COUNTY COMMISSIONER, CITY COUNCILOR CLASH
A plan by the Polk County Board of Commissioners to consider allowing businesses to reopen by adopting protective measures against the coronavirus drew objections today by Independence City Councilor Marilyn Morton, who said the commissioners failed to adequately include efforts by other local officials.
Noting that there had been a recent conference call on the same matter that included a cross-section of county participants, Ms. Morton, who attended the commission meeting, told them afterward “you have had little contact” with others who had given a “well-reasoned presentation” of the issue.
The commissioners indicated they wouldn’t proceed with any plan that didn’t receive the blessing of the governor’s office. “We have to receive certification criteria,” Commissioner Craig Pope told Ms. Morton. “But we have a responsibility” to the business community, he stressed.
Later, when asked what prompted the difference of opinions, the commissioners asserted that Mayor John McArdle and other local city leaders had signed a letter to Gov. Kate Brown, essentially affirming a “stay-the-course” action. (Trammart News has requested a copy of the letter, which was unavailable for this Linking Letter).
The Polk County Board of Commission’s plan hasn’t been created, except in concept, but it would place more responsibility on individual decision-making – if hygienic procedures and social-distancing policies are put in place. Their aim is to work with Yamhill County and Marion County on the proposal, they said.
Earlier, Jackie Lawson, a Dallas city councilor who stressed she didn’t attend the meeting in her civic capacity but as a co-owner of the World Gym, said businesses have been devastated. One business reported a 40% drop and another said that it may be forced to close permanently, she said. “This is the view from the business owner’s side in Dallas,” she said.
“We respect other’s right and some who have wishes to remain at home or in a protective environment, maintain physical distance, or keep their business closed,” Ms. Lawson said. However, she urged the commissioners to help find a path forward for businesses to resume. (Related editorial on COVID-19’s potential effect on public-meeting coverage is below)
EDITORIAL: PUBLIC ACCESS in a PANDEMIC by Anne Scheck
A few weeks ago, I took part in an assembly of thoughtful people. It was in the Polk County Courthouse building, which was locked up tighter than a bank vault. I’d entered because meetings of the Board of Commissioners are public. I was wearing a mask and carrying sanitizer wipes. After the meeting, I said, “OK, I am going to take a few notes,” because everyone was talking about stay-at-home orders but not about how they were being individually affected by them. Instead, those who lingered after adjournment – staff members, a few other attendees and the commissioners themselves – shared deep concern about the impact of shelter-in-place on the business community. You can read some of those comments in the May issue of The Independent, but that’s not the important part.
A public meeting was held – publicly. That’s what’s important.
Suddenly, we’re at a time when children are no longer allowed on playgrounds, when older adults are wary of venturing out for groceries, when teachers who once worked personal learning magic in class now are forced to teach by computer. We have lost so much already in the pandemic, but access to government – the transparency needed to learn where tax dollars are going and who’s making those decisions – can’t, simply can’t, become another victim of COVID-19. Or can it? Earlier this month I was asked to leave the school board meeting by a District 13J executive because she said it wasn’t open to the public – fortunately it wasn’t the superintendent making this surprising statement, so I stayed. (Thank you, Dr. Jennifer Kubista.)
When public agencies slam a door on the press for access to meetings and records, they shut out much more than the person there taking notes. Journalists, particularly those covering communities, often spend time tracking where the money goes. And they have good reason to do so – lots of local people pay for city services and schools. Elected officials are only a tiny percentage of that tax-paying public.
Access to public meetings is an issue that leads me to our community-access public television, WIMPEG. It's partly financed by dollars from Independence citizens. Monmouth is WIMPEG's fiscal agent; Western Oregon University provides some operational services for it.
But, month after month, there hasn’t been any substantial detail on WIMPEG by the Independence city councilor who serves as the liaison to the board.
This didn’t seem right to me. I’d burrowed into the recurring expense borne by Independence to help fund MINET, our co-owned municipal broadband company – and I wanted to know what WIMPEG cost, too. Out of my own sense of fairness, my boring into MINET finances meant I should do the same with WIMPEG. MINET is required to collect fees for it – and pass them through to – WIMPEG, for public-education-government (PEG) programming. MINET doesn’t have a choice, and MINET also is required to provide two channels for broadcast purposes, earmarked for PEG. “MINET doesn’t have any content nor editorial control of what ends up being broadcasted on the channels provided,” I was told by Don Patten, general manager of MINET.
I thought there was great potential for civic coverage by WIMPEG – such as meetings of the Polk County Board of Commissioners – which don't seem to be on public-access TV.
During the past year, WIMPEG’s board disbanded, and a new board hasn’t yet convened. But now the WIMPEG board has a full panel of members – and one of the recent appointees is the IT specialist from our city, a perfect fit given his background. However, Cec Koontz, Monmouth’s mayor, who’s at the WIMPEG board helm, said there’s no guarantee when a board meeting actually will occur, given the pandemic. It seems the coronavirus can inflict damage beyond the threat of infection – it can hurt the public’s right to know, too. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep showing up where I’m not always welcome because, even in a crisis as horrific as this one, access to public information is still so important.
(Disclosure: I received training on how to operate one of WIMPEG’s cameras, to obtain video for public broadcast at county commission meetings. I was asked to serve on the WIMPEG board months ago – an invitation that was later withdrawn, causing me to turn in the camera. But I did start going to the Polk County Board meetings – it’s now part of my usual coverage.)
FINAL NOTE: The Oregon Heath Authority reported today that COVID-19 has claimed seven more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll from 92 to 99. There were 31 new cases of COVID-19 as of 8 am, bringing the state total to 2,385.
A plan by the Polk County Board of Commissioners to consider allowing businesses to reopen by adopting protective measures against the coronavirus drew objections today by Independence City Councilor Marilyn Morton, who said the commissioners failed to adequately include efforts by other local officials.
Noting that there had been a recent conference call on the same matter that included a cross-section of county participants, Ms. Morton, who attended the commission meeting, told them afterward “you have had little contact” with others who had given a “well-reasoned presentation” of the issue.
The commissioners indicated they wouldn’t proceed with any plan that didn’t receive the blessing of the governor’s office. “We have to receive certification criteria,” Commissioner Craig Pope told Ms. Morton. “But we have a responsibility” to the business community, he stressed.
Later, when asked what prompted the difference of opinions, the commissioners asserted that Mayor John McArdle and other local city leaders had signed a letter to Gov. Kate Brown, essentially affirming a “stay-the-course” action. (Trammart News has requested a copy of the letter, which was unavailable for this Linking Letter).
The Polk County Board of Commission’s plan hasn’t been created, except in concept, but it would place more responsibility on individual decision-making – if hygienic procedures and social-distancing policies are put in place. Their aim is to work with Yamhill County and Marion County on the proposal, they said.
Earlier, Jackie Lawson, a Dallas city councilor who stressed she didn’t attend the meeting in her civic capacity but as a co-owner of the World Gym, said businesses have been devastated. One business reported a 40% drop and another said that it may be forced to close permanently, she said. “This is the view from the business owner’s side in Dallas,” she said.
“We respect other’s right and some who have wishes to remain at home or in a protective environment, maintain physical distance, or keep their business closed,” Ms. Lawson said. However, she urged the commissioners to help find a path forward for businesses to resume. (Related editorial on COVID-19’s potential effect on public-meeting coverage is below)
EDITORIAL: PUBLIC ACCESS in a PANDEMIC by Anne Scheck
A few weeks ago, I took part in an assembly of thoughtful people. It was in the Polk County Courthouse building, which was locked up tighter than a bank vault. I’d entered because meetings of the Board of Commissioners are public. I was wearing a mask and carrying sanitizer wipes. After the meeting, I said, “OK, I am going to take a few notes,” because everyone was talking about stay-at-home orders but not about how they were being individually affected by them. Instead, those who lingered after adjournment – staff members, a few other attendees and the commissioners themselves – shared deep concern about the impact of shelter-in-place on the business community. You can read some of those comments in the May issue of The Independent, but that’s not the important part.
A public meeting was held – publicly. That’s what’s important.
Suddenly, we’re at a time when children are no longer allowed on playgrounds, when older adults are wary of venturing out for groceries, when teachers who once worked personal learning magic in class now are forced to teach by computer. We have lost so much already in the pandemic, but access to government – the transparency needed to learn where tax dollars are going and who’s making those decisions – can’t, simply can’t, become another victim of COVID-19. Or can it? Earlier this month I was asked to leave the school board meeting by a District 13J executive because she said it wasn’t open to the public – fortunately it wasn’t the superintendent making this surprising statement, so I stayed. (Thank you, Dr. Jennifer Kubista.)
When public agencies slam a door on the press for access to meetings and records, they shut out much more than the person there taking notes. Journalists, particularly those covering communities, often spend time tracking where the money goes. And they have good reason to do so – lots of local people pay for city services and schools. Elected officials are only a tiny percentage of that tax-paying public.
Access to public meetings is an issue that leads me to our community-access public television, WIMPEG. It's partly financed by dollars from Independence citizens. Monmouth is WIMPEG's fiscal agent; Western Oregon University provides some operational services for it.
But, month after month, there hasn’t been any substantial detail on WIMPEG by the Independence city councilor who serves as the liaison to the board.
This didn’t seem right to me. I’d burrowed into the recurring expense borne by Independence to help fund MINET, our co-owned municipal broadband company – and I wanted to know what WIMPEG cost, too. Out of my own sense of fairness, my boring into MINET finances meant I should do the same with WIMPEG. MINET is required to collect fees for it – and pass them through to – WIMPEG, for public-education-government (PEG) programming. MINET doesn’t have a choice, and MINET also is required to provide two channels for broadcast purposes, earmarked for PEG. “MINET doesn’t have any content nor editorial control of what ends up being broadcasted on the channels provided,” I was told by Don Patten, general manager of MINET.
I thought there was great potential for civic coverage by WIMPEG – such as meetings of the Polk County Board of Commissioners – which don't seem to be on public-access TV.
During the past year, WIMPEG’s board disbanded, and a new board hasn’t yet convened. But now the WIMPEG board has a full panel of members – and one of the recent appointees is the IT specialist from our city, a perfect fit given his background. However, Cec Koontz, Monmouth’s mayor, who’s at the WIMPEG board helm, said there’s no guarantee when a board meeting actually will occur, given the pandemic. It seems the coronavirus can inflict damage beyond the threat of infection – it can hurt the public’s right to know, too. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep showing up where I’m not always welcome because, even in a crisis as horrific as this one, access to public information is still so important.
(Disclosure: I received training on how to operate one of WIMPEG’s cameras, to obtain video for public broadcast at county commission meetings. I was asked to serve on the WIMPEG board months ago – an invitation that was later withdrawn, causing me to turn in the camera. But I did start going to the Polk County Board meetings – it’s now part of my usual coverage.)
FINAL NOTE: The Oregon Heath Authority reported today that COVID-19 has claimed seven more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll from 92 to 99. There were 31 new cases of COVID-19 as of 8 am, bringing the state total to 2,385.
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