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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2004)
Page 22 The INDEPENDENT, October 7, 2004 Letters… From page 3 Local government is bastion of democracy To the Editor: What is the point of local gov- ernment? As a child I was taught that we live in the greatest country in the world because of the free- doms we enjoyed. And that our type of government, democracy, was the best a group of citizens could hope to have. The Merriam-Webster’s dic- tionary defines democracy as “government by the people; es- pecially: rule of the majority b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usual- ly involving periodically held free elections.” Well, as most of us old enough to vote know, on a na- tional level we do not live in a true democracy. The Electoral College decides our president for us. And in many instances, special interest groups and lob- byists control a senator’s or rep- resentative’s vote. This can occur at the state and city level, too. But it is at these levels, especially the city level, that an individual can truly have a voice that is listened to, even if the final vote doesn’t go their way. I feel the major role of an elected official, and also city staff, is to try and find equitable solutions to issues that affect the constituency they represent. When issues arise that could potentially have an adverse ef- fect on the city’s citizens, they need to be heard so an informed decision may be realized for all parties involved. This is why public hearings are held. It is a fact and opinion seeking process by the govern- ing body. It is also a forum to take the “pulse of the communi- ty,” so decisions made will re- flect the majority’s desire. In my tenure on the city coun- cil, there have been more Public Hearings held than I can re- member. We do this because we WANT the public’s input be- fore we make decisions that will affect their lives, whether finan- cially or aesthetically. There are exceptions, but overall, I have seen few issues that were “No Brainers.” Each of us has a different perspective regarding an issue. Many times our opinions on how to deal with an issue do not agree. It is the responsibility of the council to listen to differing opinions, and taking into account the facts of an issue, decide on a course of action that will benefit the city as a whole. With that said, it was a good decision to hold a Public Hear- ing regarding POTENTIAL changes at the Transfer Station. This was obviously an impor- tant issue to the citizens of Ver- nonia and the surrounding area, based on the turnout at the pub- lic hearing. As I have used the transfer station only once, I had no idea what the situation was in regards to its operation and management. It was quite in- formative to me, listening to people who use it on a regular basis. (FYI, the transfer station is not a part of the city’s fran- chise agreement with WM. And when the last contract was ne- gotiated WM said they would keep it open as a separate serv- ice to the community). I must say that I do not recall ever hearing or discussing the idea of THE CITY closing down the transfer station, except when I tried to dispel rumors to that effect. As soon as city staff learned about WM’s desire to close the transfer station they began, and are still, looking at alternatives in case WASTE MANAGEMENT decides to leave. I would agree with Mr. Akers that the city coun- cil “bungled this one” IF we just said okay to WM and didn’t seek alternatives or replacements for this service. Holding a public hearing re- garding such a “No Brainer” is- sue was beneficial, as issues re- garding accounting practices, non-local users and, most im- portantly, recycling, were dis- cussed. Hopefully, the informa- tion provided increased public awareness of the situation. I thoroughly agree (based on the public’s input) that the ac- counting practices used by WM at the transfer station are lack- ing and need to be addressed. But I would not have known that without the public hearing. Also because of public input from consistent users of the transfer station I learned that the rates charged are lower than any oth- er transfer station in the sur- rounding area. I know from past experience, that if we had not held a public hearing, and just said to WM, “go ahead and raise your rates,” that a future council meeting would have been overflowing with irate citizens accusing the city of not including them in a decision that adversely affected their pocketbooks. One other note is a reminder for Mr. Akers. When those of us on the council received the infor- mation that he also received from WM, there was a glaring difference. Our documents had the word CONFIDENTIAL stamped in red on them. The fact that one of WM’s employees provided him with this information non-confiden- tially is wonderful. (Although based on the WM representa- tive’s reaction at the public hear- ing, I think there is some discipli- nary action in your WM contact’s future). But I represent the City of Vernonia as an elected official, so my actions, both positive and negative, have a direct effect on our wonderful city. When I see CONFIDENTIAL stamped in red on a document I receive relating to city business, I know what it means. And if I were to discuss publicly this CONFIDENTIAL in- formation without authorization from the source, I would be ex- posing the city to potential litiga- tion, and thereby not performing my sworn duty as a councilper- son to the city of Vernonia and the people who elected me. To all of the citizens who at- tended the public hearing re- garding the transfer station, and any of the past public hearings over the years, I offer my sin- cere thanks. It is obvious that in Vernonia, we still believe in a democratic form of government, and prac- tice it wholeheartedly. It is a wonderful example of what makes our city a shining exam- ple, and it is just one of many reasons that this town is so spe- cial and has found a warm spot in many hearts far and wide. Glen Purvee Vernonia Difficult to discover quality of physicians To the Editor: Did you know it is easier to check the background on a contractor remodeling your kitchen than it is to find out if your surgeon has a history of negligence? Well, it’s true. It is almost impossible to find out if your doctor has a history of reckless or negligent behavior. If we want to improve patient safety we should crack down on reckless and negligent doc- tors. Measure 35 won’t do any- thing to improve patient safety and it will hurt Oregonians. Be- fore we amend the Constitution we should try something less drastic. Voters should reject Measure 35. Eileen Strain Seaside “Security” depends on view of nation’s needs An open letter to President George W. Bush Dear President Bush, You must be pleased with the most recent polls indicating that women have put you ahead of John Kerry because of concerns about security. Do you think these ratings are accurate? I am asking be- cause I believe such reporting may misguide you. Do you realize that women like myself, a mother and grand- mother, are offended by the atti- tude that because we are fe- male we must depend on your kind of “security”? Are you aware that there are millions of intelligent, strong women who are independent, self sufficient and informed, with little belief in your political agen- das? Are you aware of growing op- position to your policies by large groups of women in organiza- tions such as Code Pink? Code Pink named itself in derision of the Homeland Security color alert system while signifying ex- treme danger to the values held by nurturing, caring and com- passionate women, and men, in our country? Do you realize that these young and old women commu- nicate online, over cell phones and through person-to-person contacts which are unavailable to pollster inquiry. Have you heard of the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Brennan Center for Justice, the International Oc- cupation Watch Center in Bagh- dad? These are a few of many organizations powered by pas- sionate and outraged women! Do you understand that strong women work hard to pro- vide for their children? Women whose strength enables them to sacrifice their health, their time, and their very lives, if necessary, to provide for their families – without your kind of security. Have you any idea of the credibility problem you have with promoting yourself as the great defender when your form of security leaves out children whose schools have been closed because you and con- gress have deleted over 20 bil- lion dollars from promised fund- ing? A funding loss which result- ed in one of many phrases of voter discontent like “Leave no Billionaire Behind!” Is it not your kind of “security” that provides great profits for companies like AT&T, Boeing, Consolidated Edison, Lehman Brothers, Marriott International, Pepco Holdings, Reebok, Time Warner and others, by giving them rebates totaling $5.4 bil- lion? Are you oblivious to the re- port by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that those corporate giveaways could have provided Head Start for every eligible child, or covered every uninsured child in America with comprehensive health care for the next decade, or helped close the gap in affordable housing for extremely low in- come families? Is your kind of “security” found in Iraq where infiltrators from other countries retaliate against the U.S. occupation of Iraq with murder and brutality? Do you think Jack Hensley’s mother felt secure when she was told her son had been be- headed on his BIRTHDAY? Was security the reason you ordered a stop to U.S. special forces’ pursuit of al Qaeda in the mountains of Afghanistan when they had the potential to capture Osama Bin Ladin in 2002? Your credibility, Mr. Bush, is rapidly diminishing at home and on the war front. The front where real soldiers are bearing the brunt of your ineptitude and inat- tention. Where the answer to the question of “are we win- ning?” is a resounding NO! See page 24
