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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2023)
50¢ VOL. 143 NO. 42 8 Pages Wednesday, October 18, 2023 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Camper catches rainbow over Willow Creek RV Park Port of Morrow in stalemate over commission appointment County commissioners may step in on the decision By Andrea Di Salvo The decision on who will fill a vacant seat on the Port of Morrow Com- mission is still undecided, as Port commissioners re- main deadlocked over their choices. The Port Commis- sion met on Oct. 6 to decide on a new commissioner to fill a vacancy but recessed the meeting after reaching a stalemate. The four Port com- missioners are tasked with appointing a fifth commis- sioner to fill the vacancy left upon the resignation of former commissioner Jerry Healy. Healy resigned on Aug. 8, and the Port began advertising the vacancy on Aug. 14. The appointment requires a majority vote of three of the four remaining commissioners. The commissioners narrowed the field of eight applicants down to five, who were interviewed during the Port’s public meeting on Oct. 6. From there, two front-runners emerged—Jerry Rietmann of Ione and Brian Thomp- son of Heppner. Rietmann is a fourth-generation Ione res- ident. He left the banking industry in the 1980s to return to Ione and farm. He has been involved in farm- ing in Morrow and Gilliam counties since then, as well as being involved in renew- able energy development Jerrry Reitman (left) and Brian Thompson during an interview by the Port of Morrow Commissioners. -Contributed Photo since 2008. He has never held an elected position in Morrow County, saying he never felt he had the time to devote to such a position but that he is now at a dif- ferent point in his life. “And of all the groups in the county that I am interested in, the Port is probably highest on my list,” said Rietmann. Thompson is also the fourth generation on his family ranch. He holds an ag degree from Oregon State University and has spent most of his career on the family ranch. He has been involved in various local projects, including appropriating irrigation water out of Willow Creek Reservoir and piping it from Heppner to Lexington. He has served on various county boards including the Heppner Rural Fire Protec- tion District board, Morrow County Road Advisory Board, and Morrow County Planning Commission. With two qualified candidates in front of the commission, though, that was where progress ended. The commissioners failed to agree on a final selec- tion, instead splitting in a 2-2 decision. Commission vice president John Murray and Commissioner Kelly Doherty said they preferred Thompson, while Commis- sion President Joe Taylor and Commission Secretary/ treasurer Rick Stokoe said they felt Rietmann was a better choice. After a lengthy discus- sion, it became apparent that both sides refused to give way. If the commission is unable to make a choice, the next step is to hand the decision to the Morrow County Board of Commis- sioners. However, neither Mur- ray nor Doherty appeared in favor of passing the choice on to the county govern- ment. Doherty said she saw nothing in the Port bylaws that required immediate action. She suggested it might be best to prolong the decision, perhaps with more candidate interviews. “I have questions that didn’t make the list of ques- tions, and I still have those questions,” she said. Taylor pointed out that all the questions asked of the applicants had been vet- ted by the Port’s attorney, but Doherty replied that she wasn’t sure if legality was the only standard the attorney had used, and she would like to revisit some of the questions. Rick Stokoe disagreed with the idea of extending the process. “Obviously this is why we have a five-commis- sioner board,” said Stokoe, “Because we can’t come to a stalemate each time we have something come before this commission.” “So I’m not in favor of kicking the can down the road,” he added. “We either make a decision or we allow -Continued to PAGE TWO Two Locals take on Rose City Comic Con Amanda Fenn Poses with Poison Ivy and Bain from Batman - Pictures by Amanda Fenn By Annalynn Black On September 22nd two locals, Amanda Fenn and Dallas Mullins headed for Rose City Comic-Con located at the Portland Convention Center. The two share a love for vid- eo games and popular TV shows and got to share memories that will last a lifetime. Actors like Zoe Saldana of Guardians of the Galaxy, Karen Gillian of Doctor Who, Ralph Macchio of The Karate Kid, and so many more popular stars were there for meet and greets, to sign merchandise, and pose for pictures. In the sea of en- thusiastic participants, you could spot authors, you- tubers, creators, and cos- players dressed up as their favorite characters ranging from movies, anime, tv series, and video games. And we can’t forget icon- ic characters like Daleks from Doctor Who, The infamous car from Super- natural, and Droids from Star Wars. Fenn says, “It’s always been a dream of mine to act out the charac- ters I watched while grow- ing up.” Ms. Fenn dressed as her personalized character from the video game Red Dead Redemption and her favorite character D.Va in the video game ‘Over- watch’ while Mr. Mullins dressed up as the main character Steven Universe from the show ‘Steven Universe.’ While the atmo- sphere of a big event may seem overwhelming, MS. Fenn says “Everyone at the convention had so much support for one another, no one is judging anyone, it’s a very open and normalized environment.” “There isn’t any wrong way to go. You can be whatever or whom- ever you want. The sky is the limit really. I was able to be myself without hes- itation.” The event lasted three days giving all par- ticipants a chance to meet their idols and mingle with Amanda Fenn poses with Dead Pool - Pictures by Amanda Fenn like-minded people be- fore hanging up costumes, that had been planned for months, and returning to their regular lives. While you can show up for the celebs and cos- tumes some have other interests in mind, the con- vention offers a wide ar- rangement of panels and workshops like writing and illustrations, behind-the- scenes discussions with in- dustry insiders, panel dis- cussions with actors, and even gaming zones. As of October 17, 2023, there are more than 1,000 comic cons held an- nually in the United States. The Rose City Comic Con, now in its eleventh year, boasts over 4,000 attend- ees. However, it’s import- ant to note that Rose City has a strict weapons poli- cy. Only simulated or cos- tume weapons are allowed as part of your costume. Real swords, bats, shields, or heavy staffs are strictly prohibited. The photo above was sent by Ben Howell, who was staying at the Willow Creek RV Park shortly after a rainfall. Photo by - Ben Howell Lexington plans to improve Town Hall The town of Lexington is embarking on a project to enhance the parking lot of its Town Hall and Fire Hall. They have received a grant of $10,000 from the Willow Creek Valley Eco- nomic Development Group to partially fund the project. However, additional funds will be required to com- plete it. The grant money will be allocated towards improving safety access to the Town Hall, installing parking lines and proper signage, creating parking spaces that meet ADA re- quirements, constructing a suitable driveway for the Fire Hall, ensuring right of way for Fire Trucks, and installing a new garage door for the Fire Department. The project organizers are confident that if they can gather all the necessary funds, the project will be completed within a month of commencing. The town of Lexington Council is highly motivated to initiate this project promptly to ensure that the town facil- ities are safer and easily accessible for all. Morrow County Rural Fire District to participate in Disaster Preparedness Drill HERMISTON, OR – On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., Good Shep- herd Health Care System (GSHCS) will participate in a full-scale disaster pre- paredness drill. This sim- ulation drill will provide training to GSHCS staff in their roles and responsibil- ities during disasters, and how to execute coordinated response efforts with out- side agencies. Many local agencies and their support personnel will take part in the drill including: Oregon State Police Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Umatilla County Emergen- cy Management Umatilla County Public Health Umatilla County Fire Dis- trict 1 Life Flight Network Morrow County Rural Fire District Pendleton Fire Department First Student Bus Company Bert’s Auto Salvage & Towing “This is about taking care of our community,” stated GSHCS President & CEO Art Mathisen. “We want to give our team the experience needed to be as prepared as possible for real-world occurrences.” Access to medical care will not be affected by the drill. “Good Shepherd will remain fully op-erational while the drill is underway. Patients may hear and see our emergency response system and local agency officials on our campus during that timeframe, but rest assured it is only a scheduled drill,” stated Mathisen. Umatilla County Public Health Umatilla County Fire Dis- trict 1 Life Flight Network Morrow County Rural Fire District Pendleton Fire Department -Continued to PAGE THREE CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
