Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 9, 2025 -- THREE
CDA uncertainty
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Just Tariffs
but terror to evildoers”
(Proverbs 21:15).
First of all, I’m not a
Susie Crosby
financial wizard. If I were,
Prineville, OR
I’d have lots more fab-
ric and probably quite a
few more chickens. But
I’m getting a little tired
of all the tariff talk and
people doing the, “We’re
all gonna die!” thing. So,
let me put it simply. We’ve
been getting punched in the
I have been honored
nose by other countries for to serve on the board of
quite a while. They’ve been Morrow County Health
charging us some pretty District for the last four
steep tariffs and we’ve just years. To stop confusion
let it happen. Maybe it’s of my intentions, I want
time we punched back, even to announce I will be fully
if we end up with a few supporting a new candidate
bloody knuckles. No pain, stepping forward to serve
no gain.
on the board, allowing me
Now that Trump has to focus on serving out the
decided to put an end to it last months of my term.
by charging reciprocal tar-
Molly Rhea has been
iffs, he’s accused of being intertwined with the health
unfair. My question is…un- district for the last 40 years,
fair to whom? Keep in mind working with all the CEOs
that the meaning of “recip- and physicians during those
rocal” is to “give in return.” years. She started her nurs-
So, if someone gives you a ing career out on the nurs-
20 percent discount on their ing floor and rose to the re-
product, you give them a 20 sponsibilities of chief nurs-
percent discount on yours. ing officer. She has worked
And if someone charges with every department in
you a 20 percent fee to sell the hospital, including the
your product in their coun- ER, and retired as director
try (let’s not call it a tariff of home health and hospice.
just to keep the stress level
Molly established the
down), you charge them a Medicare certified hospice
20 percent fee to sell their program in 2003 with many
product in your country. An awards. She has attended
eye for an eye, or punch for countless board meetings;
punch…that’s reciprocal. with her experience as the
So, if a country charges CNO, she has knowledge
you a 50 percent fee, and of how the budget works
you charge them a 10 per- and participated in recruit-
cent fee….now that’s unfair. ment and retention. She
It’s kind of like a biological understands the present
male being allowed to beat needs of our district and the
the tar out of a woman. That responsibilities and hurdles
would be ridiculous, right? of building the future of
And you have to wonder, if our rural healthcare. She
tariffs are so horrible, why has provided care to every
have they worked so well corner of our county and
for other countries?
worked with many commu-
Maybe we need to lis- nity partners.
ten to President Trump and
Molly’s integrity, hon-
give him a little time before esty, compassion, com-
we get out the tar and feath- munity involvement and
ers. He said this would be leadership will serve the
rough at first, but worth it in best interests of the Morrow
the end. He sees tariffs as a County Health district and
great bargaining chip. Will all county residents. Molly
it work in our favor? We has been my colleague, peer
shall see. It looks like we’ve and dear friend.
already had some good re-
Please join me in sup-
sponses. Netanyahu said he porting Molly’s candidacy
would cut tariffs altogether. and voting for her. Thank
Good job, Israel. Sounds you, Molly, for stepping
like Vietnam and India are forward.
ready to make nice too. And
Diane Kilkenny,
here’s an idea. How about
Board Chair,
we stop being so depen-
Morrow County Health
dent on other countries and District
actually make and buy our
own stuff? Depending on
China for our meds makes
me kinda nervous.
As we’re all focused on
tariffs and the stock market,
let’s not forget all the insane It was my privilege to help
spending our government folks file their taxes this
has been doing the last four season at the AARP site in
years. Kudos to Musk for Lexington. In addition to
shining a light on the waste helping others, it reminded
and doing his best to take me that the state and federal
out the trash.
governments do nothing to
And are we concerned earn money; their funding
about a National Debt that comes only from each one
we can virtually never pay of us, taken from our wages,
back? Biden’s idea of print- investments and business
ing more money isn’t exact- income.
ly a cure. A government that It is thus deeply disturbing
has had too much freedom to see this administration’s
to spend and very little slashing of programs that
accountability needs to help struggling Americans:
change, even if that change cuts have been made in the
means some people need to last month to the Veterans
find new jobs.
Administration, health care
So, let’s do the hard and research, food banks,
stuff and not get sucked senior services and librar-
in to the distraction of the ies, to name a few. At the
Tesla-trashing crazies. We same time, the Pentagon
have a lot to be thankful recently estimated that $40
for. A secure border, a safer million had been spent in
country and tax dollars not one month to house 400
going to stupid places, for migrants at Guantanamo
starters. And if you have Bay, and the 2025 budget
food on the table and a for Immigration and Cus-
roof over your head, you toms Enforcement (ICE) is
are blessed. If you have $9.7 billion.
that and a dozen eggs in the I’m all for cutting out waste
fridge, you are rich.
and fraud in the govern-
“When justice is done, ment, but ending Meals
it brings joy to the righteous
Stepping aside
to step up: My
support for
Molly Rhea
Your Taxes
Should Work
for You
on Wheels and cancer re-
search isn’t to the point. I
for one would much rather
see my tax dollars support
veterans, the poor, the sick,
the elderly, schools and li-
braries than in demonizing
immigrants, detaining them
at outrageous expense in
immoral conditions, and
deporting them without
due process. If you feel the
same way, let our represen-
tatives in Congress know.
Sincerely,
The Reverend Lea Mathieu
Ione, OR
Time for
Change in the
Health District
As a candidate for a
position on the Morrow
County Health District, I
am writing this in response
to the current board’s com-
ments at the recent meeting
in Lexington and in last
week’s Gazette.
First, I agree that who-
ever put the photos of Emily
on the power poles around
town is pathetic and a cow-
ard.
Secondly, I take of-
fense to the statement that
we who are candidates for
board positions are running
out of “spite.” Speaking for
myself, I am running for a
position on the health dis-
trict board out of necessity.
There have been so many
questions by the public and
no answers. Remember,
we (the taxpayers) deserve
to know how our taxes are
being spent.
Third, it’s time for
change. We have lost way
too many doctors, nurses
and other staff with no
explanation of why. There
is a Promise of Excellence
statement on agendas and
minutes of the board that
they view through rose-col-
ored glasses.
With board members
who care about the em-
ployees and the district, we
will make these statements
come true.
Janet Greenup
Heppner, OR
Rhea has
passion for
MCHD to
succeed
I am writing this letter
to encourage everyone to
consider Molly Rhea for
the position on the Mor-
row County Health District
Board of Directors.
Molly has worked for
the health district for years
in various positions. She
knows the needs and work-
ings of our district. Molly
is very knowledgeable and
has the desire to have a
good, functioning health
district.
We need someone who
has passion and desire for
our hospital and health dis-
trict to succeed. Molly Rhea
is that person.
Myrna Sieler
Lexington, OR
Cast Your Vote
for Molly Rhea
I’m pleased to recom-
mend Molly Rhea as a
board member for the Mor-
row County Health District
and encourage you to give
her your vote. I first met
Molly 12 years ago when
I was hired as the CEO of
the Morrow County Health
District, and she was my
Chief Nursing Officer. She
quickly earned my respect
and trust.
During these past 12
years I have worked as CEO
with three different boards:
Morrow County Health
District, Harney County
Health District and now
Wallowa County Health
District. I have worked with
some amazing board mem-
bers and have seen firsthand
how a good board member
can make a difference.
The primary role of a
health district board mem-
ber is to hire and work
closely with the CEO.
Board members have ulti-
mate accountability for the
strategic direction, quality
of care and the long-term vi-
ability of the organization.
The best board members
don’t try to micromanage,
but they take the time to
really listen, understand and
ask good questions. They
exercise good judgement
when selecting a new CEO
and they trust and support
who they hire or inherit.
Serving for many years
as a Morrow County Health
District executive has given
Molly the skills and in-
sights that will make her a
successful board member.
She regularly contributed
to annual strategic plans,
ensured a skilled and com-
petent nursing staff, and
participated in budgeting
and financial stewardship.
She worked closely with a
number of CEOs and will
know how to properly se-
lect and support them. She
regularly attended board
meetings and has observed
highly skilled board mem-
bers in action. But perhaps
Molly’s biggest asset is
that she is Morrow County
through and through. She
loves the people there and
has given her life to serving
them.
I am confident that
Molly will be an excep-
tional board member for
the Morrow County Health
District and that you will
be pleased with what she
brings to the role. I invite
you to cast your vote for
Molly.
Daniel Grigg
Former MCHD CEO
Committee
Vote Opens
New Direction
for Wildfire
Program
-Continued from PAGE ONE
ate and House Republicans
stated in a release. “Senate
Bill 83 puts power back in
the hands of the people, not
government bureaucrats.
The wildfire hazard map
caused fear and uncertainty,
burdening families with
costly and unfair one-size-
fits-all mandates. This bill
repeals that mess, empow-
ers people to protect their
homes without the threat
of government interference,
and focuses on practical
solutions for wildfire pre-
vention. With this step for-
ward, we’re delivering the
change that rural Oregon
has long deserved.”
SB 83 empowers local com-
munities to make decisions
tailored to their unique
needs, enabling them to
take effective steps to pro-
tect their homes. It also
ensures taxpayer dollars are
spent where they have the
most impact—supporting
local efforts like defensi-
ble space, forest thinning,
and wildfire readiness pro-
grams.
Senate Bill 83 now moves
to the Senate floor for a vote
by the whole chamber.
-Continued from PAGE ONE this.”
the property is in dispute.
Instead, he suggested a res-
olution to sell the property
once Umatilla County and
the Port of Umatilla had
reached an agreement.
The board voted 4-1 to
approve moving forward
with a land sale once the
litigation had been settled.
Tovey, the lone dissenter,
said he wasn’t comfortable
with “that sort of horse
trading.”
“What happens next
year?” asked Tovey. “Are
you going to give another
100 acres back to us?”
Smith responded that
he thought the CDA’s pur-
pose was to work itself out
of business.
“The purpose of the
CDA was to benefit the
redevelopment of the prop-
erty,” Mittelsdorf added.
“For us to give up a hun-
dred acres is not just to
say, ‘Here, CDA, here’s
a boatload of money to
operate.’ It’s so there’s a
development, and that de-
velopment will pay taxes,
that development will cre-
ate jobs, just like any other
economic development
project.
“It’s not for the CDA to
generate a bunch of income
for the future of … what?”
she added.
Tovey said he agreed
but said that the tribes had
taken on an expense with
their share of the property,
designated as a wildlife
refuge. Tovey said, with
property transferred to the
two ports, the counties
would receive tax revenue
and the ports would receive
funds from land sales and
transfers, but CTUIR would
end up with a bill for natural
resource management.
“We’re going to have
to pay through the nose for
that,” he said. “There’s an
equity thing here that I’m
concerned about.
“Take a thousand acres
away and give us a hundred
and we’re supposed to be
grateful for it,” said Tov-
ey. “I’m not grateful for a
hundred acres. I want the
thousand acres back.”
Meanwhile, the conten-
tious issue of the transfer of
CDA property to the ports
of Morrow and Umatilla
also raised the question of
whether the CDA would re-
ceive the funds or whether
they would go to the POM.
According to Port staff,
the transfer agreement in-
cluded the ability to with-
draw 100 acres that the
CDA could sell and use the
funding from.
“The spirit of this
would be that the Port of
Morrow leans into helping
us get this done so we have
a way of paying our bills,”
added Puzey. “We have
a resource that you have
granted to help us with
At the same time, under
the 2022 Base Realignment
and Closure (BRAC) agree-
ment the CDA has with the
federal government, nearly
all income within a sev-
en-year timeframe must be
reinvested in the property.
CDA Director Greg
Smith told the board that
accepted uses included
infrastructure like roads,
sanitation and utilities, as
well as police and fire facili-
ties, building rehabilitation,
landscaping and marketing,
among others.
There was some dis-
agreement on the board as
to whether administration
and legal could be included
in that list.
Smith told the board
that the sale of land to cover
the budget shortfall left by
the loss of the grant was
in line with the OLDCC’s
original intent.
Finally, a Port of Mor-
row request that all five
CDA members equally
share costs also met with
a chilly reception. POM
Chief Financial Officer
Eileen Hendricks told the
CDA board that the Port
would be able to request
grant reimbursement for
July 1, 2024, through Feb.
21, 2025. The total grant-re-
lated expenses for that time
were $583,786, she said,
and they would request
$402,203 from the OLDCC
after deducting costs like
disputed payroll and grant
matches.
“Regardless, we have
put out $583,000 since July
1 that should have been the
five parties’ responsibility
and have not received reim-
bursement for any of those
dollars—and for some en-
tities, longer than that,”
she said.
POM has also paid
for expenses such as legal
costs, paving and payroll
since Feb. 21, with no fed-
eral reimbursement expect-
ed for those expenditures.
Tovey said he could
not bind the CTUIR board
to additional funds without
express consent from the
CTUIR board of trustees.
Schafer, meanwhile,
said the current language
in the CDA’s intergovern-
mental agreement was to
protect the CDA members
from personal liability, and
he felt the idea of equal
sharing of costs required a
unanimous amendment to
the IGA.
The topic was set aside,
but not before Shafer told
Puzey that the request “flies
100 percent in the face” of a
possible agreement regard-
ing the lawsuit.
“And I hope you vote
no on this,” he said, “Be-
cause this would complete-
ly blow all of the work
that we’ve done out of the
water.”
Pastors invited to submit
Easter messages
Area pastors are invit-
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sages to the Heppner Ga-
zette-Times for publication
in the April 16 edition. The
deadline for submission is
5 p.m. Monday, April 14.
Messages may be
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zette-Times at P.O. Box
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177 N. Main in Heppner.
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
4/10 - 4/16
Thursday - Monte Cristo with hashbrown
patties
Friday - 2pc of cod with clam chowder
Saturday - pepperoni quesadilla with chicken
tortilla soup
Sunday - closed
Monday - General Tso chicken, fried rice,
egg roll
Tuesday - Italian Sub sandwich with jojos
Tuesday Night - 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday - grill chicken Philly with deep
fried chips