Friday, March 11, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Jewell School District hires acting superintendent
Gardner retired
from Central Linn
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
JEWELL — The Jew-
ell School District has
hired an acting replace-
ment for Superintendent
Steve Phillips, who was
placed on administrative
leave last month pending an
investigation.
Following an executive
session on Monday night, the
school board voted unani-
mously to make Brian Gard-
ner, a former superintendent
at Central Linn School Dis-
trict in Linn County, the act-
ing superintendent for the
rural school district. The
appointment was eff ective
immediately.
“We’re very excited,”
Mike Stahly, the school
board’s chairman, told The
Astorian. “He is starting in
the morning — he is actually
starting right now. I hope
everybody has a chance to
stop in and meet him.”
Gardner served as super-
The Jewell School District has named an acting superintendent.
intendent in Linn County
for a decade before retiring
from the position last year.
He also has past experience
as a principal and teacher.
He will fi ll in through
the end of June, or until an
earlier date is given by the
school board with 30 days
advance notice, according to
his contract.
The appointment of
Gardner comes as Jewell has
faced leadership uncertainty
and turnover in recent years.
“My interest in Jewell is
because I think that my basic
background and skills can
come in and hopefully calm
the waters a little bit, and do
some things to help the dis-
trict set up for long term and
permanent success,” Gard-
ner said to the school board
and attendees of the meeting
on Monday. “My basic feel-
ing is you do that by focus-
ing on the kids and focusing
on the staff . The rest of it is
noise.
“So I see it as – my job is
to try to get that focus back
to where it needs to be …
Hopefully, I can help with
that. I am looking forward
to it.”
With only a few months
remaining in the school
year, Gardner said he plans
to meet individually with
school board members and
administrators to get himself
up to speed.
The acting superinten-
dent’s duties will feature a
combination of remote and
in-person work. Gardner,
who is based in Nevada,
plans to make weekly com-
mutes to the school district,
spending a few days at a
time in Jewell.
In his contract, Gardner
will be paid based on days
worked, with his weekly
earnings prorated at $800
per day. With the exception
of spring break, his contract
requires a weekly in-person
presence.
After the conclusion of
the school board meeting
on Monday, Gardner held a
discussion with parents and
attendees, addressing con-
cerns and answering ques-
tions. Topics touched on
his availability, communi-
cation and the lack of sta-
bility in the superintendent
role.
Parents expressed frus-
tration with the inability to
fi nd a long-term solution at
superintendent. Phillips was
appointed superintendent in
2019.
“Right now, we are on
this every three, four-year
cycle of superintendents get-
ting turned around,” a par-
ent, who also works at Jew-
ell School, said. “ ... It’s like
a hamster in a wheel, you
keep on running, you keep
on working hard, but you are
going nowhere.”
Gardner said he could
potentially discuss the issue
with the school board. He
indicated that he would not
pursue a permanent role.
Phillips was put on paid
administrative leave during
a Feb. 15 special session,
which followed an execu-
tive session. An independent
investigation was initiated
shortly after.
The school board has not
disclosed the reason for the
investigation.
Clatsop County looks to strengthen emergency management
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Clatsop County is look-
ing to strengthen emergency
management.
The work of responding
to natural hazards and disas-
ters — from fi res and fl oods
to a megaquake and tsunami
— would belong to a new
county department instead
of the emergency manage-
ment offi ce.
Along with the restruc-
ture, the county will recruit
a full-time department direc-
tor, who will report to the
county manager. Tiff any
Brown, the county’s emer-
gency manager and direc-
tor of the Emergency Oper-
ations Center, will report to
the new director.
The position will be
funded by money reallo-
cated from an emergency
management
coordinator
role, which has been vacant
since last year.
At a recent county Board
of Commissioners meeting,
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Rain and high tides caused fl ooding in Seaside in January.
County Manager Don Bohn
said he hopes to have some-
one in place within three to
four months.
“There’s no doubt that the
risk towards Clatsop County
regarding earthquakes, tsu-
namis and windstorms, and
any other form of natural
disaster, is high,” he said,
“and I think that it’s import-
ant as we move forward that
the emergency management
function be elevated to a
department level.”
Commissioners will hold
a second reading on an ordi-
nance to remove from the
county manager’s assigned
duties the direction of the
emergency
management
offi ce.
The move has been con-
sidered for more than a
Circuit Court dismisses election
challenge on Cannon Beach food tax
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
opposed the ballot measure
ahead of the election, could
not be reached for comment.
The county declined to
comment.
Measure 4-210 was
approved in a 380-374 vote.
The city expects to begin
collecting the tax in July.
City Manager Bruce
St. Denis has defended the
opening of the drop box in
front of City Hall. He said
people had shoved several
ballots into the side of the
box and city staff wanted to
make sure the ballots were
protected from the rain. He
and Karen LaBonte, the
city’s public works director,
unlocked the box and put the
ballots inside.
County elections staff
have said St. Denis and
LaBonte did not violate any
rules.
Meanwhile, the drop box
in Seaside was not consid-
ered an offi cial drop-off
location.
Krevanko picked up two
ballots in the Seaside drop
box after the election, but
they were considered too late
to count and never opened.
The tax is estimated to
generate $1.7 million annu-
ally, which will be split
between the city and Cannon
Beach Rural Fire Protection
District.
The city will use its por-
tion to help fund a new City
Hall and police station, while
the fi re district plans to use
its share for operations as
calls for emergency service
continue to rise.
New legal twist in fi ght over oceanfront home
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
The city and a couple
seeking to build a controver-
sial beach house overlook-
ing Haystack Rock are now
being sued by a neighboring
property owner.
Stanley and Rebecca
Roberts submitted an appli-
cation last year to construct
a 2,712-square-foot ocean-
front home on a steep hill-
side off of Hemlock Street.
The proposal, however, did
not advance because it did
not meet the city’s ocean-
front setback standard,
which, if applied, would sig-
nifi cantly reduce the possi-
ble footprint for any build-
ing on the property.
The couple was unsuc-
cessful before the state Land
Use Board of Appeals and
the Oregon Court of Appeals
and is now appealing to the
Oregon Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the Roberts
have applied for a second
building permit for a smaller
house that would meet the
oceanfront setback standard.
The City Council held a
public hearing last week for
a driveway access easement
— a requirement before the
building permit is consid-
ered — but held off making
a decision pending the out-
come of the legal challenges
and other information.
Prior to the hearing, Hay-
stack Rock LLC, which
owns land to the north of
the Roberts’ property, fi led
a claim for declaratory relief
in Circuit Court to determine
the rights and obligations of
the city and the Roberts.
The court fi ling claims
the Roberts do not have the
right to build a driveway on
an unimproved public right
of way. The city, the fi ling
claims, has the authority to
deny the easement request
for failure to adequately
demonstrate safety, code
compliance or that it is in the
public’s interest.
Haystack Rock LLC also
argued that the city may not
grant the proposed private
easement, and that the right
of way cannot be used for
anything other than a public
thoroughfare.
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E
RIL Y’
S
An appeal for a new elec-
tion on a controversial food
tax has failed.
The 5% tax, which
applies to prepared food
sold at restaurants and sim-
ilar businesses, was nar-
rowly approved by voters
in November and survived
a recount in December. The
money raised will support
emergency services and city
infrastructure.
Opponents of the tax
questioned the integrity of
the election and expressed
concerns about ballot drop
boxes and how ballots were
counted.
In an election contest fi led
in Circuit Court in Decem-
ber against the Clatsop
County Elections Division
and County Clerk Tracie
Krevanko, Megan Miller and
Josh Tuckman, the owners of
Castaways Global Cuisine &
Wine Bar, alleged violations
of election law and fraud.
The legal challenge
alleged a ballot drop box at
City Hall was improperly
and prematurely opened and
that ballots from a drop box
in Seaside were improperly
rejected. Some votes, the
court fi lings said, were not
properly counted or counted
at all.
The court dismissed the
case in February.
Miller and Tuckman,
who were among the many
restaurant owners who
decade.In 2010, emergency and should be for the whole
management — a statuto- community, that the county
rily required agency — was manager, and the board in
shifted from the sheriff ’s turn, has decided to make
offi ce to the county manag- this investment,” Brown
said.
er’s offi ce.
T h e
In 2015,
‘THERE’S NO
s t a t e ,
the county
m a n a g e r DOUBT THAT THE m e a n -
w h i l e ,
at the time
RISK TOWARDS
is
doing
considered
converting CLATSOP COUNTY something
s i m i l a r.
emergency
REGARDING
By
law,
manage-
ment into
EARTHQUAKES, the state
Offi ce of
a
direc-
TSUNAMIS AND E m e r -
tor-led
g e n c y
depart-
WINDSTORMS,
Manage-
ment, but
ment, long
ended up
AND ANY
under the
absorbing
OTHER FORM
umbrella
the duties
of
the
himself.
OF NATURAL
Oregon
This is
Military
the
fi rst
DISASTER, IS
Depart-
time a full-
HIGH.’
ment,
is
time direc-
slated to
tor
will
County Manager Don Bohn
become
lead
the
t
h
e
c o u n t y ’s
emergency
management Department of Emergency
Management, and report
functions.
“It’s exciting for me, directly to the governor.
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