Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2015)
OUR 109th YEAR • February 20, 2015 SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY Petitioner submits signatures for mayor’s recall Widdop might have to resign or anticipate election results By Katherine Lacaze Seaside Signal 7KH&ODWVRS&RXQW\&OHUNDQG (OHFWLRQV2I¿FHDUHYHULI\LQJVLJ- QDWXUHVRQDSHWLWLRQFLUFXODWHGE\ Gearhart resident Harold Gable in DQHIIRUWWRUHPRYH0D\RU'LDQQH :LGGRSIURPRI¿FH Gable submitted 114 signatures )HE WR *HDUKDUW &LW\ $GPLQ- istrator Chad Sweet, who serves DVWKHFLW\HOHFWLRQVRI¿FLDO6ZHHW FRQ¿UPHGWKHQXPEHURIVLJQDWXUHV and that the forms were completed FRUUHFWO\ 7KH information then went to Clatsop &RXQW\HOHFWLRQV RI¿FLDOV ZKR ZLOO YHULI\ WKH signatures. Gable needed to submit 102 YHUL¿HG VLJQD- Gearhart Mayor tures — or 15 Dianne Widdop percent of the total votes cast for governor in Gear- hart’s district during the most recent HOHFWLRQ²E\QH[WZHHN¶VGHDGOLQH to continue the recall process. If the required number of sig- QDWXUHV LV YHUL¿HG RI¿FLDOV ZLOO QRWLI\ :LGGRS ZKR WKHQ ZLOO KDYH¿YHGD\VWRVXEPLWKHUUHV- LJQDWLRQ RU D VWDWHPHQW RI MXVWL¿- cation no more than 200 words to be included on the election ballot. &RXQW\ HOHFWLRQV RI¿FLDOV LQ- IRUPHG6ZHHWWKH\LQWHQGWRKDYH WKH VLJQDWXUHV YHUL¿HG ZLWKLQ WKH next two weeks. Gable said he has a team of in- GLYLGXDOV UHDG\ WR JR DIWHU PRUH signatures before the deadline if some of the submitted signatures DUHQRWTXDOL¿HG+HEHOLHYHVWKDW should not be an issue. ³, IHHO ZH¶YH DOUHDG\ JRW WKDW done,” Gable said. He felt the collection of signa- WXUHVZHQWZHOODQGWKH\JDWKHUHG “more than enough.” “We had a great team of peo- ple,” he said. “We would have liked to get another hundred or so, but I think if it goes to vote, it will show up there.” Even once the signatures are ver- L¿HGKLVZRUNLVQRWGRQHKHVDLG “We’re in for whatever it takes,” he added. If Widdop does not resign, an HOHFWLRQPXVWEHKHOGZLWKLQGD\V of the expiration of the resignation period. Gearhart will incur the cost of the election, which is estimated at about $6,000 to $8,000 and not SUHYLRXVO\LQFOXGHGLQWKHFLW\¶V EXGJHW 6ZHHW VDLG$OUHDG\ WKH FLW\KDVVSHQWWLPHDQGPRQH\WR handle the situation, he added. In the event Widdop is voted out RI RI¿FH &LW\ &RXQFLO 3UHVLGHQW Sue Lorain will serve the remain- der of Widdop’s term — about two \HDUV²DQGWKHFRXQFLOZLOODSSRLQW VRPHRQHWR¿OOKHUYDFDWHGVHDW *DEOH VDLG KH¶V FRQ¿GHQW WKH recall will be successful and that it ZRXOG EH LQ WKH FLW\¶V EHVW LQWHUHVW for Widdop to resign to avoid the FLW\VSHQGLQJPRQH\RQDQHOHFWLRQ Widdop said she would not be “bullied into resigning. The petition signers represent less than 13 per- cent of Gearhart voters. I believe it LVQHFHVVDU\WRKROGWKHHOHFWLRQDQG allow all Gearhart voters to have WKHLUVD\RQWKHLVVXH´ Seaside businesses object to proposed sales tax By Nancy McCarthy Seaside Signal Local business operators said during DPHHWLQJ)HEWKH\PD\QRWEHDEOH to keep their doors open if a sales tax is adopted to help fund a $31 million ex- pansion of the Seaside Civic and Conven- tion Center and construction of a parking structure. “I’ve gone door-to-door in the Gilbert District, and 90 percent of the businesses are against it,” local graphic artist Kath- OHHQ 3HWHUVRQ VDLG ³7KH\ GRQ¶W ZDQW WR be taxed.” In addition, Peterson said, the con- VWUXFWLRQSURMHFWZKLFKZRXOGGRXEOHWKH size of the convention center and add a PXOWLVWRU\ VSDFH SDUNLQJ VWUXFWXUH ZRXOG IXUWKHU LPSDFW WKH FRPPXQLW\¶V HFRQRP\ ZKLFK LV MXVW QRZ UHFRYHULQJ from a long recession. ³7KH\¶UHKDQJLQJRQKRSLQJWRUHFRY- HUDQGWKH\IHHOLWZLOOEHDQRWKHUEORZWR them,” Peterson said. Peterson’s comments came during the Seaside Downtown Development $VVRFLDWLRQ¶V UHJXODU 7KXUVGD\ PRUQLQJ breakfast meeting Feb. 12. The room was SDFNHG ZLWK EXVLQHVV RZQHUV ² PDQ\ ZKR GR QRW XVXDOO\ DWWHQG WKH ZHHNO\ breakfasts — who wanted to hear a pre- VHQWDWLRQ E\ 5XVV 9DQGHQEHUJ WKH FRQ- vention center’s general manager. $OWKRXJKWKHFRQVWUXFWLRQSURMHFWDQG ¿QDQFLQJSURSRVDODUHVWLOOLQWKHGHYHORS- ment stage, the issue is expected to come EHIRUHWKH&LW\&RXQFLOWKLV\HDU,WZLOO QRWEHVXEMHFWWRDSXEOLFYRWH 7KLVZDV9DQGHQEHUJ¶VVHFRQGSUHVHQ- tation; he spoke to the Seaside Chamber of Commerce Jan. 30. Since then, oppo- sition to a proposed sales tax and a bump in lodging taxes has gained momentum. 9DQGHQEHUJVDLGWKHFRQYHQWLRQFHQWHU faced the loss of groups that had rented the FHQWHU IRU FRQIHUHQFHV IRU \HDUV EXW KDG grown too large for the center, which can KDQGOHRQO\SHRSOH7KHJURXSVFRQ- sisted of school administrators, student councils, ham radio operators, bridge and ANDREW R. TONRY PHOTO Volunteers from Seaside schools worked behind the counter at a local Subway restaurant Feb. 5. Their volunteer labor resulted in $200 more to each school’s coffers. Volunteers SANDWICH their time between school and snacks Subway stores offer portion of sales to local schools By Andrew R. Tonry A for the Seaside Signal URXQGWDEOHVIXOORIVQLFNHULQJJLGG\ children, the line snaked almost to the door. At the register, a customer took WKH VDQGZLFK VRPHRQH KDG MXVW PDGH him and offered a more earnest, heartfelt WKDQNV WKDQ XVXDOO\ KHDUG LQ WKH ZRUOG of fast food. ³7KDQN \RX DOO VR PXFK IRU GRLQJ this,” the customer said, sub sandwich LQKDQG³<RX¶UHGRLQJDQDZHVRPHMRE Just awesome.” His gratitude was directed towards WKHPDQ\YROXQWHHUVEHKLQGWKHFRXQWHU who, packed elbow to elbow, helped as- VHPEOHKLVIRRWORQJWXUNH\FOXE For two hours, Feb. 5, teachers and IDFXOW\ PHPEHUV IURP VFKRROV DORQJ the North Coast volunteered at sever- DO6XEZD\UHVWDXUDQWV,QH[FKDQJHIRU their time, franchise owner Mike Davies See Subway, Page 12A ANDREW R. TONRY PHOTO Molly Aubray shares a laugh with a Subway customer while finishing up a “guest sand- wich” during a two-hour fundraiser at a local Subway restaurant recently. PAID PERMIT NO. 97 ASTORIA, OR PRSRT STD US POSTAGE See Tax, Page 4A Free conference gave local woman WINGS One-day session helps women go to school and begin a new life A victim of childhood sex- ual abuse, destabilizing rever- berations echoed into Nichole Soares’ adult life. At 31, after leaving an abusive partner, she moved into government subsidized housing with her children, aged 4 and 8. After moving into her home, 6RDUHVUHFHLYHGDÀ\HU for an upcoming event. It read: “WINGS: Women Interested in Going to School.” ³7KDWVWDUWHGP\MRXUQH\´ VKH VDLG ,W¶V EHHQ IRXU \HDUV since. Last December, Soares, who lives in Clatsop Plains, MXVWQRUWKRI*HDUKDUWHDUQHG her bachelor’s degree in liber- al arts with double minors in VRFLRORJ\ DQG DQWKURSRORJ\ from Eastern Oregon Univer- VLW\7ZR\HDUVHDUOLHUDW&ODW- VRS &RPPXQLW\ &ROOHJH VKH ¿QLVKHGKHUDVVRFLDWH¶VGHJUHH in liberal arts with honors. No longer in subsidized housing, Soares now volun- teers at The Harbor, in Astoria, a support center for victims of abuse, as well as at the Crisis Line. She plans to earn a mas- ter’s degree in social work while focusing on rehabili- WDWLQJ FKLOGUHQ MXYHQLOHV DQG RWKHUYLFWLPVRISK\VLFDODQG sexual abuse. “WINGS 100 percent got me here,” said Soares. “That UHDOO\ ZDV VRPHWKLQJ WKDW FKDQJHG P\ OLIH ,Q WKDW RQH PRPHQW LQ WKDW RQH GD\ LW FKDQJHGP\OLIHFRPSOHWHO\´ When she arrived at the IUHH RQHGD\ FRQIHUHQFH LQ 2010, she wasn’t sure what WR H[SHFW 4XLFNO\ WKRXJK Soares knew she’d found the right place. ³:KDW UHDOO\ UHVRQDWHG with me is that the WINGS conference is all about reach- ing out to women from all walks of life. That made me feel accepted right off the bat,” she said. “A woman got up and was talking about being a single par- ent and reaching a kind of pla- teau in her life where she didn’t know what to do with her life,” Soares added. “She told her sto- U\DQG,IHOWOLNH,XQGHUVWRRG ZKDWVKHZDVVD\LQJ´ SUBMITTED PHOTO The effect was profound Nichole Soares , who holds her son, Phillip, says she turned and immediate. See Wings, Page 6A her life around after attending a one-day WINGS conference four years ago.