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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2015)
OPINION A4 HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 EDITORIAL • COMMENTARY • LETTERS HermistonHerald VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 13 JESSICA KELLER EDITOR jkeller@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4533 MAEGAN MURRAY SEAN HART SAM BARBEE JEANNE JEWETT KIM LA PLANT STEPHANIE BURKENBINE REPORTER mmurray@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4532 SPORTS REPORTER sbarbee@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4542 OFFICE MANAGER klaplant@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4530 REPORTER smhart@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4534 MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT jjewett@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4531 MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT sburkenbine@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4538 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our of¿ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: www.hermistonherald.com ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays and Saturdays Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties ......................................................................................... $42.65 Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ...................................................................................... $53.90 The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published twice weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457, FAX (541) 567-1764. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 Printed on E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. recycled A member of the EO Media Group Copyright ©2015 newsprint Valentine humbug A h, the holidays are upon us. Of course, the holidays are always upon us, as it seems there’s always something just in the rear view mirror or coming up on the road ahead. Just past is Groundhog Day. There’s something indescribably amazing about living in the only industrialized nation with a holiday dedicated to a large ground-dwelling rodent. Makes us kind of special, it does. Ahead is the ever popular Valentine’s Day. A holiday like many others, where the spiritual side has long since vanished into the commercial. Originally — and still celebrated as — SAINT Valentine’s Day in some churches, most Americans (other than maybe those churchgoers who celebrate it) couldn’t tell you who St. Valentine was, what he did or why he was a saint. Saintly WUDGLWLRQVRIVDFUL¿FHDQG service have passed away, WXUQHGLQWRFDUGVÀRZHUV and chocolate. However, the commercialization has not yet risen to the point of sales of hollow chocolate St. Valentines, which is a good thing since biting the ears off those would be GLI¿FXOW Urban legend to the contrary — that Valentine’s Day is a made up holiday foisted on an unwary public by the FDUGÀRZHUDQGFKRFRODWH industries, the celebration of Valentine’s Day as a festival of love dates back to the 15th century, long before chocolate had been discovered or greeting cards invented. There were wars about roses, though. Though l’amour was part of the holiday through the centuries, the modern heavy involvement of WKHFKRFRODWHÀRZHU and card industries began around the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. That slippery commercial slope is then where we are today, with aisles and aisles of love waiting to happen, with everything from dollar cards to gadjillion-dollar diamonds waiting to help you express your love and affection to your sweetheart. Or your would-be sweetheart. Or the person who’d be your sweetheart if the restraining order ever Letters Policy THOMAS CREASING OFF THE BENCH Herald columnist expires. Other nations are not immune to the romance of Valentine’s Day, though Asian countries have a unique spin on the process. In Korea, it was traditional on Valentine’s Day for women to give chocolates or other candies to men. March 14 was then “White Day,” where men would then give chocolates or other candies to the women in their lives. Finally, April 14 was Black Day (appropriately close to Tax Day here) where, in theory, everyone who had not received any chocolates on Valentine’s Day or White Day gathered at their favorite restaurants and ordered jajangmyeon, a tasty Korean noodle dish made with black bean sauce. Presumably this would allow those suffering from a romance- free lifestyle to notice each other and plan the exchange of chocolates the next year. On the other hand, according to that font of all knowledge and wisdom in the modern world — Wikipedia — Valentine’s Day is illegal in Saudi Arabia. I don’t know whether their February calendar goes straight from 13 to 15, or if there’s simply a booming black market trade in hollow chocolate St. Valentines there. Given the medieval methods of punishment in that part of the world, visitors should avoid having a rose in their possession on or about the 14th, just to be on the safe side. So where’s the opinion in all this? Nothing particular, though maybe it’d be worth trying to market hollow chocolate St. Valentines for the romantic holiday, even if biting off the ears would be a nightmare. Share your romantic opinions in response with letters to the editor or by email to hermistonherald offthebench@gmail.com. Names of the terminally shy will be withheld on request. — Thomas Creasing is a Hermiston resident and Herald columnist The Hermiston Herald welcomes original letters for publication on public issues and public policies. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters may be mailed to the Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main, Hermiston, OR, 97838; or emailed to editor@hermistonherald.com Mayor: Judge appointment well thought out BY DAVE DROTZMANN SPECIAL TO THE HERMISTON HERALD Editor, The City Council’s proposal for a new char- ter has been well covered by the local news media. I would like to offer my thoughts and perspective to this issue. The City Council recognized that the city charter had been in place for almost 60 years. They found many provisions needed to be removed or modified as they no longer served the needs of our community and/ or were contradictory to state and federal law. Just by way of example, our current charter re- quires that any person who seeks to run for council must be a “free- holder upon property lo- cated within the city of Hermiston,” which is no longer a valid require- ment under state and fed- eral law. The council took on the project of a thorough review of this important document to update the language and to provide a document that will last many years into the fu- ture. Our charter is our city’s constitution, and it shouldn’t need frequent adjustments in order to function properly. Because of the coun- cil’s recognition of this project’s importance, the city hired the law firm of Beery, Elsner and Ham- mond to guide them. The firm worked closely with the League of Or- egon Cities to develop the Model Charter for Oregon Cities. Chad Ja- cobs, the specific attor- ney the council worked with, has extensive local government experience. The Model Charter for Oregon Cities was used as a guide due to its use by many cities and its provision of a solid legal framework for municipal organizations in Oregon. With these factors forming the background of the charter review pro- cess, the council drafted an updated charter that is more concise, easier to use and understand and is consistent with state and federal law. In short, the council worked diligent- ly to craft a new charter that will better meet the present and future needs of the city. One particular issue in the draft charter has risen to the forefront of discussion. As your read- ers are likely well aware, the council has discussed changing the municipal judge from an elected position to an appointed position. There is at least a segment of our commu- nity that has caught hold of this issue. I want to of- fer my perspective on the reason for proposing this change. At the outset, it is im- portant we are all clear that this discussion was not about the current judge or about con- trolling the rulings that come from the court or taking away anyone’s right to vote. The current judge may very well be the appointee under the newly proposed scenario, and, under the new pro- posed scenario, neither the council nor the city manager would have any control over the judge’s rulings. Rather, the pro- posal is an attempt to align Hermiston with the overwhelming majority of other cities in Ore- gon (according to data compiled by the League of Oregon Cities only approximately four of Oregon’s 133 municipal court judges are elected) and provide a mechanism for the council and city manager to control the administrative affairs of the court such as budget- ing and personnel. The proposed change also reflects a desire to make sure the communi- ty has an opportunity to fully discuss the qualifi- cations of the municipal court judge. At this point in our history, election-turn- out percent- ages are not Drotzmann very high for munici- pal elections held off-cycle of state- wide and national elec- tions. This lack of par- ticipation in the electoral process gives many peo- ple concern. Selecting a judge with an appoint- ment process will allow a more thorough and de- liberate discussion of the qualifications, skills and abilities of those inter- ested in the job. Having a thorough and transparent hiring process will allow the community, through the council, to select the most qualified candidate. In reality, the position of municipal court judge is that of a department head of a very special- ized department of the city. It is not typically a political position, and it shouldn’t be treated as one. The proposal to ap- point a judge provides the option for a process much more similar to the selection of other department heads with- in the city. This process provides an opportunity to select a judge based on demonstrated knowl- edge, skills and abilities. Having an appointed judge relieves the judge of the need to worry about re-election and the need to seek votes from those whom he or she must rule in favor of or against on a daily basis. Taking the politics out of the process will hopeful- ly create the perception, if not reality, of a more neutral tribunal. An elected judge can also cause a lot of prob- lems from a management perspective. Elected judges can get cities into trouble through mis- management of city funds and not following applicable labor laws. Because removal of an elected judge relies al- most entirely on the re- call process, there is very little ability to control an elected judge who cre- ates liability for a city by violating these laws. It is widely acknowledged in cities across Oregon that an elected judge is much more difficult to discipline. It is also rec- ognized that there really is not any mechanism available to provide a means to correct prob- lems of this nature with an elected judge. The proposal to move to an appointed judge seeks to remedy this problem. Finally, it is the mayor and council’s most im- portant task to oversee the funds of the city. For them and the city man- ager to keep a separate- ly elected department head within established budgetary requirements can be a difficult job. Depending on the per- sonality of the separately elected official, this can become a contentious task at best. As I stated earlier, there has never been intent to manage or control the way the judge rules but simply the way the operation of the de- partment is managed. The issue of an elect- ed or appointed judge should not take away from the need for a new and modern city charter. To that end, the council has proposed two sepa- rate ballot measures. One will be for the commu- nity to decide if they ap- prove of the changes to the charter as suggested with our current elected judge position. The sec- ond measure, if the com- munity agrees with the council, is an immediate amendment to appoint the judge. By having two separate measures, the voters can decide the is- sue of an elected or ap- pointed municipal court judge on its own merits, separate and apart from the adoption of a new charter. ELECTED OFFICIALS STATE District 29: Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Umatilla Co., 900 Court St. N.E., S-423, Salem, OR 97301, 503-986- 1729. 101 S.W. Third St., Pendleton, OR 97801 (541) 278-1396. E-mail: ssen.billhansell@state.or.us. District 30: Sen. Ted Ferrio- li, R-John Day; 900 Court St. N.E., S-223 Salem, OR 97301, 503-986- 1950. 750 W. Main, John Day, OR 97845, (541) 575-2321. E-mail: ferr- ioli.sen@state.or.us. District 58: Rep. Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton; 900 Court St. N.E., H-480, Salem, OR 97301, 503-986- 1458. 2126 N.W. 21st., Pendleton, OR 97801, (541) 276-2707. E-mail: rep.bobjenson@state.or.us. District 57: Rep. Greg Smith, R-Morrow, 900 Court St. N.E., H-280, Salem, OR 97301, 503-986- 1457. P.O. Box 215, Heppner, OR 97836, (541) 676-5154. E-mail: smith.g.rep@state.or.us. FEDERAL U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden Sac Annex Building, 105 Fir St., No. 201, La Grande, OR 97850; (541) 962-7691. E-mail: kath- leen_cathey@wyden.senate.gov; (Kathleen Cathey, community repre- sentative); 717 Hart Building, Wash- ington, D.C. 20510, (202) 224-5244. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; (503) 326-3386; Dirksen 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ 6'%% Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224- 3753. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District) 843 E. Main St., Suite 400, Med- ford, OR 97504, (541) 776-4646, (800) 533-3303; 2352 Rayburn +RXVH2I¿FH%XLOGLQJ:DVKLQJWRQ D.C. 20515, (202) 225-6730