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.