May 25, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 3A
OBITUARIES
Jack Lester Birkby
Arch Cape
May 20, 1925 — May 6, 2018
Lianne Thompson
Mark Kujala
Pamela Wev
Peter Roscoe notforsale
Lianne Thompson is
winner in District 5
Thompson,
Kujala celebrate
victories
By Jack Heffernan
The Daily Astorian
Commissioner
Lianne
Thompson and former War-
renton Mayor Mark Kujala
and seized victories Tuesday,
May 15, in their races for the
Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners, while Pamela Wev
and Peter Roscoe are set for a
November runoff.
Thompson won a second
four-year term in District 5,
which covers most of South
County. Her top priorities are
housing, economic develop-
ment and emergency prepared-
ness.
“Thank you to my boss-
es — the voters in District 5,”
Thompson said. “I’m grateful
for their support and will con-
tinue to work hard to do right
by them.”
Thompson has faced sharp
criticism from three other com-
missioners and County Man-
ager Cameron Moore over her
travel expenses, behavior to-
ward county staff and view that
commissioners should have a
more active role in day-to-day
county operations. At one point,
Lee called for her resignation.
“When I went out and said,
‘(Voters) are at the top of the
organizational chart, you pay
COLIN MURPHEY/THE DAILY ASTORIAN
A voter drops off a ballot in Astoria for the May 15 election.
the bills, you hold staff ac-
countable for what they paid
for,’ they said, ‘Yep, that’s it,’”
Thompson said. “Now we’re
crystal clear on that.”
Susana Gladwin, a Jewell
farmer, challenged Thompson.
The candidates served with
each other for four years on the
county Planning Commission.
Gladwin often attends Plan-
ning Commission meetings
and highlighted housing and
forestry policies as two of her
core issues.
Ron Brown, running un-
opposed for district attorney,
secured a four-year term on
Tuesday. The longtime pros-
ecutor has served as District
Attorney Josh Marquis’ deputy
since 2004. Marquis is retiring
after 25 years in office.
Circuit Court Judge Cindee
Matyas, also running unop-
posed, won another six-year
term. Matyas has been a judge
since 2007.
Voter turnout in Clatsop
County was 36 percent.
Commission runoff
Wev — a land use consul-
tant — and Roscoe — a former
restaurateur — will compete in
the first commission runoff in a
decade after neither reached 50
percent of the vote in District 3.
Doug Thompson — a property
manager — finished third.
Commissioner Lisa Clem-
ent chose not to run for re-elec-
tion in a district that covers
parts of Astoria, Miles Cross-
ing, Jeffers Garden, Lewis and
Clark, Youngs River, Olney,
Green Mountain and parts of
Walluski.
Wev served five years in
former Portland Mayor Vera
Katz’s administration, while
Roscoe served on the Astoria
City Council.
Mitchell scores upset for
state House District 32 seat
Democratic
primary to
replace Boone
By Edward Stratton
The Daily Astorian
Tiffiny Mitchell, a pro-
gressive lifted by union and
conservation groups, scored
an upset victory Tuesday, May
15, in the Democratic primary
for state House.
Mitchell, a state child wel-
fare worker who moved to
Oregon three years ago from
Utah, and John Orr, an attor-
ney, were both seen as under-
dogs next to Tim Josi, a Tilla-
mook County commissioner
and former state representa-
tive with more name recogni-
tion and the backing of indus-
try and many state legislators.
The three sought to replace
state Rep. Deborah Boone,
D-Cannon Beach, who will
retire when her seventh term
ends in January.
“I think that my message
just resonated with voters,”
Mitchell said of the strong
showing in her first campaign.
She credited volunteers for
helping to get her name and
message out after filing just
before the deadline in March.
She said she personally
knocked on more than 3,000
doors.
Mitchell will face Re-
publican Vineeta Lower, a
teacher, and Independent Bri-
an Halvorsen, a progressive
organizer, in the November
election. Democrats have long
dominated in House District
32, which includes Clatsop
and Tillamook counties, along
with a small portion of west-
ern Washington County.
Some in Clatsop County
were concerned Mitchell and
Orr would split the county
vote and tip the primary to the
more conservative Josi, who is
from Bay City.
In his concession speech,
Orr, who was edging Josi for
second place, congratulated
Mitchell.
“I still wonder why this
election had corporations and
organizations from around Ore-
gon campaigning for my oppo-
nents,” he said. “Now it’s time
for the winner to listen to the
residents of House District 32.”
The Democratic primary
attracted more than $200,000
in political contributions.
Josi
gathered
nearly
$115,000 in donations as of
Tuesday, including the backing
of Boone and state Sen. Betsy
Johnson, D-Scappoose. Mitch-
ell, who was largely supported
by unions and conservation
groups, raised nearly $100,000,
while Orr’s campaign, mostly
backed by local donors, raised
less than $17,000.
Forest management prac-
tices became a focal point of
the primary.
Mitchell and Orr had both
called for limits on timber
harvesting when it could have
negative environmental ef-
fects. Josi, who chairs the For-
est Land Trust Advisory Com-
mittee, called for maximizing
timber harvests and said envi-
ronmental concerns have been
overstated.
• Election results: View re-
sults at https://tinyurl.com/
ybnp5cbc
Jack Lester Birkby was born in Sidney, turned friend to join the family for a meal,
Iowa, May 20, 1925, and died May 6, 2018, and rest their head for a night, in his Arch
Cape home.
in Arch Cape, Oregon at the age of 93.
Making friends with Jack, it didn’t matter
Staff Sgt. Birkby, while stationed at Fort
one’s educational back-
Lewis, met and mar-
ried Dorothy Yost, his
ground, social status, na-
tionality or age. He was
wife of 61 years. To-
gether they raised their
very trusting of strangers
three daughters in, first,
— a gracious, kind man,
setting an example to oth-
Lakewood, Washington,
ers as to how we should
and later Milwaukie,
treat people. Jack was so
Oregon. Family adven-
tures were highlighted
accommodating for peo-
ple coming to their home,
by skiing Mount Rainier
welcoming them with
and Mount Hood, and
Jack Birkby
open arms, and offering
camping trips to nation-
al parks, Canada and the
them to come camp out
Olympic Peninsula, and enjoying the wa- on his lawn, or offering them a bed. Living
ters of Puget Sound — but once they bought at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, he proudly
their cabin in Arch Cape, all transitioned into shared photos of his “back yard.”
Among Jack’s survivors are daughters
beachcombers.
Jack lived most of his adult life in the Pa- Virginia Birkby, Jackie Dochow, and Deb-
cific Northwest. He was a salesman by trade ra Birkby; son-in-law Paul Dochow; sister
and by heart, working into his 90s. He be- Ruthella Birkby Barnard; grandchildren
gan his career working for Pennzoil, owned Hillary Dochow, Mark Dochow, and Jolene
a Chevron service station in Tacoma, and Pauker; and great-grandchildren, Victoria
formed J.B. Sales serving as a manufactur- Dochow, Linkin Dochow, and Colton Pauker.
er’s representative for Meguiar’s polishes Jack also leaves behind many nieces and
nephews.
and various automotive product lines.
He was preceded in death by his wife Dor-
Upon retirement, Jack started Debra’s
Surplus True-Value Hardware in Seaside, Or- othy, his brother Robert Birkby, and parents
egon, with his son-in-law, Paul Dochow.
Lucretia Isabel Carter Birkby and Lawrence
He and Dorothy RV’ed around the coun- Virgenice “Shorty” Birkby.
try, basing out of Yuma, Arizona. Selling
Jack was laid to rest May 17, 2018, with
was all about talking with people, learning his wife, Dorothy, at Willamette National
about them, and sharing stories and friend- Cemetery in Portland, Oregon, with military
ships. There was always a place for a stranger honors.
Advisory committee formed
for countywide housing study
The Daily Astorian
A 20-member technical
advisory committee has be-
gun discussing a countywide
housing study.
Last year, Clatsop County
and each of the county’s five
cities approved a $100,000
study to evaluate the area’s
housing needs. The county
pitched in $50,000 while the
cities contributed $10,000 each.
Warrenton Mayor Henry
Balensifer is the committee’s
chairman, and Cannon Beach
City Councilor Brandon Ogil-
vie is the vice chairman. The
committee is made up of elect-
ed officials and government,
business and nonprofit heads.
Johnson Economics, a
Portland consulting firm, was
hired in March to lead the
study, which is expected to be
finished by November. Con-
sultants will study the types,
sizes, locations and prices
needed for housing as well as
the market forces, regulations
and other barriers that prevent
development.
Area residents may partic-
ipate through an open house,
online survey or by attending
the committee’s public meet-
ings. Up-to-date information
can be found at www.co.clat-
sop.or.us.
Guided walking tour slated for June 9
A guided walk Saturday,
June 9, at North Coast Land
Conservancy’s Circle Creek
and Boneyard Ridge habitat
reserves is one of 20 free out-
ings offered by 12 Oregon land
trusts throughout the state as
part of Get Outdoors Oregon
Day.
Part of the National Get
Outdoors effort, Get Out-
doors Oregon Day is a chance
to get outside — whether by
attending a land trust event,
exploring Oregon’s hiking
trails or enjoying a local park
with family. At Circle Creek,
geologist Tom Horning and
naturalist Mike Patterson will
lead an exploration of the
Necanicum River floodplain
forest and lower reaches of
Tillamook Head in their many
stages: newly planted, dead
and decaying, and everything
in between. The outing will
begin at Circle Creek, one of
the conservancy’s largest hab-
itat reserves and also one of
its most dynamic. From there
participants will venture into
340-acre Boneyard Ridge, an-
other large conservancy habi-
tat reserve serving as a habitat
bridge between Circle Creek
and Ecola State Park. Details
about this and other summer
outings on conservancy lands
is available at NCLCtrust.org/
on-the-land-summer-outings.
Get Outdoors Oregon Day
is part of a week celebrating
outdoor recreation in Oregon
June 2 through 10.
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