FROM PAGE ONE
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Walden
Continued from Page A1
the re-election bid of Presi-
dent Donald Trump. Seven
Democrats have said they
won’t run. Walden is the
fourth GOP House member
who lost a committee chair-
manship last year because of
the majority switch who has
announced they are leaving
next year.
Walden said he was not
retiring out of any concern
that he could lose re-elec-
tion or fail to regain the
House majority, where he
had served as chairman of
the House Energy and Com-
merce Committee before
Democrats took control in
2018. He is now ranking
member of the committee.
“I am confi dent I could
earn the support of 2nd
District voters for another
term,” he said. “I’m also
optimistic that a path exists
for Republicans to recapture
a majority in the House.”
Walden, whose back-
ground is in radio, gave
no specifi cs about what he
will do after he retires from
Congress.
“For me, the time has
come to pursue new chal-
lenges and opportunities,”
he said.
Walden’s
statement
would appear to rule out
Elections
Continued from Page A1
includes a primary in May
and a general election in
November. That creates sit-
uations, such as the 2018
race, when John Shafer and
Larry Givens faced off. Sha-
fer won more than 50% of
the vote in May, but was
not technically elected until
November, when his name
again appeared on the ballot
— this time as the only can-
didate listed. He took offi ce
at the beginning of 2019,
nearly eight months after
voters fi rst chose him.
If voters approve Mea-
sure 30-132, when only one
or two candidates fi le for a
seat on the board of com-
missioners, no primary will
be held in May. Instead,
the candidate or candidates
will appear on the ballot in
November, saving the cost
of a primary race and short-
ening the amount of time
between when a commis-
sioner is elected and when
they take offi ce.
“Elections cost money,”
Elfering said.
If more than two candi-
dates fi le, they will appear
on the ballot in May, and
the top two vote-getters will
advance to a general election
in November.
Hermiston School Dis-
trict is also on the ballot, ask-
ing voters to approve a $82.7
million bond. The money,
coupled with $6.6 million
in matching funds from the
state, would pay for replace-
ment of Rocky Heights Ele-
mentary School, a new ele-
mentary school on Theater
Lane, a new annex added to
the high school, updates to
pickup/dropoff areas in front
of schools and new property
for future schools. It is not
HH fi le photo
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden congratulates Pendleton High School
senior Kirk Liscom on being accepted into the United States
Naval Academy during a town hall meeting in May in Hermiston.
running for any other politi-
cal offi ce next year. Merkely
is running for a third term in
the U.S. Senate. Oregon’s
secretary of state, attorney
general and treasurer posi-
tions are also on the ballot.
As the state’s most high-pro-
fi le Republican, Walden
could be pressured to run
for governor in 2022 when
Gov. Kate Brown is ineli-
gible for re-election due to
term limits.
While the overwhelm-
ing majority of his votes
were solidly in line with the
Republican agenda in the
House, Walden has not been
in lock-step with President
Trump on issues.
As chairman of the House
Energy and Commerce
Committee, he supported
Trump’s position on repeal-
ing the Affordable Care
Act, to relax net neutrality
rules, and has backed Trump
on the current Ukrainian
scandal.
In his statement, Walden
recounted his more than 20
years in offi ce, saying that he
had worked to fi nd solutions
to the opioid crisis, improve
forest health, and increase
access to high-speed broad-
band. Walden said he was
proud to champion the issues
facing Oregonians east of the
Cascades and south of the
Willamette Valley.
“Rural Oregon values
run deeply in my veins.,”
Walden said. “My ancestors
arrived here in 1845 and I
grew up on a cherry orchard
in The Dalles with par-
expected to raise the current
school bond tax rate of $3.65
per $1,000 of assessed value,
and would be paid off within
26 years.
In answer to a ques-
tion about whether the city
and county giving Ama-
zon a break on property
taxes would affect the bond,
Mooney said the planned
development, while located
in Hermiston’s enterprise
zone, is actually located in
the boundaries of Stanfi eld
School District, not Herm-
iston’s, and the tax dollars
would have gone there.
“Hermiston School Dis-
trict would not see any
money from that,” she said.
However, Amazon has
agreed to donate $50,000 a
year to Hermiston School
District, in recognition that
its employees will likely
have children in the dis-
trict. Since the money is
considered a voluntary gift,
not tax revenue, it will not
count against the amount
of per-student dollars the
school district gets from the
state each year.
Part of the challenge of
putting a measure or candi-
date on the ballot isn’t just
convincing voters of a cer-
tain position — it’s also get-
ting them to actually cast a
vote. When voter turnout
in Oregon is tallied after an
election, it’s not uncommon
for Umatilla County to rank
dead last.
The county had the low-
est voter turnout of any
county in the state during
the November 2018 election,
with 56.5% of eligible voters
turning in a ballot, compared
to 68.4% statewide.
Umatilla County elec-
tions clerk Kim Lindell said
as of Monday evening, only
10.28% of ballots had come
in.
“I think turnout for this
election is going to be on the
lighter side because most of
the county will just see the
two amendments,” she said.
“Charter amendments are
important, but they’re not
very exciting.”
The reasons Oregonians
don’t exercise their right to
vote are varied. Some simply
forget to turn in their ballot
before deadline. Others don’t
like their choices, don’t think
their individual vote matters
or feel like they don’t have
enough information to make
an informed decision.
Amanda Walker of Uma-
tilla falls into the last cate-
gory. She said she didn’t turn
in her ballot last year because
she didn’t feel like she knew
enough about the candidates
and measures presented.
“I didn’t feel like I had
enough time to get informed,
and I didn’t want to vote
blindly,” she said.
Last November’s ballot
was packed with choices,
including local, state and
federal candidates and mea-
sures that would do every-
thing from prohibiting gro-
cery taxes to repealing
Oregon’s sanctuary state sta-
tus. Walker said it can be
hard for the average person
working full time to track
down credible information
for each item.
She suggested that peo-
ple fi nd a trusted friend who
is up to speed and ask them
to explain ballot measures or
candidates’ positions.
Jose Garcia, chair of
Hermiston’s Hispanic Advi-
sory Committee, said the
committee has worked hard
to try to register Hermis-
ton residents to vote, but he
often hears from people who
fl at-out refuse to register or
to cast a vote, even though
they are qualifi ed to do so.
BTW: Warming Station trainings scheduled
Continued from Page A1
Nov. 7 from 6:30-8 p.m.,
Nov. 10 from 2-3:30 p.m.,
Nov. 13 from 6-7:30 p.m.,
Nov. 15 from 9-10:30 a.m.,
Nov. 19 from 6:30-8 p.m.
and
Nov.
21
from
6-7:30 p.m.
• • •
While chaperoning little
ghosts and goblins during
Thursday’s Treats on Main
in Hermiston, people are
encouraged to make a dona-
tion to UNICEF — United
Nations International Emer-
gency Fund. Members of
the Hermiston High School
Key Club, a service orga-
nization affi liated with
Kiwanis
International,
will be handing out candy
and accepting donations for
UNICEF, which will help
support The Eliminate
Project.
The effort is devoted to
helping prevent mothers and
their babies from dying due
to disease. Money will go
toward the purchase of vac-
cinations that prevent dis-
eases like tetanus.
Contributions can also
be dropped off at the HHS
offi ce, 600 S. First St.
Donating any amount of
cash or even spare change
adds up, said Jessica Rodri-
guez, HHS Key Club editor.
During the past two years,
the local club has raised
more than $700 towards the
effort. For more informa-
tion, contact Key Club advi-
sor Janet Sexton at janet.
sexton@hermistonsd.org or
541-667-6144.
• • •
Ken Daniel has been
named as the new Blue
Mountain
Community
College Foundation exec-
utive director, the school
announced on Monday.
Daniel replaces Marga-
ret Gianotti, who will retire
Dec. 2 after 12 years in the
role. The BMCC Founda-
tion invests and fundraises
to support BMCC student
scholarships and programs.
Daniel comes to BMCC
from the Family Health &
Wellness Foundation in
Kennewick,
Washington,
where he served as execu-
tive director. The foundation
was formerly a part of Trios
Health.
• • •
Thursday’s menu for the
Harkenrider Senior Activ-
ity Center is baked chicken,
red parsley potatoes, corn,
fruit salad and cake by Sun
Terrace. Friday is hot roast
beef sandwich, mashed pota-
toes and gravy, and dessert.
Monday is barbecue pork
sandwich, salad and dessert.
Tuesday is ham, scalloped
potatoes, peas and carrots,
and dessert. Next Wednes-
day is baked fi sh, broccoli,
green salad and Jell-o.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
ents who survived the Great
Depression. They taught me
the true meaning of commu-
nity; the importance of giv-
ing back; and the value of
hard work. That’s why I’ve
given it my all for the peo-
ple and the way of life we so
enjoy in Oregon.”
The son of former state
Rep. Peter Walden, Greg
Walden was elected to the
Oregon House in 1989. He
was Majority Leader for
the 1991 and 1993 legisla-
tive sessions. He served two
years in the Oregon Senate
from 1995 to 1997.
While Walden’s depar-
ture from Congress had been
a subject of speculation, it
came as a surprise to Repub-
licans in his home state.
Sen. Cliff Bentz said he’d
talked to Walden months
ago, shortly after specu-
lation the congressman
wouldn’t run again emerged.
Bentz said Walden made no
mention of future plans, and
he’d assumed the longtime
lawmaker would run again
next year.
“I would just hope that he
is running again,” Bentz said
last week. “ Please, Greg.
Please.”
Umatilla County Com-
missioner George Murdock
said Walden’s departure
raises the broader concern of
politics continuing to shift to
the extremes at either end of
the spectrum.
Oregon is in effect a one-
party state, he said, and
political balance is crucial
to good governance. He said
he hoped Walden’s move out
of politics does not continue
the slide at the federal level.
When it comes to spit-
balling about which Repub-
licans might run for the
seat, Murdock said, “You
have to look at who has the
horsepower.”
Bentz brings that kind of
broader visibility, Murdock
said, as does Knute Buehler.
The former state represen-
tative from Central Oregon
ran a credible campaign for
governor and tweeted Tues-
day he was considering a
run.
“And nobody in Portland
is going to vote on this one,”
Murdock quipped.
Murdock also said he
appreciates that Buehler
ran as a moderate, again
advocating for that sense of
balance.
“We moderates could
have a voice,” he said.
Walden’s
announce-
ment took Sen. Bill Hansell,
R-Athena, by surprise.
“He’s made a decision,
and I respect that,” Hansell
said. “It will be a huge loss
for us in the district.”
He said he hailed
Walden’s work with local
national forest plans and
with securing funding for
the Eastern Oregon Airport
as some of the involvement
that made him “a champion”
for the district.
“It’s an open seat, I think
the Republican Party will
work very hard to keep it,”
Hansell added.
Rep. Greg Smith, R-Hep-
pner, who interned for
Walden’s offi ce in the early
1990s when the congress-
man was working as a state
representative, wasn’t as
taken aback by the Monday
announcement.
“I think after 22 years,
elected offi cials get tired
and want to move on and do
other things with their life.
Greg has been a tremendous
statesman,” he said. “We’ll
be losing a tremendous
amount of seniority in D.C.”
Smith said his “phone
has been ringing off the
hook” with people asking
him if he’s going to run for
Walden’s seat, but he feels
like he’s better off serving as
a senior legislator in Salem
rather than a freshman repre-
sentative in Washington.
Smith predicted that the
Republican primary con-
test would be a “race to the
right,” but a “mainstream”
candidate would emerge as
the nominee.
Oregon Public Broad-
casting contributed to this
report.
He chalked it up to a lack
of trust in government.
“It goes back to some
organization, some institu-
tion where they had a bad
experience, or a relative suf-
fered some consequences,
and now that sense of safety
is gone,” he said.
Lindell said if people
have distrust in the elections
process or worry it’s rigged,
they are welcome to come
to the elections offi ce in
Pendleton and be an offi cial
observer while ballots are
being counted, or just talk
with staff to fi nd out how the
process works.
She said Oregon’s vote
by mail system makes it very
secure against hacking by
foreign governments or any-
one else, as it is unconnected
to the internet and backed
up by physical ballots the
county has in hand.
Some people said they
didn’t vote in the last elec-
tion because they didn’t
receive a ballot. Lindell
said ballots are mailed out
20 days before an election,
which means people should
get them about 17 or 18 days
before the election. Any-
one who notices they hav-
en’t received one should call
the elections offi ce at 541-
278-6254 or visit oregon-
votes.gov to check on their
registration.
New voters must regis-
ter at least 21 days before an
election, but registered vot-
ers whose status has become
inactivated or are registered
under the wrong address
can get that fi xed. They
can have a ballot mailed to
them up until the Thursday
before election day, or they
can walk into the elections
offi ce in Pendleton and fi ll
out a ballot in person up until
8 p.m. on election day.
During Monday’s city
council meeting, mayor
David Drotzmann noted that
the city had endorsed the
school bond, and encouraged
residents to vote.
“It’s one thing to say you
support an initiative; it’s
another thing to actually turn
in your ballot,” he said.
UMATILLA COUNTY
From the archives of
Athena Public Library,
City of Echo, Milton-
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Round-up, Tamástslikt
Cultural Institute and
Umatilla County
Historical Society
$29.95 $44.95
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“Umatilla County Memories: A Pictorial History of the mid-1800s through 1939.”
We are thrilled to include photos of Umatilla County from our readers, in addition to
photos carefully selected from local partners from the mid-1800s through 1939. Pre-
price. Books ship Nov. 22, 2019.
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