Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 7, 2025 -- THREE
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Why I’m
running for
POM
commissioner
Why am I running for
Port of Morrow commis-
sioner position 1?
Why am I running?
This is the question a can-
didate needs to answer for
the voters in a district so
they may have a basis for
choosing to give that candi-
date their vote or not.
I had a difficult time
answering that for myself
so I could explain it to Mor-
row County voters. I am not
running because of the folks
who asked me to; I have
no problem turning down
suggestions I don’t like.
I’m not running because I
need something to do; I’m
living a full life working at
CFS and raising some boys.
The answer finally
came to me at the Ione
candidate forum last Thurs-
day. Danny Kerns and I
were chatting with one of
the current port commis-
sioners before the event and
the commissioner told us
“Most people don’t know
that we don’t have to give or
do anything for these small
communities. The port is a
business.”
The event coordinator
interrupted our conversa-
tion, starting the evening’s
event, so I couldn’t ask the
port commissioner to elab-
orate, but I then knew why
I was running.
The Port of Morrow is
a business, but it’s one cre-
ated and supported by the
taxpayers of Morrow Coun-
ty, and if the people running
the Port don’t know that,
they need to be replaced.
I understand that a
Port Commissioner’s job
as an elected position is to
direct the staff of the Port
to operate the business
according to the taxpayers/
voters wishes. If elected, I
will not lose sight of who is
ultimately in charge of the
Port of Morrow.
I have experience mak-
ing deals that benefit every-
one involved, and I am not
afraid to take on unpleasant
problems, people or entities
in order to negotiate fair
deals for the taxpayers of
Morrow County. I am un-
afraid to change the culture
of the staff at the Port to one
where they all understand
who they’re working for.
Please open your bal-
lots, choose your candidates
and return your ballots.
What you want for your
county makes a difference.
Thank you for your
time,
J. Fletcher Hobbs
Boardman, OR
It’s time to
invest
We are writing in sup-
port of the Morrow County
School District facilities
bond measure 25-104 on
the May 20, 2025, ballot.
If passed, this facilities
bond will allow the district
to replace and upgrade
three buildings along with
improving the safety and
security of all buildings in
the district.
In July 2023, the dis-
trict found major structural
damage in several areas of
Irrigon Jr/Sr High School.
Structural engineers found
that the original building
was not constructed proper-
ly in the late seventies. The
roof to wall pre-cast con-
crete beams were welded
together and did not allow
for expansion and contrac-
tion, causing cracking and
damage. All three engineers
have recommended that the
best option is to replace the
building.
Riverside Jr/Sr High
School has many systems
that are at the end of their
life cycle, such as HVAC,
plumbing and electrical.
These are systems you can’t
see, but that cause the learn-
ing environment to not be
ideal for students and staff.
The building has areas with
small hallways and odd-
shaped classrooms and is
not ADA compliant. A full
remodel would allow the
systems to be replaced, the
building be brought up to
code, and add an addition-
al gymnasium and square
footage for growth.
The Community Bond
Advisor Committee re-
viewed the costs to replace
or remodel both Heppner
Elementary and Heppner
Jr/Sr High School. By com-
bining the schools, the cost
savings was over $20 mil-
lion dollars, not including
the long-term savings of
an updated building versus
having two outdated build-
ings with failing systems. If
the bond passes, the junior/
senior high building will
be remodeled to allow for
all systems, ADA, building
codes and safety to be up-
graded and become a K-12
campus.
Morrow County has
seen tremendous growth in
the tax assessed value over
the past 15 years. Large in-
dustry makes up 72 percent
of our overall tax base. If
voters pass this facilities
bond, those companies will
pay approximately $147
million of the total bond
over 20 years. That’s an
incredible opportunity for
our taxpayers and doesn’t
happen in most counties in
Oregon.
Be an informed vot-
er—do the research—ask
the questions. We have. We
vote yes. It’s time to invest
in our buildings, which will
strengthen the learning and
growth of our students.
Please join us in supporting
MCSD.
B r a n d i a n d C o re y
Sweeney
Heppner, OR
Bond will
shape the
future of
Morrow
County
Dear Morrow County
Voters,
As members of the
Morrow County Board of
Commissioners, we stand
united in support of the
Morrow County School
District’s General Obliga-
tion Bond - Measure 25-
104, which will appear on
the May 2025 ballot. This
bond represents a crucial
investment in our schools,
community, and most im-
portantly, our students’ fu-
tures.
The bond proposal fol-
lows a year of diligent work
by the district’s Community
Bond Advisory Committee
(CBAC) and incorporates
comprehensive assess-
ments of facility needs and
feedback from communi-
ty members. It addresses
critical projects, including
replacing and remodeling
aging schools, improving
traffic and parking safety,
and upgrading district-wide
security systems.
The proposed bond
amount of $204.4 million
includes a $6 million match-
ing grant from the Oregon
School Capital Improve-
ment Matching Program, a
benefit that directly offsets
the burden on taxpayers.
With an estimated bond
rate of $2.99 per $1,000
assessed property value,
taxpayers can appreciate
the unique advantage in
Morrow County, where in-
dustrial and utility compa-
nies pay approximately 72
percent of property taxes.
This is an opportunity
to modernize our schools,
ensure the safety of stu-
dents, and create environ-
ments where they can thrive
academically and socially.
Supporting Measure 25-104
is an investment in the long-
term success and growth of
our community.
We encourage all vot-
ers to learn more about the
bond at mcsdbond.org and
consider how its passage
will shape the future of
Morrow County.
Sincerely,
Morrow County Board
of Commissioners
David Sykes, Jeff Wen-
holz, August Peterson
that your vote is important.
Do your candidate research.
Ask questions. And go tell
someone how much you
appreciate them…say thank
you, then repeat often. It’s
time well spent.
“But we ask you, broth-
ers, to acknowledge those
who work diligently among
you, who preside over you
in the Lord and give you in-
struction. In love, hold them
in highest regard because of
their work. Live in peace
with one another. And we
urge you, brothers, to ad-
monish the unruly, encour-
age the fainthearted, help
the weak, and be patient
with everyone. Make sure
that no one repays evil for
evil. Always pursue what
is good for one another and
for all people” (1 Thessalo-
nians 5:12-15).
Susie Crosby
Prineville, OR
A little appreciation
goes a long way…some-
thing I’ve heard often.
Sometimes I think appre-
ciation is more important
than love. Or maybe that’s
90 percent of what love is.
Everyone wants to have
value. We want to know
that what we do has value.
It gives us a reason to keep
going, striving, overcoming
and improving.
Does our appreciation
for someone mean anything
if we don’t express it? Will
they even know their value
if they’re never told…or
shown? There are many
ways to show you care. Our
actions speak loudly, and
our attitude speaks even
louder.
I do love the town of
Heppner, and I love my
job…enough to travel three
hours to get there. Know-
ing (and hoping) I can be
a blessing to patients is a
labor of love (even at 3
a.m.). I work with some
great people. Yes, there
have been too many come
and go, and it’s not a great
“look.” I’ve seen some
nice folks disappear. Some
quit, and some were fired.
I don’t pretend to know the
“how come” of every cir-
cumstance but knowing you
could be booted at any time
isn’t a great feeling…and it
makes it tough to speak up.
So, what about ap-
preciation? Maybe it’s all
wrapped up in “Ya don’t
know what ya got till it’s
gone.” Sometimes we have
to do without to realize
something’s true value.
Sad deal. I hope that’s not
the case with our medi-
cal services in Heppner.
I can’t imagine the tragic
outcomes if our hospital
and EMS services were to
cease.
I hope PMH keeps go-
ing and improving. I hope
those “in charge” will listen
to their employees and will
treat them with respect and
appreciation, while under-
standing the need for com-
munication and transparen-
cy between the ground floor
and the top levels.
Caring for the sick and
injured isn’t always easy.
Sometimes it’s exhausting
both physically and men-
tally. But then it’s hard to
know that unless you’ve
“been there.” Compas-
sion and understanding for
doctors, nurses and EMS
helps…a ton. And I hope
they listen to the commu-
nity they serve. They’re the
reason MCHD exists.
In the middle of this
election, please remember
Free money? You’re
right, there really is no
such thing; however, there
are rare times when our
investments pay returns far
beyond the amount we put
in. This is the case with the
school bond ballot question
in front of you today.
A few facts: Yes, we
will all pay the bond rate
for the life of the bond,
even people in the cities of
the county already paying
the highest rates in the state
capped at $10 per 1,000,
Heppner as an example.
Bond payments are not part
of the Measure 5 cap. All
citizens of Morrow County
pay the same rate, as do all
industries—this last group
paying an estimated 70
percent of the total amount
versus individual taxpayers.
The total bond amount to
repay is $204 million, a lot
of money, I know.
Here is where it gets
School bond:
money left
Say thanks on the table?
interesting, though, or ex-
citing, in my opinion.
Through negotiated
contracts with AWS/Ama-
zon for placement of facil-
ities in the county and tax
deferment incentives, AWS
will pay on this school bond
for the life of the bond. We
may have differing opinions
on the other terms of the
contracts signed in CREZ3
(Columbia River Enter-
prise Zone Version 3), but
this one line item alone,
depending on their new
facility building schedules,
would amount to millions
of dollars. Remember, this
is in addition to any taxes
they are paying toward the
bond, the 70 percent figure
mentioned above.
What this means to us
individual taxpayers is that
the bond duration will be
drastically reduced. Instead
of 20 years of our pay-
ments, it very likely could
be far less. We are talking
big dollars that we won’t be
paying; AWS will be.
I for one am very ap-
preciative of this from
AWS, and what’s more, the
company has offered to go
back to a previous facility
(facilities?) contracts with-
out bond payments required
and add it in so as to pay
on those older contracts as
well. They don’t have to
do this but are generously
offering it.
Not to belabor this
point but, if the bond pass-
es, AWS will contribute
a substantial amount. If it
fails, they contribute noth-
ing.
I haven’t even talked
of the dozens of other good
reasons to pass the school
bond, but now I will, from
a personal standpoint.
Ann and I have five
kids, all valedictorians of
their classes and, if all goes
as planned, five college
doctorates between them
when done with school in
about a year. The Morrow
County School District set
them up well for success.
But scholastic achievement
is not what’s currently most
important here; it is the fact
that four of the five have
already, or will as soon as
they can, be moving back to
Morrow County to live and
raise their kids. They are
two pharmacists, a nurse
practitioner and a dentist,
all professional services we
need in this county. Home-
grown is best for so many
reasons but love of the
communities and the people
in them has to be one of the
most important.
Please join me in voting
in support of the school
bond on May 20.
Respectfully submit-
ted,
John Murray
Heppner, OR
Rhea will make
things better
After attending the
recent public candidates
forum held in Ione on
Wednesday, May 1, I was
impressed in the response
of each of the candidates.
I didn’t necessarily agree
with each of them but did
appreciate that they re-
sponded to the questions
that were asked.
Having served on the
Pioneer Memorial Hospi-
tal board for several years
alongside Larry Mills as
well as other dedicated
volunteers, I remember
fighting to save the hospital
as it was being threatened
with foreclosure. Oh, how
I wish I had kept the box of
papers that stacked up as we
fought to save the hospital.
We all worked together for
the same purpose, and it
worked.
Now we are going in
different directions. I do
feel there are those that
will work to bring the hos-
pital back to a better place.
Molly Rhea is one of those.
Molly has experienced
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