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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, October 7, 2010 Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (Dem) 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 585 Portland OR 97232 Phone: 503-326-7525 223 Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510-0001 Phone: 202-224-5244 E-Mail: http://wyden.senate.gov/ contact Website: http://wyden.senate. gov U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Dem.) One World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 107 Russell Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3753 E-Mail: http://merkley.senate. gov/contact WebSite: http://merkley.senate. gov U.S. Representative David Wu (Dem) OR District 1 620 SW Main, Suite 606 Portland, OR 97205 Phone: 503-326-2901 2338 Rayburn House Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0855 Website: http://house.gov/wu Senator Betsy Johnson (Dem) Senate District 16 PO Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056 Phone: 503-543-4046 900 Court St. NE, S-314 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1716 E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/johnson Representative Brad Witt (Dem) House District. 31 21740 Lindberg Road, Clatskanie, OR 97016 Phone: 503-728-4664 900 Court St. NE, H-373 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1431 E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/witt Representative Deborah Boone (Dem) House District 32 PO Box 926 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Phone: 503-717-9182 900 Court St. NE, H-375 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1432 E-mail: rep.deborahboone@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/boone Page 3 Letters Appreciated article on candidates’ views To the Editor: I’d like to say “Thank You” for the article “Meet the candidates seeking to be the next Mayor of Vernonia”. The questions were great and I got a real feel for the candidates. Since I will miss part or all of the upcoming candidates Q & A at the Scout Cabin on Oct. 5th, this article was a great help to me. I am looking forward to The Independent’s interviews with the candidates running for City Council, in your up-coming is- sue. Sincerely, Randal Harvey Vernonia Heimuller is the best choice for our county To the Editor: I hope you will join me in vot- ing for Henry Heimuller for County Commissioner Position 2. Henry is one of those people who, when faced with a prob- lem, will work with others to fig- ure out what the best solution is, and then make it happen. Henry is a lifelong Columbia County resident with a clear un- derstanding of what our com- munity needs to grow and pros- per. He’s been employed in both the public and private sec- tors, and owns his own small business, so he has a broad background to draw from. He has served on many boards and committees in our commu- nity, so he knows firsthand the challenges we face. Our county needs Henry’s people skills, his common sense, and his commitment to making this a great place to live and work. Please join me in voting for Henry Heimuller for Columbia County Commissioner Position 2. Libby Calnon Columbia City Tournament pitcher needs help with costs To the Editor: Hello, my name is Payton Wolf and I am 11-years-old and in the 6th grade. I live here in Vernonia with my family, as well as many relatives, and I love it here! I participate in many ac- tivities and sports, but my life is for Softball! I have played since I was 5-years-old in T-Ball and have continued playing throughout the years. Two years ago I decided to try out pitching and even took some private lessons. I’ve continued to improve over time and as a result of all my hard work and dedication, I tried out and made an “A” level tournament team in Aloha. Although I was very happy to have made the team, it costs a lot of money to partic- ipate and travel with this team. I am participating in a lot of fundraisers to help earn my tournament fees, etc. but it will take a lot to earn my total. A few of my fundraisers will be selling Pizza Hut gift cards, charter bus tickets for a day at Spirit Mountain Casino, promotions for Pizza Schmizza, Baja Fresh and Burgerville (they will do- nate anywhere from 10-30% of their earnings during a certain time period in exchange for our advertisement of their busi- ness). In addition to these fundrais- ers, I am also collecting cans/ bottles or any other donation you would like to give. If you would like to help me out in any way, please call me or my par- ents, Steve and Amanda Wolf, at 503-429-0457. Thanks so much. Payton Wolf Vernonia Trashing Chief Grace is a two-edged sword To the Editor: An Opinion: Scotty Caught in his own Revolving Door. OMG! Scotty Laird really trashed Chief Grace’s reputa- tion in the opinion he wrote for the Voice (a publication that he Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 I am in Salem as I write this newsletter. My House committees have met during the past three days for our quar- terly “legislative days,” which were instituted last session in an effort to economize and consoli- date the work we do dur- ing the interim. In years past, legislators re- turned to Salem between sessions for informa- tional hearings in preparation for the coming ses- sion, but the meetings were scheduled at the convenience of each committee, which made un- even and unpredictable staffing requirements. The current method of requiring everyone to be here at the same time is much more efficient and economical. Since Tuesday, the committees I sit on have dealt with a variety of issues. Here is a partial list of what your legislature is doing to address the needs of our state, particularly with reference to the economy. In the Business and Labor Committee, testi- mony included: • Small Business Access to Capital • Economic Impact of Brewing Industries in Oregon • Community Biomass, Heat and Power (es- pecially important in our District) In the Business and Labor Subcommittee on Work Force Development, which I chair, we re- ceived input on the following topics (and more): • Major Initiatives of the Oregon Workforce In- vestment Board • Career and Technical Education Collabora- tion Task Force • Youth Apprenticeship Programs In the Sustainability and Economic Develop- ment Committee, the agenda included the follow- ing issues: • Energy Efficiency • Update on the Business Energy Tax Credit Work Group As you can see, the focus of all of this testimo- ny is how to best support the private sector so that jobs can continue to be created in Oregon. My colleagues and I are intent upon bringing this state back to full health as soon as humanly possible and none of us will breathe easy until we’ve turned the corner. owns)! Maybe Scotty should take some blame since he was at most of the meetings. He has access to the executive ses- sions and he’s on the parks committee. Why didn’t he ad- dress the budget issues at the time these events occurred? I noticed that other publications had questioned the budget on several occasions. Let’s examine the facts sur- rounding Scotty’s allegations. First of all…Chief Grace is re- garded as a highly ethical indi- vidual within the law enforce- ment community. He was hired by the City of Vernonia to be a part time chief working two days a week. How much can one person accomplish work- ing two days a week? Why was Chief Grace hired in the first place? Was it because they needed a legitimate chief in or- der for the VPD to be recog- nized as a legitimate police de- partment? Before Chief Grace was hired there wasn’t anyone in the VPD qualified to be a chief (and there is no one now). Who was making administra- tive decisions before Grace? It was obviously Mike Kay. Who was making administrative de- cisions while Grace was chief? Again, it was Kay! Chief Grace was hired to perform a very lim- ited role in police affairs and now he’s being blamed for the city’s financial crisis. Second…Scotty minimized the role the City Council played in the police department’s Please see page 22 Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters with per- sonal attacks on private citi- zens. Preference will be giv- en to brief letters, 300 words or less. All letters must be signed and include a verifiable ad- dress or phone number. Ike Says… From page 2 Good luck on your hunting seasons, but regardless of suc- cess, be safe. Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-429-7193 for location.