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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS Sheriff’s candidates face criticism for mistakes By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan apologized Friday for ignoring a Helix man’s calls for help more than a year ago Yet moments before, Rowan told that man and 30 other audience members: “I’m your sheriff 24/7, 365.” Rowan and challenger Ryan Lehnert spoke at the Milton-Freewater Repub- lican Women’s Club can- didates forum at the Mil- ton-Freewater Community Center. Club president Suni Danforth was the host and read questions from the audience, which included undersheriff Jim Little- ield, sheriff’s Capt. Kathy Lieuallen, two sheriff’s de- tectives and Athena Mayor Jon Shafer, who also works for the sheriff’s ofice. The irst shot landed on Lehnert, a corporal with the Pendleton Police Depart- ment and a former Oregon National Guard platoon ser- geant who served in 2004 in Iraq. He was asked why Pendleton police demoted him seven years ago from sergeant to oficer. Lehnert explained he worked night shift and spent too much time hanging out at the county’s dispatch cen- ter. He said he was not doing anything different from oth- er Pendleton cops. Howev- er, he admitted, he also sent another oficer to answer a call for service that he should have taken. That led Pendleton Police Chief Stu- art Roberts to strip Lehnert of his rank for not fulilling his duties as a supervisor. His boss was right for taking the action, Lehnert told the crowd, and the demotion allowed him to acquire new police skills. Roberts now endorses him for sheriff, he said, and so too does Umatilla Tribal Police Chief Tim Addleman and Pilot Rock Chief Bill STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Umatilla County Sheriff’s candidate Ryan Lehnert answers a question during a forum sponsored by the Milton-Freewater Republican Women’s Club on Friday as current sheriff Terry Rowan looks on. Caldera, who until early this summer was the Pendleton police lieutenant. Lehnert also said no lo- cal chiefs have signed on to support Rowan in his re-election effort. Rowan also took a shot when Jim Williams of He- lix said that what happened to his daughter about a year ago eroded any trust he had in Rowan and his ofice. Williams recalled his daughter called him one night after someone chased her down a county road. She is smart and tough, he said, and volunteered in some of the nation’s poorest commu- Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan addresses an concern from a member of the audience. nities and taught in foreign counties, yet what she expe- rienced here frightened her more than anything. “I waited for three days for a response from an ofi- cer,” he told Rowan. “I went to your ofice and asked to speak with you.” But even that proved fruitless, Williams said, and after waiting 45 minutes a deputy came out and said he could not help. “I tried to call you on your cellphone, I left mes- sages ... and no response back,” Williams said. “I’ve lost full conidence in your ofice.” Rowan offered an apol- ogy for his failure and his department’s. “There is no excuse for my not calling you back,” he said, then pivoted to talking points on the improvements he made in the sheriff’s of- ice, including keeping more offenders in the county jail and increasing the patrol di- vision from seven deputies to 14. Rowan touted his expe- rience and the work he has done as sheriff as reasons why voters should send him back for a second term. Leh- nert expressed his passion for helping others and desire to hold the sheriff’s ofice more accountable to the citi- zens of the county. Walden to visit County cuts fair local employees as Eastern Oregon EOTEC construction moves forward veterans this week By PHIL WRIGHT AND JADE MCDOWELL Rep. Greg Walden will meet with veterans and their advocates in East- ern Oregon this week to discuss challenges facing veterans in the region and his work with Congress to address veterans’ issues. His agenda includes stops in Hermiston, Pend- leton and Milton-Freewa- ter. On Thursday, Walden will attend a Hermiston Rotary meeting at noon before meeting with Hermiston Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ameri- can Legion chapters at the VFW, 45 W. Cherry Ave. in Hermiston at 2:30 p.m. There he plans to hear from local veterans about their experiences access- ing care at the VA and dis- cuss current efforts in the House of Representatives to improve VA programs. On Saturday Walden will visit Pendleton to meet with the Backcoun- try Horsemen of Oregon at 11 a.m. at Shari’s, 319 SE Nye Ave. in Pendleton, and attend the demobilization of Pendleton’s National Guard unit (1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment) at the Army Aviation Sup- port Facility Hanger, 2110 NW 56th Drive in Pendle- ton at 2 p.m. HSD students offered dental health screenings Students in the Herm- iston School District will be given dental health screenings over the course of the next month. Advantage Dental has been contracted to provide the service, according to a news release from the school district, through the Oregon Communi- ty Foundation. Students with parent permission can receive an oral health screening, luoride coat- ings, sealants and silver luoride. Oregon Community Foundation’s Comprehen- sive School-Based Dental Health Program targets students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is an effort to help meet the requirements set forth by Oregon House Bill 2972 to collect dental screening information for students under the age of 8 who are starting an educational program for the irst time. New students are required to have certiication of a dental health screening from a qualiied provider in the past 12 months. For questions about the screenings, contact Jon Mishra, the school dis- trict’s director of special programs, at 541-667- 6020 or via email at jon. mishra@hermiston.k12. or.us. Staff Writers Don Slone’s job as Uma- tilla County Fair manager came to an end Saturday, along with maintenance manager Ed Peterson, as work on the Eastern Ore- gon Trade and Event Center continues. Construction of the ro- deo arena began last week, and a contract for purchase of the barns to host the Umatilla County Fair in 2017 should be ready for approval during the EO- TEC board’s Oct. 21 meet- ing. County Commissioner Larry Givens said moving the fair to EOTEC means the county no longer needs to fund the positions. “We don’t have a fair- grounds any more,” Givens said. “And a lot of the fair manager position was over- seeing the grounds.” The county hired Slone and Peterson in February. County counsel Doug Ol- sen said the fair manag- er made $5,181 a month and the maintenance lead made $2,934. Givens said there have been no deci- sions on who will manage the 2017 fair and who will pay for that work. The city of Hermiston and Umatilla County are co-owners of EOTEC. The fair’s ofice assis- tant, Angie McNalley, will keep her job. Olsen said she is the lone county employee working at EOTEC The county planned to extend its lease for the old fair site, which the Herm- CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF HERMISTON Ground was broken on the rodeo grounds at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center last week. iston School District now ning to hold events there owns, from its current end and is working to make date of Dec. 31 to June, in sure those events continue order to accommodate a to stay in Hermiston. The horse sale and collegiate Hermiston Senior Center rodeo. But Givens said the has extended its lease to school district, which June. bought the property, Kay said the decided not to extend school board would the lease. be discussing the Not being able to district’s post-lease extend the lease has plans for the property some cost advantag- during its next meet- es. ing. “ E c o n o m i c a l l y, Slone Randy Hull of it makes more sense the Hermiston Horse for us to put our efforts into Sale Extravaganza said he getting the fair moved,” he still planned to hold the said. February and May sales at Mike Kay, executive di- the old fairgrounds, in co- rector of operations for the operation with the school school district, said the dis- district, before moving trict did offer to extend the to EOTEC as soon as it is county’s lease through June ready. 1, 2017, using the same “I have every intention terms as the current lease, to stay in Hermiston,” he but that was “not accept- said. able” to the county. The county, meanwhile, However, he said that the has until Dec. 31 to move district has reached out to all of the fair’s equip- the groups that were plan- ment over to the EOTEC grounds. The county com- mission recently approved $30,000 to build a secure storage site there. Despite some delays, members of the EOTEC board and of Hendon Con- struction have said they feel conident the arena will be done in time to host the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in August 2017. As construction of the rodeo arena begins, Kay (who volunteers as a mem- ber of the rodeo board in addition to his job at the school district) said the rodeo board is grateful to Hendon Construction for stepping up and making it possible to inish the arena in time for the 2017 Farm- City Pro Rodeo. “We’re very excited to be able to put these plans in motion,” he said. Smith said the EO- TEC project in its entire- ty will result in a facility that can meet the region’s needs while not asking the community’s taxpayers to shoulder “crippling debt” to pay for it. “Too often with the de- velopment of large pub- lic facilities like this, the stakeholders get too anx- ious and end up making poor business decisions which end up saddling the public with major long- term property tax debt,” he said. “The community should be very proud that their patience and gen- erosity has allowed the EOTEC Board to develop this project in a logical and fiscally responsible manner.” For more information, call 1-800-962-2819 2x3 EXAMPLE Celebrate your loved ones in our We are so proud of you for serving your country. VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE Love Evelyn, We are so Joe proud and of you Cheryl for serving Free Example: Honoring those who have served and those who are currently serving our country! They’ve served our country with courage and honor. They’ve left behind loved ones to risk their lives while protecting our country. They’ve defended our freedoms and ideals. They make us proud to be Americans. Help us honor them. J OSEPH S MITH your country. Day SALUTE TE 1x4 EXAMPLE J OSEPH B. D AVIS Staff Sergeant Joel Davis US Marines Veteran Example This special section will print in the Hermiston Herald on Nov. 9 and in the East Oregonian on Nov. 11, 2016. There is NO CHARGE to be included. Bring us or send in photos of servicemen, servicewomen or veterans, along with the information in the form to the right, by November 1. Thank you for your service! Love Evelyn, Joe and Cheryl If you’d like to purchase a larger space to include a special message, border, lags, or stars and stripes, rates are $40 for a 1x4” space or $55 for a 2x3” space. Private party only. Please call 1-800-962-2819. Love always Marcy, Julie & Emily Service Person’s Name Military Branch Your Name Your Address Your Phone Number Military Rank Currently Serving Veteran (Check One) Deliver to: East Oregonian 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston Herald 333 E. Main. Hermiston, OR 97830 or e-mail to classifieds@eastoregonian.com