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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2020)
FROM PAGE ONE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A15 Commissioner: Council: Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 To build and maintain a stable economy, Beers focused on keeping local projects contracted to local businesses, and said she’d like to help small businesses get back on their feet and address the county’s roads. Without offering a solu- tion, Maier said the county needs to eliminate the Pub- lic Employee Retirement System (PERS) debt it has accrued. When asked about capi- tal projects, Maier said the county should prioritize working in streams to miti- gate future fl ooding risks, as she’s done in forming a citi- zen work group in response to fl ooding at Camas Creek. Dorran advocated for the aggressive pursuit of grant funding, and suggested a test area for electric trucks on the westside of the county similar to how Pend- leton is used as a test area for Unmanned Aerial Sys- tems. Dorran also pushed for the county to make use of the junction of interstates 84 and 82, which a study showed receives as much daily traffi c as any point along Interstate 5. “It really boils down to a collaboration of setting pri- orities with all 12 cities of Umatilla County and what their needs are and how to address them,” he said. The candidates were each asked their opinions on the county’s adoption of a resolution titled “Stance Against Racism, Discrim- ination and Social Injus- tices in Umatilla County” in August. The resolution included a declaration that the board of commissioners believe served on the council for 28 years, said he wanted to bring his experience to the council for one more term. He referenced the sign wel- coming people to Hermis- ton that states the town is an “inclusive community” and said he feels Herm- iston can truly say it is an inclusive community. “I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to serve this community,” he said. “This is a community that you feel accepted when you walk through the door.” Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald HollyJo Beers (left), Dan Dorran and Pat Maier, candidates for the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners, speak during a candidate forum at the Hermiston Community Center on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Pat Maier is running a write-in campaign. that racism exists in Uma- tilla County, they respect peaceful protesting and rec- ognize the importance of contributions by people of color. After previously being dismissive of systemic rac- ism as a local issue, Dor- ran said he’s since had con- versations with and learned more about the issue from leaders of the Confeder- ated Tribes of the Uma- tilla Indian Reservation, its board of trustees and Herm- iston City Councilor Roy Barron. “The major component of the future is for every- body to listen,” he said. Maier likened the oppressions and injustices of systemic racism to her experiences as a business- woman and being kicked off a youth baseball team as a teenager. “Women have seen as much discrimination as any- one,” she said. “I think what you have to do, whether you’re white, black, pink, yellow or green, you have to stand up and be counted ... systemic racism right now, I don’t really see it that way.” Following up on state- ments made earlier in her campaign that the CTUIR were “the most racist peo- ple” she’d encountered, Beers disagreed with the ordinance because she believed it violated the Civil Rights Act, while sug- gesting it was “denigrating” white people. “Lots of people are dis- criminated against in a lot of different ways,” she said. “But you can’t make ordi- nances — or in this case a resolution or a policy as they made — because it is not equality for everyone.” A self-described “Con- stitutionalist,” Beers used her closing statements to assert that she would never violate the Constitution and that she wanted to be a voice for people in the county. “I would ask that you vote for me if you want somebody who can speak for you,” she said. The forum was Dorran’s fi rst chance to speak pub- licly following his arrest for driving after consuming alcohol at a golf tournament and colliding with another vehicle in Umatilla on Sept. 26. The arrest wasn’t brought up during the forum, but Dorran instead focused heavily on optimism and his “three-legged plat- form” of economic devel- opment, transportation and infrastructure and creating a more livable county. “I’m the biggest optimist out there,” he said. “I get accused of being over-opti- mistic, overconfi dent of this county, my passion for this county and what our future holds.” Throughout the night, Maier trumpeted her expe- riences as a businesswoman as reason for her being the best option, despite being a write-in candidate. “Every day takes leader- ship,” she said. “Every day it takes work to run a suc- cessful business that’s been going for over 17 years.” Voters will have Dor- ran and Beers to decide between on the ballot this Nov. 3, while Maier will hope enough voters aren’t satisfi ed enough with either choice to put her name down instead. The winner will then start a four-year term on the board of commissioners in 2021 beside commission- ers John Shafer and George Murdock. He said as Hermiston grows he would like to see an expansion of pub- lic transportation options for residents. He also said he supports the city’s efforts to rebuild Funland Playground and said he hopes to see other recre- ational options, including a new skate park that was designed but has yet to get funding, added. On Nov. 3, Hermiston voters will be able to vote for their top four choices for the four at-large seats up for reelection. The top four vote-get- ters will be sworn into those seats in January. BMCC offers free fi nance course HERMISTON HERALD The Blue Mountain Small Business Develop- ment Center is offering a six-week Profi t Mastery program at absolutely no charge to the fi rst 100 par- ticipants to register. The course, usually costing $895, is funded thanks to Small Business Act CARES Act funds. BMCC SBDC has part- nered with Profi t Mas- tery and its founder, Steve LeFever, to offer a pro- gram to help participants evaluate a business’ current fi nancial outlook, man- age business by the num- bers and offer the tools to focus on the growth and the increase in revenue and capital needed to be successful. Profi t Mastery will start Wednesday, Oct. 21, and run each Wednesday through Nov. 25. Live ses- sions start at 9 a.m. each Wednesday and run about 20 to 30 minutes. The live sessions are an introduc- tion to the week’s mod- ule and then it’s self paced to a participants’ sched- ule throughout the week. Those who can’t view the initial live sessions can receive a recording of that session via email. The SBDC helps cli- ents in all stages of busi- ness, whether it’s getting started with the planning process or a business that is well established, grow- ing fast and needing some additional support. To register, email your name and contact num- ber to Andrea Fowler at afowler@bluecc.edu, or call the SBDC offi ce at 541-278-5833. Spots will fi ll up fast, so register early. P SPA LAY IT REMEM CE A SAF BE ND E WI R TO WEA TH R YO A LIT UR TLE MAS K! ! n e p O w o N A GAME CHANGER FOR FAMILY FUN • 24 State-of-the-Art Lanes Including 8 separate Boutique Lanes with two private party rooms • • • • • HOURS Monday - Friday Saturday - Sunday Family Friendly Atmosphere Spacious Seating and Lounge Area ADA Concourse and Accessibility Interactive Bowling Games Fully Automatic Bumpers 11am - 10pm 9am - 10pm 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216, wildhorseresort.com 03322.TT.10.20 Bowling Ramps Food & Drink Service Projection Screens & TVs 100 Bowling Lockers Special Effect Lighting Reservations Recommended 541.966.1690 Online Reservations COMING SOON! BOWLING • ARCADE • FOOD COURT • CINEPLEX • AND MORE! Owned and operated by CTUIR • • • • •
