All: A fan in the computer that
handles channel 23 has burned out, rendering the channel void of any
picture. We have ordered a
replacement part and expect to have that installed late Friday or first thing Monday.
If you can pass the word we would
appreciate it.
Thanks.
Paul
Leadership in Cascade Locks
After many years of effort, Cascade Locks is finally getting
its economic development snowball rolling.
This would be a bad time to change out our current council for new
inexperienced councilors, no matter how well meaning their efforts may be, this
is not the time to take chances with going backwards, again! Our current council has pulled our fire
department back together, restoring mutual aid; they are working with the Port,
Down Town Revitalization Committee, and have created the Joint Work Group on
Economic Development committee. The council is also working with Nestle, MCCED,
Celilo Planning Studio, ODOT, Oregon Parks and other entities on a number of
economic development projects. After
many years of Cascade Locks being “an island unto itself” our council is
forming partnerships with other Gorge communities, like with Stevenson and
North Bonneville for a unique waste management project. In less than a year the council has created
many opportunities for a bright future for Cascade Locks, and in doing so, has
given Cascade Locks a better reputation, which has included more positive
press. It is too bad that some locals want to focus on a fabricated untruth
“that the city has uncontrollable debt and is going bankrupt” which is far from
the truth. Lance Masters, Jeff Helfrich,
Randy Holmstrom and Ralph Hesgard are very experienced in council procedures,
leadership and are highly educated candidates who have proved their abilities
to move our city forward in a positive direction. These four candidates are our
best chance for a better future, with jobs, economic development and
sustainability!
Debora Lorang
Cascade Locks
EXCUSE ME Debora Lorang but this is a crock.
What economic development. The port is trying to create it
and the city pissed them off, when this council passed new taxes on the
utilities, against the very goal, set at the creation by the city and port of the very Joint
Workgroup on Economic Development mentioned in this letter to the editor. Those
unlawful taxes raised the cost to do business here which only makes it harder
for not only the port to create economic development but the city. Yes this
city owes a debt of gratitude for getting this committee going between the port
and the city but that debt is owed to our interim city administrator Paul Koch
and port manager Chuck Daughtry, but not this council and surely not the mayor
and council this writer is supporting.
Pulled the fire department back together? WTF is this writer
talking about. The very people the writer is supporting tore it apart to begin
with and we are to praise them for fixing what they broke? These very people the writer is supporting, unlawfully indebted that department or supported that unlawful indebtment and
unlawfully financed or supported unlawfully financing it in the past and present, using unlawful utility revenues to cover more than a half
million dollars in expenditures over revenue brought in. Now our utilities, due to this type of mismanagment have serious infrastructire problems that will cost millions and our public welfare is at risk today. Even today our Fire and EMS is far from fixed as this writer is trying to say. As a matter of fact it is only held togather by a shoe string and that shoe string is contracted Chief Wells, which is about to end as Hood River is tired of waiting to have their Chief back full time. Then what the un elected are going to save us? Yeah right they broke it and stole the chance to fix what they and this writers Five Alarm PAC broke and time is up in my books. As a matter of fact I think they all deserve to go to jail for what they did frauding the voters as they did.
But truthfully, I laughed at the council this writer is
lobbying for, when they passed their EMS fire suppression fee taxes. I laughed
because now that I am paying for EMS services, by way of these service taxes, I as well as my
insurance company are freed from the liability of any bill this city could impose on
me or my insurance company for EMS services just as the city could not bill me for a property fire as I already pay taxes for that service. Now because I have already paid the city for these EMS
services by way of these service taxes we cannot be billed.
I knew that by already paying for this service in taxes that any bill the city would send me would raise red flags under the Consumer Protection Act and the city would eat the bill as I already paid for the service in advance. I also knew if the city turned me into a credit agency that it would raise red flags under the Fair Credit Protection Act and I could sue the city and or their credit agency for damages as again I already paid that bill by way of these taxes.
Did those this writer is supporting think about that before imposing this tax against us, much less the writer of this fluff?
I did so why do you think I did not raise a really big stink about it.
But like my Dad always said; "Give a fool enough rope and they will hang themselves". Boy isn't that true here? Nothing like a pre-paid ambulance by the city or its mutual partners.
So are you the writer of this letter to the editor so sure, giving these very EMS services with a service tax, to those out of our city limits, is a good idea now? Because this will bankrupt the city and right now the city has enough to worry about with the ADA claim Iam suing the city right now to resolve. Which by the way is the fault of those who this writer supports when they denied me my right to travel, my right to public comment, my right to free speech, my right to be free from censorship and sequestation. Bit they are not telling the people about that are they?
I knew that by already paying for this service in taxes that any bill the city would send me would raise red flags under the Consumer Protection Act and the city would eat the bill as I already paid for the service in advance. I also knew if the city turned me into a credit agency that it would raise red flags under the Fair Credit Protection Act and I could sue the city and or their credit agency for damages as again I already paid that bill by way of these taxes.
Did those this writer is supporting think about that before imposing this tax against us, much less the writer of this fluff?
I did so why do you think I did not raise a really big stink about it.
But like my Dad always said; "Give a fool enough rope and they will hang themselves". Boy isn't that true here? Nothing like a pre-paid ambulance by the city or its mutual partners.
So are you the writer of this letter to the editor so sure, giving these very EMS services with a service tax, to those out of our city limits, is a good idea now? Because this will bankrupt the city and right now the city has enough to worry about with the ADA claim Iam suing the city right now to resolve. Which by the way is the fault of those who this writer supports when they denied me my right to travel, my right to public comment, my right to free speech, my right to be free from censorship and sequestation. Bit they are not telling the people about that are they?
Working with ODOT? Again WTF is this writer talking about?
Could it be ODOT coming to the city wanting to give the city Wa-Na-Paw St.? Sure
ODOT wants to pave our downtown corridor and give it to the city to maintain.
Sure they will pave it and add new sidewalks. Sure they will sweeten the pot more, by
putting in fancy street light poles and planting trees. The city may even
negotiate a new entrance into the port park along with a cash stipend to put
into a special street maintenance fund. But credit to those this writer is supporting not a chance. Once again the only thing this council knows about this comes through the interim city adminstrator. Because it is Paul Koch who is working on this deal. Why do you think it has not been mentioned at the council meetings? Now does anyone oother than myself wonder what this writer meant saying working woth ODOT to create economic development?
Which brings us to Nestle. If the city makes a deal with
ODOT and takes over the maintenance of that street, is Nestle going to pay a street maintenance fee or increased system development charges to cover what we may have to maintain from their trucks road damage before they build? After all we may just be
accountable for the up keep of Wa-Na-Paw Street, that the city has never had to
maintain before if we accept that deal with ODOT and the Nestle trucks are going to effect that very road big time.
MCCED? WTF again? Is the writer trying to say that the city
is trying to get MCCED to forgive us of our fire department loans? Because that is what is going on with MCCED.
The only thing that is going to do is free up funds in the general fund, but it has nothing to do with economic development.
Now the record shows that the unelected mayor and council members this writer is supporting here as well as the other unelected, are on the record or are the very one responsible for taking out those loans to begin with. So is asking to be forgiven for the loans good policy for our city if we ever need one again? Now in fairness there is a fact that the state required it for the Casino but that has not been determined as a fact yet and as I remember and everything I have on the records and previous minutes, it was the city along with the tribe, pushing us into the casino and preparation for it, not the state. So that point I will have to wait until a determination is made. But until then, the fact is the city built a fire station before they knew how to pay for it, when the city should have floated a bond and let the citizens vote for it or not.
The only thing that is going to do is free up funds in the general fund, but it has nothing to do with economic development.
Now the record shows that the unelected mayor and council members this writer is supporting here as well as the other unelected, are on the record or are the very one responsible for taking out those loans to begin with. So is asking to be forgiven for the loans good policy for our city if we ever need one again? Now in fairness there is a fact that the state required it for the Casino but that has not been determined as a fact yet and as I remember and everything I have on the records and previous minutes, it was the city along with the tribe, pushing us into the casino and preparation for it, not the state. So that point I will have to wait until a determination is made. But until then, the fact is the city built a fire station before they knew how to pay for it, when the city should have floated a bond and let the citizens vote for it or not.
Celilo Planning Studio, again WTF? Celilo Planning Studio consists
of six Portland State University graduate students, who work in collaboration
with the Port of Cascade Locks. Not the City of Cascade Locks. All the City gets
from this group of graduate students comes from what from what the port does. You know the leftovers from what the port creates. Which I have to say is not bad leftovers for our local businesses.
Oregon Parks? Sorry but WTF is this writer talking about again? The
mission of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is to provide and protect outstanding
state natural, scenic, cultural, historic and recreational sites for the enjoyment
and education of present and future generations. How could they possibly help
with economic growth in our city as they only deal with state parks and have nothing to do with city parks or economic development in cities.
Waste Managment Project, sorry but WTF again? That credit goes to our interim city administrator and not who this writer is supporting. Paul Koch did all that once again.
We all know what those that this writer is supporting have
done to our city along with the two cowards that were afraid to put their names
on the ballot. We all know what this is, being another proganda of disinformation from the writer. In other words total unfounded truths which the facts prove to be otherwise, all over again and it is getting old.
We also remember what happened the last time some in our
city listened to this writer and her Five Alarm PAC she was the chief officer of.
Our city was divided.
Our fire and EMS was shut down for their political purposes.
Our City has since raised the costs of our utilities causing financial harm to the citizens and business owners to justify their actions, for their agenda to keep our former fire chief.
Not to mention harming any chance of economic development in these hard times by raising utility rate with the addition of taxes.
Our rights to vote for our government were stripped from us.
Now they are going to bankrupt our city, as our city cannot be paying for every citizens and possibly those from outside our city limits fire and emergency services.
All this letter to the editor shows, is this unelected government who know nothing about managing a city in anyway, is trying to take credit for something they did not do, ONCE AGAIN, by one of the un-elected who was afraid to put his name on the ballots spouse.
If anything, credit for anything good that has happened in our city, is owed to our interim City Administrator Paul Koch and counil member Cramlett for trying to prevent the harm the un elected have done recently and while those were elected officers of our city not the un-elected they are.
Our city was divided.
Our fire and EMS was shut down for their political purposes.
Our City has since raised the costs of our utilities causing financial harm to the citizens and business owners to justify their actions, for their agenda to keep our former fire chief.
Not to mention harming any chance of economic development in these hard times by raising utility rate with the addition of taxes.
Our rights to vote for our government were stripped from us.
Now they are going to bankrupt our city, as our city cannot be paying for every citizens and possibly those from outside our city limits fire and emergency services.
All this letter to the editor shows, is this unelected government who know nothing about managing a city in anyway, is trying to take credit for something they did not do, ONCE AGAIN, by one of the un-elected who was afraid to put his name on the ballots spouse.
If anything, credit for anything good that has happened in our city, is owed to our interim City Administrator Paul Koch and counil member Cramlett for trying to prevent the harm the un elected have done recently and while those were elected officers of our city not the un-elected they are.
To this writer all I have to say is; this time the voters will decide who comes and who goes.
I am not sorry you have no say in the matter this time because that is how it should have been to begin with.
You may have such fear that you may well lose power once again and your agenda come crumbling down along with it and to that I hope it does.
But to resort to your propoganda bull shit once again when we all know what it is now, give me a flippin break and this is a joke once again as it is getting old.
You may have fooled some once but twice I doubt as word on the street is not in your favor any longer.
This time the people will choose as I said, because that is how it is suppossed to work in our nation.
Everyone already knows for a fact, what those you support have done and what they did not do as they have been watching very closely, like I have never witnessed here before. I have to give you credit for turning some I never thought you would and I thank you for that. Your PAC and what that did followed by what happened after, was the best thing to wake people up here. Boy are they awake as I am approached by citizens I hardly know telling me their recall vote was the worse mistake they have made.
I am not sorry you have no say in the matter this time because that is how it should have been to begin with.
You may have such fear that you may well lose power once again and your agenda come crumbling down along with it and to that I hope it does.
But to resort to your propoganda bull shit once again when we all know what it is now, give me a flippin break and this is a joke once again as it is getting old.
You may have fooled some once but twice I doubt as word on the street is not in your favor any longer.
This time the people will choose as I said, because that is how it is suppossed to work in our nation.
Everyone already knows for a fact, what those you support have done and what they did not do as they have been watching very closely, like I have never witnessed here before. I have to give you credit for turning some I never thought you would and I thank you for that. Your PAC and what that did followed by what happened after, was the best thing to wake people up here. Boy are they awake as I am approached by citizens I hardly know telling me their recall vote was the worse mistake they have made.
We know what to do and your welcome.
Sorry Deb but it is what it is and I could say the same here to Robb Brostoff concerning his letter to the editor, but he is included in my response here as it is the same fluff as yours.
I will be voting the following.
Sorry Deb but it is what it is and I could say the same here to Robb Brostoff concerning his letter to the editor, but he is included in my response here as it is the same fluff as yours.
I will be voting the following.
Vote no on Lance Masters for Mayor.
Vote no on Randy Holmstrom for City Council.
Vote no on Jeff Helfrich for City Council.
Vote no on Ralph Hessgard for City Council.
They have done enough damage to our city and the citizens and business owners or any prospect of cost of living jobs locating here.
They have done enough damage to our city and the citizens and business owners or any prospect of cost of living jobs locating here.
Vote no on Measure 14-49 and vote no on measure 14-51.
Because we and the growth of our city cannot afford to have our cost of utilities go up past the unlawful rates they are now.
Knowing basically what it is going to cost to get our water safe to drink again and our sewer in order and healthy again the last thing they need is passing this off to our electrical to come to the same fauth and higher rates.
This only harms us financially and increases the cost of existing businesses and puts a monkey wrench in economic development and as it is now we can't compete with our neighbors.
It also hurts our utility infrastructure as a utility needs to have any additional revenue dedicated to maintain and have the ability to deal with problems that arrise.
I will not support having utility revenues used for any other purpose other than the specific utility. That is business 101 and these utilities are a business that the citizens who own it need to be assured of its reliability, safety and competitive rates for the good of all.
As for me I will never vote to legitimize this councils past legislative actions taxes and say it was administrative and legal by voting for that measure. They deserve to go to jail in my books.
As far as future rate hikes concerning my utilities being done without my vote after the unlawful acts and mismanagement those this writer is supporting have proven to me that they know nothing about government, management and the law. Not a chance of a vote from me for who this writer is supporting, as well as these measures of theirs.
And I am far from alone on these matters this time.
Because we and the growth of our city cannot afford to have our cost of utilities go up past the unlawful rates they are now.
Knowing basically what it is going to cost to get our water safe to drink again and our sewer in order and healthy again the last thing they need is passing this off to our electrical to come to the same fauth and higher rates.
This only harms us financially and increases the cost of existing businesses and puts a monkey wrench in economic development and as it is now we can't compete with our neighbors.
It also hurts our utility infrastructure as a utility needs to have any additional revenue dedicated to maintain and have the ability to deal with problems that arrise.
I will not support having utility revenues used for any other purpose other than the specific utility. That is business 101 and these utilities are a business that the citizens who own it need to be assured of its reliability, safety and competitive rates for the good of all.
As for me I will never vote to legitimize this councils past legislative actions taxes and say it was administrative and legal by voting for that measure. They deserve to go to jail in my books.
As far as future rate hikes concerning my utilities being done without my vote after the unlawful acts and mismanagement those this writer is supporting have proven to me that they know nothing about government, management and the law. Not a chance of a vote from me for who this writer is supporting, as well as these measures of theirs.
And I am far from alone on these matters this time.
Cody
4 comments:
I read this letter to the Editor on the Hood River News website and thought I would pass it on to viewers.
Darlene
Deception and politics
#As we are faced in the near future to make a decision between two men, I think it is important to reflect a bit. Unfortunately, deception is a cornerstone in politics today. Some call it dirty politics. You sling as much mud as possible at your opponent to see what sticks. And while you are busy slinging mud, you say very little about your own intentions.
#Being forthright is not a routine occurrence. The free press as intended by our forefathers was to be the finder of the truth. The role of the free press was to cast out the lies and to highlight the omissions.
#Today, our free press is a willing co-conspirator to hide or bend the truth, and omit what does not support their agenda. As Satan is called the great deceiver, I am reminded that all evil begins with a deception.
#While we cannot know all that they will do, a good place to start is an evaluation of each man’s character. And we must not be lazy in our pursuit of the truth about these men.
#John Francis
#Wallingford, Conn.
As I left the candidates night I thought of the web of deception that Lance Masters and his cronies have woven. It seemed that Lance was short on words. Very unlike his past performances at council. My opinion on his dodge the question closed mouth antics is this, during council meetings when asked questions Lance and the council just refuse to answer, they smile and smirk but won't answer any question. When Lance gets his turn to speak under councilor comments he puts his spin on things and continues to end with the tired old mantra "some people will just never support the fire dept." Tonight was different because the candidates had to answer the citizens questions. They had to try to justify taking away the peoples right to vote. They were asked tough questions and many could not answer or were ignorant to crucial city topics.
Did you all notice however that Tom Cramblett had plenty to say? He was asked many questions and he did not falter on responding, he did not stammer and dodge questions, he just answered from the heart. It came easy to Tom to answer these questions because Tom has researched the city's finances and knows the answers. When you tell the truth the truth just rolls off of your tongue. When you first deceive you can't answer questions because you can't remember quickly what lie you told to whom. I think that is what caught Lance's tongue tonight. His usually cocky self seemed to lack self confidence and knowledge of the city's affairs.
I hope that the community can look past these candidates hollow, empty words,(Lance,Jeff,Randy and Ralph) and see them for their actions and lack of character and integrity.
In order for this community to heal there must be a compromise between educated adults not a dictatorship with new and increased fees and taxes shoved down our throats without a vote. I won't support a deceptive council and mis-leading mayor.
5-Alarmers you have lost this debate, I declare the Citizens for the Cascade Locks Charter the clear winners.
Darlene
There is one other "job" the MCEDD folks are supposed to be doing for us: checking with other communities that have Nestle present as to whether they could be good match for us. But... that has actually changed. Last Economic Dev. Growth meeting, it came up that now they would just vet the contract we will have with Nestle. No clue when THAT changed.
Randy Holmstrom protested (I'll admit, to my surprise) discussion ensued, as Dave Palais was present his "compromise" suggestion was that we have them check out other places for us but to check out other bottling plants, like beer or soda, not the one company that is coming here, not the one company that we will be dealing with, not the company that has already aroused people against it. Of course they thought that was a great idea. You could almost see the strings tugging. Great way to vet the project, lovely due diligence, nice way to protect the city. Of course, most of you got that free ride down to Sacramento on Nestle's dime, didn't you?
Nestle doesn't scare me half as much as watching these guys roll over. After all, Nestle didn't elect them. Oh wait, neither did we.
So perhaps the rumor that Nestle is going to truck water into Cascade Locks from elsewhere and bottle that too is true? Bet that eventuality isn't figured into the truck count.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/19/nestle-sued-again-for-falsely-representing-bottled-tap-water-as-naturally-spring-sourced/
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