It's time for new
blood on council

I am positive that listening to the voters is a very important campaign pledge that Mayor Prince, Councilor Blackwell and Councilor Johnson intend to keep.

That this group handily won the election speaks to the fact that many citizens of Canby felt alienated with local government and really had no voice.

When the incumbent councilors defended each other's fine records before the election, the view from this and other citizens' perspectives was of a city run by a close knit group of friends who didn't want newcomers involved.

Nothing has changed my mind since. That Prince, Blackwell and Johnson won should surprise no one who has watched our previous city government in action.

One of the first decisions the new council will make is on who will replace the vacated council seat held by Mayor Prince.

This is an important decision and one that will not be taken lightly by the council. It will also determine whether Canby remains stagnant with the status quo or moves ahead into a brave new world.

The status quo position was stated very well by the Canby Herald's Jan. 23 editorial and is endorsed by the old guard.

Briefly summarized, Roger Harris should be appointed to the vacant council seat because of his past experience and his placement by vote in the Fall 2000 election.

The brave new world approach is that Harris was part of the problem and was soundly defeated at the polls. Harris was most active in attacking his opponents for things most people find are virtues (Prince for independent thought and Blackwell for quiet contemplation). He was defended by his close group of friends and seemed to spend less time listening to his constituents in the community.

That the new council members recommended opening the vacant council seat to public application is in keeping with their pledge to involve the citizens at large.

There are still those on the council who would rather include their old friends, but I sense the tide has changed. It is now the responsibility of Canby's citizens to step forward and take a part in shaping the future of our community.

Volunteer to serve on a committee, speak at a public forum, or apply for a planning commission seat.

When the Canby Herald recommended Harris' appointment to the vacant position, it brings to mind the Herald's past history of recommendations for the URD annexation and for the incumbent council members before previous elections.

Both were defeated at the polls. It's the wrong recommendation now with Canby moving away from government by the few. Let some new people get the experience of working for the public good.

We can always rest assured that Roger Harris will be waiting in the wings to lead us out of the darkness if we fail.
Randy E. Tessman
Canby

Roger Harris is best
choice for council

Being a citizen of Canby, small business owner and current vice president of the Canby Chamber of Commerce, I'm very concerned with the future decisions our City Council will make on issues that will impact Canby for years to come.

Having chosen a long-term commitment to establish a business here, I would have to say the focus on economic development is priority one.

The steps for making this community viable are important ones for not only my future here but for all businesses and citizens.

They are (1. the implementation of the Urban Renewal District Plan; (2. recruiting industry and the family wage jobs that will result; and (3. the revitalization of the downtown core area.

Which gets me to the point of writing this letter. Roger Harris has the past experience and knowledge (and I'm stressing experience here) on all these issues, and has demonstrated the ability to weigh all the information carefully before giving an unbiased decision.

The voters of Canby supported Roger at the polls, and I feel they were right.
Hank Jarboe
Canby business owner

HB2288 deserves
undivided attention

The recent article you carried informing the Canby readers about HB2288 brings up an important point.

Our schools, due to the most recent influx of new developments, are busting at the seams. There is presently a committee in place, of which I am a member, that is in the process of making hard decisions about boundary changes.

These changes are necessary to help alleviate present, as well as projected, overcrowded conditions at certain Canby area schools. This boundary change is just a Band-aid. It does not address the problem.

Canby has been blessed. Located halfway between Salem and Portland, it is an area ripe for development. I won't bore you with the details; you already know Canby is a great town and a decent place to raise your families. The problem is, our schools are suffering from growth.

There is presently enough annexed land in the Canby area to add an additional 300 to 400 homes to the mix. Most of these are within the present Trost School boundary, the most overcrowded school in the district. Go figure.

I don't know if Rep. Kurt Schrader's HB2288 is the sole answer to our current problem, but until something better comes along, I think it deserves our undivided attention. Thank you, Rep. Schrader, for taking the time to care.
Rick McGraw
Canby

Phone rates leave
a lot to be desired

This is in response to Matt Zacher's letter to the Herald last week. I want to add further comment to his "need . . . to voice a complaint against . . . outrageous pricing" by Canby Telephone Association (CTA). Mr. Zacher was referring to DSL services, but "am I the only one who;s noticed" (quoting Mr. Zacher), the high cost of CTA's long distance?

Whenever I phoned my daughter, who lives in Nebraska, our bill for those calls seemed outrageous to me. I wondered how she was able to afford calling me as often as she did. Then she informed me she was paying five cents per minute, any time of the day or night, for long-distance calls.

CTA, however, was charging us 16 cents a minute - the "cheap" rate - if we called long distance only in the evenings or on weekends. As Mr. Zacher pointed out, "to not take advantage of this service is one way of speaking out."

I no longer use CTA for long-distance calling.
Deanna Lee
Canby

Please keep an
eye on your speed

I recently had a conversation with an intelligent young woman with whom I work, and I told her when driving in Canby I'm "Miss 25." Her reply was, "Oooh, I hate driving behind people like you."

I told her that on residential streets marked 25 mph, there are houses, and in those homes are families with kids and grandkids and beloved cats and dogs. I don't want anyone to speed by my house faster than 25 mph, therefore, I only go 25 mph in front of their homes.

Her response was "I had never thought about it like that before." This from a mother of a 4-year-old boy. I changed her thinking. Maybe I can change yours.

Next time you are driving on a residential road, please remember we live here (kids and pets), and don't wish to have you speeding by our homes. In turn, we will be courteous and not speed in front of yours. Practice random acts of kindness. Slow down and have a safe new year.
C. Snyder
Your Canby neighbor

Competition may save
us from high prices

In last Wednesday's Herald, Matt Zacher asked, "Am I the only one who's noticed" that CTA charges 350 percent of the Portland monthly rate for DSL broadband Internet service? No, Mr. Zacher, you are not.

I also waited with bated breath, only to be shocked. He generously says that, as Canby is a small community, one expects to pay a little higher price. Yet I notice that when it comes to dial-up service, where CTA must compete with everyone in the local calling area, CTA's web-ster.com is priced about the same as many Portland and national providers.

I decided that I'd bite the bullet and get the $39.95 cable broadband from CTA's DirectLink, even though it is also much higher than the similar cable service in Portland. Unfortunately, I found that the price advertised on the web-ster.com site was only good for DirectLink cable TV subscribers.

There is hope. Just this month two-way satellite dish broadband hit the market. The first pricing by MSN is the same as CTA's DSL, but as there are already three companies in that market, I expect the price to drop over the next few months as more enter and the competition heats up.

Has Mr. Zacher noticed the prices of cell phone service lately?

Just think, Matt, in six months we may not need any services from CTA!
Dennis C. Henry
Canby