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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2012)
The INDEPENDENT, September 19, 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 Property dispute is still unresolved To the Editor: It has been nearly two years since the people voted to end the .38 per thousand hospital tax. Over one year has passed since the prior hospital board, county commissioners, and the City of St. Helens jointly con- spired behind closed doors to defraud the taxpayers in the hospital district out of millions. The current board and their le- gal counsel have offered to mit- igate the issue at least two times. Each time the usurper trustees (county commission- ers) have adamantly refused mitigation and continue to pur- Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 As I mentioned in my last newsletter, here is an update on my second series of town halls to be held in the district on September 21st and 22nd. The topic this time is Coordinated Care Or- ganizations, which re- place the current man- aged care organizations, mental health organi- zations and dental care organizations serving the Medicaid/OHP populations. You may think, “I’m not in either organization, so what does this have to do with me?” It affects you because we all pay for these services, and we should know what the plan is and how it is going to be carried out. One of the biggest com- plaints I hear about local, state and federal gov- ernments is that people do not know how their money is being spent. Here is a great way to find out how we hope to reduce the cost of medical care in Oregon. So, to that end, I have invited a panel of ex- perts to explain this new effort, which is up and running in many locations throughout the state. Here is the schedule: Friday, September 21 • 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Rainier Senior Center 48 West 7th Street Saturday, September 22 • 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Scappoose Senior Center, 33342 Meadow Drive • 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Linnton Community Center, 10614 NW St. Helens Road • 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Bethany Presbyterian Church, 15505 NW Springville Road, Please see page 14 Bonamici Bulletin By Representative Susanne Bonamici 1st Congressional District After spending sever- al weeks in Oregon, I am back at the nation’s Capitol. During my time in Oregon I made sever- al trips around the dis- trict to meet with con- stituents, talk with busi- ness leaders, and tour local businesses. These interactions are important and provide me with an opportunity to hear about critical issues di- rectly from those I represent. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to meet with all of you, so here is a brief update about the work I’ve been doing. I. LEGISLATION • WISE Investment Act: I’ve introduced legis- lation to help connect local businesses with workforce training and community college pro- grams to help close the skills gap. • Marine Debris Emergency Act: This biparti- san bill, which I introduced just prior to the Au- gust district work period, will help expedite funds to clean up tsunami debris on the coast. • Continuing Resolution: I voted in favor of a resolution to provide funding for the first six months of 2013. II. TOWN HALL MEETINGS In August I held five town hall meetings across the district – in Hillsboro, St. Helen’s, McMinnville, Beaverton, and Astoria. Questions included concerns about growing the economy, Social Security, Medicare, immigration, educa- sue their original backroom deal to give the property on Mil- lard Road, valued in the mil- lions, to the City of St. Helens for free. The current health district board and their trustees have legitimate offers on the proper- ty but are unable to finalize the sale because the county com- missioners are doing every- thing in their power to obstruct the sale of the property and the result is you, the taxpayers, be- ing cheated out of tax money that is rightfully yours. This is- sue could end immediately if the county commissioners wished it to end; unfortunately this is not the case. The current board and their trustees want to let the taxpayers know that they are still determined and are working diligently to make sure the property is sold and the taxpayers credited the funds from the sale. Tammy Maygra, Chairperson Columbia Health District Deer Island Ed. Note: The letter writer is a can- didate for County Commissioner Position 3. At least it’s an idea tion, and the environment. III. IN AND AROUND THE DISTRICT Some of the events and meetings I attended in the First District included: • A roundtable discussion for high-tech entre- preneurs with Leader Nancy Pelosi that I hosted with Congressman Earl Blumenauer. • The Newberg-Dundee Bypass groundbreak- ing, a critical infrastructure project decades in the making. • The Tongue Point Job Corps Graduation in Astoria, where I was honored to be the com- mencement speaker. • A ribbon-cutting at Vernonia’s new school, reopened with all the dedicated students, teach- ers, and community members who helped make it happen. IV. OUTLOOK FOR THE UPCOMING VOTES This week and next I’ll be taking some impor- tant votes on our nation’s budget. Because of the Budget Control Act, passed before my time in Congress, across the board cuts (called Se- questration) are set to take effect if Congress does not act. Many of my constituents have ex- pressed significant concerns about the effect these potential cuts will have on critical social services, and I will be working hard with my col- leagues on both sides of the aisle to find a bal- anced and responsible approach that begins to tackle the debt and deficit, but does so in a way that does not impede economic growth or dis- mantle the safety net. Your input and questions are always wel- come, and I look forward to continuing these im- portant conversations when I return home. To the Editor: The people who are respon- sible for the obscene raise in water and sewer costs should be required to provide rape counseling to those affected. Dee Stevens Vernonia Thanks for support of UW Stuff the Bus To the Editor: The Vernonia Schools would like to thank everyone who do- nated and participated in the recent United Way Stuff the Bus campaign. Thanks to your donations, over $1,700 worth of school supplies will be dis- tributed to Vernonia students. Sponsors included Vernonia Please see page 14 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.