A4 • Friday, July 8, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
SignalViewpoints
A parade day
with special
signifi cance
SEEN FROM SEASIDE
R.J. MARX
T
he holiday brought the anticipated
crowds, as the day after the air
held the whiff of spent fi reworks
and volunteers handed out trash bags at
beach entrances.
On Monday morning, before the
parade, Dale McDowell, the public
works director, was stationed at Broad-
way and Holladay for set-up.
“This is normal routine for setting up
for parades,” McDowell said. “We’ve
got the intersection coned off so traf-
fi c can fl ow around it. And everybody
seems to be
in posi-
A FRIEND AT getting
tion for the
THE SEASIDE parade.”
The parade
PARADE
route
was
SAID TO ME, shorter this
year; starting
‘ARE YOU
from
Neca-
nicum
east
WORKING
to
Holladay
OR HERE TO before heading
to Broadway.
ENJOY THE
Meanwhile
at
the beach
PARADE?’ I
crews
were
ANSWERED, already prepar-
ing for Mon-
‘BOTH.’
day
night’s
fi reworks by
cleaning up fi re pits and getting the beat
secured, he said.
Shortly after 10 a.m., a Seaside police
offi cer led Boy Scouts, fi re trucks and the
subsequent cavalcade along the parade
route, as visitors and parade-watchers
raised fl ags and cheered.
In Gearhart, the city was packed along
the parade route, from 10th Street and
North Marion to Pacifi c Way and Cot-
tage. Children, their parents and grand-
parents saluted the Fourth with music,
dancing and candy along the way.
Although I was covering the parades
for the newspaper, the morning began
with news of a parade shooting in High-
land Park, Illinois. I lived in Highland
Park from the age of 7 to 15. The town
in the 1960s and ’70s looked very dif-
ferent. But the spirit remains.
A friend at the Seaside parade said to
me, “Are you working or here to enjoy
the parade?”
I answered, “Both.”
I’ve been in touch with my Highland
Park friends. The network is still close-
knit. One of my childhood friends told
me he was at the parade. He briefl y told
me what he saw. I’m not sure if he has
processed it yet. I certainly haven’t.
I’m grateful our local parades were
peaceful.
R.J. Marx
Mo’s passes out treats for kids. Neawanna by the Sea march behind at the Seaside parade.
R.J. Marx
The Gearhart Street Walkers march up Pacifi c Way.
R.J. Marx
R.J. Marx
Bob McEwan, Shannon Smith and Pancho in the Gearhart parade.
Sons of Beaches’ Shore Patrol at the Seaside parade.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Balance needed
Possibly based on a lack of foresight
in 2018, the Clatsop County Land Use
Planning Offi ce, as well as the board of
commissioners, illegally allowed the fi rst
short-term rental to open for business in a
residential coastal neighborhood in Clat-
sop County. The decision let the prover-
bial horse out of the barn, and this horse
is not going back in the barn quietly and
likely not at all.
Fast forward and commissioners have
come up with the purported solution to
this earlier miscalculation, Ordinance
22-05. Problem solved; county commis-
sioners can now move on to other press-
ing agenda items. Unfortunately, they may
not like what they see in their rearview
mirrors. A tsunami maybe headed their
way, taking the form of a referendum to
once and for all limit the unfettered pro-
liferation of short-term rentals in Clatsop
County’s residential neighborhoods.
Angered citizens of Clatsop County
who believe their quality of life is being
negatively impacted by short-term rental
operations, just might follow in the foot-
steps of their neighbors to the south. The
citizens of Lincoln County successfully
overruled their board of commissioners,
who apparently ignored their concerns
that short term rentals negatively impact
the quality-of-life in Lincoln County.
The short-term rental issue will
continue to appear and reappear on
the board’s agenda for some time to
come. They will need to fi nd that bal-
ance between one’s property rights and
the overall quality of life in residential
neighborhoods.
Jim Aalberg
Warrenton
Right thing
In response to a city blog post by
Police Chief Jeff Bowman, yes, I did
speak to the Clatsop County Sheriff about
the Facebook rumors fl oating around
alleging the Gearhart City Council and/or
city manager received information saying
two people would be bringing guns to a
City Council meeting.
This rumored threat came just days
after the horrifi c shooting in Uvalde,
Texas. I was, understandably concerned
for the safety of every single person
attending city council meetings. In fact,
the rumored threat scared me enough I
had decided to attend the July meeting
via Zoom rather than in person as had
been originally planned.
I, along with others, have been
accused of fi ling a false police report.
However, I would direct you to the fi rst
paragraph of Mr. Sweet’s email to the
mayor and councilors. He clearly states,
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
Shannon Arlint
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
Sarah Silver-
Tecza
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
PUBLIC MEETINGS
“Mayor Smith expressed concern about
city hall security regarding people stating
that they may be carrying a gun to pub-
lic meetings.” Similarly, Bowman writes
in his blog, “City Hall did just receive an
anonymous letter of June 6, 2022.”
So, what did I falsely report? They
admit they received a threatening let-
ter that concerned them enough to have
a conversation about increasing city hall
security.
Furthermore, while Mr. Sweet and
Chief Bowman seem to confi rm the exis-
tence of a threatening letter, they haven’t
produced it, not even to the sheriff . Why?
Don’t they want the person caught? But,
more importantly, why didn’t they report
the threat? They, according to their own
admission, have had the letter since June
6 and continue to be concerned enough to
change the July meeting to virtual only.
I can only speak for myself when I
say, I reported because I would never
have been able to live with myself if
someone had been hurt, or killed, and
I had known about that potential from
social media rumors beforehand.
In my world, good and honest people
do the right thing and that’s more important
than worrying about being called names.
See something, hear something, say
something.
Beth Cameron
Gearhart
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
John D. Bruijn
Skyler Archibald
Joshua Heineman
Katherine Lacaze
Esther Moberg
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jeff TerHar
Contact local agencies for latest meeting
information and attendance guidelines.
MONDAY, July 11
Seaside City Council, workshop, camping ordinance,
6 p.m., regular meeting, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
THURSDAY, July 14
Seaside Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m.,
415 First Ave., Seaside.
TUESDAY, July 19
Community Emergency Response Team, 5 p.m.,
989 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Commission, work session, 6 p.m.,
989 Broadway.
WEDNESDAY, July 20
Tourism Advisory Committee, 3 p.m., 989 Broadway.
Seaside Tree Board, 4 p.m., 989 Broadway.
THURSDAY, July 21
Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
MONDAY, July 25
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY, July 26
Seaside Airport Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
TUESDAY, Aug. 2
Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A.
Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m, 1131 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., 989 Broad-
way.
Seaside Signal
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