2A • January 9, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Letters to the Editor
Pay it forward
We remember Widdop standing up against
the commercial interests that tried to “sewer
To the editor,
up” the city; we remember her brave stand
Dec. 27 was an ordinary winter day against closing the Hager Avenue access to
in Seaside. I mailed the last of my /LWWOH%HDFKZHUHPHPEHUKHU¿HUFHRSSR
Christmas cards, then contended with sition to building condos on the golf course;
a pedestrian crossing the street against and we remember that she resigned her own
the light.
position to protest the attempted harassment
Afterward, I felt I had been too rude. RIORFDOHOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVE\WKHVWDWHRI2U
It was rainy and windy; perhaps he was egon.
cold and wet.
We remember those, and so many other
Not feeling the Christmas spirit, I cases in which Widdop has had the courage
parked downtown. Dodging other rude to stand alone and raise her voice on behalf
drivers, I walked to Dundees for hot of our Comprehensive Plan and the quali-
coffee and something to eat. The ser- ty of life in Gearhart. Without her presence
vice was rather slow as it was lunchtime on the council over the years, Gearhart may
and lots of people were in town.
well have become just another faceless,
$V , ZDV ¿QLVKLQJ P\ FKLOL EXUJHU overdeveloped, overcommercialized sub-
the server, a pleasant young woman, urb of Seaside.
informed me that she was buying my
Throughout its history as a city, Gearhart
lunch so don’t wait for the check. Since mayors have walked among the people and
we were strangers, I asked her why. She discussed issues, and no previous mayor
replied that she was passing on the spir- has ever been known to withhold his or her
it of the season, what had been done for own opinion. But Widdop has broken all
her. She thought me to be a nice man. precedent in openness — with her weekly
I remembered the frightened pedestrian “coffee and cookies” sessions, she has giv-
and knew otherwise.
en all citizens a platform for their agendas.
Nevertheless, I left Dundees a hun-
As for her own opinion, being mayor
dred pounds lighter convinced that the does not abrogate her constitutional right
Christmas spirit still lives in our lovely to express it, nor does the free expression
town.
of her opinion violate anyone else’s consti-
Thank you young woman! A happy tutional right. If she has offended, she has
New Year to you and yours. I will pass duly apologized.
on what I have been given.
I’ve never known her to prevaricate. Her
Dennis Allwein explanation of what happened in the Linda
Seaside Goldfarb/Kevin Willett case seems simple
and straightforward enough to ring true
to reality. In my opinion, that explanation
To the editor,
should have been accepted, and that should
The guest column by Harold Gable on have been the end of it.
the editorial page of the Dec. 22 Daily As-
It now remains for her handful of oppo-
torian stands out as unique (“Petitioner re- nents to either back off or justify in detail
buts Mayor Widdop’s claims”) (ed. note: why they are pursuing her recall. It will not
Gable’s piece also appeared as a letter to do to make covert allusion to “Widdop’s
the editor in the Dec. 26 Seaside Signal). own personal bias against a single Gearhart
Never before, as far as I can recall, has any resident.” We ordinary citizens are not privy
Gearhart citizen been elevated to the rank to this piece of gossip, and do not under-
of guest columnist — which is all the more stand why, if there’s really an issue here,
reason to respond, since it seems to cry out it’s not being discussed in full detail. And
for a response.
please, let us know why any of us should
The column, which urgently seeks sig- “fear retaliation.”
natures for Gable’s recall petition, asks us
The campaign to bring down a mayor
to picture a “mayor who has only her agen- who has, for so many years, served the city so
da.” He does not specify what agenda he well cannot be based on whispered innuendo.
means, but we ordinary citizens know what
Bill Berg
her agenda has been over the past 20 years.
Gearhart
What agenda?
Visit us online at
Obituaries
Geraldine Fettig
Sept. 8, 1933 — Dec. 18, 2014
Geraldine Claire (Yea-
ger) Fettig, born to parents
Joseph and Berl (Plowman)
Yeager, grew up in Portland
and attended Grant High
School. She later graduat-
ed from the University of
Oregon, where she studied
business, played the violin
and served as president of
her sorority, Kappa Kappa
Gamma.
In 1955, Gerry married
Richard P. Fettig, and they
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Dick Jr., in 1958 while living
in military housing in South
Carolina, where Dick served
in the U.S. Army. Shortly
thereafter, they returned to
Portland and joined the fam-
ily hotel business. Sons John
the Multnomah Athletic
Club; and her greatest pas-
sion, her eight grandchil-
dren, whose activities and
accomplishments were a
constant delight.
Gerry is survived by
her devoted husband of
59 years, Dick; sons, Dick
Jr., John and Chuck; their
wives; and eight grandchil-
dren.
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tributions may be made to
GERALDINE FETTIG
OHSU/Doernbecher Chil-
dren’s Hospital Foundation
and Chuck followed in 1959 at www.OHSU.edu or Be
the Match (The National
and 1960, respectively.
Gerry’s last 25 years Bone Marrow Donor Regis-
ZHUH¿OOHGZLWKWKHORYHRI try) at www.bethematch.org
A memorial service has
friends; international travel;
ZLOGÀRZHU KLNHV *HDUKDUW been held.
Dennis Michael ‘Mike’ O’Brien
Feb. 9, 1935 — Dec. 25, 2014
Dennis Michael “Mike”
O’Brien, 79, of Cannon
Beach, Ore., died Dec. 25,
2014, at Nehalem Valley
Care Center in Wheeler,
Ore.
He was born on Feb 9,
1935, in Cusick, Wash.,
to Harry and Beatrice
O’Brien. He graduat-
ed from Newport High
School
in
Newport,
Wash., in 1953.
He served in the U.S.
Army and was honorably
discharged in 1959.
Mr. O’Brien is sur-
vived by Darlene, his wife
of nearly 51 years; his
children, Kevin and Shan-
non; stepchildren, Randy,
Loreen and Rick; four
grandchildren; and four
great-grandchildren.
A private burial of his
ashes is planned in New-
port, Wash.
Ocean View Funeral &
Cremation Service of As-
toria is in charge of the ar-
rangements, and an online
guest book may be signed
at www.OceanViewAsto-
ria.com
DENNIS MICHAEL O’BRIEN
Births
Joel Mark Harris
Dec. 4, 2014
HARRIS, David and Kathryn of Can-
non Beach, a boy, Joel Mark Harris, born
at Providence Seaside Hospital. Grandpar-
ents are Leslie and Rebecca Clawson of
Centennial, Colo.; Scott and Pam Harris of
Murrieta, Calif.; and Bill and Ruth Boylan
of Temecula, Calif.
Thomas James Shaw
www.seasidesignal.com
Dec. 2, 2014
SHAW, Mikey Shaw and Katie Loom-
is, of Astoria, a boy, Thomas James Shaw,
born at Providence Seaside Hospital. Sib-
lings are 6-year-old Madalyn Aiken and
You
Tube
3-year-old Michael Shaw. Grandparents
are Joanne Dunn, of Astoria; Becky Wor-
rell, of Astoria; Fred Loomis, of Rainier;
and Ben and Shirley Turman, of Astoria.
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SEASIDE FACTORY
OUTLET CENTER
Growing to serve you
Providence welcomes a new cardiologist.
Providence is growing to better serve
north coast families and communities.
Heart specialist Masud Ahmad, M.D.,
is joining Robert Morse, D.O., and
the cardiology team on the north
coast. Welcome, Dr. Ahmad!
Board certified in cardiovascular
disease and interventional cardiology,
Masud Ahmad,
Dr. Ahmad divides his time between
M.D., FACC, FSCAI
Providence St. Vincent Heart Clinic-
Cardiologist
Cardiology and Providence Medical
Group-Seaside. He speaks English, Arabic, Hindi and Urdu.
When not seeing patients, Dr. Ahmad enjoys traveling,
biking and spending time at home in Arch Cape.
Call 503-717-7556 to schedule
an appointment. We accept
most health insurance plans.
For more information, visit
www.providence.org/northcoast.