6A • September 1, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Airport bond vote could foreshadow trouble
Commissioner Bill Hunsinger at-
tacked the airport bond as a give-
away to special interests, while Com-
missioner Stephen Fulton, who was
running for a second term in the May
election, called it speculative devel-
opment that should be rejected.
“I don’t think any of us were real-
ly prepared for the negative position,
or the anti-bond measure information
that was being put out there,” Knight
said.
Three of four Seaside
precincts reject bond
By Derrick DePledge
EO Media Group
Voters rejected a $1.96 million
bond measure in May that would
have helped finance the expansion
of Life Flight Network and other
improvements at Astoria Regional
Airport.
The bond failed by a slim, 146-
vote margin in a special district elec-
tion where voter turnout was a paltry
35 percent. But a closer look inside
the vote tally by precinct showed a
pattern that could foreshadow trouble
for future bond measures, like money
for a county jail.
Precincts in Astoria favored the
airport bond, while Warrenton was
divided. The rest of Clatsop Coun-
ty, outside pockets of Seaside, North
Clatsop, Hamlet and Walluski, went
against the bond.
The geographic divide could be
important if the county seeks a bond
to turn the North Coast Youth Cor-
rectional Facility in Warrenton into
a larger county jail. County com-
missioners have ordered a study into
whether the youth facility, which is
closing because of state budget cuts,
could be an alternative to the over-
crowded 60-bed jail in Astoria.
The rejection of the airport bond
by voters outside of Astoria suggests
advocates for relocating the county
JOSHUA BESSEX/EO MEDIA GROUP
Life Flight Network wanted financial help for a new hangar, while the oth-
er infrastructure improvements at the south end of the airport could have
enabled future development at the regional hub.
jail would have to make a strong ar-
gument that a jail would benefit the
entire county.
“People are concerned about the
amount of taxes that they pay on their
property. And I think that all bond
measures, regardless of the benefit —
for the most part — people are going
to be skeptical,” said Jim Knight, the
executive director of the Port of As-
toria, which backed the airport bond.
Trapped by infighting
Former Astoria Mayor Willis Van
Dusen and state Sen. Betsy Johnson,
two of the most well-known politi-
cians in the county, led a political ac-
tion committee for the airport bond.
But the vote was called on relatively
short notice, the amount of the bond
was reduced for technical reasons
just weeks before the election, and
the merits of the infrastructure in-
vestment became trapped within the
bitter infighting at the Port.
Knight believes several factors
doomed the vote, from the unexpect-
ed opposition from some on the Port
Commission to the lack of a voters’
pamphlet. He also thinks some vot-
ers in South County were apprehen-
sive about making another financial
commitment so soon after the $99.7
million in bonds they approved last
November to move three schools out
of the tsunami inundation zone.
Port commissioners all said they
supported Life Flight Network, but
Unity
‘Messaging is really
important’
Sheila Roley, the superintendent
of the Seaside School District, said
she heard from people before the
election who did not understand ex-
actly why the Port was asking for the
bond money.
Life Flight Network, which pro-
vides emergency medical flights,
wanted financial help for a new han-
gar, while the other infrastructure
improvements at the south end of the
airport could have enabled future de-
velopment at the regional hub. Tax-
payers would have paid an estimated
$12.35 a year for property assessed at
$100,000 as the bond matured over
four years.
“I did hear quite a few people
mention their misunderstanding of
what it was and why would we be
voting for something that’s going to
benefit Astoria,” Roley said.
Three of the four precincts in Sea-
side rejected the airport bond, as did
precincts in Gearhart and Cannon
Beach.
Clatsop County could place a
bond for a jail on the ballot as soon
as next year, when there are primary
and general elections that typically
draw more voter interest.
Voters in May 2012 turned down a
$14 million bond measure to expand
the jail in Astoria. The measure failed
56 percent to 44 percent despite ev-
idence of jail overcrowding and ap-
peals from law enforcement, led by
Sheriff Tom Bergin. Voter turnout
was 52.6 percent, significantly high-
er than the 35 percent for the airport
bond in May.
Scott Lee, the chairman of the
county Board of Commissioners, fa-
vors putting bond measures on gen-
eral election ballots where a broader
slice of the electorate can decide.
More importantly, the county
would need to craft a compelling
rationale to convince enough voters
from Astoria to Cannon Beach to pay
more in property taxes. “I think mes-
saging is really important,” Lee said.
Forestland eliminated from proposal
DINING
Renewal from Page 1A
on the
Priorities are determined
by the Seaside Improvement
Commission and may change
over time, Howard wrote. If
new projects are proposed,
they must be added to the
plan through an amendment
in a public meeting at the im-
provement commission.
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SEASIDE
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Forestland a concern
The elimination of the Wey-
erhaeuser property from the
plan came after a City Council
hearing earlier this month in
which residents urged council-
ors to reconsider.
Members of the Oregon
Coast Alliance disputed find-
ings that the county-zoned par-
cel owned by Weyerhaeuser is
blighted.
“This urban renewal plan
seems to be poorly designed,
very conclusory and many
questions have not been an-
swered, including, but not lim-
ited to, why is 32 acres includ-
ed since a forest parcel cannot
be blighted?” Oregon Coast
Alliance Land Use Director
Cameron La Follette said af-
ter the meeting. “A great deal
more needs to be done to make
sure it is consistent with the
Seaside comprehensive plan,
and right now it is not.”
This theme was repeated
during Monday’s public com-
ment period before city coun-
cilors addressed the concern by
eliminating the property from
the proposal.
They also sought to calm
fears of rising property taxes,
use of eminent domain and to
distinguish the plan from ex-
pansion of the urban growth
boundary, a separate process
based on population projections
and other demographic factors.
“Hopefully a lot of those
concerns were allayed, and
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Map of Seaside’s urban renewal boundary, including 33 acres of Weyerhaeuser property elim-
inated from the adopted plan.
people understand this is not
an increased tax on homes,”
Councilor Randy Frank said.
Councilors also consid-
ered an amendment clarifying
the plan’s water and sewer
system policies.
“It is not new language,”
Winstanley said. “It is lan-
guage that is intended to clar-
ify. You’re not adding any-
thing new to the plan.”
Unanimous approval
The City Council unani-
mously voted to remove the
Weyerhaeuser property from
the urban renewal district,
along with the new verbiage.
The vote was followed by
unanimous adoption of the
ordinance approving the plan.
The elimination of the
Weyerhaeuser property won’t
impact the building of the
new Seaside School District
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Seaside City Manager Mark Winstanley indicates a parcel to be
eliminated from the Southeast Seaside Urban Renewal Plan.
campus, Winstanley said after
the meeting. “The question is:
‘Do we have to have this par-
cel in?’ And I said I couldn’t
identify any particular project
that would be affected.”
The Clatsop County Board
of Commissioners, which
held a public hearing on the
urban renewal plan in July,
the vote been unanimous.
While city councilors may
feel safe and protected, many
immigrants do not, resident
Guadalupe Beltran added.
“We as part of the com-
munity want you to be in our
shoes for a minute,” she said.
A show of support
Discussion of an inclusiv-
ity resolution began early this
year when changes in feder-
al immigration policy under
President Donald Trump cre-
ated heightened local aware-
ness.
Advocates believe inclu-
sivity resolutions allow cities
to support and recognize the
contributions of immigrants
without getting drawn into the
national clash with the Trump
administration over immigra-
tion enforcement.
Seaside’s resolution is sim-
ilar to ones adopted in Asto-
ria, Cannon Beach, Gearhart
and Warrenton.
Resolution 3903 recogniz-
es the contribution of immi-
grants and refugees “of all na-
tions” to the state as workers
and taxpayers. Inclusion and
integration “of all residents of
Seaside is a vital concern for
the general welfare of Seaside
in all respects. … Every Sea-
side resident should be treated
with compassion and respect
regardless of national origin
or citizenship status.”
The resolution does not
make Seaside a sanctuary city,
a designation some cities have
adopted to shield immigrants
from federal law enforcement.
“I think it affirms who we
are as a community,” May-
or Jay Barber said Monday
night.
During public comment,
Moulin told city councilors
that Seaside’s Hispanic com-
munity wants to “work hard
and make sure our children
are part of both cultures: the
Spanish and the American
cultures.”
Moulin thanked the city
for putting the resolution to a
vote.
“It will help us to continue
to grow and prosper economi-
cally,” she said. “It’s simply a
gesture, but I think it’s a really
important way to show cities
do support everyone in their
community. Even though you
say that you do, putting it on
record is really important.”
Law or policy?
Along with Frank and
Morrisey, Councilor Dana
Phillips also questioned
whether the inclusivity reso-
Ocean Front at
Tolovana Park
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meets Sept. 13 to consider
the city’s request. If approv-
al is granted, urban renewal
district boundaries would be
frozen and the land would be
designated as a taxing district,
possibly as early as October.
“As the assessed value
grows, the increment starts to
build up,” Winstanley said.
Council divided over inclusivity resolution
Council from Page 1A
Roley said there is always a lit-
tle bit of South County versus North
County sentiment, but she believes
the failure of the airport bond does
not cloud a potential bond for a jail.
She said it is easier for voters to see
how a jail would benefit the entire
county.
“I think that was fairly issue spe-
cific,” she said of the May vote.
lution was necessary in a city
she said has always respected
its immigrant population.
“I really believe we are an
inclusive community already,
and always have been,” Phil-
lips said.
“Of course everyone up
here respects immigrants, ref-
ugees and Hispanics,” Mor-
risey said. “That goes without
saying.”
Councilor Tita Montero
suggested a different perspec-
tive. “We sitting up here are
white people,” Montero said.
“We haven’t seen what hap-
pens in other places. None of
us see it all.”
Barber, along with coun-
cilors Tom Horning and Steve
Wright, joined Montero in
speaking in favor of the inclu-
sivity resolution. Phillips also
voted in favor. Morrisey and
Frank voted against it.
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