Price is Right!

The End, sort of

2006-05-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Comments to this site have been closed and there won't be any further posts. Head on over to The Daily 750 for new posts. I made a commitment to follow through the budget discussions and a few other items, and I'll be writing about them there.

Thanks again for your support.

37 Votes

2006-05-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

For a grass-roots campaign that was actively opposed by every media outlet, we did extremely well to come with 37 votes of making a real change for Clatsop County. Thanks very, VERY much for your support and your votes.

2006-05-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

VOTE FOR YOUR LIFE!

The choices you make today will have a large effect on the quality of your life from January 2007 through 2010 and beyond.

Please vote. And vote responsibly.

Electing Autocrats

2006-05-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a long-time Revered Community Leader (RCL) last night about the college and about Warrenton's official push to get the college to re-consider putting the college on the Nygaard property there. The RCL said, referring to the college board, "Why do we elect people and then try to tell them what to do?"

Because we don't give up our rights to speak out and to shape our government and our communities when we vote.

What is the point of electing an autocrat?

Courthouse Remodel

2006-05-11T08:05:00.001-07:00

At its regular meeting yesterday the Commssion took a crucial step toward remodeling the courthouse when it voted to enter into a four million dollar loan with the Bank of the Pacific. The loan is for 15 years at 4.5%, for an annual repayment amount of $367,200. No loan fee, no prepayment penalty. Additional fees include loan document preparation ($5,000 or less) and Bond Consel fees ($17,500 or less).

Mike Robison presented the financing plan and made quick reference to the fact that the loan is more than was discussed at the Courthouse Planning Work Session because the bids for seismic upgrades to the 800 Exchange Building have since come in 50 percent higher than the $537,000 currently budgeted and may go even higher. About a million dollars of Special Projects funds that would have reduced the loan amount for the Courthouse are now being diverted to the costs of those seismic upgrades.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $4,131,294. It includes a new courtroom and "court set" (offices for the third judge and staff) on the main floor of the courthouse and a temporary holding cell for inmates in trial. Costs are included to move the Juvenile Department to the 800 Exchange building from the Courthouse's third floor, freeing up that space for the hazardously over-crowded DA's office to expand. Child and Victims's Services will be moved from their windowless room on the third floor to a more suitable and workable space in the basement, and there will be expanded room in te basement for the Grand Jury.

A second phase for some financially robust future would provide another four million dollars for a separate, secure elevator to the courtrooms for innmates, move the DA's office to 800 Exchange, upgrade the mechanical and electrical systems, provide better access for people with disabilities, and some cosmetic upgrades.

Meanwhile, Phase 1 is an excellent plan that satisfies all parties and will serve them -- and us -- well for many years. It's good and timely work that will have a proper courtroom ready when the new judge takes the bench January 1.

More on land use

2006-05-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Lots of comments hidden down in the blog about land use and where do I really really REALLY stand. Here I'll repeat what I wrote in one of those nether regions:

As County Commissioner I'll do everything I can to help expand your business and protect your property rights.

I'm an early and vocal advocate of the Rural Economies Strategy of economic development.

I support the thorough, assistive and timely process of all Measure 37 claims.

I want permitting and inspections to apply equally to all citizens.

I want an unpaid volunteer expert review of the permitting and inspections process, to determine whether there is unnecessary "red tape" and make recommendations for streamlining the process for individuals and businesses. There are two horrendous examples in Astoria of what can happen if projects go ahead too quickly, without following the recommended process, so we must be very careful when cutting red tape that we don't cut the lives out from under people.

I want a full-time staff person who can react flexibly and nimbly to the needs of businesses (this may not require an extra person, but reassigning the duties of a person), and not make them wait for the next meeting of some committee, which may be too late for their needs.

I'm advocating for additional resources to Public Safety and Community Corrections so that property crimes will continue to be prosecuted and that at least some minor sanctions will exist.

If we can use Measure 37 as a first step, to substitute common sense for the fine print (to paraphrase Tryan Hartill), then some day the benefits will outweigh the burdens. That's going to be a very difficult conversation, and one which I think will best come out of the larger economic development discussion that I hope will start this summer.

The overarching point is that as County Commissioner I will begin from the standpoint of working for the people, not for myself. I don't have a dog in this fight: I don't own any land that I want to protect or develop and I live in a downtown historic district. Sixty-eight percent of the people from District 3 voted for Measure 37. That's a clarion call that I won't ignore.

When I help Clatsop County, I help myself. My opponent works for himself, and that occasionally helps the County. That's backwards. I'm going to turn that around.

On the issues

2006-05-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Later today I'll be posting my thoughts on forest management and the use of timber funds. Here's a quick reference to essays on other issues:

UPDATED Sat., May 13, with links that work!

Economic Development, and here and here
Drug and Alcohol Abuse, and the Jail, and here
Measure 37
Public Safety
Open Government
The College and here.
The Port

UPDATE 9:22PM: The forestry essay is delayed until sometime on Thursday.

For the Collins and Trabucco Families

2006-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

The original post has been deleted.

Another sort of support

2006-05-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Marquis family loves animals. If there is such a thing as reincarnation and I die anytime soon, I want to come back as one of Annie Marquis' dogs or one of Josh Marquis' cats. One of Josh's cats, Max -- aka the Fluffy Guy, the Demon Cat, the Meepster -- went to the good Dr. Kilponen for a regular checkup a couple weeks ago and she found a half-dollar-sized mast cell tumor on the roof of his mouth. Today I'm taking Max to a veterinary radiation oncologist in Beaverton. Josh and I didn't get to have kids, so we have cats and we're dotey about them. Send out a good wish for Max, if you would, that he can be relatively easily treated and will go on to live a long and healthy life of shedding on the couch, peeing in the corners, getting stoned in the catmint and otherwise providing his humans with hours of entertainment.

Measure 37

2006-05-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

You might be interested in these numbers from the November 2, 2004 general election. The voting on Measure 37 in the precincts within District 3 went as follows:

Precinct	Yes on 37	No on 37
Astoria 3	457	316
Astoria 4	406	282
Astoria 5	270	267
Astoria 6	293	253
Chadwell	327	189
Lewis & Clark	436	227
Olney	220	102
TOTAL	2409	1636

Measure 37 was approved by 68 percent of the voters of District 3. The statewide average was 61 percent. That's a very clear message.

The County has posted all Measure 37 claims on its website. The great majority of claims here have been very modest, with the grandest claims requesting the ability to subdivide into decent-sized lots for homes. Many have been approved, but have been greatly restricted as to the ability to build. From what I can tell from my brief experience, the claims are being interpreted very conservatively and cautiously here.

My grandmother's house was built in 1959, on the outskirts of the city limits of Charlotte, North Carolina. Dogwood Place was and is a quarter-mile circle. About 20 red brick ranch houses sit on at least 3/4-acre lots. At the bottom curve of the circle is a small aquifer-fed lake with a man-made peninsula built out to the middle, where a willow tree stood for many years. You entered Dogwood Place from Hickory Grove Road, which one way led eventually Uptown and the other way to Hickory Grove Grammar School and a railroad track. You could take a nap in the middle of it while waiting for the occasional Uptown bus. My grandmother's large backyard ended at a short slope that led down to a wide gravel parking lot for Hickory Grove Baptist Church. The church was red brick too, about the size of two houses, with simple white-columned walkways that were perfect for key roller skates.

Dogwood Place hasn't changed. It has been surrounded. Two years ago dozens of old oaks were cut down to make Hickory Grove Road a four-lane thoroughfare. The old church has been replaced by a behemoth. A three-story brick Education Building now backs up to my grandmother's backyard, and yellow sulfur lights illuminate the night sky.

Our rural lands, our city byways, are bound to change in ways we don't all like. My hope is for responsible development that recognizes the rights and interests of our neighbors throughout the county.

The voters have spoken and as Commissioner I will certainly uphold their words.

12:22PM PS: There may be some misunderstanding about how these claims are processed. The Commissioners have so far had nothing to do with the claims except to approve or disapprove of the staff's recommendation (which is supposed to be based on their understanding of the zoning rules that have applied to the land over time, the ownership of the land over time, and how Measure 37 affects that). I haven't asked specifically, but from the voting record my sense is that Commissioners Patrick and Lee vote to approve every claim that comes before the County, regardless of the staff's recommendation. Sometimes that means voting "Yes" and sometimes that means voting "No."

The Letter

2006-05-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

What a surprise to find the Letter to the Editor written by me in the Daily Astorian today. I did write it -- as a personal email to Steve Forrester, not addressed to the Editor, with a personal introductory paragraph.

My reputation in business and on non-profit boards is generally one of a mediator who uses a combination of a good working knowledge of the business and some creative thinking- outside- the- box skills to find workable solutions that pare the budgets and fulfill the needs of the organization. I've brought that way of being into the campaign and have for the most part been very positive despite many pressures to Get Tough Now.

My public response to the Editor -- "What is this election all about?" -- was posted here and emailed to all media and a number of other people on May 3. It's also on the sidebar of this page. It's the flip side of the Letter published today: the same message but in the tone of "Here's what I will or won't do" rather than "Here's what my opponent has or hasn't done." It's a tone I prefer and try to stick with.

I stand by the Letter, word for word, allegation for allegation. Here it is, for those who don't read the Daily A.

Letter: Working for county
Friday, May 05, 2006

Needless to say, I am very disappointed that the editor chose to endorse my opponent, whom he lauds for being elected chairman twice, for his role in a “striking reclamation” of a downtown building and for the successful transfer of Sunset Beach to public ownership (“Richard Lee for county commission,” The Daily Astorian, May 1).

We are apparently not to consider that the “striking reclamation” has cost the taxpayers $1,130,838 so far, all to keep a ballot box safe. That my opponent opposed the Sunset Beach transfer and delayed it for at least a year, preferring instead a golf course or housing development, until finally being persuaded to vote with the rest of the board. That Helen Westbrook was first choice for this year’s chair but declined.

Nor should we consider these other factors: That my opponent is a man who has spent the last four years representing his own interests and, incidentally, the county’s; rarely engages in discussion and often falls asleep during board meetings and work sessions; does not attend the committees to which he is supposed to be liaison; has contempt for public safety officials and mid-20th century notions of the role of women.

My opponent likewise shows contempt for the rules and regulations that govern business development, costing the county hundreds of man-hours trying to keep him within code compliance. He is currently under investigation for that as well as for his role in the resignation of the chief building inspector.

My opponent has never held a public forum or asked for public input on any issue; has never put out a public call to action, news release or informational piece on any issue other than his own election; has allowed the fairgrounds to go nearly belly up; and has failed his neighbors in Miles Crossing by providing them with little or no assistance for their sewer district.

My opponent has misrepresented the sentiments of the majority of Clatsop County residents and the direction of the board regarding management of state forests, stating at a recent Council of Forest Trust Lands meeting that the lands should be turned over to private industry for maximum economic advantage.

My opponent has no vision of or plan for exploiting the synergies between the county, the port, the cities and the college; hasn’t the foggiest notion of the impact of the arts and culture and their unique ability to transcend the north-south county divide; and has yet to put together a coherent and correct sentence either about economic development, the role of the Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) or the county’s budget.

My own candidacy is about a striking reclamation as well: of integrity to the leadership of District 3, of openness, and of government for the people. If you believe, like the editor, that the board has done a good job in the past four years, imagine what we could do with a commissioner who works hard with her colleagues and for her constituency. I ask you to consider your choice more carefully than has the editor.

CINDY PRICE
Astoria

Drive Very VERY Carefully

2006-05-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was my birthday. I tried to make it to the Mozart concert at the Liberty but the company at the Columbian was too fun to leave early, so we left the table with just enough time to get me home to change from my tiara into my tennies for the last gift of the day . . . a ride-along with Sheriff's Deputy Tim Guest.

Deputy Guest worked the jail for five years and has been on the road for a year or so. He's young and adorable and smart and funny and kind and (sorry, girls)very nicely married with two young children, including a beautiful nine-year-old daughter. He shivers to think she will be dating in six years, and in the car with goofballs like he often stops.

A quick check at his desk and we were off into the chill, clear night. He said I might be subject to some quick turnarounds, and that when we made a stop I should get out of the car when he does. He said he'd be looking in his rear- and side-view mirrors a lot, for brake lights that come on when the driver sees him and for non-functioning lights that serve as the basis for a stop.

First stop was a guy in his 20s, semi-passed out under a tree in his parents' front yard. A neighbor had called in a complaint after the guy had stumbled into his yard and slurred a long string of loud profanities. "I'm chuss enchoyin' tha weeken'," the guy said after he was helped to stand up. Deputy Guest spent about a half hour out in the yard, in the cold, talking to the guy and the guy's parents, I think mostly to keep the guy standing up and breathing, to give him a chance to sober up a tiny bit and finish his rant. Afterwards, Deputy Guest described the guy as "fairly intoxicated" to Dispatch. I would've said "hammered."

We saw an SUV about to turn out of a mini-mart without its headlights on; as it pulled into the street, the headlights came on. "If that guy had gone ten more feet I'd have stopped him," Deputy Guest said.

We followed a woman in an older toodle-oodle car who had crossed the fog line a few miles back. She drove straight for a couple miles and turned off Highway 30 and onto Swenson Road, driving in the paved shoulder before making the turn. She would've gotten off with a warning but she has a driving record.

We whipped around on 101 near Gearhart and stopped a guy going 74 in a 50. That's a $150+ ticket.

We came up on an older yellow Beetle in fine condition but with no tail lights. It came to a lurching stop before getting all the way off the road. The driver was a 16-year-old skinny kid who'd just gotten off work at a local fast-food joint. He was on his way home to get his skateboard and was then going to drive over to a friend's house. He'd gotten his license the week before. He had no idea his tail lights didn't work. He had no idea what tail lights ARE. "Do they come on when you turn on the headlights?" he asked, "Or do I need to do something special?" He was serious. Deputy Guest had to point to the tail lights on the Bug. Deputy Guest told him to get the lights fixed and not to drive at night until he does. "Is it okay to drive during the day?" We followed him home, for saftety's sake.

Five years from now Deputy Guest will have absolutely no memory of that stop. But that kid will be telling his grandkids all about tail lights, and about the night just after he'd gotten his license that the nice sheriff told him.

The rest of the night, at least until I got out and went home at 2am, was filled with our conversation while Deputy Guest kept keen eyes on passing cars and terrain.

I had no idea just how safely we are all expected to drive. Keep all your equipment in working order and use it. If you need to make a phone call and can't do it hands-free, stop by the side of the road. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. Any swerve will be cause for a stop. Drive very VERY carefully.

And it's about this . . .

2006-05-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to the BOCC work session on the public works vegetation spraying program, which was halted August 26, 2005, after a spray crew mistakenly sprayed in a cleaerly marked "No Spray" zone in Arch Cape. As usual, I was the only candidate not already on the Board who attended.

It's an important issue, but that's not my story.

After the meeting I walked across the street to LazerQuick, to have something copied quickly, leaving my truck parked in the lot behind the Boyington Building.

When I returned a few minutes later, Sam Patrick, Ed Wegener and Richard Lee were posed against the back of my truck like Bonnie and Clyde and friend, arms folded over the siderails, feet up on the bumper, pointing to the campaign sign I have attached to the back gate, smiling real big. And Scott Derickson was standing a few feet away, snapping their picture with his camera phone.

They all thought it was quite funny, and seemed completely flummoxed at my sharp, "Hey! Get away."

"Is this your war face?" Patrick asked. "We were just admiring your bed liner," Wegener said.

Like I said: Integrity, respect, honesty, responsibility. That's what this election is all about.

What is this election all about?

2006-05-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

I'm well aware that the media would like me to call out Richard Lee and all that I think he hasn't done and has done to the detriment of our county. But that is not what I'm about.

My candidacy is about a striking reclamation of integrity, honesty, intelligence and responsibility to the leadership of District 3, of openness, and of government for the people.

I believe that you, the citizens, are entitled to leaders who are dedicated to ensuring that the quality of life within our county is the best it can be and is charted by all of us in collaboration. I believe true leadership creates an environment of opportunity for all, brings power to the people, and builds new leadership throughout the county by providing everyone an opportunity to invest in the future. This requires thoughtful vision and a strong commitment to working for the greater good.

My vision and plans for the county build on the synergies between the County, our Cities, the Port, the College and our businesses. Our unique and diverse economic strengths, our cultural richness, and the natural beauty of our environment separately and together are magnets for growth. I'll provide the intelligence and responsibility to shape that growth, and will be commited to you and to the leadership of District 3 government by and for the people.

Vote for me and, as your Commissioner, I’ll hold regular public forums so that you help set priorities and so that the Commission has your best ideas about how our budget can match those priorities. I'll seek radio and television broadcast of all Commission meetings and work sessions, making our work open and accessible. I'll continue this blog so that we can interact in real time, both about issues of the day and about long-term plans.

The Board and the committees to which I am liaison will have my full and active attention, so that people and resources can be brought together when and where they're needed. I’ll be a strong and statewide voice for public safety, transportation, and the balance you, the voters, have insisted be maintained between the environmental and economic uses of our great natural resources. I'll work hard to ensure that our rich cultural life gets the private support it needs to remain strong and vibrant.

I have no businesses or land ownings within the county to protect or expand. I’ll ensure that zoning fits all of our needs, that permitting and inspection regulations apply to all citizens equally, and that the County has the resources for their enforcement.

Imagine what Clatsop County could be with a Commissioner who works thoughtfully, openly and actively with her colleagues and for her constituency.

I’m Cindy Price, and I ask for your vote.

Ethics Commission Delivers Opinion

2006-05-01T09:39:00.001-07:00

News Release
Monday, 1 May 2006
contact: Cindy Price 338.3808 cynthiaprice@aol.com

Cindy Price, candidate for Clatsop County Commissioner, District Three, released an email today from the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission. That state agency, also known as the State Ethics Commission, delivered a Staff Opinion on Friday, April 28th, as to whether she would have any conflicts of interest if elected, due to being married to District Attorney Joshua Marquis, a State employee.

The Commission concluded that, “The mere existence of a particular situation or set of circumstances, such as the spouse of a District Attorney serving as a commissioner of the same county, cannot create a conflict of interest or violation under Oregon Government Standards and Practices law.”

In response to claims of conflict of interest by supporters of the incumbent commissioner, Price, in a March 22 letter to the Commission, posed a series of possible scenarios, asking if any of them would violate Oregon law. The Ethics Commission specifically excluded all but one of the scenarios as having any possibility of violating the state's ethics rules. Price has said she would recuse herself from that one scenario -- decisions involving the only part of the County budget that personally affects Marquis, a $13,000 stipend paid by the county to supplement Marquis' state salary.

As to voting on budget matters regarding the D.A.'s office, the Commission explained that a conflict would exist only if the vote would somehow benefit Marquis personally in a way differently than it benefited all Clatsop County residents.

Price explained that, unlike her opponent, she has no business or land interests which are affected by zoning or code enforcement decisions made by county government, and reaffirmed her strong belief that all the County Commission's business should be done openly and in full view of all citizens.

Price has requested the Staff Opinion be adopted by the Commission as a formal advisory opinion.

The Staff Opinion follows.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 28, 2006

Cindy Price
PO Box 477
Astoria OR 97103

Dear Ms. Price:

This is in response to your e-mail correspondence dated March 22, 2006 regarding conflicts of interest or other ethics law issues that might arise if you are elected as a county commissioner and your spouse is the district attorney of the same county.

OREGON GOVERNMENT STANDARDS AND PRACTICES COMMISSION STAFF OPINION NO. 06S-010

STATED FACTS: A candidate for county commissioner is the spouse of the District Attorney (DA) for the same county. While the DA is a state officer and is compensated primarily by the state, the county pays the DA a stipend of $13,000 annually.

The following are potential scenarios in which the DA might have to appear before or otherwise interact with the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC):

1. Five lay citizens and the five county commissioners comprise the county’s Budget Committee. The Budget Committee makes recommendations to the BOCC, which adopts a final budget. Each year the DA is required to submit a requested budget to the Budget Committee. The DA may or may not seek additional funding over the previous year’s budget.

2. The DA may ask the BOCC for an increase in the amount of the DA’s yearly $13,000 stipend, which would raise the DA’s household income.

3. The DA may ask the BOCC to expedite funding for a new jail, which would be managed by the Sheriff.

4. The DA co-signs labor agreements with the County as co-employers of members of the union representing Deputy District Attorneys.

5. The DA may urge the BOCC to reprioritize its capital project funding to expedite work on the courthouse in which the DA’s offices are located.

6. The BOCC makes appoints persons to advisory boards. The DA may advise in favor of or in opposition to a particular nominee.

7. The BOCC zoning variances. Someone known to have publicly criticized the DA may request a zoning variance.

RELEVANT STATUTES: The following Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) are applicable to the issues that are addressed in this opinion:

244.020(1) " ‘Actual conflict of interest’ means any action or any decision or recommendation by a person acting in a capacity as a public official, the effect of which would be to the private pecuniary benefit or detriment of the person or the person's relative or any business with which the person or a relative of the person is associated unless the pecuniary benefit or detriment arises out of circumstances described in subsection (14) of this section.”

244.020(2) " ‘Business’ means any corporation, partnership, proprietorship, firm, enterprise, franchise, association, organization, self-employed individual and any other legal entity operated for economic gain but excluding any income-producing not-for-profit corporation that is tax exempt under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code with which a public official is associated in a nonremunerative capacity.”

244.020(3) " ‘Business with which the person is associated’ means:

(a) Any business or closely held corporation of which the person or the person’s relative is a director, officer, owner or employee, or agent or any private business or closely held corporation in which the person or the person’s relative owns or has owned stock, another form of equity interest, stock options or debt instruments worth $1,000 or more at any point in the preceding calendar year;

244.020(14) " ‘Potential conflict of interest’ means any action or any decision or recommendation by a person acting in a capacity as a public official, the effect of which could be to the private pecuniary benefit or detriment of the person or the person's relative, or a business with which the person or the person's relative is associated, unless the pecuniary benefit or detriment arises out of the following:”

244.020(15) “ ‘Public official’ means any person who, when an alleged violation of this chapter occurs, is serving the State of Oregon or any of its political subdivisions or any other public body of the state as an officer, employee, agent or otherwise, and irrespective of whether the person is compensated for such services.”

244.040 “Code of ethics; prohibited actions; honoraria. The following actions are prohibited regardless of whether actual conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest are announced or disclosed pursuant to ORS 244.120:”

244.040(1)(a) “No public official shall use or attempt to use official position or office to obtain financial gain or avoidance of financial detriment that would not otherwise be available but for the public official's holding of the official position or office, other than official salary, honoraria, except as prohibited in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection, reimbursement of expenses or an unsolicited award for professional achievement for the public official or the public official’s relative, or for any business with which the public official or a relative of the public official is associated.”

244.120 “Methods of handling conflicts; generally; application to elected officials or members of boards. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, when met with an actual or potential conflict of interest, a public official shall:”

244.120(2) “An elected public official, other than a member of the Legislative Assembly, or an appointed public official serving on a board or commission, shall:”

244.120(2)(a) “When met with a potential conflict of interest, announce publicly the nature of the potential conflict prior to taking any action thereon in the capacity of a public official; or”

244.120(2)(b) “When met with an actual conflict of interest, announce publicly the nature of the actual conflict and:”

244.120(2)(b)(A) “Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, refrain from participating as a public official in any discussion or debate on the issue out of which the actual conflict arises or from voting on the issue.”

QUESTION: According to the stated facts, would a conflict of interest or violation of Government Standards and Practices law arise for the spouse of a District Attorney to serve as member of the BOCC in the same county?

OPINION: The mere existence of a particular situation or set of circumstances, such as the spouse of a District Attorney serving as a commissioner of the same county, cannot create a conflict of interest or violation under Oregon Government Standards and Practices law.

Oregon Government Standards and Practices laws define actual conflict of interest [ORS 244.020(1)] and potential conflict of interest [ORS 244.020(14)]. The difference between an actual conflict of interest and a potential conflict of interest is determined by the words “would” and “could.” An actual conflict of interest occurs when the action is certain to result in a financial benefit or detriment. It will occur when an action taken by the official would directly and specifically affect the financial interest of the official, the official’s relative or a business with which the official or a relative of the official is associated. A potential conflict of interest exists when an official takes action that could have a financial impact on that official, a relative of that official or a business with which the official or the relative of that official is associated. In this case the impact is not certain.

A government entity is not operated for economic gain. Government entities do not, therefore, fall within the definition of “business” in ORS 244.020(2). Accordingly, any official action taken by the spouse of the DA, in the capacity of a County Commissioner, which impacted the office of the DA, such as in scenario numbers 1 and 5 of the stated facts, would not give rise to a conflict of interest or violation of Government Standards and Practices law.

ORS 244.040(1) (a) prohibits a public official from using or attempting to use an official position or office to obtain financial gain or to avoid a financial detriment that would not otherwise be available but for the public official's holding the official position or office. The only exceptions are that the public official may accept financial gain in the form of official salary, honoraria, reimbursement of expenses or an unsolicited award for professional achievement. A public official is also prohibited from using an official position to obtain a financial gain for a relative or to aid the relative in avoiding a financial detriment. Using official position to obtain financial gain for a business with which either a public official or relative of a public official is associated is also prohibited.

It appears that if the spouse/commissioner took official action as described in scenario number 2 above, to increase the annual stipend paid to the DA, the commissioner would be faced with an actual conflict of interest and would also violate ORS 244.040(1) (a) because the commissioner would have used official position to obtain financial gain for both a relative and the commissioner. Accordingly, the commissioner would be required to publicly declare an actual conflict of interest and refrain from any official participation on that issue.

It does not appear that any of the actions described in scenarios 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 would violate or otherwise have any relation to Government Standards and Practices laws.

THIS RESPONSE ADDRESSES ONLY THE APPLICATION OF ORS 244 TO THE FACTS STATED HEREIN. ANY RELEVANT INFORMATION, WHICH WAS NOT INCLUDED BY THE REQUESTER OF THIS OPINION IN THE STATED FACTS, COULD COMPLETELY CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THIS OPINION. OTHER LAWS OR REQUIREMENTS MAY ALSO APPLY. THIS IS NOT A FORMAL ADVISORY OPINION PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 244.280. THIS OPINION DOES NOT EXEMPT A PUBLIC OFFICIAL FROM LIABILITY UNDER ORS CHAPTER 244 FOR ANY ACTION OR TRANSACTION CARRIED OUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS OPINION. THIS OPINION IS ONLY MY PERSONAL ASSESSMENT AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OREGON STANDARDS AND PRACTICES COMMISSION.

Please contact this office again if you would like this opinion submitted to the Government Standards and Practices Commission for adoption as a formal advisory opinion pursuant to ORS 244.280.

Sincerely,

L. Patrick Hearn
Executive Director

LPH 06S-009

Audio of KMUN Intervew

2006-04-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

To listen to the audio of the interview conducted by Steve Forrester today, go here. On the left-hand side of the page you'll find a box that says "Listen to Audio" and "Batting Average", followed by the Internet Archive image. Below that is "Stream." Click on "64kbs M3U" and you should have audio.

The interview is about 29 minutes, preceded by about 30 seconds of the end of "Soundprint" and the station ID by engineer Terry Wilson.

Enjoy. As always, your comments appreciated.

KMUN Interview Friday, 9:30am

2006-04-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Steve Forrester asks questions of Richard Lee and me, today, 9:30am, on "Friday", KMUN's weekly talk show. KMUN is at 91.9, KTCB at 89.5; and on the web. Tune in.

Last Night's Candidates' Forum

2006-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

{Includes 9:42pm update.}

Attendance was a little low. I counted 25 who stayed to listen to the Commissioner candidates; about a third of the room left after the judicial candidates spoke.

The questions and answers were much better than at the previous forum. This is natural: as the campaigns continue, voters have more specific questions and candidates are more comfortable giving direct answers. John Yokum of the Seaside Signal was there and will do a good report.

My opening remarks were unscripted but went something like this:

I'm not sure how many of you know that the North Coast Republican Women joined forces early this year with a Republican State Senator, a Democratic State Representative and Crime Victims United President Steve Doell to petition the Oregon State Legislature to pass Jessica's Law, which provides for mandatory minimum sentences for child sex abusers as well as for better tracking of these predators.

These are not 18-year-olds who've had sex with their 15-year-old girlfriend-of-the day. These are 30-, 40-, 50-year-old deviants who have had sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 12 -- so, 8, 5, 18 months -- violent, horrible crimes that I have the luxury of holding my hands up to my ears and intoning "la-la-la-la-la" whenever reporting such events begins on the nightly news.

The effort of these Women and dozens of other groups across the state was so massively successful that Jessica's Law was passed within the first 57 minutes of the special session last week and has already been signed by Governor Kulongoski. It's good work and I'm very honored that Crime Victims United has endorsed my candidacy.

And so we can focus on one difference between me and my opponent. I have been and will be a strong and vocal proponent of public safety and of continuing to provide Clatsop County with the level of service it's come to expect. Some have tried to claim that my candidacy is all and only about propping up my husband's interests. I've been married to our District Attorney, Josh Marquis, for ten years and I have a enormous amount of respect for his advocacy and for the excellence he's attained in his field. But most of you might suspect that a woman who has the chutzpah to challenge a wealthy, land-owning, generational Astorian might have a few notions of her own.

Josh and I met when I was 41 and among some other core values, we shared an interest and a career in enforcement -- mine at the level of international sanctions and UN resolutions, his at ORS and federal statutes. We both believe that empty threats are just that: empty. Laws should either be enforced or we should seek openly to change them through the political process. They should not be skirted at the whim of a particular official on a pet occasion.

Today at the Budget Orientation session, the Jail Commander and the DA made compelling, resonable and credible presentations for additional staff. Their requests were less than half what was recommended by separate, independent studies of each department, studies that were commissioned by the BoC, cost some tens of thousands of dollars and that were paid for by you, the taxpayer. And at the end, the County Manager acknowledged the pressing need for the additional personnel but could not recommend them to the Budget Committee or the Commission. He said the expenditure of the additional dollars wouldn't fit within the policies set by the Long-Term Financial Plan. He asked what service -- what public safety service or DHS service or park maintenance -- would have to be cut to afford these new personnel. [See UPDATE below for later clarification.]

I ask: What about other areas of the budget? What about administration? What about the $800,000 that's budgeted for HVAC upgrades to the adminstration building?

What about the timber funds? Sure, the County must have a reasonable and prudent savings account, and as a general policy timber funds shouldn't be used for ongoing personnel and operational expenses. But the county won't turn to stone or go broke if we use some timber funds for those expenses. In fact, about half the timber funds ARE used for ongoing expenses, leaving $1.3 to $1.95 million or so in the savings account. We could take $250,000 from that account and fully fund those public safety requests.

Our choice: Ignore crimes or increase staff.

Here's another long-term vision. Clatsop County is going through a transition. A big part of that transition involves a heavy reliance on tourism. What is a tourist's biggest concern? Safety. Safe places to walk. Safe places to shop. Safe places to leave their luggage and their cars. Places that are safe from petty theft and vandalism. Our shopkeepers likewise depend on legal responses to deter petty theft, vandalism, and bad checks.

If we choose to be inflexible with our budget policies, we choose wrongly. I ask for your vote.

9:42pm UPDATE: The DA made his budget presentation to the full BoCC meeting this evening. Scott Derickson, the County Manager, recommended that the Board authorize the Budget Committee to consider the DA's request for two Deputy DA's and two Legal Assistants. After the meeting I asked Scott to clarify. He supports the request for the personnel because he is convinced of their need. Now it's up to the Budget Committee to figure out how to fund the positions, if they also agree to the need. And then Scott may or may not agree with the Budget Committee's recommended funding plan.

Stay tuned.

Charter Review Update

2006-04-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've had a chance to look at the minutes of the Charter Review Committee and the proposed draft, and with one major exception all of the changes are very minor and mostly grammatical.

The exception has to do with the Sheriff. In the current Charter, the Sheriff is given full power to hire and fire deputies. The proposed Charter asserts the County Manager's authority over the hiring and firing of all County personnel, including Sheriff's deputies. While this is true as relates strictly to entry and exit paperwork, I can't see how the CM could possibly actually decide on the merits of a sheriff's deputy.

Another, unadopted discussion would have required the Sheriff be appointed and have an advanced education degree in addition to all the State requirements. However well-intended, this is the sort of thing that can create all sorts of ill will and make entire departments feel disrespected.

There was some early discussion but there is no proposal to make Commissioner elections county-wide.

The Charter Review Committee meets again this afternoon, 4:00pm, third floor conference room, 800 Exchange.

UPDATE 5:35pm: The Committee voted to make no changes to the Charter regarding the Sheriff, his credentials or his ability to hire and fire deputies.

A Busy Week Ahead

2006-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

See you 'round....

Monday, 4:00-5:30pm: Charter Review Committee, Third Floor Conference Room, 300 Exchange. Rumors of change abound.

Tuesday, 8:00-Noon: County Budget Committee Oreintation, the PoM, 857 Commercial

Tuesday, 7:00pm: Candidates' Forum, Broadway Middle School, Seaside. All Commissioner candidates from Districts 1, 3 and 5 have been invited.

Wednesday, 4:00pm: Energy Committee, Port of Astoria, Port offices.

Wednesday, 6:00pm: Commissioners' Meeting, Chisolm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. On the agenda:

(1) a Measure 37 claim from Harry Claterbos III, to subdivide 2.75 forested acres at 36335 Dyblie Lane, Astoria (Hwy 202 near Young's Bay) into seven 12,500 square foot lots. Staff recommends approval.
(2) Staffing study of the District Attorney's office and the DA's request for four of the eight positions recommended by the study. Staff recommends the Board decide whether or not to take action. County Administrator has recommended request be denied.
(3) Two appointments as city representatives to Col-Pac and NWACT. Staff recommends: Peter Roscoe, with Gil Gramson as alternate, to Col-Pac; and Russ Warr, with no alternate, to NWACT.

Thursday, 6:30pm: Voters' Forum, Flag Room, Astoria Library. I'll lay out the issues affecting the County and you tell me what you think about them.

Friday, 3:00-7:00pm: Grand Re-Opening of the Lighthouse Child Abuse Assessment Center, 2nd floor, Coast Medical Supply building, 1210 Marine Drive.

Friday: CRAB FESTIVAL, locals' night.

You Tell Me

2006-04-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

When's the last time anyone asked what you think about County issues and the priority they should receive? I invite you to a Voter's Forum on Thursday, April 27th, 6:30pm, in the Flag Room of the Astoria Public Library, where you can do just that. Roads; jail, substance abuse and public safety in general; the North Coast Business Park; economic development; land use and planning, permits, code enforcement; parks and recreational lands; the fairgrounds; the college; etc.

Hope to see you there.

Drug Court and Meth Myths

2006-04-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Comments on this and other local blogs make clear that there are some gross misconceptions about how Drug Court works and how people who do meth wind up there and/or in jail. There are experts on this (Judge Nelson, Sheriff Bergin, DA Marquis) who could provide much more in-depth info, but let me try to shed a little light.

First: Once in a while the wee tiny Drug Team, to which the City of Astoria does not contribute an officer, will find and target a dealer and interrupt his day after a stern knock at the door. But no one is getting busted while sitting on their couch after a hard day at work, watching Wheel of Fortune and relaxing with a beer and a bowl they bought from somebody else earlier that day.

Meth users are in Drug Court and/or jail because meth was found on them or in them when they were caught doing something else -- driving under the influence or menacing or the like.

If the user doesn't have a record, or at least not much of one, the DA will recommend the user for Track 1 Drug Court, and if the offender successfully completes the program, the drug charges are dismissed.

A few, multiple offenders are recommended for Track 2 Drug Court. Same courtroom, same time, but the charges won't be dropped even with successful completion of the program. This is essentially probation with intense supervision. There was a guy in Drug Court a couple weeks ago, when I attended, who was working to avoid 50 months in prison -- a true rarity.

Second: Drug Court is not just another court. It is a full-service, intense supervision, one-year treatment program. Offenders must be assessed by Lifeworks NW within a couple weeks of entering the program and are then referred to one or several of the treatment programs offered -- AA, NA, Thugz off Drugz, counseling through Lifeworks NW, etc. Offenders must come to court every Wednesday, where they talk with Judge Nelson about their week and are given encouragment to "keep up the good work" or "get on track this week." The probation officer and an assessment person sits at the table with them. They're required to give weekly, random urine tests. Just coming to Drug Court is an affirmation program in itself.

Do we need more treatment options? Yes. Is meth use a myth? Take an hour next Wednesday morning, from 8:30 to 9:30, visit Drug Court and see for yourself.

A Conversation with President Hamann

2006-04-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about campaigning is the darn good excuse it provides to get out and meet people and go places you've been meaning to go for years. The Olney General Store on a Friday after work. Godfather's on a Sunday afternoon. The Clatsop Community College president's office any day of the week.

Greg Hamann has some very clear ideas about what the college should be and how it should get there. He believes strongly in building on the indigenous resources offered right here in and around Clatsop County, and that the College should serve Clatsop County first. He'll be a terrific partner in the new rural economic development strategy (see The Clallam Story), in which the college must be a centerpiece.

Hamann has set the college on a course which first rebuilds the core curriculum. For a number of years there's been no logical way of progressing from one class to another so that a student can successfully build a usable system of knowledge. This will take some time to complete but is essential.

A phrase used in higher education is "spires of excellence," which might otherwise be thought of as areas of concentration that are somewhat unique to the institution. Hamann prefers a more modest term which escapes me now, and the three programs that would be whatever that term is are: maritime sciences, to which environmental studies will be added; allied nursing; and arts -- particularly those arts which, again, are indigenous, like Richard Rowland's ceramics.

Of interest to me is the state of the college library. There's some interest in the college partnering with the Astor Library and combining resources. It's a good start toward building interest in a county-wide library system, which I know some cities aren't interested in but I don't know why. (Thus proving that you can in fact use the word "interest" four times in three sentences comprising one paragraph. Just in case you were wondering.)

Now the big issue: siting of a new facility. Hamann has no vested interest in where the college is sited, but strongly believes: "If the college stays on the hill it will not survive." His review of previous siting studies and options have led him to the John Warren Field site as the best option, providing the needed space and infrastructure and offering many nearby partnership opportunities -- with the Aquatic Center, the hospital and medical centers, etc.

Hamann is surely correct that there would be disagreement about any site chosen. He's well aware of the potential problems and issues associated with Warren Field, and is correct that there's only one way to know for sure: to go forward with the feasibility studies that will reveal what actually can be done at that site. In many ways, President Hamann has to wait and see like the rest of us.

The college sent out 165 Requests for Proposals to architectural firms; seven firms responded, with one later deemed non-responsive, and the winner was SRG Partnership Inc., Portland and Seattle. Their impressive resume of projects includes the Lillis Business Complex at the UofO and the Science & Technology Building at PSU.

As for the bond: Well, there is no bond, yet. The State has promised $7.5 million, available in 2007; the College will be seeking to borrow a matching amount. A bond, if there were one, might be in the range of $18-$20 million, which would equal about 30 cents per $1,000 -- so, a house valued at $150,000 would be taxed $45 per year. Could be the best bargain ever.

A rumor dispelled: Several people have told me that they've heard that the College has stopped its partnership with MERTS (Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station, at South Tongue Point). Not true. I'm told (by Board Member Frank Satterwhite) that there was a corporation, MERTS, Inc., formed many years ago in order to accept certain government funding, and that the corporation has been disbanded because it's been years since it was needed and is simply costing paperwork and money in corporation filing fees. This in no way affects the MERTS program.

I hope we'll all be supportive of the College's process and see what comes of it. Everything isn't built in Astoria, but it is the county seat. I live in Astoria and enjoy all of our cities and their unique offerings, and don't mind a pleasant and generally beautiful 15, 30 or 45-minute drive to them. If we were in Portland or even Longview, the commutes required just to stock the refrigerator would be much longer and much less interesting. Let's help Clatsop Community College become not simply a college of convenience within a 15- or 20-minute drive, but a college of choice as worthy of traveling to as any other institution.

Your comments always appreciated.

KMUN/KTCB Interview Tomorrow

2006-04-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The interview has been rescheduled for Friday, April 28. I don't know yet when Jeff Hazen will be on.

My opponent and I will be interviewed on KMUN 91.9fm, KTCB 89.5 fm, tomorrow morning at 9:30am. Daily Astorian publisher Steve Forrester will ask the questions. (Would have noted it earlier but I just found out myself). Mark your calendar for these upcoming interviews on Coast Community Radio:

Friday, April 21, 9:30am: District 5 candidates John Benson, John Dunzer, Russ Earl and Ann Samuelson.

Friday, April 28, 9:30am: District 1 candidate Jeff Hazen.

Interviews may be rebroadcast at other times and/or posted on the Coast Community Radio website. I'll let you know.

The College

2006-04-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have an opportunity to meet with College President Greg Hamann on Friday. Today a neighbor who lives above John Warren Field expressed serious concerns about how building there might affect his house, which is on the hill just above the field and apparently a known slide zone. I'll try to talk some geology with Dr. Hamann. Any questions of your own?

Here's the short version of what I believe about the college: It should be a crowning glory of Clatsop County. People from all over the world should want to go to Clatsop to be trained in maritime services, marine sciences, theater arts, health care and hospitality -- a "college of choice, not convenience," based on "five spires of excellence," as Betsy Johnson has said.

Would a new campus help attain that? Maybe. If you are undecided, what (other than it being of no cost) might make up your mind?

Forum Audio

2006-04-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Tryan over at NorthCoastOregon.com recorded the forum last night and has a lot of the audio on his site. Great service, Tryan. Thanks.

Candidates Forum Tonight

2006-04-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Seven o'clock in the Flag Room of the Astoria Library, 10th and Duane. Plenty of parking. Candidates invited are for County Commissioner, District 1 (Jeff Hazen and Mike Beketic), and District 3 (myself and Richard Lee). Also for the new Circuit Judge (Mary Ann Murk, Cindee Matyas, Don Haller, Mike Dooney). The AAUW is sponsoring and as I understand it, each candidate has a 3-minute opening statement and then the room is opened for questions. Questions are in writing and may be vetted by the moderator.

Someone please put together a forum for District 5 candidates John Benson, John Dunzer, Ann Samuelson and Russ Earl. We are elected by district but we govern together, and we all need to know about each other.

AMENDED April 12: I mean put together a forum that includes ALL commissioner candidates.

More on the Eco Devo workshop

2006-04-08T10:03:00.002-07:00

I want to be clear that I'm not pointing fingers at the people in the room. They were there. They had encouraged others to come. They will all be major contributors to the process, and I do believe it will happen.

The ViTAL Economies process works just as Tryan commented on the last post: first take a detailed inventory of our existing assets and look at how they can be linked to provide added value products or services. We were beginning to talk about our fisheries when Denny Holmes raised a blind in the conference room and revealed the Queen of the West docked a hundred feet away. Jim Haguewood said, "That boat comes here every week. Does it leave with your fish?" Turns out the boat is provisioned here, but not with any local products. Why?

The process also requires making definitions and setting specific, realistic goals. For example, what IS a "family wage"? Clallam looked at the specifics of its economy -- cost of housing, etc -- and decided it was $40,000 per year with health benefits. They wound up setting a goal of creating about 2,900 new jobs over the next four years at or above that wage.

There were people in the room who are ready right now to provide some $$ that would leverage other $$ to get us going on this process. Clallam started with $150,000 from a telecom and has so far leveraged that for $1.92million, including $1 million from the National Science Foundation to the community college, for programs that were designed to meet the specific needs of certain businesses.

We don't need such an angelic gift. We need to begin with enough to pay a good staff person who can keep things and people organized and who can write and maintaing grants. With one or may two more workshops, on the weekend, we can bring in the other players, get them on board, and Clatsopia can be not so far behind Columbia.

The Eco Devo Workshop

2006-04-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Jim Haguewood, from Clallam County, very dynamically led 50-60 mostly government officials from Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties through the presentations. At the end, an official from Columbia county stood up and said, "Each of our cities is represented around the table. We have X dollars. We're want this for our county and we're going forward with the project." An official from Tillamook county called out, "I just want to let you know, Jim, that Tillamook is right behind them." And the folks from Clatsop county looked around and said . . . nothing. Three county commissioners attended -- Sam Patrick, Pat Roberts and Lylla Gaebel -- and Todd Scott, from Astoria. Chip Jenkins, superintendent of Fort Clatsop. Don McDaniel, Port Commissioner. Susan Trabucco. Jim Santee. The new work force training person from the college. A couple folks from TLC Credit Union. Other important contributors I've missed here.

Nobody from Warrenton. Nobody from Gearhart. Nobody from Seaside. Nobody from Cannon Beach. Nobody from East County.

So, Clatsopians, we have our work cut out for us.

The full "Clallam Story" is on the web.

Clallam Networks Economic Development Study

2006-04-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

In 1999, Clallam County, Washington -- a northern slice of the the Olympic Peninsula, including Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks, the Makah Indian Reservation and a big chunk of the Olympic National Forest; population about 68,000 -- began a five-year economic development process led by a group called ViTAL Economy, based in Riderwood, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore.

The chair of the Clallam County EDC, Jim Haguewood, championed the process. He's in town on Friday to lead the morning session of an all-day economic development workshop sponsored by the NW Oregon Regional Partnership and the Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District (Col-Pac).

Commissioner Sam Patrick gave me a copy of "The Clallam Networks Story" a couple weeks ago and it's a good read. A few years ago I had the pleasure of working with John Berdes, CEO of Shorebank Enterprise Pacific, and have tremendous respect for his intellect and business acumen; Shorebank is now working with Clallam County to provide initial financing of start-up businesses, spurred by the strategies put in place by the ViTAL Economy plan.

The ViTAL Economy plan espouses what it calls "the 3C's of Regional Economic Development": Collaboration, Connectivity and Changed Spending Behavior. The eco devo plan was wrapped around these priorities:

1. The importance of high-speed redundant communications.
2. The importance of health care systems. Employment in the health care field pays some of the highest wages and provides private insurance.
3. The importance of family wage jobs with health benefits. In 2001, 73% of all billings for medical services were to government healthcare insurance, with Medicaid paying only 30 cents of each dollar of service provided and Medicare only 65 percent. At this rate the health service industry in Clallam would soon be bankrupt.
4. Collaboration among industry segments, forming industry "clusters": marine services, forest resources, technology, tourism and agriculture; and two support clusters: education and training centers of excellence, and integrated finance strategies.
5. The protection of agricultural lands for agri-tourism industry.
6. Putting tourism dollars in the hands of private industry, not chambers of commerce.

Clallam and Clatsop have a good deal in common, and Mr. Haguewood's presentation could offer some useful ideas for the transformation of Clatsop's economic development process.

9:30am-3:30pm, Friday, April 7, at the Maritime Museum. Cost: $20, including lunch. Call Karen Kent, 503.397.3099, to register or for more info.

Meth

2006-04-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

It seems like everybody is on meth now, one way or the other: as users or dissuaders. The damage to individuals, families and communities is horrendous and we will all benefit from the attention. Still, I would caution for a broader view.

It makes sense for law enforcement to focus on meth and its particular problems, but should local governments set out to design policies and programs specifically for its treatment? Probably not, given the long lead times necessary for governments to implement their ideas.

Meth is likely to race devastation through our communities and then diminish much like crack cocaine in the '80s and '90s. What will take its place? Somebody, somewhere, is experimenting with it now. We'll know its name in five or ten years.

Meanwhile, in Clatsop County in the past week there have been two fatal car crashes involving alcohol. Alcohol is legal. Alcohol abuse is socially accepted, even to the point where law enforcement is often derided for "wasting" its time "harrassing" drivers who've "just had a few beers." Alcohol is sexy. Stories of community leaders as regulars at local watering holes and of their inebriated escapades are passed around as amusing stories of hale and hearty men.

There's no way this County or any other could ever provide the broad range of treatments and sanctions needed to meet the needs and demands of individual drug and alcohol abusers. But we can do better:

Sustained leadership campaigns that promote drug- and alcohol-free lifestyles.
Keep the commitment that the Transition Center will be used to house that portion of the criminal population that actually wants to get unaddicted and get straight, people who the judges don't think need to go to jail but do need to go somewhere. Do not, as has been suggested, use some of the 30 beds as a halfway house for people coming out of prison. One thing we know is that you don't put high-risk offenders with low-risk offenders, unless you want the low-risk offenders to become high-risk.
Back off on the aggressive cost-collection contemplated from Transition Center inmates/residents/guests. Lifeworks NW, the private organization that contracts to provide mental health and drug treatment services, has privately complained that the County has placed too much of an emphasis on repaying fines than, for example, on more amorphous treatment goals. How much can we really expect to get from residents/inmates? And if we can't get that, how are we going to fund the Transition Center?
Expand the use of Drug Court by hiring additional probation officers and adding jail beds. The theory with drug court is that the offender comes in every Wednesday. The probation officer sits next to him. The offender reports to the judge on whether he's looked for a job, peed clean, fell back in with bad friends. If not, he's given positive reinforcement by the judge and the probation officer. If he repeatedly screws up he gets anything from a reprimand or a mild scolding, which is not unusual, to a jail sanction of between one and five days. Somewhere between five and ten jail beds are reserved for drug court; they're not empty because Judge Nelson uses them. Still, there are people with five dirty UA's (urine analyses) who aren't getting any jail time.
Commit to a plan that keeps a long-term solution to the jail in Clatsop County. How does this help with subtance abuse? Sixty to 70 percent of people in jail are awaiting trial. They haven't been adjudicated so they can't be forced into a treatment plan even if one existed. One of the few support systems these people have is their family or extended family. When we lock up someone in Tillamook or St. Helens, we cut them off from those support systems. And they have difficulties communicating with their lawyers, who complain bitterly.
Provide tax or land incentives that might allow for a private organization such as Serenity Lane to build an in-patient facility on the North Coast.

Fortunately, because of timber fund revenues, Clatsop County continues to have at least some options. The County strives to keep about a $1 million reserve each year as a rainy-day fund, and this is a worthy goal. There is another $2-3 million in annual timber revenues used for one-time special projects, nearly $1 million of which was spent on turning the old County Health Department into the POM (aka the Palace o'Meetings aka the Judge Guy Boyington Building), including two 42" plasma screen televisions. The POM is used for County Commissioner meetings twice a month and for not much more.

Could the money have been better and more appropriately spent? Yes. Do we sometimes need to adjust our savings plan downward to meet urgent needs? Yes. Do these decisions require hard choices on the part of County Commissioners? Yes. But as County leaders are asking some of our most vulnerable citizens to work hard, to behave responsibly, to exercise discipline, so should those leaders.

A Three Hour Tour of Port Properties

2006-03-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

Port Commissioner Don McDaniel kindly gave me a full tour of Port facilities yesterday.

We started at the East End Mooring Basin, where the sea lions were in full fullness. The Port has recently added a new boat launch just east of the pier, courtesy of some state money. Federal funding and some Port monies are paying for repairs to the breakwater at the end of the pier, with the east side completed. There are only a few more rust-colored metal pilings to be pounded in on the west side, and then pave the roadway. It's a great addition for walkers and fishermen.

We toured the Port-owned land behind Cafe Uniontown and the River Theater, under the bridge, and then took a long look at the increasingly dilapidated Red Lion Inn. The first building, which used to house the hotel's office, is about to be torn down, and just in time from the looks of it. Don said the Port has worked as best it could with the owners of the hotel to encourage them to make improvements, but for whatever reasons the owners aren't interested. Their lease is up in something like ten years so the eyesore may be with us until then.

Then we drove over to the Port itself, first behind the old red building. Its roof is slumping on one side and it's in much worse shape than the developers at first thought. But with time and care it will be magnificent and will house a new restaurant run by Tony and Ann Kirshner, Columbia Chocolates, an ice cream parlor, etc. I think Ryan Davis and Shawn Helligso are the developers, and architect Darren Doss is working with them.

We drove by Bornstein Seafood's almost-finished new plant, where I remembered I had my camera with me. Here are the front and the back, not much to look at now. But Jay Bornstein was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club luncheon on Monday and gave a short, inspiring presentation on the concept of wrapping a mostly-glass interpretive center around the the plant and calling it The Fish Factory, which you enter from a spacious front plaza shaped like a bowl. The Fish Bowl. Inside you can watch crabs disemboweled and shaken and other fishy sorts of things. I'm hoping for Fish Factory Fried Fish Fingers.

Next stop was the new marina building on Pier 1, being constructed by Taggart Construction. The Harbor Master's office, showers and baths for boaters, and I don't know what-all in one of the best pieces of land around.

On the way over to the Port offices there's a good view of part of the dredge spoils that nobody knows what to do with yet and that are the source of much frustration, a fine in the range of $200,000 to $300,000, and sanctions of executive director Peter Gearin.

An old rustbucket, the Pacific Producer, moored along the pier for ages. Anybody know anything about it?

This land will soon be cleared of its junk, to make way for yet more business development. It's leased by River Land LLC; I've forgotten exactly what Don said about it but the Port's website says the company has secured a "wholesale supply company, two service contractors, a fiberglass boat repair business and a custom fabrication shop/steel supplier."

Next stop was the Port offices, where Don dropped off some material and picked up his mail. I met the lovely and kind Esther, who runs the front desk and probably everything else as well. Otherwise the place was empty.

Here's a poorly-framed (by me) schematic of the now defunct Conference Center. It was to be built using urban renewal district monies, which the City of Astoria holds and for some set of complex and possibly personal political reasons has been reluctant to release.

Here's a schematic of development underway at the Port, with the different colors representing different projects. The Port recently received an $800,000+ grant to extend the Riverwalk all along the lower portion of the schematic and along the side (in the olive section on the left), wrapping around to the front. That olive section, by the way, is land that has been built up by accretion, which means it belongs to the State. The State didn't know it existed until the Port told them about it, after which the Port had to lease the land from the State so that it (the Port) could use and/or maintain the land.

Back in the car, we drove down Pier 2, to Da Yang Seafood's sardine processing facility.

Wait a minute: Da Yang Seafoods? Never heard of it. "Nobody pays attention to the Port," Don said. And except for what might loosely be called scandals -- Calpine and dredge spoils -- he's probably right.

This is the backside of the Dae Yang building, where the pier is disintegrating. Nobody's quite sure how best to fix it except with an open checkbook. Meanwhile, the steel plates keep trucks and people from falling through the holes and into the river.

I managed to get one shot of Englund Marine's beautiful new building before the camera conked out for the rest of the tour. The new batteries I brought along didn't help. We stood here for a few minutes and talked to Peter Gearin and his visiting brother, Walt, and watched the old Niemi shack torn down bit by bit, with the old-growth rafters removed from the tin siding so that everything could be recycled.

Afterwards, we drove to Warrenton for a brief look at the Port lands that could be developed across from Costco. Then on to the airport for a look at the new gas pumps and a cup of coffee at the Cafe.

The Port is booming.

More Spring Color For Your Yard

2006-03-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Looking to spruce up your yard for spring? Try one of these beautiful and politically terrific lawn signs. Spots in District 3 (and high-traffic spots outside the District) available beginning April 1. Call 338-3808 to reserve yours today!

The DoE LNG forum: a brief recap

2006-03-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

Extraordinarily, not to say numbingly, detailed. In sum: long review process, safety first, don't worry, be happy.

I casually counted 100 listeners after the lunch hour, all of whom made it through the long sunny afternoon in the gloom of a series of PowerPoint word chart presentations. Don McDaniel trooped through the entire day without slumping. Around four o'clock we were joined by a few others who were getting off work for the day. Probably there would have been a full house had the meetng been held on a weekend.

A few audience members wore red t-shirts with this logo:
A man and a woman two rows in front of me had NO LNG written in red marker on their foreheads. Anywhere from a dozen to a few dozen sign-holding protestors stood on the corners at Commercial and 11th, cheerily holding signs and talking amongst themselves. I met a couple women who had come up from Portland.

Inside, the presentations were randomly punctuated by passing car honks and the occasional slam of one of the Liberty's front doors -- if a Liberty docent hadn't been able to race fast enough to catch it, which they tried.

Some of the questions asked for very specific details about the minutiae of shipping and ships and safety and regassification. We have true rocket scientists living among us. I may have closed my eyes for a moment during the droning answers, just until the next car honked past.

I wrote a few questions on the cards provided by the gentleman who walked slowly up and down the aisles, holding his hands behind his back except to give or take a question card. Has the FERC ever rejected a project? Which ones? Why? Is that information publicly available? What are the main compliance issues? With which project? Does FERC or the Administration have a target number of facilities or capacity that it wants to build?

The gentleman was short and not quite stocky, with thick gray hair over a high forehead on a kindly face. Retired KGB, for sure. Which is about what all the men in suits from DC looked like. I had forgotten that there's a reason why some people dress like senior civil servants for Halloween.

Snarkiness aside, these are earnest people doing an earnest job inside the Beltway. At the end they thanked themselves for doing their jobs, remarked upon what a lovely place this Astoria is and what a wonderful job we've done preserving our history there at the Liberty. Oops, no one got around to thanking the locals for taking time out of their lives to be in the audience, not to mention to entertain the LNG idea.

I left feeling depressed: that so many of the good brains, so much of the time of our small community is of necessity -- our tax dollars at work! -- being spent on this huge, complex, divisive and unnecessary project that will probably never come to completion. But the Calpine lease has another four years to run. And when it's done, it'll be another five years before we can heal.

PS: All of the presentations are on the DOE Fossil Energy site. Or, if you Google DOE LNG Forum it'll be the first hit.

The Only Puppet in the Race is a Mascot

2006-03-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Lisa for the wee Scandinavian Queen whose mighty powers I call upon from time to time.

Maybe, for instance, tomorrow morning between 8:30 and 9:00a.m., when I'll be interviewed by Tom Freel on KAST-AM. Have a listen. Care to call: 503.325.2911.

BBQ and Brunswick Stew

2006-03-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

I'm in North Carolina this week, taking a bit of my turn visiting and helping with my beloved grandmother's care. My mother, aka The Queen of the VFW (post 9488), is a medical transcriptionist and it's darn hard to get time on her computer. So, thanks for your comments -- keep 'em coming and I'll be responding next week.

"Heavens! A woman thinking for herself"

2006-03-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

Heavens! A woman thinking for herself
Why are Richard Lee and his minions so afraid of Cindy Price?
Daily Astorian editorial
Monday, March 13, 2006

It is good news whenever a person of quality files for public office. It is especially good news when an exceptional person with a history of volunteering and public spirit becomes a candidate.

So why has the candidacy of Cindy Price become so controversial? Former Clatsop County Commissioner Robert Green, in a letter published here March 2, says Price is disqualified because of whom she is married to. Price is running for the Clatsop County Commission. Her husband Josh Marquis is District Attorney. Green says that is a conflict of interest.

Many of us are old enough to remember Dick and Maurine Neuberger who jointly served in the Oregon Legislature in the 1950s: Dick as a state senator and Maurine as a state representative. The Neubergers were ahead of their time, and their political marriage announced to Oregonians that a certain boundary had been broken.

Certainly we are past the point when we expect women to leave decisions to their spouses, or to deny themselves the opportunity for public service because of their husbands’ roles.

There is a saying that if you live in a small town and you don’t have a conflict of interest you aren’t doing much.

Look around Clatsop County and you’ll see quite a few couples whose public and professional lives intersect. Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Paula Brownhill is married to Blair Henningsgaard, who is counsel to the Clatsop County government and a member of the Astoria City Council. The wife of the news editor of The Daily Astorian served on the Astoria City Council 1981 to1985. When Nancy Merriman was appointed to the council, becoming the first woman councilor in Astoria’s history, the newspaper declared that her husband, Todd Merriman, would not direct coverage of the City Council or edit those stories.

The gist of how conflicts of interest are handled in a county commission or city council is straightforward. They are announced, and occasionally a member does not participate when legal counsel rules there is a conflict, as defined in state law.

It is revealing that Commissioner Richard Lee and his surrogates have failed to keep Price out of this race. Lee and his minions seem only to want to talk about Ms. Price.

If Price is all that Richard Lee has got to talk about, he must not have done much during his four-year term.

The Voter's Pamphlet Statement

2006-03-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

It was the shortest but hardest part of the week: cramming parts of my past, present and future into no more than 325 words. These are the words I chose. I wish I had another couple hundred to list all the friends and neighbors who've already agreed to endorse me. Thank you very much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Education:
Georgia State University, 1 year
University of California, Los Angeles, 2+ years International Relations

Occupation: Self-employed editor/writer/web designer

Occupational history:
1977-95: Defense policy analyst, Pan Heuristics, and executive director, European-American Institute for Security Research, Los Angeles, CA
1990-2000: National security conference rapporteur
2001: Interim General Manager, KMUN-FM, Astoria

Appointed or Elective Office:
Astoria Arts Commission

CINDY PRICE: for openness in and access to government.
• Broadcasting all Commission meetings and work sessions on the Community Access channel.
• Using email, web sites and blogs for quick and open communications.
• Actively participating in community efforts.

CINDY PRICE: for long-term investment in public safety.
• Judge Nelson’s drug court needs probation officers for supervision, proven treatment options for those who seek help, and jail sanctions for those who fall off the wagon.
• Community Corrections needs officers to supervise misdemeanor offenders, repeat drunk drivers, wife and children beaters, and non-felony property offenses.
• Sheriff Tom Bergin needs jail beds now, with a concerted, timely process toward a workable and economic longer-term jail solution.

CINDY PRICE: for North Coast growth and vitality.
• Connecting constituents with public and private financial and human resources, actively participating in their efforts, and doing so publicly to help build support and visibility.
• Marketing the educational, cultural and economic importance of our County Fair and Community College.
• Forming partnerships with out-district officials, businesses and individuals to help bridge the North-South County divide and increase efficiencies.
• Backing a North Coast telecommunications infrastructure featuring wireless technologies for remote users, getting technologies of economic, creative and intellectual growth to individuals and communities.

These are a few of the voters from diverse backgrounds who urge you to join them in voting for CINDY PRICE:

David P. Ambrose
Steve Doell, Pres.,
Crime Victims United
Tim P. Hurd
Jeannine Grafton
Sally Lackaff
Jan Mitchell
Nancy S. Montgomery
Brad A. Pope
Captain Thron Riggs
Rebecca Rubens
Jessica Schleif
Robert C. Stricklin
Gary J. Winlund

Is the Fair Fairly Represented by the County?

2006-03-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Many of you will know that the county's Fair Board has been working with the County Commission and County Staff to develop a long-term funding plan that will provide stability to its operations. A special taxing district was ruled out because of a lack of interest from areas other than the City of Astoria and its unincorporated community. Various other ideas were floated, from a countywide room tax to using the fairgrounds only for the annual county fair. In February, the Commission adopted the Fair Board's request to place a five-year county-wide operating levy on the May 16 ballot. The levy would raise $350,000 a year -- 9 cents per $1,000 assessed value -- and could be extended by another vote. (See the February 23, 2006 Daily Astorian article by Tom Bennett for additional details.)

One issue I'll be researching is: What was the County's original long-term plan for operating the fairgrounds? To put it another way: Was the Fair Board ever mandated to be self-sustaining or nearly so? And: Has the Fair Board had the full engagement and assistance of the County Commission and its staff to find funding sources?

The Board of Commissioners liaison to the Fair Board is Richard Lee, who lists that board first among committees. The County's website (a very good resource, by the way) currently has the Minutes of every Fair Board work session, regular meeting and special session from April 4, 2005 to December 13, 2005. In those 15 meetings over nine months, Mr. Lee was in attendence once -- on November 28, 2005. This was a special meeting held in the Palace o' Meetings with the Board of Commissioners to discuss the possibility of some sort of tax or levy to support the fair. Mr. Lee did not make any comments that were recorded in the Minutes.

And so I ask: Is the Fair fairly represented by the County?

Newfangled Marriages and Bumbled Words

2006-03-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that it seems I made a purposeful decision to make all of my mistakes in the first two days of my campaign. I consider myself mediocre at asserting my opinions publicly; and my use of language is naturally more like a writer's than a politician's. I'll work on becoming braver and smarter, if not necessarily more political.

Here’s one mistake that’s gotten a lot of play.

I have said Sam Patrick is a sheriff’s deputy. He is not. He is an unpaid, volunteer member of the sheriff’s posse. I’ve already apologized to Sam, who I count as a friend, and now to any member of the posse or the sheriff’s department for any offense. I meant none, and I trust none was taken.

My point remains the same: That there are commissioners who have set the precedent for being deeply involved in a department or a matter and not recusing themselves from decisions about the department’s operations or budget. I don’t for one minute believe that Commissioner Patrick is less passionate or concerned about the sheriff’s department because he is not paid for his contributions to it. I could say the same about any of our city councilors and the citizens who serve as volunteer, unpaid members of the many governmental committees and private non-profit organizations that provide so much for our community.

Here’s one brilliant example: the Clatsop County Parks and Recreational Lands Master Plan, (.pdf file) presented by RLAC Advisory Committee chairman Carolyn Eady to the Commission’s work session Wednesday morning. (more info here) Drawing on a set of skills and talents we would usually find only in a high-priced consulting group in a city with a cluster of skyscrapers, Eady and her team have produced an extraordinarily well-researched, detailed, professional -- and elegant -- 147-page report. For nothing -- if you consider a strong dedication to public service “nothing”.

Just one example of the many skillsets in our community, some still hidden, some actively providing enormous in-kind value.

In fact, I might be the only county commissioner or city councilor in all of Clatsop County who could, if she wanted, make the claim that she was running for office because of the money. Five-fifty a month (I think that’s the going salary) makes a big difference to my household.

Unlike my opponent, I have absolutely NO personal financial interests in any business being conducted by the county -- other than the $13,000 annual stipend for the DA’s salary. I do not own any businesses or land (other than that upon which my house sits) or have any intention of owning any businesses or land that is affected by county business.

In these newfangled marriages, the husband and the wife are distinct individuals with their own minds. I was over 40 when I met Josh; I already had a few ideas of my own about public safety. We didn’t get to have children, so we don’t argue about them. Like most everybody else we could always use a little more, but we don’t really have a money problem so we don’t argue about that. He’s pretty good about picking up his dirty socks, so we don’t argue about that. We argue about policy. It’s a two-way street. Who’s to say the DA won’t be carrying out the Commissioner’s policies?

This morning I was asked: “What if the Commission wanted to cut the DA’s office down to just Josh and one secretary? Wouldn’t that affect your household? Would you vote for that?”

My answer is in two parts.

First of all, No, I wouldn’t vote for it because by the time it came up for a vote I would have relocated my household to a county far, far away that had not gone completely off its rocker. Second, there aren’t any secretaries in the DA’s office, but they’ve wanted one for years.

Josh Marquis is my beloved husband of almost ten years. I also like him and have an enormous amount of respect for him. He’s risen to national prominence on criminal justice issues not just because he likes to be on TV -- which he does -- but because he is thoughtful, creative, intelligent and articulate, and because he is passionate about public service, protecting the people, victims rights -- the whole criminal justice universe -- and he sees clearly how all the elements fit together with each other and with the world at large, and he understands how to craft policy. There’s a reason why some of his friends call him a Boy Scout.

He’s also been elected on three separate occasions by 60 percent or more of the countywide voting public. Is there any wonder that the Commission, while quibbling with this point or that, has generally approved the DA’s budget request year after year, for going on 13 years?

So: Yes, to a large extent you, the voter, can expect that as Commissioner I would be in great agreement with the budget and other requests made by the DA. He’s the man I like most to hang with . . . and he’s the expert that you elected to tell the Commission what, in his best judgment, is best for the DA’s office. He holds himself accountable to the public and so far the public has approved.

But he shouldn’t expect to get that secretary next year, and probably not much of a raise either. The money just isn’t likely to be there.

Next.

On Your Mark . . . Get Set . . .

2006-03-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

I expect Mr. Lee to be a formidable challenge and know that I can only win this race with your help. Here are some of the ways you can support my campaign -- and please send me your own ideas:

1. Send the link to this blog to your friends. Encourage them to register to vote if they haven't already, and to vote for me in the May 16 election.

2. Allow me to use your name and/or your business name as endorsement, either in the voter's pamphlet (DEADLINE IS MARCH 8) or in an upcoming newspaper advertisement. Just send an email with your okay and exactly how you would like to be listed.

3. Make a cash contribution to the campaign (for signs, direct mail, a bit of radio and newspaper advertising), either by mail or by using the secure PayPal button on the right. Checks should be payable to VotePrice2006 and be mailed to:

Vote Price 2006
PO Box 477
Astoria OR 97103

4. Host a fundraising event, large or small, at your home or business. I'd enjoying meeting with you and your friends and associates.

5. Write a Letter to the Editor endorsing my candidacy.

Letters to the Editor
Daily Astorian
949 Exchange Street, Astoria 97103

Letters to the Editor
Seaside Signal
1555 North Roosevelt Drive, Seaside 97138

Letters to the Editor
Columbia Press
PO Box 130, Warrenton, OR 97146

Letters to the Editor
The North Coast Times Eagle
(I'll get this address tomorrow)

Thanks very much to those who have already responded. Your kind words of support are the main source of encouragement for me.

And now . . . to design a stunning lawn sign! Dark green on yellow?

PS: I adjusted the settings so that anyone can post a comment. Sorry if you tried before and were asked to join Blogger.

The Official Announcement

2006-02-28T00:02:00.000-08:00

Astoria resident Cindy Price announced today she has filed to run for a position on the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners. Price will face Richard Lee, who is running for a second term for the Third District which encompasses much of central Astoria as well Miles Crossing, Jeffers Gardens, Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark, Youngs River, Olney, Green Mountain and part of Walluski.

"Friends and many neighbors in the city limits have been dismayed from the get-go with Richard Lee's non-representation of their interests. Now he's had three years to provide service to the constituency he supposedly most represents, out in the county, and has failed them as well."

Price said her political philosophy is fairly straightforward: that the purpose of county government is to create an environment in which residents and businesses can thrive. That means, first, to provide for the public safety and then for infrastructure such as roads, sewers, and the like. "District 3 is a tremendous engine for the vitality of Clatsop County," Price noted. "We deserve leadership that reflects and promotes that and is ready and willing to move into the future."

Before moving to Astoria 10 years ago, Price worked as a writer and editor in the Los Angeles area. She held a Top Secret clearance from 1980-1994 while working with the "godfather of nuclear strategy," Albert Wohlstetter, a senior advisor to every American administration from Kennedy to Clinton. She was the director of the European-American Institute and was responsible for security conferences that drew top scholars and government leaders from Western European countries and the United States. "Formulating realistic policies that governments have the ability and the will to follow has been the focus of most of my working life," Ms. Price said.

She has been active in many community groups. She was appointed by the City Council to the Astoria Arts Commission in 1998. She volunteered for non-commercial radio station KMUN within a week of arriving in Astoria and has since created and produced a number of public and cultural affairs programs. After being elected to the Tillicum Foundation's Board of Directors in 1999, she was hired as the interim general manager of the radio station when the founding manager, Doug Sweet, moved to Portland; she served for six months. She was just elected to a new term on KMUN's Board of Directors. She continues freelance work as an editor and is developing a new business in web design.

Price acknowledged that "I have some homework to do on local land use and taxation, but I look forward to learning from the books and particularly from my neighbors. I hope to meet them all. We have a county manager form of government so the role of the commissioners is to formulate policy and point the county in the right direction."

The community is welcomed to post comments and questions at her blog, http://cindyastoria.blogspot.com.