May 12, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A
Buttons are another tactic designed to drive conversation
T
hroughout 2016 and into
early 2017, I’ve occasionally
written on the new branding
and marketing tactics we’ve been
rolling out. Our new look offi cially
launched in early 2016 with a new
website, followed by fresh print
and digital advertisements. But we
were far from complete and had
many other things on the horizon –
including some fun new buttons I’ll
get to in a moment.
Since those fi rst ads were
developed, we’ve created window
clings to assist in the promotion of
our smart phone app around town.
In coordination with our magazine
publisher, we’ve also helped put to-
gether two newly designed issues of
the Seaside Visitor Guide. Included
from this offi ce. Most businesses
have their own logo and name badge
that they use in a variety of ways, so
we came up with a way for the over-
all Seaside creative to be incorporat-
ed into what an individual business
is doing with its own identity. The
most exciting piece of that project
is the arrival of ten, 1.5 inch buttons
that use the icons I just mentioned
to start a conversation, or show off a
popular Seaside activity that locals
and visitors participate in.
Promenade Walker, Sand Dollar
Finder, Bike Rider, Kayaker and
Hiker represent the fi ve buttons that
incorporate getting out and recre-
ating amidst the beautiful area so
many of us call home. Other buttons
include Offi cial Candy Tester, Sand
SIDE RAIL
JON RAHL
in the branding overhaul has been a
merchandise guide. With this tool in
hand, area merchants are encour-
aged to create t-shirts, towels, bags,
coffee mugs or just about anything
else you can think of to put our fun
iconography on. One of the most re-
cent tools was a brand amplifi cation
toolkit, also designed with Seaside
businesses in mind.
The amplifi cation guide was put
together to be an extension of the
marketing and advertising we do
Castle Builder, Carousel Rider and
Seal Feeding Expert – all meant to
pay homage to Seaside pastimes
that families have been participat-
ing in for decades. The fi nal button
recognizes the Craft Beer Taster – a
popular activity that has spawned
the development of close to a dozen
breweries here along Oregon’s
North Coast alone.
The buttons are free and avail-
able to businesses immediately,
and I already have a few that have
expressed interest in participating.
They’ll offer any of the 10 buttons
to their staff, encouraging them to
pick an activity or two that they are
most passionate about. The end goal
is to have as many of these buttons
being worn across town as possible,
helping to prompt conversations
with customers and promote some
of the fun activities Seaside has
to offer. We’ve also talked about
creating a program that allows
consumers to collect single buttons
for all the activities they have com-
pleted while visiting Seaside. The
idea here is to do it in a fun way that
mirrors the scouting merit badge
program so many are familiar with.
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.
LETTERS
Letters from Page 4A
Gearhart dunes, beginning at
the Necanicum estuary and
extending northward. We
are two of the citizens who
encouraged the commis-
sion to postpone passing the
revised ordinance until after a
Columbia River Estuary Study
Taskforce (CREST) led citizen
committee could study and
recommend action.
We are also two of the
many Gearhart residents who
enjoy walking the dunes and
observing the wildlife that
resides there. We have ob-
served 45 species of birds on
our walks, as well as elk,
deer, coyote, bats, bees and
butterfl ies. Quiet walks in this
area including enjoyment of
the wildlife is greatly enhanc-
ing our quality of life and the
“Gearhart” experience. It is
an experience that is readily
accessible to all, visitors and
residents alike.
The amount of allowed
clearing being proposed — a
minimum of 60-feet plus at
both the Neocoxie right of
way and the fi re road — will
alter the habitat to the detri-
ment of the wildlife utilizing
the vegetation for foraging and
breeding and therefore greatly
reduce viewing opportuni-
ties. This is not a small amount
of clearing. These animals
will need to move elsewhere
to meet their needs. The Birdy
Beach Path, named by local
school children, will no longer
live up to its name.
The city of Gearhart has
hired CREST to form a vol-
unteer citizen’s committee to
develop a dune management
plan including dealing with
vegetation issues. At the time
of the Planning Commission
meeting, this committee had
not met for the fi rst time. It
does not make sense to fi nalize
a revised ordinance before the
citizen committee is allowed
to study the issue.
Rushing the process has
the potential for damaging
results. The Gearhart City
Council will be considering
the revised ordinance on May
3. We certainly hope citi-
zens who have concerns for
this issue, show up to let the
council know their feelings
and thoughts and we hope the
council makes the wise choice
of waiting for an alternate plan
that melds citizen safety and
quality of life issues.
Margaret and John Green
Gearhart
Vote for Lum
It is my pleasure to write
this letter of support for Lori
Lum for the board of directors
of the Seaside School District.
Many community members
invest extensive time and
effort into their local schools.
Lori has taken this to a dif-
ferent level. She is personally
invested in each of our schools
as a positive force in support
of our local children.
For many years, Lori
has served as a classroom
volunteer, an offi cer in the
Parent-Teacher Organization
(PTO), and most recently,
she co-chaired two successful
ballot measures. Lori was
co-chairwoman of our 2015
Local Option Levy to continue
Seaside School District to of-
fer programs and services they
otherwise could not provide
for the schools.
Immediately following the
passage of the Local Option
Levy, Lori co-chaired the 2016
School Relocation Bond that
will provide for relocating the
three deteriorating schools that
are in the tsunami inundation
zone. This bond passed by the
greatest margin of any school
district in Oregon.
Lori Lum will make an
outstanding member of Sea-
side School District’s Board of
Directors. She is the General
Manager of Lum’s Auto Cen-
ter, and her extensive business
and fi nance background will
be a great asset.
She also regularly commu-
nicates with parents and com-
munity members, consistently
fi nding ways to collaborate
and encourage adults to play
an active role in students’
education. Lori has a wealth of
energy, insight, and skills.
She is a master at juggling
many tasks and is able to
clarify and prioritize issues. I
highly recommend Lori Lum
for the board of directors of
the Seaside School District.
Douglas C. Dougherty
Superintendent-emeritus,
Seaside School District
Vote for Lori
Lum Toyooka
I am writing in support of
Lori Lum Toyooka, school
board candidate for the
Seaside School District. Lori
has my vote for a number of
reasons. One of the fi rst things
you will realize about Lori is
that she is a mother, fi rst and
foremost.
As the mother of four chil-
dren attending three of the four
Seaside public schools, she is
active in each school, support-
ing her high school student
and all his activities, attending
events and supporting her stu-
dent at the middle school, and
available and willing to help at
any and all events at Gearhart
Elementary School. Going
beyond her personal interest in
the each school, Lori works in
a variety of capacities to sup-
port the administration, staff,
and school district personnel.
She was co-chairperson of
the school bond issue that
was put before the voters, and
overwhelmingly passed, in
November 2016. She has been
instrumental in the planning
of the new schools in Seaside,
and, because she has so much
prior knowledge, it’s almost
a no-brainer to elect her to
help see these projects to their
conclusion.
In addition to her dedica-
tion and participation at all
levels of the local school dis-
trict, Lori maintains a success-
ful business, a business based
on customer service, listening
and supporting the customers
and employees alike, main-
taining fi scal responsibility,
and involving herself in the
welfare of the community at
large. Lori’s family business,
Lum’s Toyota has a rich tra-
dition of community involve-
ment spanning all the way
from the Toyota dealership
barbecues to large donations
and sponsorships to virtually
every agency and cause that
has positive impacts on the
community, including large
scholarship endowments to
graduating seniors at Seaside
High School. I have served
with Lori on local committees
and have seen her passion and
tireless energy. Coupled with
this passionate service, she is
well read, organized, and has a
superb sense of humor. I think
we will all lose if we don’t
elect Lori Lum Toyooka to our
Seaside school board.
Sue Lorain
Gearhart
Vote for Lum
Seaside School District
residents deserve to have a
hard-working, deep listener
and sound thinker as a board
member, and they will have
that if they vote for Lori Lum
for the Seaside School District
Board.
Lori is a mother to four,
an involved PTO member,
a successful businessperson
and an all-around great gal. I
had a birds-eye view of Lori’s
dedication to Seaside schools
when Lori and I co-chaired
two campaigns on behalf of
SSD over the past two years.
One was a bond levy and the
other was the campaign to
pass the school bond to pay
for new schools to replace
our deteriorating and unsafe
current schools.
Lori worked with devotion
and engagement during every
one of our many meetings
to ask and get answers to
questions of importance to
the local community, to bring
in the voices of community
members so all could be
heard and addressed and to
anticipate concerns and seek
solutions.
Lori Lum has my vote for
Seaside School Board. If you
want someone with proven
experience on our school
board, I encourage you to vote
for Lori Lum.
Gail Dundas
Seaside
No shows
Last Wednesday, April
26, a candidate forum for
those seeking an Astoria Port
Commission position was held
at the Warrenton High School.
Three of the candidates did
not appear. Two had agreed to
participate and the third made
excuse after excuse for not
coming. What part of a repre-
sentative democracy do these
men not understand?
They are seeking to rep-
resent all citizens of Clatsop
County not just those who live
in Astoria.
By not appearing, the 30
plus members of the audience
who came to hear all the can-
didates did not hear what these
three know, why they are seek-
ing offi ce, what they see as
the issues facing the Port and
what solutions they have to
solve those issues. These three
have not demonstrated they
understand the basic require-
ment of an elected offi cial to
be accountable to the public
they seek to represent.
I am voting for the three
who did attend and did answer
the audience’s questions. Dick
Hellberg, Pat O’Grady and
Steve Fulton will represent the
public interest of all Clatsop
County.
Patricia Roberts
Gearhart
Vote for Lum
I am writing in support of
Lori Lum’s candidacy to the
Seaside School District Board
of Directors. The Lum family
is well known in the commu-
nity for their altruism and sup-
port of a diverse array of com-
munity interests, and Lori is no
exception to this trait.
I have known Lori for a
number of years, and in the
recent past, I had the oppor-
tunity to work alongside her
to pass two important bond
measures for Seaside Schools.
Her dedication to improving
the quality of education in our
area is unparalleled. She is
an active participant in parent
teacher organizations at all
three schools in the district
and serves as co-president of
the PTO at Broadway Middle
School.
She was co-chairwoman
of the committee to renew a
Local Levy Option in 2015,
which provides over $1
million per year in operation-
al funding for the Seaside
district. In 2016, she served
as co-chair of the Vote Yes for
Our Local Schools campaign
committee, a year-long project
that resulted in passage of a
bond to fund relocation and
construction of new schools in
Seaside.
She is the general manager
of Lum’s Auto Center, a moth-
er of four, and yet, she makes
time to serve in the name of the
greater good. She is seemingly
tireless in her ability to attend
meetings, garner support and
fi nd the resources necessary
to propel a vision of improved
education for our community. I
don’t think we can fi nd a more
knowledgeable, capable can-
didate for this position. Please
join me in casting your ballot
for Lori Lum.
Mary Bess Gloria
Seaside
Flugle ball should
be Olympic sport
I am eighth grade student
at Broadway Middle School.
Flugle ball should be a summer
Olympic sport. There are fi ve
reasons Flugle ball should be a
summer Olympic sport.
First, it’s fun. It is fun be-
cause it has a funny name. It’s
completely random, because if
you kick a ball into radishes,
you look ridiculous because
you are inside air-fi lled balls.
You get to bump each other
around like a bunch of bouncy
balls.
Second, it’s a national sport.
Pretty much all schools play
fl ugle ball. A lot of people take
fl ugle ball seriously. So you
know how good it feels to win,
right, and it is easy to win in
fl ugle ball — so if people play
S HANGHAIED
IN
A STORIA
A U D I T I O N S
fl ugle ball, they will win.
Third, it is an extreme work
out. You run across a football
fi eld. You push against other
people. And you kick a ball
into a goal of radishes.
Fourth, you don’t get hurt.
You are on a big old soft mat.
You are wearing a big bulky
helmet. You are inside, and
I mean literally inside, a big
air-fi lled ball. I mean the only
way you can get hurt is either
if someone kicks you, or if you
trip and fall on your face.
Finally, fl ugle ball is like
other sports. You kick a ball
just like in soccer. You run just
like in track or cross country.
You bump people like in hock-
ey. And you get treated like you
are in football.
So as you can see, fl ugle
ball should be an Olympic
sport. It is fun, it’s a national
sport, it is an extreme work out,
you don’t get hurt, and it’s like
other sports.
Hayden Spratt
Seaside
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SEASIDE
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steaks &
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menu,too!
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Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days)
Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily)
Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144
WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO?
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Phone 503-738-9678
1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside