September 30, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A
Reaching an audience through a catchy tagline
I
t’s my hope that you’ve seen the
new branding campaign the City
of Seaside Visitors Bureau un-
dertook this past year. Whether it be
from a past column I wrote, a local
meeting you’ve attended, visiting
our website or maybe you’ve just
see our visitor guide around town,
I’m hopeful that many residents and
businesses are seeing how we are
telling Seaside’s tourism story.
Back in December I wrote about
the process we went through to
come up with our new look. The
end result was a new color scheme,
graphically represented with icons
that depict an array of things to do in
Seaside, while also including items
that illustrate how unique this place
is to visit. The development also
SIDE RAIL
JOHN RAHL
included a new tagline, “It’s Easy
to Seaside,” and a methodology for
telling consumers just how easy it is
to visit and play in and around town.
Fast forward nine months and we’re
now working on further develop-
ment of that methodology through
several new “how to” scenarios that
will be the basis for our fall, winter
and spring advertising.
The process for coming up with
these executions – or ways to carry
out our advertising plan – has been
a lot of fun. We have retained a
relationship with Portland-based
Lookout Consulting and started
with a simple list of all the “how to”
things we could talk about. Without
unveiling the results, because they
are not complete, I’ll instead share
three of the “how to” executions
we’ve used since January of this
year. The fi rst ad we ran was entitled
“How to get an epic view of Tilla-
mook Lighthouse from Seaside.”
The photograph shows a lone hiker
with her companion dog walking a
path along the Tillamook Head trail
while giving the reader four easy
steps for accessing the trail.
Next came “How to storm watch
in Seaside,” which has been one
of my favorite advertisements we
placed in 2016. It features a man on
the beach with his arms extended
and his hat in his left hand as he
let the awesome ocean wind pound
against his chest. The idea was to
express the exhilaration a storm can
deliver through a simple photograph
and I think we did just that.
One of the most recent ads we’ve
run features another beautiful photo-
graph with the title, “How to Kayak
through Seaside.” As with the entire
campaign, the steps are quite easy to
follow because ultimately, “It’s easy
to Seaside.” And that’s what makes
this process of development so much
fun. We can feature something as
simple as “How to eat saltwater taf-
fy,” to something more diffi cult like
“How to razor clam,” although even
LETTERS
Letters from Page 4A
Gearhart’s mayor and a
handful of others in favor of
the new zoning ordinance
claim everyone had the oppor-
tunity to be heard. However,
limitations were strictly placed
on input — only fi ve, and
sometimes only three minutes,
and only at public meetings or
hearings. Additionally, the pro-
cess set out by the law wasn’t
even properly followed. As
one example, the ordinance
as passed has provisions and
language that was added after
all public notice and hearings.
The city pays its attorney to do
a better job than that.
The 5 percent of Gearhart
homeowners who rent their
homes to vacationers (typical-
ly less than one-third of any
year) were completely denied
such a process. Many home-
owners requested an audience
with council members, either
individually or in groups. We
were refused. On repeated
occasions we requested to
help form a committee of
Gearhart homeowners to
study the issue. The c ouncil
refused. We offered to form
a group of homeowners who
rent to vacationers to take into
account other homeowners’
concerns and impose self-reg-
ulation. The c ouncil didn’t
consider it.
Experts on the issue of va-
cation rentals, including proper-
ty managers, lawyers and polit-
ical consultants were given fi ve
or three minutes, depending on
the meeting, to speak at public
meetings or hearings, and no
more. Of course, written testi-
mony was also submitted, but
who knows what was received
and read. City councilors have
admitted to not looking at their
government email accounts,
and the city administrator has
confi rmed this. If there are
emails which the city admin-
istrator decides need particular
attention, he has admitted to
sending them to the councilors’
personal email addresses.
Don’t fi nd comfort in the
claim that democracy has been
served by simply following
a process. On the issue of
regulating a small percentage
of Gearhart homeowners who
rent to vacationers, process
has been abused in Gearhart
by refusing, and not actually
accepting and considering
data, meaningful citizen input
and expert information.
I am a friend of Gearhart
who respects the rights of
citizens both in court, and at
the ballot box.
Kathy Schroeder
Portland/Gearhart
Thank you
Many upsetting headlines
have focused on Oregon foster
care providers who wronged
youth in their care, prompt-
ing an investigation that will
hopefully lead to much-need-
ed changes (“‘Culture change’
needed at state human services
agency,” The Daily Astorian,
Sept. 14). These providers are
the sad exception, brought
about by a system in need of
repair. They are not the norm.
The true heroes for children
in foster care are those who
never make the news. They
make the beds, and wash the
laundry, and read the stories,
and wipe the tears. They
open their homes and hearts
to children who challenge
them. They give shelter to the
4-year-old who can’t under-
stand what has happened,
and to the 14-year-old who
struggles with the uncertainty
of what is next. They are the
families who make a differ-
ence for children in care: kind,
loving, patient foster parents.
“The cost of failing to
protect foster children from
harm is high,” the article
states, going on to quote dollar
amounts of settled claims
brought by youth formerly in
foster care. Yet the true cost
of failing to protect children
and youth from further neglect
and abuse does not fi t neatly
into a budget category for the
legislature: mental illness,
substance abuse, juvenile de-
that can be pretty easy once you get
the hang of it.
The bottom line is that we don’t
want visiting Seaside to be diffi -
cult. Life is stressful enough with
our jobs, obligations and unique
wrinkles inevitably thrown our way.
When people come here to visit, we
want it to be as simple as possible
while enabling them to experience
the wonders and beauty of this
coastal paradise.
Have a thought or a question
about tourism in Seaside, or maybe
an idea for a future column? Drop
me an email at jrahl@cityofseaside.
us. Jon Rahl is the director of tour-
ism for the Seaside Visitors Bureau
and assistant general manager of the
Seaside Civic & Convention Center.
ANNIVERSARIES
linquency, life in poverty, and
only disjointed family mem-
bers to occasionally provide a
connection.
The true cost of failing to
protect foster children from
harm is the loss of their health
and happiness. Denying
children the ability to pursue
happiness means denying
them their unalienable rights.
Fortunately, many children
in foster care have temporary
personal champions of happi-
ness and safety.
I would like to send a huge
“Thank you!” to the foster
parents whose homes and
hearts are havens to the most
vulnerable children in Clatsop
County. We deeply appreciate
you. You save lives every day.
Julia Mabry
Executive director, Clat-
sop County Court Appointed
Special Advocates (CASA)
Replace outdated
Gearhart fi re station
A Gearhart grassroots,
citizens’ committee has been
meeting monthly since Sep-
tember 2015. This committee
was organized at the request
of the Gearhart City Council.
One of the council’s goals is to
replace the outdated Gearhart
Fire Station. The committee
was charged with the task of
assessing whether the existing
fi re station and city hall facili-
ties are adequately meeting the
needs of the community.
After months of research,
which included a strong em-
phasis on resiliency in terms
of natural disasters, the day-
to-day operations of the fi re
department, and the training
and retention of volunteers,
the Firehall Committee agreed
that an investigation into a cost
effective plan was the next
logical step in their research.
In April 2016, the commit-
tee asked the Gearhart City
Council for $10,000 from the
building reserve fund to begin
the next phase of research. The
City Council unanimously vot-
ed to release the funds to the
committee. The advisory com-
mittee has ongoing, monthly
meetings to continue the
process of exploring the many
possibilities for constructing a
public safety building which
will provide staff and volun-
teers the tools to better protect
our community for now and
well into the future.
Sue Lorain
Gearhart
Democrats must
remove shaky plank
Although I agree with the
Democratic platform on sev-
eral points, I cannot vote for
the Democratic candidates be-
cause of their party platform’s
insistence on abortion “rights.”
Over one million abortions are
performed every year in the
U.S., not to mention millions
more in other nations who
might look to America for
example.
The American losses alone
are of citizens who are entitled
to live their lives and to con-
tribute to their society. They
are Americans deprived of
their Declaration — and cre-
ator-entitled — rights to “life...
and the pursuit of happiness.”
We will need these persons’
contributions to families,
medicine, education, care of
the elderly, Social Security and
national defense. The world
needs everyone.
Roe v. Wade was decided
with a rationale that Ameri-
can women must have equal
“access.” Now, ironically, a
disproportionate percentage
of black women are given
abortions. Whereas black
women aged 15 through 44 are
only 13 percent of America’s
female population, a full 36
percent of abortions are perpe-
trated on black women.
As a result, a discrimina-
tory percentage of victims of
abortion are black children.
This is genocide. The Demo-
cratic party must rescind the
abortion plank of its platform
in order to protect the rights
of all of America’s children.
Gregory Voss
Belleville, Illinois
Passport to Wellness offers activities to ward off obesity
Jerry and Bonnie Eller,
of Gearhart, celebrated their
50th wedding anniversa-
ry on Sunday, Sept. 18 at
Abigail Gardens in Ore-
gon City. All of the family
attended the celebration
as well as the wedding of
the Eller’s granddaughter
Jessica Hanson to Andrew
Moffert, both of Vancouver,
Washington.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Jerry and Bonnie Eller
First Saturday Art Walk
The Seaside First Sat-
urday Art Walk takes place
Oct. 1, between 5 and 7 p.m.
Meet artists, enjoy wine and
appetizers and enjoy musi-
cal performances.
The Art Walk, celebrat-
ing 12 years, is a walk about
in the historic Gilbert Dis-
trict located between Holla-
day and Broadway. Dedicat-
ed parking is to be found on
the corner of Oceanway and
Holladay.
SunRose Gallery, 606
Broadway will showcase
new work from Ronni Har-
ris with Seaside-oriented
“quilted paintings.”
Fairweather House and
Gallery, 612 Broadway,
presents an opening recep-
tion for “Drama in Art.” The
SUBMITTED PHOTO
“Across the Columbia,” by
Renee Rowe at Fairweather
House & Gallery in Seaside.
gallery displays work by
Jo Pomeroy-Crockett, Jan
Shield, Renee Rowe and
Linda
Fenton-Menden-
hall. Artist Paul Brent of-
fers a watercolor painting
demonstration.
Moxie, Shine On, at 609
Broadway, will display jew-
elry and art.
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By Sue Cody
EO Media Group
Did you know that re-
search data shows that phys-
ically active children have
more active brains?
The Way to Wellville, the
Clatsop County community-
wide effort to improve health,
is embarking on a Passport
to Wellness program. Phys-
ical movement and healthy
nutrition help students con-
centrate, pay attention and
improve their behavior in the
classroom, while reducing
and preventing obesity.
Providence Health & Ser-
vices recently gave a $40,000
Community Wellness Benefi t
Award to The Way to Well-
ville to hire a coordinator and
create wellness programs in
Clatsop County elementary
schools. The Way to Wellville
is sponsored by Columbia Pa-
cifi c CCO.
Providence Oregon has
identifi ed childhood obesity
as one of its main missions of
“Creating Healthy Communi-
ty Together.”
Seaside Providence Hos-
pital CEO Kendall Sawa said,
“We seek to partner with
agencies and programs to
help reach the unmet needs
of the people we serve,” as he
handed out Community Ben-
efi t Awards at the hospital.
“We can’t do it alone. Our
ministries allocate money to
other agencies, to extend our
mission. The Way to Wellville
has a good mission,” he says.
The goal of Passport to
Wellness is to create a culture
of positive attitudes, knowl-
edge and behaviors around
nutrition, physical activity
and emotional well-being,”
says The Way to Wellville
Strategic Council member
Debbie Morrow.
In the fall, a 12-week Pass-
port to Wellness program will
be initiated for third, fourth
and fi fth graders at Lewis and
Clark, and Warrenton ele-
mentary schools. Students for
the program will be chosen
by school counselors, admin-
istrators, teachers and staff.
“Our goal is to help stu-
dents develop healthy eating
habits, healthy behaviors,
healthy body image and
healthy emotional develop-
ment,” Morrow says.
In addition to traditional
physical activities, students
will participate in yoga and
mindfulness training.
The wellness coordina-
tor will teach students about
nutrition through growing a
garden, fruit and vegetable
identifi cation and healthy
cooking.
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