The INDEPENDENT, June 6, 2012
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
313 Hart 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 Suzanne
Bonamici, (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://bonamici.house.
gov
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
Help needed to meet
funds for tourneys
To the Editor:
This is Payton Wolf, and if
you don’t remember me, I am a
local 7th grade student at Ver-
nonia Middle School and an
avid Softball player. You might
also remember me from some
of my letters to the paper. I am
currently playing tournament
softball for a Beaverton team
called Blaze~Ohana.
I have been raising money
to earn my way to Colorado for
the “Colorado Sparkler Junior
tournament” at the end of June,
which is a college exposure
tournament. Also, my team is
now planning to go to Western
Nationals in California at the
end of July. This is a tourna-
ment you have to qualify for,
and since my team is doing so
well, we qualify to go. Although
I am very excited to travel with
my team to these awesome
tournaments, it does cost a lot
of money. With the support of
the community, family and
friends, I have earned half my
money needed to go. I’ve done
several fundraisers and contin-
ue to collect pop cans and bot-
tles.
I still have half my money to
earn and that is why I’m writing,
to ask for your help. If you have
any pop cans/bottles you’d like
to donate, give me a call. I am
also available to babysit if
you’re in need of a babysitter. I
also plan to do one last Krispy
Kreme fundraiser, which has
been very successful for me in
the past. It will probably be in
the beginning of July and if you
are interested in pre-ordering a
dozen or more, please call 503-
429-0457 or e-mail at amanda
wo@msn.com.
Again, thank you so much
for all your support you have
given me, it is very much ap-
preciated!!
Sincerely,
Payton Wolf
Vernonia
High utilities hamper
Vernonia’s growth
To the Editor:
I want to make it abundantly
clear that this is not, by any
means, an indictment against
or criticism of our sitting City
Council. They are an intelli-
gent, thoughtful, caring, hard-
working group of volunteers. I
just don’t want them to fall into
the same trap I did as your
Mayor.
You all received a notice in
your utility bill from city Admin-
istrator, Bill Haack, outlining the
city’s plan for the sewer rehab.
If my calculations are correct,
we will be paying $19 a month
on top of the minimum $103 to
pay off the $4.3 million already
used. Now there is an addition-
al $4.3 million balance they
want to use to add 3 feet to the
top of the sewer lagoons per
FEMA’s directions and install a
system that allows the sewer
overflow to be cleaned and
cooled through the ground un-
der the lagoons per DEQ’s or-
ders. That all sounds great,
EXCEPT the cost to you and
me will be an added $7 per mil-
lion. Now, that adds up to a
monthly utility bill of $152…that
is if you keep your water con-
sumption at 2000 gallons or
less per month.
I understand why the Coun-
cil is going forward. They have
two very large state and feder-
al agencies telling them they
have to do it. DEQ says, “It’s
the EPA that set the rules we
have no control.” Couldn’t DEQ
refinance the city’s debt to low-
er the repayments to a level we
can afford to pay? FEMA wants
to protect itself from future
costs concerning the sewer in
case there is another flood. I
say, “Fine and dandy! Let
FEMA pay for it!”
I think we should be concen-
trating on increasing our dimin-
ishing population. Let’s get
more utility users pulling our
considerable wagon. It will be
good for everyone, the schools,
W.O.E.C., the city, the busi-
nesses, and ultimately the
community as a whole.
There are several reasons
I’m concerned:
1) The consequences of a
high utility bill: Not a very good
welcome sign – “Come live in
Vernonia, highest utility and
electric bills in the state!”
2) Who is to say that in the
proposed 20 years that DEQ
won’t change the rules again?
3) We have other concerns
like our water supply. Do you
remember the summers of wa-
ter rationing? We can’t be
naïve enough to think it’s not
going to happen again and
again. How will we handle a
forest fire?
All subjects for another con-
versation.
I don’t know about you, but
I’m on a fixed income. I’m still
paying for flood damage not
covered by insurance or Flood
Relief. Even though my house
has been elevated I still have to
maintain flood insurance. With
higher property taxes for the
new school, higher electric
rates due to W.O.E.C.’s fancy
new building, higher gas prices
that make everything more ex-
pensive, my paltry income
takes a heavy hit. I can’t imag-
ine how people raising children
do it.
I know the City Council is
trying hard to finally end the
MOA imposed by DEQ and
meet the demands of FEMA.
An admirable undertaking, but
let’s do a little more talking be-
fore we sign on the dotted line
and put another financial bur-
den on our ever lessening utili-
ty users.
Respectfully,
Sally Harrison
Vernonia
Schools must stop
bullying of students
To the Editor:
I have had children in this
school district, actively, since
March of 2001. I could and still
might possibly put down on pa-
per some events that have
happened involving my daugh-
ters, but for now I am going to
focus on the events concerning
my son and the reasons I feel
he has been treated unfairly in
this school district and why I
feel that he is not the only one.
My son is now 12 years old
and has been in this school dis-
trict from the beginning of his
education. His first couple of
years he had great teachers
with my only complaint being
his teacher saying just how
cute he was in front of my boy.
He was pretty cute, though!
His 3rd year was really
rough and seemed to be the
beginning of the end.
His 4th year I had no real
complaints for his teachers
who stood strong against the
wrong and did not neglect
praising the good.
His following years have
been real rough but this year
seemed to be better until some
bumps towards the end.
My son has been labeled a
mean, angry, unmanageable
child.
Here’s my story!
My son has learned that the
school staff will not help him.
He has to fight his battles him-
self. Not one staff member has
seemed to look at Trevor for
Trevor!
This is what other kids see.
He has always been either
the shortest or second shortest
boy in his grade and this
makes him smaller than many
other girls also, which makes
him an easy target for both
boys and girls. The boys try to
knock him around to make
them feel more tough and
strong, as boys do, and the
girls knock him down because
it’s fun knowing a girl can knock
down a boy.
For Trevor’s 2nd, 3rd, and
4th grades, I had a parent
come to where I work and tell
me how their daughter was
shoving Trevor down to the
ground at school very regularly.
This parent thought it was fun-
ny and since I was at work I
could not really say much.
Trevor struggled with this for a
long time, obviously because
he has been taught not to hit
girls and so he would try to stay
clear of her as much as possi-
ble. Why none of the staff ever
saw this happening I do not
know!!
This size issue also gets the
names attached; like shorty,
shrimp, tiny, etc. None being
ego boosters for a boy. Trevor
has red hair that makes him
stand out in a crowd and the
eye naturally goes to him first,
just for the difference in color.
This also brings on the names
like Leprechaun, Ginger, Cone
Head, Carrot Top, etc. Then
Trevor had to have glasses so
bring on the classic Four-eyes
named and the boy is over-
whelmed. So now here is
Trevor wearing glasses, being
knocked down to the ground by
girls regularly, and being called
Tiny Leprechaun repeatedly.
And when he would go to a
staff member for help he was
told to quit complaining and fig-
ure out how to handle it on his
Please see page 6
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.