Two County Political Parties Host Candidates

State House candidate David Gomberg speaks to Lincoln County Democrats at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday January 25. The meeting is at Central Lincoln PUD, Newport (2129 N. Coast Hwy). Gomberg is a 20-year resident of the coast and the owner of a small manufacturing business in Lincoln City. Gomberg worked as an Administrator of the House Education Committee, a legislative aide for former Governor Barbara Roberts, and a Field Director for Congressman Les AuCoin. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call 541-994-4694.

Lincoln County Republicans will hear from Dr. Knute Buehler, a declared candidate for Oregon Secretary of States. Buehler will appear Tuesday, February 7 at 7:00 p.m. also at the PUD meeting room. Buehler is an orthopedic surgeon from Bend, and is married with two children. Buehler was born and raised in Roseburg and attended Oregon State University where he played baseball, graduated at the top of his class and became OSU’s first Rhodes Scholar. He holds a Master’s degree in Politics and Economics from Oxford University and received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Buehler has built a medical practice that employs 170 people in Central Oregon and serves on the Board of Directors for St. Charles Medical Center. Everyone is welcome. Precinct Committee Persons are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting.

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Wyden, Merkley Visit County, Talk Medicare, SOPA and Timber Payments

It was standing room only for Senator Jeff Merkley in Toledo January 11

Both Oregon U.S. Senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, held Town Hall style meetings in Lincoln County in the past week. Each event drew about 75 people. Wyden repeated his intent to filibuster the so-called Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a highly controversial proposal designed to allow law enforcement to shut down websites for alleged copyright violations. Opponents say it violates the First Amendment and would have a chilling effect on free speech. Although Wyden didn’t talk too much about the First Amendment aspects of the matter, he did underscore to a South Beach crowd January 7 the need for a “level field” for small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs on the internet. Merkley, speaking in Toledo January 11, expressed strong support for Wyden’s effort, saying, “I share his view. We need to stop piracy, (but) everyone agrees there is no due process in this bill and it removes the ability for fairness.”

Wyden was taken to task for his work with Republican Congressman Paul Ryan on Medicare issues. He cautioned Democrats in the audience not to be too quick to judge, even if they disagree with Ryan on other issues. “This is an outline, and we’ll spend the next year or so discussing it,” Wyden said. “This proposal contains two ideas important to me, progressives and senior advocates,” namely that Medicare will always survive and will be structured to provide “guaranteed affordability.” Wyden pointed out that more than 50% of Oregon senior citizens currently get Medicare from the private sector, 41% exclusively from private plans. Thus, he said, it makes sense to work with existing systems to make sure quality is high and delivery is effective.

Merkley met with local officials ahead of his Town Hall, telling them he is hopeful Congress can replace the existing federal timber payment strategy, which has really stressed rural Oregon county budget. He said Oregon Congress members Peter DeFazio, Greg Walden and Kurt Schrader are working on a plan to put some sensitive forest areas in an environmental trust, but open up other areas for production. Both areas would generate local revenue through Federal programs. Although Merkley said they are “swimming against the tide” a bit, the Oregon delegation “does want to hold the federal government accountable to counties. We have the plan, the passion and the energy to make it happen,” he said. In his public session, Merkley also addressed a question about the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision granting corporations the ability to spend unlimited amounts of money in political campaigns without having to reveal their identities. Several remedies are being discussed in Congress. While he said he has not yet completed studying and considering a complete undoing of “corporate personhood” he is in favor of forcing disclosure of who is paying for third-party advertisements. It is not right for corporations to, in effect, be “super citizens” because the current situation “is completely out of sync with the first three words of the Constitution: ‘We the People’,” Merkley said.

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Letter to the Editor: On Civic Engagement

I am writing to encourage you to get involved on any level with the process of selecting a new Mayor for Toledo. In these difficult times when many of us may feel unable to affect change in national politics, the banks or to get the sluggish economy moving we can make a difference in our local government.

Due to the unforeseeable death of Sharon Branstiter as Mayor in April 2007 we have had three Mayors (Jim Chambers, Rod Cross, Monica Lyons) in four years. Due to health reasons Monica has recently resigned and the city council will be looking to fill the Mayor’s seat without any election and possibly very little input from the public unless all of us start getting involved.

Currently two city council members have been placed on the council who were not voted into office. One of these candidates was the only applicant to apply, essentially giving the city council very little options in the selection process. I also understand that a city councilor will be vacating their seat this spring when they will be moving out of the area.

Essentially within a few months we could be looking at having a Mayor and three of the six city council members NOT being elected officials. The possibility of potentially having a Mayor and half of the city council selected by six or less people without any input from the community raises concerns. It seems questionable at the least and could produce unforeseen consequences for the community of Toledo on down the road.

Some of you may be facing barriers that you feel stop you from getting involved such as work, raising a family, over committed to civic organizations or even a lack of energy due to the aging process. Some of you may say “I don’t live within the city limits of Toledo or my politics are different than others.” But if you’ve ever shopped in Toledo, used the recreational facilities including the pool or library, attended any of the Toledo community events (Thursday Markets, Summer Festival, Wooden Boat Show, Quilt Quest, Artwalk, Antique Festival & Car Show, etc.), or enjoyed the beautification of Toledo through flower baskets and public art then you do have an invested interest in how the city of Toledo works.

You may have agreed or disagreed with Sharon Branstitier’s politics. But she was a local person with local history who was highly visible, sought input and involvement from people in and around the surrounding Toledo community. She worked hard to represent all of us no matter our differences and to promote the city of Toledo. She believed in perseverance, patience and the power of one person to make a difference. If Sharon were still here she would tell you to get involved and to make a difference.

Decisions will be made soon on how to select a Mayor or possibly one or two city council members again. I am assuming that a plan to select a new Mayor will be either discussed at the city councils monthly work session on Tuesday, January 10th at 6:15 or at the next city council meeting on Wednesday, January 18th starting at 7:00. Both are open to the public and I am encouraging you to get involved by any of the following ways:

· Contact city hall at 541-336-2247, extension 202 to ask when the process of selecting a new Mayor will be on the agenda? Will it be discussed at Tuesday’s work session or next week’s city council meeting? Ask how you might give input or plan to attend one or both of these meetings.

· Email Michelle Amberg city manager and all the city councilors to give your input on the process. Their names and email addresses are listed below:

· Pass this email on to other friends, relatives, Toledo community citizens or others outside of the city limits who frequent the businesses, enjoyed the activities or benefit from any of the services provided by the city of Toledo.

Email addresses:

Michelle Amberg (City Manager)

Mark Camara

Jack Dunaway

Nancy Lynne

Franki Trujillo-Dalbey

Ralph Grutzmacher

Jill Lyon

Sandy Blackman, Toledo

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Monica Lyons Steps Aside as Toledo Mayor

Monica Lyons (second from left) presides over her last council meeting as Mayor of Toledo

Toledo Mayor Monica Lyons resigned Wednesday, telling City Council members she has some serious health issues that preclude her from the stress and schedule of office. She indicated to the council at last month’s work session that she needed to step back due to health concerns, but stopped short of a full resignation. During comments at the end of the January 4 meeting, Lyons said she suffered a series of small strokes in December. During the course of evaluation and treatment physicians discovered serious blockage in one carotid artery and found that her circulation has been in the process of “rewiring itself,” as she put it. “They don’t understand it, but it is a miracle to me,” she said. Lyons said doctors told her “to go home, assess your life and reduce your stress…and so tonight I am resigning as your mayor.”

Lyons said she has really enjoyed her year as mayor, adding “I know the City of Toledo is in good hands. This is one of the best City Councils in quite a while.” Council members have several options to replace Lyons. They can select one of their own members to serve as Mayor for the remainder of her term, through December 31, 2012, or open applications to choose an appointed mayor. She suggested they may want to discuss how to proceed at the next Council work session, January 10. In the absence of the mayor, Council President Ralph Grutzmacher presides.

Lyons was handily elected Mayor in 2010 in a five-way race that featured two write-in candidates. She previously served one term on the City Council. She has received a lot of plaudits for her dedication to making Toledo’s business community grow, and attracting more visitors to its downtown area. When she was named “Business Person of the Year” for 2011 by the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Executive Director Don Amberg said, “Monica constantly strives to revise her business plan to meet the demands of the time. “She constantly promotes her business and refers her customers to other Toledo businesses,” he said. Lyons has also created two new promotions for Toledo, Quilt Quest and Midnight Madness. She also served on the board of Toledo’s Main Street Program.

During her term as Mayor, Lyons successfully fought for what she said were “long overdue” pay increases for city managers not covered by collective bargaining agreements. Some of those salaries had not been reviewed since 1997. “I took a lot of flack for that,” she said Wednesday, “but I’m glad we did it.” Also during her tenure, the city committed to a long-term plan to fund and rebuild its water infrastructure, portions of which are more than 50 years old and badly in need of replacement. In her parting remarks, Lyons thanked council members for helping her make hard decisions and encouraged them to continue working on contentious parking issues in the downtown area.  She said she and her husband Chris intend to keep their business open, but will look at how they may wish to spend the free time that will now appear on their calendar.

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Merkley Town Hall Scheduled in Toledo

Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley has announced he will hold a Town Hall meeting at the Toledo Fire Hall (285 NE Burgess Rd) Wednesday, Jan 11. The event begins at 5:00 p.m.

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