Editorial
Vote for John Foote
Is it a good idea to buy stock through a broker who did not follow the
ethics of his profession, according to his peers in the business? To buy a car from a
dealership with unresolved complaints from the Better Business Bureau? To have plastic
surgery done by someone who lost their accreditation to perform it?
Then why should Clackamas County voters re-elect a district attorney who may very well
lose her license to practice law?
The Oregon State Bar has recommended that Terry Gustafson lose her law license for lying
to a judge. What's worse, she has said she would not resign from office if that decision
is upheld by the Oregon Supreme Court. But Gustafson believes she has some pretty
compelling reasons why voters should return her to office anyway.
Her office wins 99 percent of the cases it takes to plea or trial. She has reorganized the
office so the same attorneys handle the same defendants nearly every time, increasing
efficiency. She has increased restitution to victims, payment of child support by deadbeat
parents and federal money flowing into her office.
She also has ambitious plans for a second term. She wants to work on the drug problem,
develop a mental health program for some defendants, set up a service center for child
abuse victims, and eventually, unite all family-related DA services in one place. And
while some folks consider her brusque and blunt, others consider her to be extremely
charismatic.
These reasons to re-elect Gustafson would be more persuasive in different circumstances,
but they aren't good enough in this case.
A district attorney represents the people - all of us. This county should not settle for
one without a law license. After all, the courts wouldn't allow even the most low-down,
cretinous criminal to have a disbarred lawyer fighting for his interests. Why should the
people have one?
Gustafson has hinted that her troubles with the bar association are the result of shady
dealings or a conspiracy. It would have to be a pretty big one to include multiple levels
of the bar association.
We'll be as blunt as she is. If she's such a crackerjack prosecutor, she ought to have
some proof of this allegation. She has offered none.
Gustafson says she knows a weak case when she sees it. Perhaps her conspiracy theory is
one of those cases. You know, the kind that ought to be thrown out for a lack of evidence
- and her along with it.
Last spring, four fully qualified men with unquestioned integrity - Foote, John Horton,
Rodney Hopkinson and former D.A. Jim O'Leary - also ran for the office of district
attorney. It is only because there were so many candidates in the race that Gustafson
managed to squeak into the final.
John Foote emerged from that pack because he was the most prepared to take over the
office. He has been there before, and he still has a lot of energy to give.
In his first tenure as DA, Foote barely had time to establish a direction for things. But
he has proven himself with a stellar record for the state Department of Corrections.
Further, O'Leary, Horton and Hopkinson have seen fit to endorse him without reservation.
We don't think voters are in danger of sacrificing effectiveness if they elect Foote, but
they probably will be sacrificing integrity if they choose Gustafson.
The DA's office needs to have this controversy put behind it, and the election of Foote
would be a grand first step in the healing process. |
Letters
to the editor
Let's give CCC the
resources it needs
Please vote Yes on the Clackamas Community College Levy 3-97.
Our community college is a tremendous asset to the county. The college provides an
affordable educational option for many of our sons and daughters. Many adult citizens also
choose CCC for further training and expanding their job skills. And, the college is a
solid partner with Clackamas County in providing high-quality employee training.
This bond measure is necessary to add classrooms, repair dilapidated buildings and upgrade
technology to keep pace with our fast moving world.
Let's support our college and make it even better. Please vote Yes.
Bill Kennemer, chair
Board of Clackamas County Commissioners
Schrader supports a
plan that won't work
This letter is in response to Kurt Schrader's letter to the editor in the Herald on
Wednesday, Oct. 11. I would like to point out that his saying his main concern has been
preserving our quality of life may have been true then, but isn't now.
He is threatening the quality of life for those of us in the rural community. His support
of the land donation to the Blue Heron Parks and Recreation District (BHRD) and failure to
contact adjacent landowners and ask about the direct impact this donation would have on us
is appalling.
He never asked if we would be supportive, or if we have had any experience with this area
being open to the public in the past. We have.
That land was leased to the county to try and develop that area into a park.
It was impossible for the Parks Division to maintain, and the Clackamas County Sheriff's
Office to police. After one year, the Clackamas County Parks Department backed out. After
that it was in limbo.
It wasn't until the Canby Herald did a series of articles on the problems, including
drinking, drugs and car accidents (that resulted in several Life Flight incidents), and
Channel 5 did a piece on that property that it was shut down.
My question, Mr. Schrader, is, "do you realize what piece of property this is, or do
you just not care?"
My other problem with Mr. Schrader's letter is implying this property will be developed if
not put into use as a park.
This is a scare tactic that he is using. Has anyone bothered to mention to the voters that
this land is outside city limits, is undeveloped and the majority of it is considered
flood plain and unbuildable?
They would have you believe the old logging road would be a bike path, but a good portion
has been washed away by flooding.
I have not read they are telling these facts to the voters, but it is public record at the
county assessor's office.
I am asking the voters to use common sense. This property the BHRD is trying to acquire is
going to be impossible to police, as it is outside city limits.
They say no one will be hired under this plan, so who is going to do maintenance and
litter patrol, much less law enforcement?
This is just the first step in a series of proposed tax bases, so the BHRD can try to fix
later what they are not taking into consideration now.
Mr. Schrader is endorsing a plan that cannot work, without input from citizens he claims
to represent.
Rachelle Butcher
Canby
Please vote Yes on
Measure 3-99
I am a supporter of the Blue Heron Parks and Recreation District Measure 3-99
because I believe it will be good for Canby.
We all know that Canby will continue to grow. This measure is needed planning to make sure
our community continues to offer the quality of life that we all enjoy. Whether you are a
child looking for a ball field, a commuter who works in Portland or a retired person who
enjoys the outdoors, we all benefit from the open space and many parks in and around
Canby.
This measure will provide funds so we can take control and preserve some of the land
before it all becomes developed. This measure does not create new bureaucracies; it does
assure that the BHRD will work in cooperation with the city, schools and current
recreational providers to get the most of our tax dollars.
At about $3.65 per month for the average house in Canby, the measure is a low-cost
investment that assures big returns.
Please join me and vote Yes on Measure 3-99.
Matt Madeira
Canby
Myra Weston will
be sorely missed
When Myra Weston died, it was like closing the "library" door forever
Iola H. Bowers
Canby
NOTE: Myra Westons Obiturary was added after
the page published last week and can be read at archive/myraweston.htm
A vote for Measure
3-97 is essential
Thanks to our local voters last May, we are seeing the Canby School District able
to take care of our school buildings - new roofs, siding, etc. Now, Clackamas Community
College is facing the same problems with their aging buildings.
Clackamas Community College is an important option for our local students who look for
affordable higher education and training. We are so fortunate to have this education
opportunity available to our Canby-area residents, regardless of their age or interest.
Clackamas Community College's student population has grown by 20 percent in the last five
years and more growth is expected. Providing adequate and safe spaces is critical to each
student's education.
A vote in favor of Measure 3-97, will allow funding to repair Clackamas Community
College's aging buildings, add needed classrooms and improve technology training.
A cost of 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, approximately $2.50 per month on
a $150,000 home will enable Clackamas Community College to provide affordable education to
thousands of CCC students.
Please join me in supporting Clackamas Community College on the Nov. 7 mail-in ballot and
keep our community college operating in the way it should.
"Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human
mind is our fundamental resource." - John F. Kennedy.
Frank Cutsforth
Canby
It was a malicious
case of hit-and-run
On the morning of Oct. 6, on Barlow Road a light-colored pickup, pulling a
trailer with a farm implement or a farm disc hit my mailbox and Oregonian and Canby Herald
posts, demolishing my large mailbox and bending posts of the boxes.
What is so exasperating is he didn't even have the decency to stop and admit it. As I
rounded the corner where I could see him, he had slowed down and several cars were
following him, moving very slowly.
He either had an illegal width trailer or farm implement.
I am hoping one of the cars following him will come forth with a license number. I am sure
the culprit knows who he is and I hope his conscience eats him up.
Hazel Gardner
Canby
Attending CCC
changed my life
My partnership with Clackamas Community College started in 1994. Due to an
on-the-job injury, I was faced with starting over. The college helped me to put the pieces
of my life back together so that I could build upon my foundation for my children and
myself.
Now it is asking us to vote "yes" so that it can build upon its own foundation.
During these past six years I have witnessed overcrowding of classrooms and portable
buildings that litter the campus in order to help with the overflow of students. When it
rains you dodge standing water in the parking lots and sidewalks. And any college that
does not keep up with the fast pace of technology will fail its community. CCC does not
want to fail its community!
CCC provided for me the opportunity to earn my Occupational Skills Certificate. After that
I enrolled in the Life Career Options Program (LCOP). This program helped me to map out my
future plans. To this day I still receive support and guidance from LCOP.
I chose to achieve my bachelor's degree and fulfill my first two years at CCC. Because of
the strong support and guidance from faculty, I became a recipient of three scholarships.
One was the Ford Family Foundation Scholarship for single parents, which carried me
through my bachelor's degree.
June 2000 I graduated with a four-year degree. Now that I am a graduate I have returned to
CCC in order to utilize the Career Center and a computer class.
Each year more than 27,000 students take advantage of this affordable and cooperative
partnership in order to build upon their own foundations. Clackamas Community College
wants to help us and future generations to achieve our dreams. They are a partnership that
is worth our Yes vote.
Jody Pearson
Oregon City
Measure 3-99 would
lead to problems
I am sure I reflect the feelings of my good neighbors on South Elisha Road and in
the general Macksburg area when I express my dismay at the possible passage of Measure
3-99 (Blue Heron Recreation District's attempt to buy land in our area).
After three years of peace and quiet following closure of Elisha Road to river access, we
now face renewal of all the problems with drugs, drunks, fights, thievery and just not
feeling safe in this beautiful area of Macksburg.
When the element which caused these problems again descend upon us, as well as the volume
of traffic on this one-lane country road, we are doomed again if this measure passes and
public access is given to our area as well as the logging road.
We folks out here do not come into your neighborhoods littering, drinking, speeding, using
drugs and generally causing havoc. May we expect the same courtesy from all of you by not
passing this measure?
If you feel I'm "crying wolf" about these problems, a check with the Clackamas
County Sheriff's Office would confirm the number of problems and calls from this area
while the road was open, as well as their inability to adequately police us. Canby police
have no jurisdiction in this area.
Also, the U.S. Game Commission and Department of Parks attempted to open a park on the
river at the end of Elisha and were forced to abandon this project due to vandalism and
the above-mentioned problems, at which time our road was closed to public access.
Thanks for hearing me out, and I hope you are now more aware of some of the pitfalls in
passing this measure.
Bonnie J. Scheer
Canby
Canby Fire District
was a lifesaver
Rarely does a person wake-up on a crisp fall morning and think, "Today, I
will have to call 9-1-1 and receive emergency medical treatment and hospital transport
from my local fire district." And, yet, that is exactly what happened to me on a
recent Thursday afternoon.
For those of you fortunate enough to have never required such emergency care, let me say
that it is a frightening experience indeed. It is even more frightening when you have no
idea why your body suddenly decides to severely limit your oxygen intake.
Lots of feelings come to mind when I relive that experience. Chief among them is
gratitude: for the 9-1-1 operator who summoned help and did her best to reassure me; and
for the men and women of the Canby Fire District who displayed enormous calm and
professionalism.
I may never know the face of the 9-1-1 dispatcher, but I will never forget the faces of
our paramedics. These are the people I entrusted my life to, and I will remain ever
grateful that these dedicated men and women were there when I needed them most.
So, to the C-COM dispatcher and Canby paramedics who helped me, I offer a heartfelt 'thank
you' on behalf of my family and myself.
Keith Stewart
Canby
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