Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 23 , 2022 -- THREE
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Recall is not all Commissioners
show up and
or nothing
Melissa Lindsay has make the case
been a good public servant.
I’ve had the pleasure of
working with her on a vari-
ety of issues and especially
appreciate her help in bring-
ing the state of Oregon on
board with the Ione waste-
water project. She has been
proactive and constructive
in representing Morrow
County’s needs at every
level. She ran for office
on a public service agenda
when she was elected and
attempted to implement
her agenda. She ran again
on her agenda and lost by
a few votes. Clearly, her
agenda was of interest to
many voters in the county.
She deserved to serve out
the remainder of her term.
I can’t say the same of
Jim Doherty. He is a man
who is becoming renowned
for his angry outbursts
when someone disagrees
with him. Plus, he seems to
be driven by ambition itself,
not public service.
I will be splitting my
vote on this recall, let’s start
with a whole new commis-
sion in January.
Jerry Rietmann
Ione, OR
Doherty in it
for himself
Don’t let Jim Doherty
fool you. He’s in it for
himself. According to the
minutes from the Sept. 23,
2020, commissioners meet-
ing, Jim Doherty agrees to
lead the team to create an
application process and
criteria to see who gets the
grant money for impacted
businesses. Then over the
next three months money
goes twice to O’Doherty
Outfitters and once to
O’Doherty Cattle Co. Isn’t
it nice to make the rules to
give yourself money and
decide how much? Jim lists
both of these companies on
his statement of Economic
Interest. Jim was the only
livestock producer that got
money. I thought that this
money was meant for the
businesses that were actu-
ally impacted. You know,
the restaurants, bars, hair
dressers and others that by
mandate had to shut their
doors.
So let me recap. Jim
lobbies the compensation
committee for a 40 percent
increase in pay for himself.
He votes for a 20 percent
increase in pay for himself,
just after telling the road
employees the county is
holding them to a two-
and-a-half percent COLA.
He travels all over North
America on the county’s
dime without ever giving a
report on the benefit to the
taxpayers, and he heads up
a committee to give himself
money.
Jim Doherty needs to
hit the road. Vote yes to
recall him.
John Wenholz,
Irrigon, OR
ALL NEWS AND
ADVERTISEMENT
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
Dear Morrow County,
It is certainly your vote
and decision to either recall
or not to recall your elected
officials—not that of some-
one from another county.
Yet, as a commissioner
from Harney County, I offer
some observations for your
consideration.
Having worked with
Commissioner Lindsay
and Commissioner Doherty
for five years, I have seen
how sincere, productive,
dedicated and effective
they are in regional and
state matters, for and on
behalf of Morrow County.
I recommend you vote no
on their recall.
Whether educating and
informing the state leg-
islature on how concepts
and bills are either good
or bad for the people of
Morrow County, or how to
improve emerging legisla-
tion—Melissa Lindsay and
Jim Doherty have shown up
and made the case.
Whether seeking fund-
ing for fairgrounds, city and
county infrastructure, or
other grant funding, Melis-
sa and Jim have shown up
and made the case.
It has been a profes-
sional pleasure and bene-
ficial experience to work
with these Morrow Coun-
ty commissioners across
county and regional mat-
ters. I value them and they
represent you, the people
of Morrow County, so well.
I believe in recalling
officials who are corrupt or
who have broken the trust
with voters. I do not believe
in recalling officials merely
if or when they make deci-
sions that may disappoint.
As you make your deci-
sion on whether or not to re-
call commissioners Lindsay
and Doherty, please know
that they have represented
Morrow County well across
the region and state. Me-
lissa and Jim love Morrow
County and I appreciate
the teamwork and integrity
they brought to our mutual
work.
Sincerely yours,
Patty Dorroh
Burns, OR
Stand with
Lindsay
Today I write a letter
in defense of my mother,
Melissa Lindsay, that truly
I never imagined I’d be
writing. Although I may
be biased in my support,
I stand with her today as I
always have. My mother’s
work ethic, selflessness and
unwavering dedication to
always do what she believes
correct are attributes I see in
my mother that have always
amazed and inspired me. As
a mother she demonstrates
-Continued to PAGE SIX
Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
Having a friend who is smarter than you is often help-
ful, good news. Actual overheard, two-party observation
and response last week: “Gosh, it seems to me that there
are a lot more leaves on the ground this year!” …. “Well,
duh! The trees have grown!”
Last Thursday, the Monthly Birthday Luncheon
group of Ione, Lexington and Heppner women met at
Bucknum’s to celebrate. This month’s honoree was Nancy
Ekstrom. What a wonderful surprise they had when they
stepped up to pay and learned that someone had already
paid for all of them!
Sarah Ballard, HHS 2009 graduate, and John Ross
recently celebrated their wedding in Iceland. The “beauti-
ful wedding” was followed by a tour “of all the incredible
sights” for the guests. Congratulations go out to the young
couple, who make their home in New York City.
Attendees at that destination wedding included Kim,
Maggie and Joe Armato, who continued their trip with
some fantastic touring. Kim reports impressive glaciers,
geysers, waterfalls and tectonic plates. From Iceland, the
threesome traveled to Florence, Italy, and surrounding
areas, where they thoroughly enjoyed the food, muse-
ums and churches. Then, on to Malta and “unbelievable,
ancient (4000 B.C.) churches, museums, amazing food
and vistas.” Kim says that she found their experiences
“exhausting and enchanting.”
A triple bonanza of laughter was a delightful experi-
ence in the last couple of weeks: Where There’s a Will,
There’s a Murder, performed by the HHS drama students,
was a fun mystery parody; a few days later, Nunsense, a
musical presented by the Community Theatre at BMCC,
was full of humor; and just a few days later, more laughter
carried the audience through The Drowsy Chaperone, a
musical comedy production at West Salem High School.
So much talent on those stages. And laughing felt so good!
If you missed Cori Jo Lindsay in The Nutcracker
last year, you have another opportunity to witness Cori
Jo’s talent. This year, the performance of this traditional
holiday ballet will be staged at BMCC beginning on
Thursday, Dec. 1, and then on that following Friday,
Saturday and Sunday. Better get your tickets!
So many positive experiences coming our way this
week! Please, add to our smiles by sharing your tidbit:
dbrosnan123@gmail.com or call 541-223-1490.
Here’s hoping that some good news comes to ev-
eryone reading this!
Christmas tree
permits available
Permits available hardcopy
and online through
Recreation.gov
Christmas tree permits
for the Umatilla National
Forest are now available to
purchase at Forest offices,
several local businesses,
and online through Recre-
ation.gov.
All National Forests
offer Christmas tree per-
mits online as an added
convenience for the public
and alternative to in-person
interactions. Christmas tree
permits purchased online
must be printed to be valid
and can only be used on
Umatilla National Forest
lands, as specified on the
permit. Christmas tree per-
mits cost $5 each and are
limited to one per house-
hold. An additional $2.50
fee will be charged for
permits purchased through
Recreation.gov.
Traditional Christmas
tree permits are still avail-
able through Umatilla Na-
tional Forest offices and
several local businesses.
All Umatilla National For-
est offices are open for
business Monday through
Friday, including the Hep-
pner Ranger District office
in Heppner.
Participating vendors
are conveniently open eve-
nings and weekend hours.
In Morrow County, permits
can be obtained at Heppner
Mobil in Heppner and Ace
Hardware in Boardman.
Traditional permits are
valid on National Forest
System lands only and do
not authorize tree cutting
on private, state, or other
federally managed lands.
As part of the national
Every Kid Outdoors initia-
tive, all fourth graders are
eligible for a free Christ-
mas tree permit from their
local National Forest. For
students to receive a free
tree permit, they must pres-
ent a valid paper voucher
printed from the Every Kid
Outdoors website. Visit
https://everykidoutdoors.
gov/ and follow instructions
to obtain and print the paper
voucher.
For more information
about purchasing a permit
and gathering a Christmas
tree online, please visit
https://www.recreation.gov
and search for Umatilla
National Forest.
For more information
about the Christmas tree
program on the Umatilla
National Forest is available
at https://www.fs.usda.gov/
umatilla.
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner
Wake up: Be prepared
Waiting is a part of life. Parents wait to pick up their
children at schools; at bus stops and airports, people wait for
loved ones; we eagerly and patiently waited for an end to the
pandemic in 2020. Advent is a season of profound waiting…
a waiting for God to reveal himself, to come to us.
This Sunday, the Church all over the world begins to cel-
ebrate this time of waiting and expecting someone whom we
love dearly. Arrivals can be interesting and exciting, especially
when the situation or person expected is long-awaited. The
coming of a near and dear one, the expected new addition to the
family, the first meeting of a long-lost person, all these can be
turning points in our lives. Jesus warns us to prepare ourselves
because He might come suddenly. “Stay awake” is an alarm
sounding on the first Sunday of Advent. It means to seize the
opportunities of the present moment, prepare for Christmas,
prepare for death, yes. But more importantly, prepare for the
kingdom of God whenever it explodes into your life, to wait
for God’s coming and believe that a new era is about to begin.
The Prophet Isaiah (2:1-5) portrays a people waiting for
God. The newly-returned exiles hope God will again adopt
them as His children. Isaiah spoke this prophecy against the
background of the political upheaval the Israelites were experi-
encing during the second half of the eighth century. The might
of the Assyrians threatened God’s people. The prophet insists
that Jerusalem, no matter how insignificant among the powers
of the region, had been gifted by God with wisdom and insights
into living that would help it move into an era of peace. Isaiah
has a dream of universal peace, with all people streaming to the
mountain of the Lord. People would no longer harm themselves
or one another; there would be no war. People would be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord and walk in His ways. Some
believed that this would happen at His first coming, others at
His final coming. Others believed the prophet was daydreaming.
In the letter to the Romans (13:11-14), the imagery is of
getting up from sleep and facing the responsibilities that await
us. “You know the time has come, you must wake up now, your
salvation is near at hand.” Night and day, darkness and light
symbolize the struggle we must go through to come to God.
The first thing is to throw off our bedclothes and get dressed.
Darkness can take many forms in our lives: hatred, lack of
forgiveness, injustices, and addictions of all kinds. We need
to recognize an area of darkness and eradicate it. God’s grace
can free us and help us walk towards the light. Advent is a time
to pray, to cast off the works of darkness and end our night.
The first Sunday of Advent presents the Gospel from St.
Matthew (24:37-44), the message to stay awake and be ready
for the coming of the Lord. Matthew uses three stories to warn
people of the significance of unpreparedness. He addresses
what happened at the time of the flood, when people missed
warning signs because they were busy with the things of the
world. The flood came suddenly. Most people were so wrapped
up in their everyday concerns that, unlike Noah, they had failed
to prepare for the catastrophe. Worth noting is that what people
were busy with was acceptable, but for what they failed to do
they were guilty. Taking God into consideration while busy was
missing. Noah, on the other hand, never became so immersed
in daily concerns as to forget God.
Jesus’s second story is the parable of the workers. The
men were in the fields doing their work while the women were
attending to home errands. One was chosen over the other to
be lifted away. All were busy working, which is commendable,
but in each case perhaps one was too busy, not taking God’s
word to heart.
The third story compares God to a thief in the night. A
thief also strikes at the least likely moment, so again vigilance
is required. We cannot postpone until tomorrow what we can
do today. Robert Baden-Powell started the Scouts and Guides
with the motto “Be prepared.” The Gospel concludes with this
same tone: “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour
you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Chamber lunch
meeting
The next Heppner
Chamber of Commerce lun-
cheon will be an all-entities
meeting on Thursday, Dec.
8. The meeting will take
place from noon to 1 p.m.
at the Gilliam and Bisbee
event center. Lunch will be
loaded baked potatoes with
chili, provided by Upper
Place Concessions at a cost
of $12 per person.
RSVP to heppnercham-
ber@gmail.com by 5 p.m.
on Tuesday, Dec 6.
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Wishing each of you a
W onderful S eason of
T hanksgiving!
HEPPNER
HEPPNER
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