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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2015)
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 EDMISTON: continued from page A1 to be good, solid decision makers.” He said, however, when RI¿FHUV HQFRXQWHU VLWXDWLRQV beyond their responsibilities or expertise, they are trained WRFRQVXOWZLWKWKHLUVXSHUYL- sor. ³:H GRQ¶W OLNH EXUHDX- cracy in the sense of memos GRQH LQ WULSOLFDWH DQG XS WKH chain, down the chain and sideways,” he said. “None of XV DUH IRU WKDW EXW WKHUH KDV WREHVRPHVWUXFWXUHWRZKDW we do.” DOWN THE CHAIN As chief, Edmiston said KHORRNVDWWKH³ELJSLFWXUH´ where the department is go- ing and how it is going to get there. He said he is “constantly FULWLTXLQJ´ WKH GHSDUWPHQW WR HQVXUH LW LV RSHUDWLQJ HI- ¿FLHQWO\ LQWHUQDOO\ DQG SHU- IRUPLQJRXWUHDFKWRLPSURYH external relations. “As far as what I do, it’s meetings — it’s trying to EXLOGWKRVHUHODWLRQVKLSV´KH said. “It’s setting the tone for the department, i.e. goals and objectives. It’s looking at dif- IHUHQW SURJUDPV \RX NQRZ are we effective at X, Y and Z, or is there a way that we FDQ EH PRUH HI¿FLHQW ZLWK WKHOLPLWHGUHVRXUFHVWKDWZH have?” CHARTER: continued from page A1 +H VDLG RQO\ ¿YH FLWLHV LQ 2UHJRQ HOHFW D PXQLFLSDO MXGJH $Q DWWRUQH\ ZKR ZRXOG not provide his name said he was concerned the city ZRXOG H[SHULHQFH OLDELOLW\ LVVXHVLIWKHMXGJHZHUHDS- pointed rather than elected, HVSHFLDOO\EHFDXVHWKHGUDIW FKDUWHUGRHVQRWUHTXLUHWKH MXGJHWREHDQDWWRUQH\ ³,IWKHPXQLFLSDOMXGJHLV HOHFWHG REYLRXVO\ WKH &LW\ &RXQFLO GRHVQ¶W EHDU DQ\ responsibility for what that SHUVRQGRHVEXWLIWKHSHUVRQ is appointed, then the City &RXQFLO DW OHDVW LQ WKHRU\ FRXOG EH VXHG IRU QHJOLJHQW hiring if they hire a person who is a non-lawyer and that person goes off the rails.” He said an appointed MXGJH ZRXOG EH PRUH LQ- dependent and that people KDYHPRUHFRQ¿GHQFHLQDQ HOHFWHG RI¿FLDO WKDQ DQ DS- pointed one. ³$ MXGJH¶V DXWKRULW\ comes from people’s belief LQ KLV DXWKRULW\´ KH VDLG ³,IDMXGJHLVEHOLHYHGWREH ERXJKW RU FRUUXSW D MXGJH can say whatever he wants, EXWDWWKHHQGRIWKHGD\KLV FUHGLELOLW\LVJRLQJWRVXIIHU´ Smith said an elected MXGJH FRXOG IDFH WKH VDPH FUHGLELOLW\ FRQFHUQV GXH WR the campaign process and that other cities, most of ZKLFKKDYHDSSRLQWHGMXGJ- es, have dealt with the po- tential liability problem. Creasing, an attorney DQG WKH FXUUHQW HOHFWHG PXQLFLSDO MXGJH VDLG KH ZRXOGUHFRPPHQGDGGLQJD UHTXLUHPHQW WKDW WKH MXGJH Edmiston said he analyzes WUHQGV DQG DGMXVWV WKH GH- SDUWPHQW¶V VWUXFWXUH WR PHHW goals. He said he determines WKH FRPPXQLW\ YDOXH RI SR- WHQWLDO SURJUDPV ² VXFK DV DFDQLQHXQLWFXUUHQWO\XQGHU consideration — and makes departmental decisions to bet- WHUVHUYHWKHFRPPXQLW\ With a large Span- LVKVSHDNLQJ SRSXODWLRQ LQ Hermiston, he said HPD is ³DKHDGRIWKHJDPH´EHFDXVH 23 percent of the department DQGSHUFHQWRISDWURORI¿- FHUVDUHELOLQJXDO “To me, it’s not a matter RI µ:KDW VKRXOG EH WKH RI¿- FLDO ODQJXDJH RI WKH 8QLWHG States?’ ” he said. “It’s a mat- ter of ‘Who is it that we’re serving, and are we effective- ly serving those people?’ The only way we can get there is WR PDNH VXUH WKDW ZH KDYH some sort of balance percent- age-wise internally for bilin- JXDOIRONVZLWKWKRVHWKDWZH serve externally.” Another important part of the department’s external relations, he said, is meeting with different people and or- ganizations. “There’s a lot of meet- ings,” he said. “Nobody likes WRJRWRPHHWLQJVMXVWWRJRWR PHHWLQJVEXWWKHFULWLFDOSDUW DERXW PHHWLQJV IRU PH LV LW enhances those relationships that we know that we need WRKDYHLQRUGHUIRUXVWREH VXFFHVVIXO ,Q HVVHQFH WKRVH meetings are with entities that represent those we serve.” EH DQ DWWRUQH\ EHFDXVH DW- WRUQH\VZKRVHUYHDVMXGJHV DUHVWLOOVXEMHFWWRWKHUXOHV of the state bar. Drotzmann said the City &RXQFLOZRXOGSUREDEO\UH- TXLUHWKHMXGJHWREHDQDW- torney by passing an addi- WLRQDORUGLQDQFHEXWZDQWHG WR OHDYH ÀH[LELOLW\ LQ WKH charter. Creasing, however, VDLGDQRUGLQDQFHFRXOGEH repealed. “I think the city ends XS VDIHU E\ UHTXLULQJ WKH MXGJH WR EH DQ DWWRUQH\´ Creasing said. “I think \RX¶UH DOZD\V JRLQJ WR EH DEOHWR¿QGDQDWWRUQH\´ &LW\ &RXQFLO PHPEHUV SUHYLRXVO\ GLVFXVVHG WKH option of placing any con- troversial changes in the FKDUWHUVXFKDVWKHMXGJHRU mayor term changes, on the ballot separately as amend- ments, so the entire charter was not voted down over RQHLVVXH Creasing recommended SODFLQJWKHMXGJHFKDQJHRQ the ballot as an amendment EHFDXVH +HUPLVWRQ UHVL- dents “have had the right for 50 years” to elect their MXGJHKHVDLG $OWKRXJK IHZ SHRSOH ZHUH DW 7KXUVGD\¶V PHHW- ing, Smith said people also expressed their concern DERXW WKH MXGJH LVVXH DW D presentation at the Lions &OXE RQ :HGQHVGD\ EXW were “pretty comfortable” with the other changes. He LVDOVRVFKHGXOHGWRSUHVHQW to the Noon Kiwanis and 5RWDU\FOXEVQH[WZHHN $QRWKHU FRPPXQLW\ PHHWLQJDERXWWKHSURSRVHG charter revisions will be held at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Hermiston Conference Center. “We don’t like bureaucracy in the sense of memos done in triplicate and up the chain, down the chain and sideways. None of us are for that, but there has to be some structure to what we do.” — Jason Edmiston Hermiston police chief FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP VHUJHDQW WR OLHXWHQDQW ZDV LQWHUHVWLQJ EHFDXVH WKDW W\S- LFDOO\ GRHVQ¶W KDSSHQ LQ MXVW Edmiston was born and one year,” he said. “Normal- raised in Hermiston and be- O\\RXZRXOGZDQWDSHUVRQ gan working as an HPD pa- to be a sergeant for a while WURO RI¿FHU LQ +H ZDV before promoting them to the promoted to sergeant in 2004 QH[WVWHSEXWWKHUHZDVVRPH DQGLQWROLHXWHQDQW² WXUQRYHUSHUVRQQHOZLVHDQG a position title that has since WKDW¶VMXVWNLQGRIWKHZD\HY- changed to captain. HU\WKLQJOLQHGXS´ “That promotion from He was named acting FKLHILQ$XJXVWRIZKHQ IRUPHU&KLHI'DQ&RXORPEH was placed on administrative OHDYHGXULQJDQLQYHVWLJDWLRQ following allegations of staff PLVWUHDWPHQW DQG ZDV RI¿- cially appointed in May of +H VDLG DOWKRXJK WKH position is what he expected it to be, being a chief has pos- itive and negative aspects. “Nothing has really been a VXUSULVHWRPH´KHVDLG³3HU- haps the biggest challenge is, REYLRXVO\ PDNLQJ SHUVRQQHO decisions. I’ve had to make some decisions where peo- SOH KDYH JRWWHQ RXW RI ODZ HQIRUFHPHQWDQGHQFRXUDJHG them that it was probably time WRJHWRXWRIODZHQIRUFHPHQW and I don’t take those deci- sions lightly. Those weigh on me heavily internally.” Edmiston said the easiest part of the job is “empow- HULQJ SHRSOH´ ZLWK WUXVW DQG UHVRXUFHV+HVDLGLQKLV¿UVW year, he was able to promote IRXU RI¿FHUV WR WKH VXSHUYL- sory sergeant position, which LVDUDUHRSSRUWXQLW\+HDOVR said being able to provide a FDUHHU WR QHZ UHFUXLWV ZLWK little or no police experience LVIXO¿OOLQJ “The last several people we have hired, basically they’re balls of clay, and we are shaping them the ZD\ WKDW ZH GR EXVLQHVV for those that we serve here in Hermiston,” he said. “There’s something YHU\ H[FLWLQJ DERXW WKDW EHFDXVHUHJDUGOHVVRIZKR \RX DUH HYHU\ VLQJOH RQH RI XV NQRZV ZKR WKH FKLHI ZDV WKDW KLUHG XV DQG WKDW will always be that person’s FKLHI :KHQ \RX¶UH LQ D position to be able to give VRPHERG\ DQ RSSRUWXQLW\ to achieve a goal or a dream that they’ve had to become D SROLFH RI¿FHU ² WKDW QRW RQO\ LPSDFWV WKHP EXW LP- pacts their family — there’s something extremely re- ZDUGLQJDERXWWKDW´ Bundle up this holiday season with a new iPhone and iPad. 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