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FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2022
Brookings, Oregon
Milliman steps in as Brookings city manager By BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
Retired Brookings City Manager Gary Milliman is stepping back into his former position while current City Manager Janell Howard is on paid administrative leave. Howard was appointed to the city manager position when Milliman retired in 2018, according to Brookings Mayor Ron
Hedenskog. Mayor Hedenskog said that city officials were on order not to comment on the circumstances related to Howard’s leave. “Janell Howard is a high level employee of the city who is entitled to utmost confidentiality in her personal life,” he added. Milliman said he agreed to serve in the temporary position after being contacted by Mayor Hedenskog. His term as city
manager is on a to-be-determined basis, according to city officials. The duration of the leave is uncertain, which is why Milliman was asked to serve as pro tem. Milliman reports he has about 45 years of experience in city management in Oregon and California. After his retirement, Milliman became Brookings municipal court judge. He is carrying out the duties of both city manager and municipal judge at
this time, Hedenskog said. Hedenskog said he was confident Milliman would do a good job for the city of Brookings during his temporary assignment. “I was a city councilor when we hired Gary to be the city manager in 2008,” Hedenskog said. After his retirement, Milliman was appointed to emeritus status. This title basically means he is an ambassador for the city of Brookings, Hedenskog said.
Emotions run high during Project Turnkey meeting
Photos by Breeana Laughlin/The Pilot
A standing-room only audience spoke out at the town hall.
By BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
Members of the public filled the Chetco Library community space to standing-room only on Thursday, July 14, for a town hall meeting about Project Turnkey. Emotions ran high several times throughout the meeting while members of the public shared their concerns about the proposed project to turn a 40-unit Brookings motel into emergency and transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence and
abuse, well as vulnerable members of the unhoused-population. A panel of speakers were on hand to answer questions about the project. Mary Pat Luetke-Stahlman is the executive director of Oasis Advocacy and Shelter. She is partnering with Diana Cooper, executive director of Brookings Core response, to apply for funding that would connect residents of Project Turnkey to long-term housing, job placement, basic essential needs like clothes and food and more. Drew Farmer, of Oregon Coast Community
Action, was also at the event. Many public comments represented opposition to the project. “We have really big safety concerns that need to be addressed.” “The police department is going to be impacted directly.” “Why help people from the homeless community who aren’t from here?” “Most of the homeless are drug addicted and mentally ill... giving them blankets and food is making the problem worse.” Some members of the public asked, “Why Brookings?” “We don’t have a hospital. We
don’t have health and human services. We don’t have what these people so desperately need.” A small number of people spoke out in support of the project. “All of you should feel horrible that you don’t want to help.” “I interact with these people on a daily basis. I know their names, I know their faces. I know their stories.” One woman told the audience that they shouldn’t stereotype all homeless people into the same group. Please see TURNKEY Page A11
Curry County Clerk Renee’ Kolen announces pending retirement The Pilot
After 37 years with the Curry County Clerk’s Office, the last 30 years as the elected county clerk, Renee’ Kolen announces that she will be leaving office in January 2023. “This office and the people of Curry County have been a huge and wonderful part of my life for the last 37 years and this decision has been extremely difficult for me, but it is time for me to say goodbye,” said Kolen said. Kolen’s tenure with the county clerk’s office began in 1985 when her mother-in-law, Anna May Kolen, encouraged her to volunteer as an election board worker at the then polling place elections where ballots were counted by hand under County Clerk Eugene Baumann. Since then, Kolen never looked back. In 1989 the office automated ballot counting using an optical scanning process. Then in 1992, Kolen was first elected clerk. “I was contested in that first election and was so honored that the people placed their trust in me," Kolen said. "For me, it has always been about trust, and I have worked hard to maintain
that trust with our citizens.” In 1998, Oregon voters approved voting by mail with 70% voting in favor. Kolen’s office implemented vote by mail and at the next presidential general election, Curry had almost a 90% voter turnout in that election. The average turnout in Oregon was 80% and prior to vote by mail, Curry averaged 60% voter turnout in presidential elections. By 2005, Kolen was asked to participate in a steering committee to help implement Oregon’s Statewide Voter Registration System, which helps elections officials to prevent someone from registering and voting in more than one county at once. In 2008, Curry County was one of the first two counties in the state to upgrade to a digital ballot scanning system. In 2016, the Oregon legislature approved the Oregon Motor Voter Bill, which automatically registers voters and voter registration climbed from around 14,000 in Curry to over 18,000 almost overnight. Kolen and her staff continue to work towards improving the county clerk’s services for all Curry County citizens. In addition to elections and mainte-
nance of the deed and mortgage land records, the county clerk provides for marriage licenses, marriage ceremonies, passport services, has recently upgraded the ADA compliant 24-hour ballot drop boxes and now issues death certificates. Under Kolen, the office has remained on budget, finished on time and in a 2015 countywide survey, the county clerk’s office scored higher than any other county department with an 82% approval rating. “I was extremely humbled in my last contested election (2020) where the voters retuned me to office with approximately 75% of the vote. I have been passionate about this office and want to thank our citizens for the trust they have placed in me,” Kolen said. Kolen says she likes to think she has left the campsite in better condition than she found it. Chief Deputy Curry County Clerk Shelley Denney has been with her for decades and worked hand in hand with Kolen on many of the improvements to the office. Additionally, Denney has implemented marriage licensing online and is working to automate the indexing of land records and
Renee' Kolen has recently launched E- recording and implemented a digital research room. “Shelley has been amazing in her service to Curry County and the rest of our staff is possibly the best group I have worked with in all my years in office. Shelley has been integral to keeping our services modernized, viable and free from outside influences,” Kolen said. “While I’m not leaving office until January, I want to thank you for your support. I will miss you all and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve you,” Kolen concluded.
Gold Beach looking for homeless solution By BREEANA LAUGHLIN The Pilot
Law enforcement officers and nonprofit representatives joined the Gold Beach City Council for a special workshop to address the local homeless population. The goal was to discuss ways the city can become compliant with time, manner and place regulations regarding homelessness. ”What it comes down to is that if we tell people where they can’t be, we have to tell them where they can be,” said Gold Beach Police Chief Jordan White during the July 15 meeting. Law enforcement has been told that they must not criminalize homelessness. Gold Beach police are asking for the community to come together to make a plan to provide viable options for homeless people to go. “We’ve realized we need this to be a community solution. We can’t viably solve this out of sight out of mind and make it go away,” he said. “In order to do this right, it is going to require full commitment of community working together so we can all stand behind the decision that was made and be proud of the outcome and shoulder the burden because we are all going to own it.” Gold Beach Mayor Tamie Kaufmann gave each of the city council members an opportunity to weigh in on the issue, and to share any ideas they have moving forward. After councilors spoke, members of the Library District and Curry County, as well as several nonprofit groups were invited to weigh in. Council members suggested looking at the bigger picture for a long-term situation. Several council members pointed out that not all situations of homelessness are the same. While there are those with mental health and drug issues, there are also situations where families with children and seniors are struggling. “We need to look at long-term solutions and come up with a long-term plan,” said Councilor Summer Matteson, ”I don’t know if we are helping people by shoving them onto a lot and saying, ‘you can hang out here for a bit.’” While others agreed a longterm commitment is needed, they suggested any progress is better than none. City officials agreed to move forward with the idea of an “urban campground” to start. They agreed bathroom/shower facilities would be needed. City officials said they would be a partner rather than an owner in the operations. Several people at the meeting volunteered to be a part of a work group to help the city move forward with their plans to be in compliance with the law including the Gold Beach mayor, police and fire chief and regional housing coordinator. Mayor Kaufman said she envisioned the Gold Beach community making progress on the issue. “I think we are going to have a better solution in about five years based on the fact that the city has Please see HOMELESS Page A10
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