Friday, May 20, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
County commission:
‘I’m so grateful for their
vote of confi dence’
Continued from Page A1
the people, love the place, and
am delighted I get to continue
to serve them.”
The
outcome
keeps
the ideological split on the
fi ve-member
nonpartisan
board that until 2020 was
dominated by commissioners
with more progressive policy
values.
Political issues at the
national and state levels did
not drive much discussion
among the candidates, who
largely focused on the coun-
ty’s shortage of aff ordable
housing and child care options
and the business community’s
post-pandemic future.
The election came as com-
missioners are tackling vaca-
tion rentals, a long-stand-
ing activity that, except in
Arch Cape, has never been a
recognized use in the coun-
ty’s development code. The
county has a moratorium on
new vacation rental permits in
unincorporated areas.
Commissioner
Pamela
Wev led Nathan Pinkstaff , a
deck mechanic from Astoria,
61% to 38% in Astoria’s Dis-
trict 3.
“I am honored by this
opportunity to continue to
serve District 3 as your county
commissioner,” Wev said in
a statement. “I want to thank
my supporters and my team
of volunteers for all their hard
work. We are very proud of
the positive campaign we ran.
Especially, a huge ‘thank you’
to the voters who believe in
my leadership. I look forward
to serving my district and
Clatsop County for another
four years.
“I want to thank Nathan
Pinkstaff for a hard-fought
campaign,” she continued.
“I sincerely hope he remains
involved in Clatsop County
issues. I commend him for
running a positive campaign,
focused on important issues.”
First elected in 2018, Wev
ran for reelection on her gov-
ernment experience in land
use and economic devel-
opment. She contrasted her
background with Pinkstaff ’s
inexperience.
Wev represents the com-
mission on the board of the
Northwest Oregon Housing
Authority, which manages
low-income units in Clat-
sop, Columbia and Tillamook
counties.
Pinkstaff , a third-gener-
ation Astorian who works
for Tidewater Barge Lines,
embraced his outsider status.
He ran on a promise to help
unite people across the politi-
cal divide.
Thompson,
the
lon-
gest-serving commissioner,
was fi rst elected in 2014. After
almost eight years in offi ce,
she said the county was poised
to make progress on hous-
ing, child care and bringing
broadband to areas with spotty
internet.
She emphasized relation-
ships — among elected lead-
ers and agencies, as well as
among neighbors — as a key
to getting things done and did
not attack her opponent.
“We’re on a roll, we’re
really committed to doing
good work, and the voters
saw that, and they want us to
keep on working for them,”
Thompson said.
Dillard ran on advocat-
ing for businesses recover-
ing from the state’s COVID-
19 shutdowns that disrupted
the local economy and led to
some closures.
As in the District 3 race,
the challenger was more con-
servative than the incumbent.
Both Dillard and Pinkstaff
said they wanted to address
the housing crunch by taking a
closer look at the development
code and making it easier for
developers to build units. Dil-
lard said he would have sup-
ported a Planning Commis-
sion recommendation to ban
vacation rentals in neighbor-
hoods, other than Arch Cape,
not zoned commercial and
multifamily residential.
District 5, the largest dis-
trict geographically, encom-
passes the South County com-
munities of Cannon Beach,
Arch Cape, Hamlet, Elsie,
Jewell and part of Seaside.
Thompson collected more
than $15,000 in campaign
donations, while Dillard had
almost $5,000.
Commissioner
Mark
Kujala, the board’s chairman,
ran unopposed in Warrenton’s
District 1.
Ballots will continue to
trickle in up to seven days
after the election, according to
the county. Voter turnout in the
county so far was 33%.
Bond: ‘The voters have spoken’
Continued from Page A1
Volunteers in 1958
donated their time and
eff orts to build a cinder
block fi re station on Pacifi c
Way. In the decades that fol-
lowed, the fi re station served
the community through
fi res, medical emergencies
and the Great Coastal Gale
of 2007.
But with a crumbling
infrastructure, lack of train-
ing facilities and more pre-
cise disaster scenarios, fi re-
fi ghters, city staff and some
residents saw the urgency
for a new fi rehouse at a
higher elevation.
A 2006 campaign col-
lapsed at the polls when vot-
ers objected to a new fi re-
house — along with a City
Hall — at the current site.
Residents voted on a $3.75
million general obligation
bond measure. The pro-
posal included plans for a
17,000-square-foot building
that would have housed the
fi re and police departments
and City Hall. Voters deci-
sively rejected the measure,
thought to be too ambitious
a project.
A decade later, city lead-
ers formed a committee to
determine the safest sites in
a Cascadia Subduction Zone
earthquake and tsunami.
In 2018, after consider-
ing nine locations, the com-
mittee recommended three
concepts and locations to
the public to help guide the
decision-making process.
The committee recom-
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
In early results, voters appear to have rejected the $14.5
million fi rehouse bond vote.
mended part of the park at
the end of Pacifi c Way as the
optimal location, at a cost of
about $5 million, of which
$3.4 million would go to a
12,800-square-foot public
safety building.
But after a public survey
showed widespread opposi-
tion, the committee dropped
the proposal and consid-
ered purchasing privately
owned land along N. Marion
referred to as High Point.
Legal concerns and rising
costs made that site unten-
able and negotiations came
to a stop.
With N. Marion and High
Point out of consideration,
the city turned to a prop-
erty originally not consid-
ered because of its location
outside of the city’s urban
growth boundary.
Offi cials signed a land
purchase agreement with
developers of The Cottages
at Gearhart LLC, a 34-acre
development on county
land. The property off ered
elevation to withstand most
tsunamis and better access
for fi re and emergency med-
ical responders.
According to the agree-
ment, the city would receive
a portion of the property
owners’ development rights,
with one portion of the prop-
erty proposed for a future
fi rehouse and a second
2-acre parcel used for city
parkland. If approved by the
state and county, develop-
ers of The Cottages at Gear-
hart would transfer two lots
and benefi t from rezoning
of a planned residential sub-
division at a higher density
within city limits.
A proposed Novem-
ber vote on the Highlands
Lane site was delayed after
an unsuccessful ballot title
challenge by Zimmerman
and other resident.
In February, city council-
ors approved returning the
proposal to the voters.
While fi nancing scenar-
ios had not been decided,
the city estimated the bonds
would have cost property
owners $1.213 per $1,000
assessed value per year for
up to 20 years.
The city also needed to
obtain approval from the
state Department of Land
Conservation and Devel-
opment to bring the land
into the city’s urban growth
boundary.
Robert Morey, a co-owner
of the former Gearhart Ele-
mentary School, said the
land transfer agreement was
“grossly undervalued” and
the city’s negotiating posi-
tion had been hidden from
public scrutiny.
“The ‘no’ vote has pre-
vailed,” Morey said. “Now
is the time for the commu-
nity and council to come
together and support a new
fi re station with a realis-
tic budget at the current
location.”
Mayor Paulina Cockrum
said she was sad about the
outcome.
“But the voters have spo-
ken,” the mayor said. “I
envision that the City Coun-
cil will want to reevaluate,
survey our constituents and
discuss next steps, as a new
modern space for our police
and fi re department is still a
top priority.”
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Morris honored with educator award
Les Morris received the Master Educator Award from Con-
cordia University, in Concordia Seward, Nebraska at the Com-
mencement Honor Dinner on May 6.
Born in Astoria and raised in Seaside, Morris graduated
from Seaside High School in 1960.
Morris received his diploma from
Concordia College, Portland, Oregon,
in 1962. He graduated with a Bach-
elor of Science degree in Education
from Concordia Teacher’s College,
Seward, Nebraska in 1964 and contin-
ued his education at Pepperdine Uni-
versity, receiving his Masters in School
Administration in 1966. Morris also
received a Master’s degree in Theology
from Simpson College, San Francisco
in 1979.
Morris began his teaching career at
First Lutheran School, in Culver City,
California. His next teaching position was Leslie R.W. Morris
at Bethany Lutheran School in Menlo
Park, California. In 1985, he joined the faculty at West Por-
tal Lutheran, where he serves as head teacher and also teaches
English and religion.
Morris began his ministry at First Lutheran School, Culver
City, California, teaching fi fth and sixth grade and counseling
the middle school and high school youth group.
He was called to Bethany Lutheran School, Menlo Park,
California, in 1966. He was a teacher, administrator, princi-
pal and pastoral assistant during his time at Bethany. Morris
then spent one semester substitute teaching in the Mid-Penin-
sula Public School system and the second semester as a fourth-
grade teacher at Bethel Lutheran School, Cupertino, Califor-
nia. In 1985, Morris began serving at West Portal Lutheran
School as the sixth-grade teacher. Morris spent over 30 years
at West Portal fulfi lling many roles including teacher, princi-
pal, counselor and advisor.
Morris volunteered his time in both his church and com-
munity. His long list of service includes many in the education
sector including adult reading tutor, reviewer of children’s lit-
erature, proofreader, evaluator of Lutheran and Catholic local
schools, mentor to new teachers and leadership roles in many
education conferences and committees.
Morris gave much of his time to student athletics serving
as Commissioner and treasurer for the Lutheran Athletic Asso-
ciation, director of the Lutheran Basketball Tournament and
cheerleading Contest and vice president of Nabata Yero Grid-
iron Club. Morris also served his community by leading devo-
tions at local convalescent hospitals, visiting shut-ins, serv-
ing the needy with clothes, food and shelter as coordinator of
Mid-Peninsula Ministry and teaching Vacation Bible School.
He retired in September and recently purchased a home in
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