FROM PAGE ONE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A15
Commissioner:
Council:
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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.
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