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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2004)
The INDEPENDENT, June 17, 2004 Page 13 More Letters From page 12 The frivolous petition is not based on fact only “personality conflict.” I have known Commissioner Bernhard for years, way back to her time as a county employ- ee and Mayor of Scappoose. Never have I seen such a de- voted and knowledgeable elected official. Rita attends meetings and functions that re- quire county attention all over Columbia County. She is a long-time member of the Columbia Emergency Planning Association and has been involved with some of the major project accomplishments including establishment of a countywide, computer alert net- work for use in natural or man- made disasters. I urge fellow voters to resist signing a recall petition against Rita. It will only cost the taxpay- ers money – money we can use in other places for better things. Sincerely, Diane M. Dillard Communications Manager Boise Paper Solutions St. Helens Bernhard recall try is fiscally irresponsible To the Editor: On May 26, 2004, the Board of County Commissioners met with the Park Advisory Com- mission, Fair Board and mem- bers of the Asburry Acres Task Force at the County Fair- grounds. Because the meeting was scheduled at 6:00 p.m., the County provided pizza and pop for the attendees, at a cost of maybe $100. At the meeting Public Works Director Dave Hill discussed three proposals for the devel- opment of Asburry Acres, a county park next to the Fair- grounds. The Asburry Acres Task Force had considered a proposal which included a soc- cer field and two baseball fields. Task Force member Peggy Crisp had made a pro- posal for two soccer fields and two baseball fields. The County Parks Department presented a proposal with a configuration [of] one soccer field and two baseball fields. The meeting was generally amicable and most of the attendees seemed to agree that the Parks Depart- ment proposal made the most sense because it required the least amount of off-site wet- lands mitigation. Another meet- ing was set to discuss the pro- posals with the Little League and Soccer Association. The problem with the Asbur- ry Acres site is that much of it is wetlands. For every acre of wetlands that is filled, the law requires from one to three acres of wetlands to be creat- ed. Bill Eagle, former director of the Soil and Water Conserva- tion District, has estimated that off-site wetlands mitigation can cost as much as $500,000 an acre. The proposal presented by Peggy Crisp would require as much as 9 acres of off-site mitigation, at a cost of up to $4.5 million, plus the cost of de- veloping the baseball and soc- cer fields. Prior to the May 26 meeting, Crisp’s proposal, as I understand, had not been pre- sented to either her own Task Force, or the Parks Advisory Committee, whose job it was to present recommendations to the Board of Commissioners for the development of Asburry Acres. [After] the meeting at the Fairgrounds (depending on which version is correct), Peg- gy Crisp took out recall peti- tions against Rita Bernhard. When questioned by the me- dia, Crisp declined to comment on the petition or her motives. Asked if frustration over the slow pace of development of Asburry Acres was her motive, (according to the media) she said that wasn’t her only rea- son. The recall papers them- selves accuse Bernhard of “fis- cal irresponsibility” and “public deception.” According to The Chronicle, a recall election would cost between $23,000 and $25,000. This week (June 7-11) Crisp came to the Courthouse to ask how much the County had spent on food and refresh- ments for the meeting, evident- ly searching for facts to back up her charge of fiscal irresponsi- bility. She also asked to exam- ine Bernhard’s expense re- cords. My understanding is that Bernhard rarely asks for reim- bursement of her expenses. It’s ironic that Peggy Crisp wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a $23,000 recall election, because the County paid for some pizza and pop costing about $100, and because she’s mad that the County is going too slow on her $4.5 million dol- lar park proposal. John K. Knight St. Helens Asks voters not to sign Bernhard recall To the Editor: On behalf of Boise Paper Solutions, I am asking Colum- bia County residents to resist signing the recall petition against Commissioner Rita Bernhard. Over the past two years, I’ve had occasion to work with Commissioner Bernhard on several issues that affected lo- cal businesses and the com- munity. She comes to the table with an open mind and makes her decisions based on re- search, community feedback and one-on-one communica- tions. She has taken the lead on many issues at the Regional Workforce Investment Board (RWIB) thereby insuring Co- lumbia County the best of train- ing and employee partnerships in the State. Rita is honest, hardworking and open-minded. She listens to the citizens she represents. Let’s not support a frivolous re- call process that is not based on fact. Please do not sign the petition. Sincerely, Matt Saxe Resident Manager Boise Paper Solutions
