Now, Clatsop County Commissioner Sam Patrick freely admits he displayed the hand jesture of displaying a raised middle finger in session at a recent meeting but, he qualified it as a clarification of a representation of what another fellow commissioner or was it county manager had portrayed on a piece of paper representing Commission's sentiment towards the constituents.
Anybody know what the real story behind this is?
Update From Patricks Explanation: "The second event occurred when we had broken into smaller groups, discussed several topics and were asked to report on what we'd come up with. One of the groups had drawn a picture describing how the commission felt about the community. I asked "if it looked like this," extended my arm, curled my fingers and extended my middle finger. Yes, this comment and the previous statement are inexcusable and I shall maintain my composure in the future and refrain from such boorish behavior."
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Commissioner Hazen Weighs In On Commissioner Patrick
From Clatsop County Commissioner Jeff Hazen's Blog
January 24, 2008
Sam Patricks behavior
As you may have heard, The goal setting meeting wasn't without drama.
During a brief time that I was out of the room, Sam gave his opinion on the discussion with sign language.
Yes, he flipped the bird. I am astounded that he would choose to do this during a meeting where we were attempting to shape our goals for the year and to find common ground in order to work better together. Clearly, he has no desire to work with the rest of the commission and I don't understand why he continues to serve as a commissioner. I guess that I am not surprised by his actions.
I remember when the budget committee met last year and I brought up the district attorney's stipend issue. After the meeting, Sam came up to me and told me that I "f***ed up".
We all know what the fallout was after the decision was made to cut the stipend.
Clearly Sam has made his mission to tear down county government.
He personally filed a complaint against the rest of the commission accusing us of money laundering.
The complaint was baseless and tossed out by the state. He used an old campaign ploy to try and drum up controversy as the citizens were about to vote. He chose to go on the attack about the county and the disaster mitigation plan and give the local newspaper misinformation about who was responsible for the plan.
This plan lies under the auspices of the Sheriff's office and they are working diligently on the plan.
Fortunately, this commission has 4 people committed to working together for the betterment of the county. While the 4 of us may not agree on certain things as they come up, we won't create personal vendettas against each other.
We will move on to the next topic and continue the work we were elected to do. We won't get bogged down in the sewer that Sam has chosen to be in.
January 24, 2008
Sam Patricks behavior
As you may have heard, The goal setting meeting wasn't without drama.
During a brief time that I was out of the room, Sam gave his opinion on the discussion with sign language.
Yes, he flipped the bird. I am astounded that he would choose to do this during a meeting where we were attempting to shape our goals for the year and to find common ground in order to work better together. Clearly, he has no desire to work with the rest of the commission and I don't understand why he continues to serve as a commissioner. I guess that I am not surprised by his actions.
I remember when the budget committee met last year and I brought up the district attorney's stipend issue. After the meeting, Sam came up to me and told me that I "f***ed up".
We all know what the fallout was after the decision was made to cut the stipend.
Clearly Sam has made his mission to tear down county government.
He personally filed a complaint against the rest of the commission accusing us of money laundering.
The complaint was baseless and tossed out by the state. He used an old campaign ploy to try and drum up controversy as the citizens were about to vote. He chose to go on the attack about the county and the disaster mitigation plan and give the local newspaper misinformation about who was responsible for the plan.
This plan lies under the auspices of the Sheriff's office and they are working diligently on the plan.
Fortunately, this commission has 4 people committed to working together for the betterment of the county. While the 4 of us may not agree on certain things as they come up, we won't create personal vendettas against each other.
We will move on to the next topic and continue the work we were elected to do. We won't get bogged down in the sewer that Sam has chosen to be in.
GRP Invites Commissioner Lee To Clariify His Statement........
and how, in his leadership in the Clatsop County citizen's Trust, he has prospered that philosophy.
Richard Lee's statement to NCO and KAST -“As a lifelong resident of Clatsop County I truly believe I represent the silent majority of constituents who want and deserve economic growth, affordable housing, and family wage jobs, along with a fiscally responsible government in a livable and friendly community that your children, my children and our grand-children can continue to live in and enjoy. I am committed to this philosophy.”
Richard Lee's statement to NCO and KAST -“As a lifelong resident of Clatsop County I truly believe I represent the silent majority of constituents who want and deserve economic growth, affordable housing, and family wage jobs, along with a fiscally responsible government in a livable and friendly community that your children, my children and our grand-children can continue to live in and enjoy. I am committed to this philosophy.”
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
From Daily Astorian: Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee Faces Recall!
One petitioner said; Lee has made a series of incredibly bad decisions.
"It doesn't seem to be getting any better. Every indication is that it's going to get worse," Auerbach said.
The petition was filed today with the Clatsop County Clerk by a new group called Clatsop Citizens for Open Government (CCFOG).
Members list the reasons for recall as:"By his actions as a Clatsop County Commissioner, Richard Lee has harmed the future of Clatsop County and its residents through:
"• Squandering public funds by choosing to hire planning and management consultants and expensive attorneys but disregarding their professional advice and findings; "
• Undermining common values, adopted plans, established policies and regulations of the county; "
• Failing to be open and transparent in decision-making and development of policy, violating the spirit of public meetings law; "• Ignoring and failing to respond to the advice and concerns of paid staff, volunteer committees, and the public; "
• Jeopardizing the justice system through threats of underfunding support staff; "• Manipulating the membership of the Planning Commission to control the Planning Commission's decisions and actions; "
• Endangering the public and disregarding public safety by failing to require funding guarantees for emergency services and personnel from major industrial proposals; "
• Creating a divisive environment that is acrimonious and counterproductive in doing the public's business
."If the petition is approved by the County Clerk, recall supporters will have up to 90 days to collect about 500 signatures necessary to force an election.
When the signed petitions are submitted, the county will have 10 days to verify the signatures and Lee will have five days to either resign or respond.
If he does not resign a recall election must be held within 35 days.
Members of Clatsop Citizens for Open Government will be collecting signatures from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday in front of the Astoria Post Office, outside the Liberty Theater and at the Cannery Pier Hotel.
Only registered voters who live in Lee's district are eligible to sign petitions.
Clatsop County officials say District 3 encompasses the area of Astoria east of Fifth Street, southeasterly of Denver Avenue and south of platted West Niagara Avenue, as well as the communities of Miles Crossing, Jeffers Gardens, Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark, Youngs River, Olney, Green Mountain and part of Walluski. These areas are Precincts 4, 5, 6, 21, 31, 36. and part of 3.
For the entire article click below:
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=48535
"It doesn't seem to be getting any better. Every indication is that it's going to get worse," Auerbach said.
The petition was filed today with the Clatsop County Clerk by a new group called Clatsop Citizens for Open Government (CCFOG).
Members list the reasons for recall as:"By his actions as a Clatsop County Commissioner, Richard Lee has harmed the future of Clatsop County and its residents through:
"• Squandering public funds by choosing to hire planning and management consultants and expensive attorneys but disregarding their professional advice and findings; "
• Undermining common values, adopted plans, established policies and regulations of the county; "
• Failing to be open and transparent in decision-making and development of policy, violating the spirit of public meetings law; "• Ignoring and failing to respond to the advice and concerns of paid staff, volunteer committees, and the public; "
• Jeopardizing the justice system through threats of underfunding support staff; "• Manipulating the membership of the Planning Commission to control the Planning Commission's decisions and actions; "
• Endangering the public and disregarding public safety by failing to require funding guarantees for emergency services and personnel from major industrial proposals; "
• Creating a divisive environment that is acrimonious and counterproductive in doing the public's business
."If the petition is approved by the County Clerk, recall supporters will have up to 90 days to collect about 500 signatures necessary to force an election.
When the signed petitions are submitted, the county will have 10 days to verify the signatures and Lee will have five days to either resign or respond.
If he does not resign a recall election must be held within 35 days.
Members of Clatsop Citizens for Open Government will be collecting signatures from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday in front of the Astoria Post Office, outside the Liberty Theater and at the Cannery Pier Hotel.
Only registered voters who live in Lee's district are eligible to sign petitions.
Clatsop County officials say District 3 encompasses the area of Astoria east of Fifth Street, southeasterly of Denver Avenue and south of platted West Niagara Avenue, as well as the communities of Miles Crossing, Jeffers Gardens, Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark, Youngs River, Olney, Green Mountain and part of Walluski. These areas are Precincts 4, 5, 6, 21, 31, 36. and part of 3.
For the entire article click below:
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=48535
Monday, January 21, 2008
MLK Memorial Sculpture Controversy
Controversy Erupts Over Selection of Chinese Sculptor for Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
From the Associated Press
The selection of a Chinese sculptor to carve a three-story monument to Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall is raising questions about what part of his legacy should be celebrated.King promoted peace and understanding among all people. His primary fight, however, was to win particular opportunities for blacks in the United States by juxtaposing the plight of an oppressed people against a message of freedom and democracy.A loose-knit but growing group of critics says a black artist — or at least an American — should have been chosen to create the King memorial between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials in the nation's capital. They have been joined by human rights advocates who say King would have abhorred the Chinese government's record on religious and civil liberty."They keep saying King was for everyone. I keep telling people, 'No, King wasn't for everyone. King was for fairness and justice,"' said Gilbert Young, a black painter from Atlanta who has started a Web site and a petition drive to try to change the project."I believe that black artists have the right to interpret ourselves first," Young said. "If nobody steps up to the plate to do that, then certainly pass it along to someone else."The memorial foundation directing the project seems surprised at the criticism. Ten of the 12 people on the committee that chose the sculptor, Lei Yixin, are black. Lei is working closely on the design with two black sculptors in the U.S., organizers said, and the overall project is being directed by a black-owned architecture firm.The foundation also points to King's preaching — in a quote that will be incorporated into the monument — that to achieve peace, humans must "transcend race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.""The bottom line is Dr. King's message that we should judge a person not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character," said Harry Johnson, the foundation's president and chief executive. "In this situation, we're talking about the artistic character."Lei, designated a master sculptor by the Chinese government, is one of nine artists in the field who are considered national treasures in China. He has carved monuments to many of the country's national figures, including Mao Zedong, father of communist China.In a telephone interview Friday from Hunan province in central China, Lei said he was honored to have been chosen and was aware of the controversy."I deeply understand because Martin Luther King is a hero for black Americans," he said.But, he added, "Martin Luther King hoped that everyone would be brothers and sisters no matter the color of their skin or their social status, that they would all enjoy the same opportunities and rights. ... I want my sculpture to show that Martin Luther King fought for democracy."Ann Lau, a Chinese native who lives in Los Angeles, bristles at the suggestion of democracy in her home country and said King would never condone Beijing's policies. The granite used for the statue probably will be mined by workers laboring in unsafe and unfair conditions, the human rights activist said.Lau, Young and others plan to present their online petition to lawmakers in Washington next month in an effort to force the foundation to reconsider the project. Although the $100 million project is financed with private donations, they said citizens should have a say because the monument is being built on public land."The whole thing is wrong," Lau said. "We are going to be permanently connecting Dr. King with someone whose ideology is totally opposed to Dr. King's ideology."But Johnson, the foundation president, asked why the foundation should hold Lei accountable for his government."I think you have to take this away from the government," he said. "We didn't question Lei about his politics or his ideology. We questioned him about whether he could do the work."The King monument is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
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