 Pages
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Commissioners Lindsay & Doherty face
choice: resignation or recall vote
Required number of petition signatures validated
Morrow County Com-
missioners Melissa Lindsay
and Jim Doherty have a
choice to make. Either re-
sign from office or face a
recall election next month,
the county clerk has an-
nounced.
Morrow County Clerk
Bobbi Childers said the
required number of valid
signatures have been sub-
mitted and verified, so now
both commissioners, as
specified by Oregon law,
have until 5 p.m. Wednes-
day, Oct. 26, to either resign
or face a county-wide recall
vote to remove them from
office.
If they choose the recall
vote, they need to submit a
statement of justification of
up to 200 words which will
be printed on the recall bal-
lots. Childers says she has
35 days in which to hold the
election. If they choose res-
ignation, it will take effect
immediately.
Petition gatherers
turned in 729 signatures
against Doherty and 692 for
Lindsay. Doherty ended up
with 648 valid signatures
and Lindsay 657. Both
petitions exceeded the min-
imum number of the 564
signatures required by state
law to proceed, or 15 per-
cent of the total votes cast
in the county in the 2018
Jim Doherty
governor’s election.
On Doherty’s petition
94 percent of the signatures
processed were valid, and
Lindsay’s count showed
96 percent valid. Reasons
given for some signatures
not getting counted were
not registered, printed sig-
nature, duplicate, and sig-
natures did not match.
Letters announcing the
validation results, and spell-
ing out their options, were
mailed out to both commis-
sioners the day of validation
last Friday.
The recall effort was
started in July by two Hep-
pner residents, and the rea-
sons they gave for initiating
the process were stated on
each of the circulated peti-
tion signature sheets:
Doherty: “Commis-
sioner Doherty’s decisions
are not in the best interest
of Morrow County citi-
zens. 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. Doherty
does not cooperate with
other public and private
agencies to the detriment
of Morrow County citizens.
His decisions regarding
Morrow County employees
has demoralized County
employees and has been
detrimental to a function-
al County government.
Decisions are not made in
the best interest of County
taxpayers resulting in fiscal
detriment to the County.”
Lindsay: “As a com-
missioner your primary
duty is to work for and with
the people who elected you
into office. Commissioner
Lindsay has violated that
trust in many ways, one
being by intimidating coun-
ty employees, resulting in
either their firing or leaving
their jobs under duress.
Commissioner Lindsay
has repeatedly exhibited
unprofessional behavior in
her role as a public official.
Commissioner Lind-
Melissa Lindsay
say’s actions have created
county wide disapproval
with other government and
charitable organizations,
refusing to listen to them.
Commissioner Lindsay
heard from the voters in
the last election, however
she will serve until Jan-
uary 2023, at which time
she will be replaced by the
new Commissioner elect.
The action of the firing of
the Morrow County Ad-
ministrator, with no trans-
parency, refusing to let the
public speak, or answer the
Administrators questions
about why he was sitting
there, made it clear that in
the remaining time of her
tenure, this behavior would
continue and could cause
added financial burdens
to our county. To prevent
irreversible damage, an
immediate recall is the only
answer.”
Veterans Day celebration is back at HHS
HHS asks businesses
to help honor veterans
will provide a picture of two
or three veterans to display
in each business window
and two seniors to help dec-
orate. Businesses will have
to provide decorations and
some direction as to where
they want the display. Se-
niors will be available to
help decorate on Tuesday,
Nov. 1 through Thursday,
Nov. 3.
Businesses are asked to
respond by Monday, Oct.
31, if they would like to
participate.
and experience with long-
range hunting rifles com-
pelled him to accurately
record the battlefield expe-
riences of Chris Kyle, the
most lethal sniper in Unit-
ed States military history.
McEwen also works with
and provides support for
several military charitable
organizations, including the
Seal Team Foundation and
the Navy SEAL Fund.
Local veterans and
active military members
are asked to send the high
school current addresses
so they can be included in
the celebration, especially
if they have not attended
before. Anyone who has
any questions or updated
information can contact
Heppner High School, 541-
676-9138, or email Jeannie
Collins at jean.collins@
morrow.k12.or.us or Petra
Payne at petra.payne@
morrow.k12.or.us.
A Heppner resident expressed concern Oct. 10 concerning
trucks trying to get through on Chase St. despite current
signage. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
By Andrea Di Salvo
Heppner City Council
heard updates on the city
sewer project at its regular
meeting Monday, Oct. 10.
City Manager Kraig Cuts-
forth reported that, after
meeting with Anderson
Perry, the city’s engineering
firm, it was recommended
that the project be complet-
ed in two phases.
“It’s going to put us
back a year anyway,” said
Cutsforth, “but this way
we can take the plant part,
which we know we have to
do, and run it through.”
The first phase would
be to rebuild the treatment
plant, which is more than
60 years old and continues
to have problems. This
would also ensure that the
reclaimed water was ac-
ceptable to apply to the land
and give the city time to
work on phase two.
Phase two, which Cuts-
forth said would also be
the most difficult step, is to
build retention ponds that
meet DEQ (Department
of Environmental Quality)
requirements.
The engineering firm
apparently recommended
the phased approach after
seeing trouble Baker City
had meeting DEQ require-
ments when it reworked its
sewer system.
“Anderson Perry wants
to make sure what we have
planned is kosher for DEQ,”
said Public Works Director
Chad Doherty.
Heppner’s city sewer
system originally came
under scrutiny because of
the DEQs insistence that
sewer systems not empty
into bodies of water like
creeks or streams. The City
of Heppner is currently out
of compliance with that
standard but was given 10
years to complete the $6-7
million project and get back
in compliance.
The design and build
of the retention ponds and
release system are the im-
portant part of that DEQ
compliance, but both Cuts-
forth and Doherty said that
rebuilding the sewer treat-
ment plant would both buy
time while the city works on
phase two and improve the
function of the city sewer
treatment plant.
“I got a bad E. coli sam-
ple,” said Doherty, stressing
the need for work on the
sewer plant. “I’ve worked
here 18 years and never got-
ten a bad E. coli sample.”
Cutsforth said the sew-
er treatment plant should
be complete in about a year
and a half. The city has
nine more years to bring
the rest of the system into
compliance.
-Continue to PAGE FIVE
E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
NEW
2022
FOR
The Heppner High
School Veterans Day Cele-
bration will be held Nov. 10
at 10:30 a.m. in the Heppner
High School gymnasium.
All veterans and their fam-
ilies, along with the general
public, are invited to attend.
Several veterans have
agreed to visit classrooms
and speak with students
from 8-10 a.m. that morn-
ing. The event’s main
speaker will be Scott McE-
wen, Heppner High School
graduate and author of the
#1 New York Times Best
Seller book American Snip-
Heppner High School
er. The event will also fea- is planning its annual Vet-
erans Day celebration on
Thursday, Nov. 10, at 10:30
a.m. in the HHS gymnasi-
um. The school would like
to honor current veterans
by putting pictures in local
businesses much like last
year.
Any business that
would like to participate
may contact Petra Payne
at petra.payne@morrow.
k12.or.us or 541-676-9138
ext. 2518.
Heppner High School
planet,” he added. “This is
their day!”
Guest speaker Scott
McEwen grew up in the
mountains of Eastern Or-
egon, where he became
an Eagle Scout, hiking,
fishing and hunting at every
opportunity. He graduated
from Heppner High School
as Salutatorian in 1979.
He then attended Oregon
State University, graduat-
ing Summa Cum Laude in
1983, and thereafter studied
and worked intensively in
London, England. He ulti-
mately returned to Califor-
nia, where he attended law
school and practiced law
in southern California and
internationally for 30 years.
McEwen now lives in
San Diego, CA, where he
began writing while prac-
ticing law. His interest in
military history, patriotism,
The search continues
for 51-year-old Tina Wil-
liamson. She was last seen
on foot in Heppner on Sat-
urday, Oct. 22.
Heppner City Council
hears sewer update,
traffic concerns
McEwen to speak at Nov. 10 veterans event
ture performances by the
Heppner High School band
and choir, veteran roll call,
and a luncheon for all veter-
ans and their families.
McEwen will be host-
ing a meet and greet with at-
tendees and signing copies
of his books (which will be
available for sale) after the
luncheon across the hall in
room 15.
“I am honored to ap-
pear at my Alma Mater,
Heppner High School, and
give homage to the veterans
of this great republic,” said
McEwen. “Anything we
can do as a nation to recog-
nize their contribution and
help them readjust to the
civilian world after their
service is not only import-
ant, it is imperative.
“Thankfully, we have
the strongest and most so-
phisticated military on the
Tina Williamson
Tina is described as
5 feet, 4 inches tall, 90
pounds, thin/frail build
with long brunette hair.
She was last seen wearing a
long gray cardigan, tie-dye
t-shirt, jeans, and gray Vans
or Keds shoes.
An extensive search of
the Heppner area was com-
pleted on Saturday, Oct.
22, and again on Sunday,
Oct. 23.
Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office is seeking public
assistance. If you have seen
or know where Williamson
is, please contact 541-676-
5317 or email investiga-
tions@co.morrow.or.us.
for more
information
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