Clatsop County Manager, Duane Cole Announces Retirement!

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012

COUNTY MANAGER DUANE COLE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Clatsop County Manager Duane Cole announced his retirement to the county board of commissioners Wednesday, Jan. 11.
Cole's last day with the county will be May 31.
"I have been fortunate to have professionally served 35 years in local government - a field to which I have dedicated my entire career," Cole said in a letter to the board. "For me it is now time to be with my family, pursue other interests, and explore the next phase of life."
Cole joined Clatsop County in May 2009 from the city of Walla Walla, Wash., where he served as city manager.
The board of commissioners will detail its process for recruiting Cole's replacement in the near future.
“Duane Cole brought professionalism, competency, and integrity to government in Clatsop County. He engaged fully to make Clatsop County government more effective and more efficient. His organizational talent has brought many positive changes and has made Clatsop County a leader in many areas. His legacy to us is a solid foundation on which we can build success. He will always be welcome here. He will be missed,” Chair Rohne stated today.
Cole said he is providing the board with more than the 90 days' notice of departure required in his contract in order to allow the commissioners adequate time to select a replacement before his retirement.
Born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and raised in Milton-Freewater, Ore., Cole received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Oregon.
His career in public administration began in 1977 at the age of 23 when he was hired as city administrator of Pilot Rock, Ore. He subsequently served with the city of Pendleton as finance director, assistant city manager and city manager pro tem, and as city administrator for Susanville, Calif. He was city administrator for Newberg for 12 years until 2002, when he took the top administrative job with Walla Walla.
Under Cole's tenure, Clatsop County revived a proposal to expand the county jail that will go before the board of commissioners soon for a decision whether to seek voter approval for the project. The county has also led a collaborative effort with local cities, the Port of Astoria and Oregon Highway Department to find a solution to the chronic flooding problem on U.S. Highway 101 south of Seaside that appears likely to go forward this year.
The county also leased the historic county jail building to the Clatsop County Historical Society for development of the Oregon Film Museum; negotiated a sale of the former Darigold Building in downtown Astoria to Coastal Family Health Center for its planned new clinic; completed the update of the North Coast Business Park Master Plan charting future development at the county-owned space in Warrenton; and launched an examination of planning issues covering the county's near-shore ocean zone.
One of Cole's biggest accomplishments is the development of a Strategic Plan. The document, due to go before the board of commissioners for adoption in the near future, identifies more than 40 major capital, infrastructure and planning projects as well as projected timelines and funding sources for each.
Cole expressed thanks to the county's commissioners and staff.
"To each of you I extend my sincere appreciation for the excellent opportunities for professional and personal development that you have provided me at Clatsop County," he wrote. "Your respect and encouragement has been welcomed and valued."

Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis: Oregon Governor Should Respect The Rule Of Law On Death Penalty

By JOSH MARQUIS

Clatsop County District Attorney

December 8, 2011

The state's district attorneys are responsible for ensuring that we are in fact a society that observes the rule of law.For that reason, many of us are profoundly disturbed by Gov. John Kitzhaber's abrupt pronouncement that no jury's verdict of death will be carried out during his term.

Kitzhaber's personal opposition to capital punishment has never been a secret, and yet when he ran for governor, some of us who are in favor of the death penalty as the ultimate punishment endorsed him. That was in part because the governor had respected the rule of law when it came to the execution of Douglas Franklin Wright in 1996, saying he (the governor) was "sworn to uphold the law and could not and would not intervene."That was the right decision legally and morally, and it respected the will of Oregonians, who twice in the past 30 years - in 1978 (by 64 percent of the vote) and then again in 1984 (by 75 percent of the vote) - have voted to reinstate capital punishment.

Gary Haugen, who was hoping for just this act by the governor, is not on death row for his first murder, but for his second murder, that of an inmate Haugen killed while doing a life sentence.

Sentencing someone to prison should not mean a sentence to "gladiatorial combat," and, yet, surely there are other sociopaths in prison who now have little to fear from committing another murder, of a corrections officer or inmate.

The governor cited a "broken system" that he called a "perversion of justice." No one on Oregon's death row has ever made a credible claim of actual innocence. No one has ever been removed from death row for police or prosecutorial misconduct.

He cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision a few years ago that banned the execution of murderers who committed their crimes before the age of 18. Oregon has never allowed such executions.

The governor cited problems in other states that have functionally abolished capital punishment without any input from voters. In 2006 voters in Wisconsin ap-proved an advisory measure to bring back the death penalty, which had not existed there since before the Civil War. The Legislature ignored their vote. In fact, the last time voters abolished the death penalty was in 1964 - here in Oregon.

Oregon voters made very clear their support of the death penalty in 1978 and, after the state Supreme Court overturned that vote, again in 1984. Since then, polls have shown even greater support for the option of death for certain killers who commit the worst kind of murder.

Look at the people who populate Oregon's death row and you'll understand why the editorial board of The Oregonian has distinguished Oregon from other states. We host Jesse Caleb Compton, who in 1997 sexually assaulted and murdered 3-year-old Tessalyn O'Cull. Conan Hale tortured and killed three young teenagers. Dayton LeRoy Rogers is a serial killer of women. All of those killers, and everyone else on death row, received excellent representation, often two or even three lawyers as well as a team of investigators, mitigation specialists and psychologists.

Studies show Deterrent Evidence-Based studies referenced by former University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein, now a member of President Obama's Cabinet, show that there is both a specific deterrent to capital punishment (Ted Bundy will never again kill a young woman) and also a general deterrent.

Statistics from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics show that while use of the death penalty increased by 26 percent in the first decade of the new millennium, the murder rate went down 22 percent in the same time period over the previous decade.

Oregonians are entrusted to make the most important decisions about their laws, from sentencing to end-of-life issues, and Oregon has a long tradition of listening to the voters when they make their will clear, so long as it does not violate the state or federal constitution.

Both state and federal courts have ruled that Oregon's capital punishment laws pass constitutional muster. Oregon prosecutors rarely ask for the death penalty, and jurors even more rarely impose it.

The "conversation" about the death penalty that the governor now wants has been ongoing for years. It can and should continue without casting aside the extraordinarily difficult decisions made by jurors, such as those who voted for death for Joshua and Bruce Turnidge, who intentionally exploded a bomb that murdered two police officers and grievously crippled a third. Or for Angela McAbulty the first woman sent to Oregon's death row in half a century, for the horrific torture murder of her own daughter. Or, for the fourth time in 22 years, for Randy Guzek, for the 1987 execution of Lois and Rod Houser.

The unique intersection of democracy and justice that is the death penalty must be respected

Occupy Astoria? Occupy What?

(HipFish Monthly Photo)
The Daily Astorian tells us…..“The next Occupy Astoria action will take place noon Saturday. Protesters will walk through downtown Astoria, starting at the Astoria Post Office, to support small, local businesses.
For more information, call (503) 440-0978 or visitwww.occupyastoriaoregon.org”

There was a time when the "Hippie Movement" in America was just getting under way, there were actually people that worked all week in their coats and ties in their conservative, hum-drum everyday jobs until Friday and Saturday nights when they would actually dress-up in fresh "Hippie" attire and trendy new long-haired wigs and go out for a weekend of experiencing what that movement brought and then on Monday morning get back to the "Rat Race".

Sometimes lately, in trying to figure out just exactly what this "Occupy Movement" is all about, that image of those part-time "Hippies" passes across my mind's eye as it seems the players in this effort appear to take it no more seriously than that...."Activism For The Hoot"?

Chazz Lake,on "Occupy Astoria's" Facebook page, has it right....You want to occupy Astoria and demonstrate for effective change in a public agency that seems to have become an island unto itself with no sense of accountability to whom it serves, then you are looking at a prime candidate in The Port of Astoria, in my view and its recent history over the last 5 or 6 years proves it out but, our “Astoria Occupiers” want to go frolicking up and down Commercial street on a Saturday pimping the patronization of our local businesses which most of us do anyway and besides, shouldn't that be the duty of "The Astoria Downtown Historic Development Association"?

Come On!

If this group wants to really effect change and in addition to “The Port”, let them go down and stand vigil at the "Other Flavel House" and demand somebody save that place before it rots to the ground as we have no historic preservation group willing to stand-up and be heard on the subject.

This group wants to effect change, let them go down to City Hall and demand that we send a "Task Force" out into this world and sell what we have to offer to clean, compatible and cohesive industry that fits within the fabric of and will support the workforce of this community to put thousands of us to work instead of sitting around waiting for schemes such as Liquefied Natural Gas and Ship Breaking to wedge their foots in our door and force themselves on us while our leadership conveniently turns their heads to, in essence, just let it happen to put just a few people to work and in the public perception, prosper their own agendas.

I guess my point is and I truly support the general concept as a counter to the attempted insurgency and usurpation of other fringe movements on our political political system,...If the "Occupy Movement" is going to clog-up our streets, do it for actual purpose and change that will truly, positively impact the life quality of all of us in our community or knock it off.

It may help also if the local leaders of this movement would lay off the speeches on the dreaded "Military/Indutrial Complex" and find a true explanation of exactly what "The Occupy Movement" is truly about for us lesser intellectuals that still don't really get it.

CCBofC Seeks Public Input On November 30 For Proposed Ordinance On Animals In Circuses And Other Entertainment Events!

Monday, Nov. 28, 2011

COMMISSIONERS HOST
PUBLIC HEARING NOVEMBER 30 ON CIRCUS ANIMAL ORDINANCE
GRP: Well, the easy answer is that there are plenty of Animal-Free and very entertaining Cirsuses out there these days but tell us.... where is the line and justifiable criteria to actually exempt Rodeos and 4-H/FFA events from the same ordinance? Are not all animals domesticated or controlled by man forced to bend under his will of forced domination?
The Clatsop County
Board of Commissioners is seeking public input on a proposed ordinance banning
public displays of elephants and exotic animals within the county.
The board will hold a
public hearing on the ordinance at its Wednesday, Nov. 30 meeting beginning at 6
p.m. at the Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St.,
Astoria.
Following the public
hearing the commissioners will consider whether to place the ordinance before
county voters in the May 2012 primary election.
Ordinance 11-13 would
prohibit the display of elephants and exotic animals in circuses and other
entertainment venues. Rodeos and horse shows, 4-H and FFA events and educational
displays would be exempt from the ban. The ordinance would cover only the
unincorporated portion of the county.
For more information,
including the full text of the proposed ordinance, view the Nov. 30 board agenda
at http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/.

Released
by:
Tom
Bennett
Community Relations
Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

"Occupy Astoria" Plans Event Beginning Friday, The 28th At 12:00PM

Friday 11-28-2011, 2:45 PM And Raining

Friday 11-28-2011, 10:20 AM - And..It Begins

Who are we?

- We are individuals from all walks of life and
situations that see the upcoming disasters in our economic systems, legal
systems, and political systems and demand immediate
change.
Why are we doing this?

– The public has fallen
asleep. We are here to wake them up and make them aware of what is really going
on with our money, security, government, and future. We are heading for a
disaster; we have to CHANGE direction NOW!

Go To Site For Details

Astoria DUII Prosecution Controversy Escalates

Astoria DUII Prosecution Controversy Escalates

....Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis
on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, sent notification to Astoria City
Attorney Blair Henningsgaard that the Oregon Attorney
General’s office will file suit against the city
of Astoria if the city does not begin to send driving
under the influence of intoxicants (DUII)
cases to Clatsop County Circuit Court by Wednesday,
Sept. 14.
On July 1, 2011, D.A. Marquis gave the city two months
to comply with his directive that all DUII cases
be submitted to the Circuit Court. The city has not
responded to that letter......

So, can we look forward to certain members of Astoria City Council and its Counsel to continue to attempt to bite off their noses to spite their faces on the issue of DUII prosecution when the Oregon statute 8.660 clearly states that it "IS" the "OBLIGATION" of Clatsop County D.A. Marquis to prosecute or, at least, to oversee all prosectuions of Astoria Municipal Court involving a Defense Attorney.

Other than being just plain old stubborn, as we now see with the staggering bill for the CSO updates forestalled by our own Mayor for some twenty years until threatened by a higher power, why is it City Attorney Henningsgaard would want to subject The City of Astoria to more costly expense in litigation when he knows what he should do in spite of his misguided ego in advising the members of The Astoria City Counsel and City Management?

I ask the citizens of Astoria to stand up and tell these people we have elected to serve in our trust and the doing of our public business to knock it off, honor the law and let's get on with the other issues.

City Attorney Henningsgaard wants to be a hero? How about him using his assumed lawyerly skills to wrest those depressed, debt-ridden Flavel properties downtown into somebody's hands that can make them useful again and complimentary to our status as a National Historic Register Downtown. While he's at it rescue the other Flavel House before it rots to the ground and it's too late to save it.

Four Clatsop County Residents Sickened By Strawberry-Linked E Coli Outbreak

Monday, Aug. 8, 2011

FOUR IN COUNTY SICKENED BY STRAWBERRY-LINKED E COLI OUTBREAK

The following is from Oregon Public Health and the Clatsop County Public Health Department

Oregon Public Health officials have identified fresh strawberries from a Newberg farm as the source of a cluster of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections that sickened at least 10 people last month, including one person who died.
Four of those people affected are from Clatsop County. None required hospitalization.
The strawberries were produced last month by Jaquith Strawberry Farm located in Newberg. Jaquith finished its strawberry season in late July, and its strawberries are no longer on the market. Jaquith sold its strawberries to buyers who then resold them at roadside stands and farmers’ markets.
Jaquith has recalled its products and is cooperating fully with the investigation.
Health officials are urging consumers who may have purchased strawberries grown on this farm to throw them out. Strawberries that have been frozen or made into uncooked jam are of particular concern.
“If you have any strawberries from this producer — frozen, in uncooked jam or any uncooked form — throw them out,” says Paul Cieslak, M.D., from Oregon Public Health Division. He says people who have eaten the strawberries, but remain well need take no action. The incubation period for E. coli O157:H7 is typically two to seven days.
None of the following have been implicated in this outbreak:
• Berries other than strawberries;
• Strawberries sold since Aug. 1;
• Strawberries sold south of Benton County or east of Multnomah County;
• Strawberries sold in supermarkets;
• Strawberries picked at Jaquith Strawberry Farm’s U-pick field.
Ten people have confirmed an E. coli O157:H7 infection caused by a single strain. These individuals include residents of Washington, Clatsop, and Multnomah counties. Six other people in northwest Oregon also have recently developed an E. coli O157:H7 infection and appear to be part of this outbreak.
Of the confirmed cases, four have been hospitalized, and one elderly woman in Washington County died from kidney failure associated with E. coli O157:H7 infection. There were 12 females and four males among the cases, and their ages ranged from 4 to 85. They fell ill between July 10 and July 29.
The Clatsop County Public Health Department recorded three local confirmed cases of E.Coli O157:H7 and one presumed case believed to be linked to strawberries from Jaquith Farms. All the local cases were relatively mild, and all four people recovered without hospitalization.
Cieslak, manager of the Oregon Public Health’s communicable disease section, said his team has been working with county public health officials and the Oregon Department of Agriculture on tracking the infection cases. When a potential outbreak is investigated, public health officials ask a slate of questions of those who have been sickened, family members and health care providers. The questions are to find common exposures and “trace back” to the source.
“If someone gets sick, we ask questions about everything from what they’ve eaten, to whether they’ve been to common gatherings, to whether they’ve been swimming in a particular place, and then out of this we try to find commonalities,” he said. “The commonality among these cases has been strawberries at roadside stands and farmers’ markets supplied by this one farm last month.”
E. coli is a common inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract and is usually harmless. But E. coli O157:H7 is a strain of the bacterium carried by some animals, that can contaminate food and water, and that produces toxins that can cause mild to severe intestinal illness, including severe cramps and diarrhea that is often bloody.
Some patients develop complications that require hospitalization. Approximately 5 percent of infected persons, especially young children and the elderly, suffer serious and potentially fatal kidney damage.
Antibiotics are not recommended for treatment of an E. coli O157:H7 infection, and they may actually make kidney failure more likely. People infected with E. coli O157 should rest and drink plenty of fluids to reduce fatigue and dehydration.
Clatsop County Public Health has confirmed that berries from Jaquith Farms were sold from at least two local sites during the month of July, including the farmers market in Ilwaco, Wash. and a temporary produce stand in Warrenton. But, due to the fact that local berries can pass through multiple suppliers before reaching the consumer, it is possible that Jaquith berries were sold by other local vendors, and local and state health officials are recommending that the public dispose of any remaining berries they purchased from any farmers markets or stands prior to July 29, including berries they have frozen. Freezing does not kill the e coli bacteria.
Public health officials emphasize that fruits and vegetables are still important to a healthy diet; at least five servings per day are recommended. However, people need to take the following precautions with any uncooked produce:
1. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them.
2. Keep fruits and vegetables separated from raw animal products and away from cooked foods.
3. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after handling raw foods, as well as before eating, after using the toilet, and after changing diapers.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

The Oregonian: Oregon LNG(Warrenton) Now Wants To Import LNG To Pipe It To Coos Bay LNG To Profiteer By Export?

Saturday, July 16, 2011, 11:10 PM
By Ted Sickinger, The Oregonian The OregonianThe Oregonian/fileOregon LNG Chief Executive Officer Peter Hansen surveys the site of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal at Warrenton. Oregon LNG is competing with Bradwood Landing to build a LNG terminal near Astoria.Two years ago, energy companies trying to build terminals to import liquefied natural gas to Oregon laughed at the notion of using their projects instead to export burgeoning supplies of U.S. and Canadian gas to lucrative markets in Asia. The idea, LNG backers said, was a conspiracy theory concocted by environmentalists and landowners who didn't want pipelines laid across public and private lands. ......

Read Ted Sickinger Report

Where Have All The Salmon Gone? Did We Listen To Our History?

A Lament by: Evelyn Leahy Hankel

The recent popular song lamenting the disappearance of nature's treasures could very well have added to the demise of our King Salmon and all his relatives thus:

"Where have al the Salmon gone?

Long time passing,

Gone to canneries every one

Long time passing,

Nature cannot yet return.

When will we ever learn?

When will we ever learn?

How very difficult it is for us Astorians to bid farewell to Astoria's great source of wealth without shedding a tear for our own "Deaf Ear" policy toward those who tried to warn us of impending tragedy down through the years from the beginning of the industry.

The first cannery on the Columbia was located at Eagle Cliff in the year 1866(145 years ago). That year 4000 cases of Salmon were packed. At the end of a seemingly successful year, why did the owners sell out? They felt that the river was already fished out but, graduallt the pack increased till 1895(116 years ago) when some 634,000 cases were packed.

Again the warning came in 1920-21(91 years ago) when the runs were badly depleted due, the experts cautioned, to use of purse seines which destroyed the young fish. Though this method was outlawed, a short run again appeared in 1925-26(86 years ago). This time the poor run was attributed "to certain disturbances of a political nature which partially disrupted the hatchery program and to certain climatic conditions which caused the heavy spring run to enter the river in advance of the fishing season." This according to reports in the Morning Astorian of July 22, 1926.

Also that year a full page of the same paper was given to dire warnings from Hugh C. Mitchell of the Salomon Protective Association claiming the chief enemies of the fishing industry were irrigation, hydro-electric development and pollution of the streams. Fifty-four years ago(1926) our eyes and breathshould have been caught by this flamboyant page. Did we listen and learn?

Mr. Mitchell considered the firts two enemies, irrigation and hydro-electric, to be serious as they had already cut-off the great spawning area for the Salmon, yet he believed that pollution was the major cause of the depletion and the most deadly to fish life. The filth from the cities, chemicals from paper, woolen and other mills and factories are all into the streams in utter disregard of the law, ultimately destroying every vestige of fish life.

Hugh Mitchell urged that scientific methods be employed to determine steps necessary to correct existing evils and to effect remeidies. He begged thoughtful citizens to lend their every effort to the protection of this, Oregon's third greates source of wealth. He lamented that a great resource was being permitted to peter-out. It is undervalued because it runs along each year and is utilized and enjoyed with the feeling that nature will function and will supply us with yearly returns and renewals while our own indifference causes us to supplement and in many cases supplant nature.

We were told that the future of the Salmon industry is in the hands of the men and women of this section of the country and particulary those who rside in territory bordering on the tributary to the Columbia River. That future may either be one or greater in value and may see increased industry or it may be a future in which the Salmon industry will be but a memory.

However serious the situation may have appeared by 1930(81 years ago), it was then, by no means, a lost cause. It was, however, a steadily losing cause though many adequate remedies were begun. The fine work of the Oregon hatcheries and the protective organizations was not to be overlooked but, the speedy extinction of the fish supply surprised even the alert The junking of the fish industry in the nation's great fishing grounds came in on a rip tide of events in the 1980's(31 years ago).

Fifty years late, your words penetrate our loss Mr. Mitchell and we weep. How we will miss the great fishing industry begun by our ancestors in this city by the sea. How we will long to see once more the bosom of that great river at night dotted with the twinkling lights of gillnetters drifting with the tide, or those of us who can remember the magnificent site of the immense fleet come sweeping in with full sail to rest beside our miles of docks. Where have they gone? - the troller with the silver spoon, the purse seiner or "Black Feet" as condemned by legislature, the seining grounds seen from shore as a fascinating sight as horses drag the nets loaded with Chinook, Steelhead, Blueback, Silverside.

Like the herds of Buffalo that once roamed the plains of the middle west or the vast pgeon flight that darkened the skys, the King Salmon has become a memory in our mighty river, in our canneries, on our table.

Will nature replenish if we allow this respite?

CUMTUX - Summer 1982

The Clatsop County Historical Society Quarterly

Port Backs A Ken Leahy(Bradwood Landing Owner)/John Dunzer(Seaside Rabble Rouser) Alternate Energy Venture!

Read The Daily "A's" Katie Wilson Report - "Port Backs Alternative Energy Plan"

Three Questions:
John Dunzer?
Ken Leahy?
Port of Astoria?

It's amazing how "Desperation" does indeed make strange bedfellows isn't it?

Not too long ago, when Ken Leahy and his confederates, Northern Star Natural Gas, were running hot and heavy trying to ram a proposed, alleged, Liquefied Natural Gas receiving terminal down our throats, and "Perpetual Candidate" John Dunzer was pimping his proposed scrap wood electric generating facility next door presumably to aid NSNG/Bradwood in warming that LNG, the last person Leahy and friends would even consider speaking to would have been Dunzer.

And now, here they are, in bed with each other with that scheme being publicy endorsed by the Port of Astoria because it "lines up with the "Port's" stategic plan as a "Generator" for jobs"?

One other question arises; What authority does Port of Astoria have at Bradwood Landing to express any legitimate endorsement for that proposed venture at all? Would it not be more appropriate for Clatsop County to endorse or diaprrove of that proposal?

And then another question arises; What about Tongue Point and Martin Nygaard's proposed Log Processing facility accompanied by a Bio-Mass Electric Generation facility that would generate enough enrgy to electrify 14,000 homes?

Clatsop County Seeks More Than $60,000 In Attorney Fees From Oregon LNG/Pipeline

Monday, June 20, 2011

COUNTY SEEKS ATTORNEY FEES FROM OREGON PIPELINE

Clatsop County filed a motion in circuit court Monday seeking reimbursement for more than $60,000 in attorney fees incurred in the legal dispute over the county’s jurisdiction of the Oregon Pipeline LLC land-use application.
The motion claims the county should not be liable for the fees, which total $61,758, due to several legal maneuvers by Oregon Pipeline that resulted in unnecessary delays in the proceedings.
The county and Oregon Pipeline recently went to court on a “writ of mandamus” motion by the company. The motion claimed the county had exceeded the legal deadline for issuing a final decision on the company’s consolidated land-use application for construction of 41 miles of natural gas pipeline.
Following a hearing in Clatsop County Circuit Court last month, Judge Phil Nelson denied Oregon Pipeline’s mandamus motion. The company has appealed that ruling to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners originally approved the Oregon Pipeline application in November 2010. That ruling was appealed by project opponents, and in January the board, with three new members, voted to withdraw the November decision, and in March gave preliminary approval to findings denying the application.
The county’s motion seeks the reimbursement under state law allowing a judge to award legal fees to the prevailing party in a mandamus action.
In a letter in support of the county’s motion, attorney Harlan Jones of Jordan Ramis PC of Portland, Clatsop County’s legal counsel for the Oregon Pipeline application, argues that the company’s own actions are the cause of the county’s high legal bills for the mandamus proceedings. The company, Harlan states, waited almost two months to file the mandamus petition, opposed an expedited hearing on its request, and sought a change of venue, among other actions.
“Oregon Pipeline has for quite some time itself been the main cause of unnecessary delay and complexity in this case,” his letter states.
The board of commissioners was scheduled to finalize its denial of the company’s application on March 30, but was blocked by a temporary stay issued by the Oregon Supreme Court on a motion from Oregon Pipeline. The board is awaiting the outcome of the mandamus issue, including the appeal to the Court of Appeals, before taking further action on the application.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000

Astoria Column Base Jumper Video!

(Clatsop County Sheriff's Department Photo)

Astoria Column Base Jumper Video - Watch It!

Legal Counsel Advises Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners To Await Outcome Of LUBA Appeal On Oregon LNG/Pipeline Petition Of Mandamus Dismissal

Thursday, June 9, 2011

NO QUICK ACTION FROM BOARD PENDING ON PIPELINE APPLICATION

The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners will not move immediately to finalize its reconsideration decision rejecting the land-use application from Oregon Pipeline LLC, despite a recent legal ruling in its favor.
On the advice of legal counsel, the board will instead await the outcome of a challenge to that ruling, a process that will likely take several months.
The advice is based on a ruling from the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), issued in April and re-confirmed last month, that effectively suspended the county’s review process.
On May 16 Circuit Court Judge Phil Nelson dismissed a request for a writ of mandamus from Oregon Pipeline, which argued that Clatsop County exceeded the mandated deadline to review and act on its consolidated application to build 41 miles of natural gas pipeline.
Following Judge Nelson’s ruling, on May 24 LUBA issued an order denying Oregon Pipeline’s motion to dismiss the LUBA proceeding concerning the county’s first decision approving the pipeline application in November 2010, and suspending the appeal process until the mandamus issue is fully resolved. This includes any appeals of Nelson’s ruling.
On June 6 Oregon Pipeline filed an appeal of Nelson’s decision with the Oregon Court of Appeals.
In a June 1 letter to the board of commissioners, one of the project opponents, Columbia Riverkeeper, argued that Nelson’s mandamus ruling confirms the county’s jurisdiction over the application, and urged the board to move forward and adopt the proposed findings rejecting the application.
According to attorney Jeff Bennett, Clatsop County’s legal counsel on the Oregon Pipeline issue, the county’s review process is frozen until the mandamus issue is settled, including any appeals.
The board of commissioners originally approved the Oregon Pipeline application in November 2010. That ruling was appealed by Columbia Riverkeeper and other project opponents, and in January the board, with three new members, voted to withdraw that approval in order to reconsider the application.
On March 9 the board of commissioners gave preliminary approval to findings rejecting the application. The board was scheduled to adopt the findings March 30, but on March 29 the Oregon Supreme Court, on a motion from Oregon Pipeline, issued a stay on the county blocking further action until the mandamus issue was resolved in the circuit court.
LUBA’s May 24 ruling reads “The Circuit Court’s May 16, 2011 letter opinion has no immediate effect on the reasoning that leads us to conclude that we should (1) deny Oregon Pipeline’s motion to dismiss this appeal and (2) continue the suspension that we ordered on April 8, 2011.”

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000

Clatsop County Court Judge Phil Nelson Denies Oregon LNG/Pipeline Writ Of Mandamus Petition

Read Full Ciruit Court Opinion(Provided By Columbia Riverkeepers)

Citing that his court, "Has no authority to force a "Land Use Approval", Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Phillip Nelson denied Oregon LNG/Pipeline's Petition of Mandamus in his ruling released yesterday, May 17, 2011. Oregon LNG/Pipeline's Peter Hansen offered no comment, citing "Ongoing Litigation". Oregon LNG/Pipeline has 30 days to appeal the decision to the appropriate authorities..Click on Thread Title Above For OPB's, Rob Manning Report
Read OPB-Ecotrope's, Cassandra Profita's Report On This Ruling

Oregon Supreme Court Halts Further Oregon Pipeline Review, Orders Matyas To Reinstate Writ Of Mandamus, March 30, 2011 Hearing Cancelled

Un-Named But Reliable Source Believes Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Denies Writ Of Mandamus Petitioned By Oregon LNG/Pipeline!!!(Details will follow as they become available)


Tuesday, March 29, 2011 SUPREME COURT HALTS COUNTY PIPELINE REVIEW; HEARING CANCELED The Oregon Supreme Court, in a ruling handed down Tuesday, issued a stay against Clatsop County from proceeding with its reconsideration of the Oregon Pipeline LLC land-use application. As a result, the public hearing scheduled before the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners for Wednesday, March 30 has been canceled. The board was scheduled to review and possibly approve findings of fact denying the consolidated application for the construction of 41 miles of natural gas pipeline. The court also ordered Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas to reinstate a writ of mandamus sought by Oregon Pipeline against the county and proceed with the mandamus case. The board of commissioners is reconsidering the approval originally granted to the Oregon Pipeline application by the county commissioners in November 2010. On March 9 the board gave tentative approval to preliminary findings that would deny the application. The board was due to review the final, modified findings at the March 30 hearing. On March 4 Oregon Pipeline filed a writ of mandamus petition with the local circuit court, arguing that the county has failed to take final action on its application within the timeframe mandated by Oregon land-use law. Matyas signed the writ and set a show-cause hearing for March 18, but on March 17 she vacated the writ. On March 21 Oregon Pipeline filed a writ of mandamus with the Supreme Court asking the court to order Matyas to reinstate the writ filed in Clatsop County court, and to stay all proceedings and decisions by the county on the application. Oregon Pipeline contends that once the writ of mandamus was filed in local circuit court, the county no longer had jurisdiction over the application. Released by: Tom Bennett Community Relations Coordinator (503) 325-1000

Clatsop County Accepting Applications For Clatsop County Planning Commission

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 COUNTY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING COMMISSION

Clatsop County is accepting applications for the county planning commission.

On March 23 the county board of commissioners voted to vacate all seven seats on the panel and invite the current members and new applicants to apply for the vacated positions.

The planning commission advises the board of commissioners on land-use planning, conducts land-use hearings and implements the county’s zoning and comprehensive plan. The panel normally meets once a month.

Planning commission membership rules require that panel members be residents of various geographic areas of the county, and that no more than two members reside in incorporated cities. In addition, no more than two members may be engaged in the buying, selling or developing of real estate, and no more than two members may be engaged in the same occupation.

Appointments to the planning commission are normally for four years, but appointees to these vacancies will serve the remainder of the current terms, which expire at various dates. Two positions have terms that expire June 30, 2012; three positions’ terms expire June 30, 2014; and the remaining two positions’ terms expire June 30, 2015.

The board of commissioners will make the appointments.

To see the ordinance and bylaws governing the planning commission, go to “Land Use Planning” on the Clatsop County website, http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/ and click on “Planning Commission.”

The deadline to apply is May 13.

To apply, obtain an application form and return it to the Clatsop County Manager’s Office at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria OR 97103, (503) 325-1000.

Forms are available from the County Manager’s Office or can be downloaded from the county website http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/ at “Documents” under “County Manager.”

Released by: Tom Bennett

Community Relations Coordinator

(503) 325-1000

March 23, 2011: An Eventful Evening At Clatsop County

OK, we heard NNB's Tom Freel present his slant on last night's CCBofC meeeting this morning.
We got the Daily Astorian's concise presentation this afternoon and yes, it is true, Clatsop County Board of Commissioners plans to vacate the sitting membership of the current Clatsop County Planning Commission and replace it with a new commission by June 30, 2011. FYI, CCBofC can, by statute, do this and has every right to do so.

The Board of Commissioners makes it very clear that all current members of the sitting Planning Commission whose tetm will not expire by june 30, 2011 will be invited to reapply for their seat if they so wish and be included amongst the list of candidates slated for review and appointment.

Me? Write something just to be writing something when we have, already, two distinct versions of what two professional journalists interpreted?

I don't think I will, on this one and I really want all of you to listen directly to the "Complete Audio" of last night's meeting for yourselves and then develop your own judgement as to what transpired

Listen To Full Audio Of Last Night's CCBofC Meeting

Circuit Court Judge, Cindee Matyas Vacates Oregon LNG/Pipeline Writ Of Mandamus Motion, Cancels Friday Hearing!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 17, 2011

JUDGE VACATES OREGON PIPELINE MOTION

A Clatsop County Circuit Court judge on Thursday vacated a writ of mandamus motion filed by Oregon Pipeline LLC against Clatsop County.

The action by Judge Cindee Matyas effectively puts an end to the company’s motion, which sought immediate approval for its consolidated land-use application for the construction of 41 miles of natural gas pipeline. A hearing scheduled for Friday morning in front of Matyas on the motion has been cancelled.

At the March 9 hearing the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a new set of findings that would result in the application’s denial. The board is currently scheduled to review the draft findings and possibly approve them at a special meeting March 30.
The board of commissioners originally voted in November to approve the application. The ruling was appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals by project opponents, and in January the board, with three new members, elected to withdraw the November decision in order to reconsider the application.

On March 4 Oregon Pipeline filed a request for a writ of mandamus with the court seeking immediate approval of its application. The motion argues that the county has missed the legal deadline for taking final action on the application. If local jurisdictions fail to act on an application within the required timeframe, applicants can seek to have a circuit court order the application to be approved.

Matyas signed the writ and set a hearing for March 18 to hear from attorneys for the county and the applicant. On Thursday, she rescinded her signature and cancelled the hearing.

Oregon Pipeline also claims that, once Matyas signed the writ on March 4, the application came under the official jurisdiction of the court, and that the county had no authority to hold its hearing March 9. No representative from the company attended that hearing.

At this point, Clatsop County is proceeding with the review process, including the March 30 meeting, until it receives direction to do otherwise from its legal counsel, according to County Manager Duane Cole.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000

Clatsop County Board Affirms Hearing Officer's Decison Of Conditional Approval Of OLNG Pipeline

The Clatsop Count Board of Commissioners, yesterday, November 8, 2010, affirmed, with modified findings and conditions of approval in a 4-1 vote, the hearing officer's decision to conditionally approve a 41 mile, High Pressure Natural Gas Pipeline in Clatsop County.

Read Full Findings And Decision
View And Read Full Findings Of Approval

Clatsop County Community Corrections Director Cora Lane To Depart

Tom Bennett - Clatsop County
Department News Release

Friday, October 29, 2010

COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS DIRECTOR CORA LANE TO DEPART

GRP: Is it time to consider merging Community Corrections into The Clatsop County Sheriff's Department?
If "No", why not?
Would it be more cost effective to do so?
Is County Corrections and Transition Center (Offenders serving jail sanctions or sentenced to 12 months or less under oversight of the Local Supervisory Authority (made up of both the Sheriff and the Community Corrections Director)) earning it's way or operating in a deficit?

Cora Lane, director of Clatsop County Community Corrections and 34-year county employee, is departing from her post effective Dec. 1, 2010.

Lane first joined Clatsop County in May 1976 as a clerk/typist in the Assessor’s Office. During her subsequent career with the county she served as a civil process server, animal control officer and parole and probation officer. In January 2006 she was promoted to Community Corrections director.

“We commend Cora for her years of dedicated service to Clatsop County and wish her well,” County Manager Duane Cole said.

Lane will assist in the leadership transition in the department, which will likely involve the appointment of an interim director in the short term, Cole said.

Community Corrections supervises adult criminal offenders who have been sentenced to probation or released to post-prison supervisions from a correctional facility. Supervision is handled through a number of various programs, including substance abuse treatment, sex offender and domestic violence programs, social re-education and life skills, drug court and electronic house arrest. The department also runs the 30-bed Transition Center residential facility in Warrenton.

Cole said the department will maintain all services during the transition, depending on funding from the State of Oregon. The county is working to ensure that Community Corrections, which is primarily funded through the state, continues to serve the county in the event of future state funding cuts, he said.