Adult center drivers
deliver 397 meals

Canby Adult Center's Share-A-Meal starts out as a low rumbling right after Peddler's Market in September. Menu ideas are discussed during staff meetings. Next, office personnel start working on a master list of businesses in the area.

About two weeks prior to the event, letters are sent out to all the businesses, inviting them to participate in our fund-raiser. They are given a choice of two meals, each priced at $6, and delivered to their door at lunch time.

In the kitchen, our cooks are busy ordering food and asking volunteers to help in the kitchen that day. Meanwhile, our home delivered meals coordinator seeks people to drive a route. The last week, follow up phone calls confirm the final meal orders and then routes are laid out. Cooking begins the day before, and the kitchen is full of busy hands until every last meal is out the door the following day.

Everyone is tired when Share-A-Meal is over, yet most do it year after year and enjoy it. It's impossible to name all the volunteers who make this event work. They just jump on board and do what's needed to make it successful. I feel fortunate to live in a community where people believe in giving back. I believe that's the ingredient that makes Canby great.

This month we delivered 397 meals and earned $1,262. We had drivers for 12 different routes. Most averaged seven stops. This is a record number of meals, and we want to thank the business community for its strong support.

Our next Share-A-Meal will be May 15, 2001. We hope you will plan now to participate again in the spring.
Anna Phillips, director
Canby Adult Center

We don't need
another tax base

I urge everyone to vote against Measure 3-99, establishing a tax base for the Blue Heron Recreation District. This is simply a push to establish a new tax base. This idea has been voted down twice before, but it keeps coming back. If approved, it is a tax base that will never go away.

We presently pay property taxes to Clackamas County and the city of Canby.

Both of these entities fund park departments - why do we need a third to do what the others could do? Because board members of the BHRD and some of our elected officials want an additional tax base that will never go away.

The amount asked for - 29 cents per $1,000 of assessed value - does not seem like a lot of money, but the point is that twice before this issues has been voted down. (They wanted 66 cents per $1,000 last time.)

As BHRD board member Joe Driggers stated after the last defeat, "We are planning on putting out a tax base proposal every two years until we get it." (Canby Herald, July 28, 1999). With this type of response to what the public has said I ask - is this the type of new bureaucracy you want to create and give a new tax base to?

As a side note, Bob Traverso of Canby Sand and Gravel has offered a land donation to the BHRD contingent on the passing of this measure. This is the same type of scenario that led to the formation of the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District (not to be confused with the Clackamas County Parks Department), a district that is now in financial difficulties and asking their taxpayers to bail them out. (See the measure following 3-99 in your Voters Pamphlet.)

If we truly desire more parks and open spaces, it can be done through the Clackamas County Parks Department or the city of Canby Parks Department. We do not need another tax base that will never go away.
Vote No on 3-99!
Gary Kordenat
Canby

Blue Heron district
raises serious issues

I have questions and concerns about the way measure 3-99, establishing a tax base for the Blue Heron Recreation District, is being presented to the voters.

State Rep. Kurt Schrader and board members of the BHRD have stated no employees will be hired. I ask then - Who will provide the labor for future development? Who will provide the future maintenance? Who will provide for the safety of future users of the facilities?

I contend that employees would need to be hired. We certainly would not want to use school district or city of Canby employees as has been implied.

I ask then, where would the money for this come from? Answer: Increase the tax base. I know the directors of the BHRD want more money than the 29 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. (They asked for 66 cents per $1,000 the last

time they tried to get this measure passed.) They have lowered the price tag simply to get their foot in the door.

In response to statements concerning the value of the land Bob Traverso of Canby Sand and Gravel would donate to the BHRD, $1.5 million (Canby Herald, Sept. 27, 2000) or $2 million (Kurt Schrader, Oregon Voters Pamphlet).

I want to know where those values came from. According to Clackamas County records, the property is being taxed at a value of less than $300,000.

In response to the statements made by BHRD board member Joe Driggers and Oregon State Representative/BHRD Chairperson Kurt Schrader that this property (donation by Bob Traverso) "needs to be preserved before its gone," I urge everyone to become familiar with this property.

It is: mainly an abandoned logging road (4 miles long) outside of the Canby city limits; an extension of the road on which a Canby woman was recently sexually assaulted (inside the city limits); zoned EFU - Exclusive Farm Use; outside the Urban Growth Boundary; primarily inside the Molalla flood plain; in need of extensive repair; impossible to police.

This is not property that is in high demand by anyone, nor is it my idea of open spaces or prime parkland that I want my tax dollars spent on. Vote No on 3-99.
Don Morgan
Canby

Oppose measures
that hurt schools

In August, two Parent-Teacher Association board members from Eccles Elementary School attended a regional PTA conference that featured a presentation on the measures in the November election that would affect schools.

Because of the serious impact these measures would have on our schools if passed, we invited an Oregon PTA board member to share the group's positions at our recent general membership meeting.

After hearing some of the sobering facts about measures that would drastically cut funding of education and social services in Oregon, the Eccles PTA would like to also share the Oregon PTA's recommendations. The Oregon PTA supports Ballot Measures 94, 1 and 5, and opposes 88, 91, 92, 93, 95, 98, 8 and 9. Please vote for our schools!
PTA Board
Eccles Elementary School

Blue Heron district
is a good deal

Before casting your ballot in this election, voters in the Canby, Carus, and Ninety-One areas may want to look closer at the Blue Heron Recreation District's Measure 3-99. I did, and I think you might be surprised at how good this would be for our area.

If 3-99 passes, Bob Traverso from Parker Northwest has offered to donate land to the district worth more than $1.5 million. This would allow extension of the logging road bicycle and walking path. The funds would even allow purchase of land so the path could run all the way to the Willamette River Greenway.

Other projects like the swim area on the Molalla River at the Knight's Bridge would get cleaned up and become much safer for the many people who already use the area. By working with other organizations, the plan means no bureaucracy and will leverage other funds to do even more.

I think this is a good deal for our area, and plan on voting Yes on Measure 3-99.
Ryan Oliver
Canby

Council members
have done a good job

I'm not a very politically motivated person. I am, however, a person who feels he must speak up at this time. I don't feel a change, just for the sake of change, is good if you don't get the right people.

I have watched the incumbents work very hard at making Canby a good place to live, not only as councilmen and mayor, but with Canby Kids, Canby Boosters and other organizations. I've lived in Canby most of my life and have loved it always. I have always been proud of the planning and foresight that has been shown by both the city and Canby Utility to keep Canby from becoming a Beaverton.

My confusion with the no-growth candidates is that while we have no growth, does that mean all Canby and school employees' wages and benefits stay the same? Will gas prices stay the same? Will all the equipment and materials stay the same? I don't think they will or think they should, but who pays? The taxpayers who are here.

At the Candidates Forum, Terry Prince, candidate for mayor, said groups that get grants from the city could be gone next year. I think these groups give the taxpayers their best bang for the dollar. Let's stay with what we have, a hardworking council.
Wayne Oliver
Canby

Council incumbents
need to be replaced

After attending the candidates' question-and-answer session at the Canby Adult Center last week, and reading Mr. Roger Harris' comments in the Oct. 18 Herald, I have come to the firm conclusion that the City Council incumbents need to be replaced. Any governing body that truly represents the citizenry does not always blindly vote 6-0 on all issues brought before it.

I would prefer a more balanced council that actually studies the issues and listens to its citizens' concerns before they vote. The nearsightedness of our present City Council is in only listening to the committees they appoint. While I can appreciate volunteers who work on these committees, I can't say that I have ever been called or even mailed a questionnaire from any of them. Neither have my neighbors.

Some of the subjects they discuss (public safety, roads, parks, residential and commercial annexations) seem to beg for broader public input. Matters such as the URD and other new developments that will have an impact on nearby residents need to be reviewed by those residents before the matter is brought to the Planning Commission or the City Council.

That Mr. Harris finds that mayoral candidate Terry Prince "negative" I find amusing. Instead of promoting any positive change in his article, he instead uses the article as a negative campaign against Mr. Prince. I think Terry speaks from his heart as a Canby resident, and is not afraid to vote against an issue when he doesn't agree with it.

If that makes him negative, well God bless him!
Jim Gibson
Canby

CTA really stepped
up to the plate

It's businesses like Canby Telephone Association that makes a difference in Canby. They stepped up to the plate when approached about installing a public telephone at the new skate park.

CTA will make no money from this phone. The safety of our young people was more important to them than making a buck. This is what makes Canby what it is - a great place to live.

Thank you, Canby Telephone, for your promptness and willingness to give rather than receive.
Canby Area Chamber of Commerce
Canby

CCC bond is worthy
of our support

Like thousands of other productive citizens of this area, I began my higher education experience at Clackamas Community College.

From its very beginning, the college has offered a diverse and affordable education.

The college board is now asking us to support them by voting yes on Measure 3-97.

This measure is a $47 million bond issue which will be used to add more classrooms, improve technology and repair worn out facilities. This measure will cost only about $2.50 per month for the owner of a $150,000 home.

Is it worth it? Just ask any of the 27,000 or so students who attend Clackamas Community College each year. Please join me in voting Yes on Measure 3-97.
Dan Wilcox
Canby

Measure 9 doesn't
single out gays

Contrary to desperate voter pamphlet arguments, Measure 9, the Student Protection Act, is not hateful, singling out gay students for harassment.

M-9 says all students, heterosexual or homosexual, should be protected from a lifestyle that can kill them. M-9 says all students are welcome at school, but not all behaviors should be tolerated or "celebrated," especially if illegal or harmful.

M-9 calls for objective truth in curriculum, not political slants lying that condoms equal safe sex and AIDS is not a "gay" disease. M-9 asks counselors to present all options, not just affirm a confused teen into homosexuality and tell them they have no choice.

M-9 says to GLSEN, PP and other adult activists from outside the school that they are not welcome to use our schools as a recruiting ground or as a platform for pushing radical agendas. (National GLSEN has Oregon affiliates in Portland, Eugene and Grants Pass).

M-9 gives parents/students support in objecting locally to explicit materials or teacher behavior that offends them. M-9 will help keep Oregon schools from getting as bad as those in Massachusetts where GLSEN creates gay student clubs to push homosexual issues in classroom and library; or California where legislators just passed a law mandating the "appreciation" of homosexuality in classrooms along with $2 million to rewrite curricula and train teachers.

It frightens me that the NEA/OEA, PTA and School Board Assoc., along with Oregon Department of Education, disagree with the intent of M-9 while pretending to be guardians of our children. That is all the more reason we need to send them a clear message from a majority of Oregonians saying we want M-9 to keep our schools fair, honest, academic and free of homosexual activism - for the health and safety of all Oregon students.
Pat Smith
Canby

Measure 3-99 is
good for our future

To paraphrase an old expression, "Acquire land. They're not making any more of it." I'm referring to Ballot Measure 3-99 and its sponsor, the Blue Heron Recreation District.

How do we balance residential and commercial development with open space (including farm and forest land) that, historically, has been Canby's identity? Part of the answer lies in the commitment by like-minded citizens to preserve open space and to plan for future park and recreation areas. One of the strategies in this process is to take advantage of opportunities to acquire feasible land within the district.

Passage of Ballot Measure 3-99 would also recognize the BHRD as a viable entity with the ability to pursue grants and establish partnerships with other park and recreation advocates. After reading the measure, I hope that you will conclude that a fixed tax base of 29 cents per $1,000 valuation is a small price to pay for preservation.

Please join me in voting Yes on Ballot Measure 3-99.
Rick Maier
Canby

Blackwell would
work for community

I have known Teresa Blackwell for over four years now, and I consider it a privilege to tell you and your readers a little bit about her from a working aspect.

I work in the Clackamas County Courthouse, so I see quite a lot of her and talk with her a lot. She has always been the type of person that tends to see the good in the people around her, and that simply makes her a pleasant person to be around.

Beyond that, I always see her trying to make any little (or big) thing around her better than it already is. She is a bundle of energy that is always solving problems or making other people around her more comfortable.

I do believe that her election to this position would only work for the good of the community and I further believe you would see some changes for the better. I count myself very lucky to be able to call her a friend.
Larry Johnson
Milwaukie

Support candidates
who serve the public

Three years ago, when Randy Carson was contemplating running for Canby City Council, he began attending city meetings. Randy attended council meetings, Planning Commission meetings, Budget Committee meetings, even Traffic and Safety meetings for a year to prepare for a seat on the council.

Thus, I developed a great respect for Randy's dedicated service and his thorough preparation. I also have deep respect for Barry Lucas. In his four years on the council, Barry has been the point man on very positive innovations. It is largely due to Barry's indefatigable efforts that we now have a skate park.

I applaud everyone who is willing to get involved in helping our community. But, in choosing our leaders, let's choose wisely. In contrast to Randy's thorough preparation for a council seat and Barry's enthusiastic immersion in community projects, the new challengers for the council have been frighteningly uninvolved.

One is apparently so uninvolved that none of us even knows who he is. Another, during his less than two years in Canby, was appointed to one advisory board, which he resigned when he felt he was not getting his way.

And the third, while I believe she is well intentioned, is such a silent member of the Planning Commission that an observer could easily wonder if she took a vow of silence at the time of her appointment.

This election is very important to the future of our community. Please join me in supporting those leaders who care enough to be truly involved and are genuine servants of the public.
Roger Harris
Canby City Council member

Please vote Yes
on Measure 3-99

I urge you to vote yes for the Blue Heron District Measure 3-99. I not only think it would be good for Canby, but absolutely necessary. As tax dollars get tighter for both the city and the schools, we need a plan to be able to acquire property for recreation.

I've been a member of Canby Kids for many years and have, at one time or another, scheduled most of the sports. I see the shortage of available space for games and practices.

I also see the need for parks and open spaces for those activities that do not require a field, such as family outings and picnics.

I have heard all the negatives, but this measure has no bureaucracy or hidden agendas. It is simply to acquire land before it is all gone. Please vote Yes.
Wayne Oliver
Canby

Candidates need to
stick to the issues

First, I would like to thank the Canby Herald for focusing on the local candidates and their positions in Election 2000.

However, I hate election time! It seems it gives those in office or those running for office a "right" to personally attack their opponent rather than the issues at hand.

Thank goodness, so far, our Canby Herald reporters have stated "just the facts" that have come out during the debates and forums that have been held.

We, as voters, either need to go to these meetings and hear for ourselves first hand, or rely on news media for information to draw proper conclusions and vote for "the good of Canby."

In reading the Oct. 18 issue, I found my first paragraph to be right on target. Mr. Harris' opening comment led me to believe he was not pleased to run for re-election, but didn't want to be accused of deserting a sinking ship.

If he had been running for mayor, I might have dismissed most of his comments as "politically inclined" but since he is just running for re-election as a councilman, I take offense with it.

I would like to share some observations I have gleaned from this newspaper that may help him out. Mr. Prince, during the debate, said he believed the URD should be pared down to downtown revitalization.

Phased development is great because it progresses slowly - not all at once. We've seen the businesses develop, one at a time, which is not against growth, but slow growth. Never did we hear any complaint from the Fire District over these businesses because they were involved from the beginning and their input was valuable.

At the last ballot, I believe, about two-thirds of the patrons in this city voted for the good of the growth of Canby, not the developers. Through annexation they should pay their own way, just as the builders had to do in constructing the houses in these new subdivisions.

Taxpayers are not pleased when we forfeit more money that we get in services. The issues are important to us, not the mud slinging. Please campaign on issues so we know just where you stand and what we can expect you to do - if we vote for you.

We know we must grow, but we want to keep the quality of life we have and know who is paying for that growth.

If it was, or is, good enough for builders to pay their fair share to construct houses for us to live in, then it is absolutely a must that those in the industrial park pay their own way, too. Those in Phase I did. And Fred Meyer went above and beyond their fair share.

Mr. Harris, please speak to the issues at hand and get off the mayoral band wagon.

Let Mayor Taylor and Councilman Prince have their space. They are adults and can speak for themselves. Tell us what you have accomplished during your last four years, so we may see if your record will warrant our vote, or have us spend it on one of the "newcomers" in town.
Donna Jean McManamon
Canby