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Lessons learned in 1933 still apply today More on this, page 6

SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946

www.currypilot.com

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2023

Brookings, Oregon

Recall petition efforts intensify, divide escalates

ELLIOT SCHWARZ Country Media, Inc.

“voted to reinstate Janell Howard to her job as city manager after she was arrested on July 4, 2022, for theft.” “We began our effort with a Recall Rollout Day on Saturday, July 29 and we’ve had tremendous public support... it took less than three weeks to gather the signatures,” the petitioners said in a release referring to the 463 signatures they’ve gathered. This is the number of verified

Petitioners attempting to recall two Brookings city councilors and the mayor, claim to have gathered sufficient signatures to successfully require a recall election. The contention of the petitioners, according to a release, is Brookings Mayor Ron Hedenskog, Councilors Ed Schrieber and Michelle Morosky who

Ron Hedenskog

Janell Howard

signatures for each of the three petitions necessary to qualify as a recall election. The city’s population is about 6,924 based on U.S. Census Bureau projections,

Ed Schrieber

Michelle Morosky

and the verified signatures must equal 15% of the total of local voters in the most recent gubernatorial the number of valid signatures required to force a recall

election is 15% of the total number of votes cast in the public officer’s electoral district for all candidates for governor at the last election at which a candidate for governor was elected to a full term. Focus of the recall

The petitions claim the officials have not adequately represented the interests and concerns of their constituents, sparking

widespread discussions within the community. The process of recall is a powerful tool that allows residents to hold elected officials accountable between regular elections. Howard’s initial charge was reduced by the district attorney to a Class A Violation to which she pleaded no contest. Given that the charge was not either a misdemeanor See PETITION, Page 10

Area hiker found, brought to safety U.S. DOT invests

in state fish transit

JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

Monday Aug. 21, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a call from Port Orford resident Gary Doran reporting that 67-yearold Port Orford resident, Alexandra Richardson was missing. Doran said he had dropped off Richardson at the Grassy Knob Trail Head in the Grassy Knob Wilderness area on Friday, Aug. 18. She was going to hike to Elk River and call him on Sunday, Aug. 20. but he had not heard from her. At about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, several members of the Curry County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) Team responded to the Grassy Knob trail head. SAR members Steve DiCiccco, Will Tucker, Dennis Hoffman and Tim

ALEX BAUMHARDT Oregon Capital Chronicle Pilot Guest Article

Courtesy photo At about 12:35 p.m. SAR located Richardson in a creek bed about a mile downhill from where she had started. Hawkins scouted out the area where Richardson had left from and started following some possible

tacks down a very steep hillside with large trees and heavy brush. SAR member Jesse

Fletcher set up the incident command See FOUND, Page 6

Commissioners contemplate healthcare authority takeback ELLIOT SCHWARZ Country Media, Inc.

region. However, proponents of the move argue that shifting this authority back to the county level could lead to more tailored and responsive healthcare solutions that better address the unique needs of Curry County residents.

A significant shift in local governance may be on the horizon as the Curry County Board of Commissioners deliberates the possibility of reclaiming healthcare authority from the state government. The move has raised questions about the implications for residents’ access to healthcare, for both public and behavioral health, local decisionmaking power, and the relationship between local and state governments. At an Aug. 9 workshop commissioners discussed rescinding the 2021 decision of the board to transfer local public health authority from the county to the Oregon Health Authority. Only three of Oregon’s 36 counties allow the state to have control of their local health agencies. “A lot of people would like us to take it back… we should continue to survey, learn, educate, and do what the community wants to do,” Commissioner Brad Alcorn said.

“

We want a conversation with all stakeholders who are interested. We want to deliver the best product for the dollars available.

“

Ted Fitzgerald, Curry County Legal Counsel

Commissioner Jonathan Trost, a supporter of the proposal, expressed his reasons for considering the change. Referring to his discussions with Alcorn during orientation briefings in Salem with state officials, they were told that it was unusual for the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to handle local public and mental health, and in fact, it is not within the state’s province. To consider a takeback, they were told, OHA “would definitely encourage that.” Trost, in a conversation with the Pilot, said “By taking back control, we can make decisions that are directly aligned with our community’s requirements,” County Legal Counsel Ted Fitzgerald, talking to the Pilot, said

Heart of the matter At the heart of the matter is the question of who should have the authority to make decisions about healthcare policies and services for the residents of Curry County. Currently? The state government oversees the allocation of healthcare resources, regulations, and policies for the

INDEX

“We want a conversation with all stakeholders who are interested. We want to deliver the best product for the dollars available.” While the idea of local control resonates with many, critics of the proposal voice concerns over potential downsides. One major worry is the risk of reduced funding from the state. Currently, the state government plays a substantial role in financing healthcare programs in Curry County. If the county takes over authority, it would also inherit the responsibility of funding these initiatives, which some worry could strain local resources. Several speakers at the workshop voiced concerns about the “ripple effects” of the change. The deliberation over healthcare authority also brings to light the intricate relationship between local and state governments. The question of where the balance lies between local autonomy and state oversight remains at the forefront of the debate. Some residents see the potential shift as an opportunity to strengthen the county’s decision-making power, while others worry about the implications for broader state-level coordination. Advocates of the proposal point to potential benefits that could arise from localized healthcare authority. With a deep understanding of the county’s demographics and challenges, local officials are better positioned to See HEALTHCARE, Page 6

The U.S. Department of Transportation is backing 26 projects to boost fish transit in Oregon that’s been stymied by poor road and dam infrastructure. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), six counties and the Coquille Indian Tribe will receive more than $19 million to get rid of barriers that have made it difficult for threatened fish to journey from freshwater rivers and streams to the ocean and back. The federal agency on Wednesday announced the grants, which are funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021. The bulk of the projects will involve repairing, redesigning or removing culverts, which are tunnels or bridges built under roads and railroad tracks to channel water, so it flows below rather than on top of surfaces. Some projects will also involve removing and repairing short dams on rivers and streams called weirs, which are typically built to control water levels. Deteriorating and outdated culverts and weirs play a role in declining populations of Oregon’s native salmon, river herring and lamprey, which are born in freshwater and need clear passage to migrate to the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn. The largest recipient of the funds, the state fish and wildlife department, will get $9 million to repair and replace roads and culverts in the Rogue River watershed in southern Oregon and help connect and improve critical habitat for Chinook and coho salmon, sea run cutthroat trout and steelhead. More than 600 human-made barriers to fish migration remain in the watershed, according to the Rogue Basin Partnership. The Coquille Indian Tribe will receive $1.5 million to remove or replace five culverts and eight weirs in the Smith Basin near the coast, ultimately reconnecting threatened salmon, steelhead, cutthroat

trout, and lamprey to 62 miles of critical habitat. About $9.3 million is going to Clackamas, Coos, Tillamook, Lane, Lincoln and Multnomah counties for rebuilding culverts or replacing them with

bridges in order to connect fish with spawning habitat and passage. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry at info@ oregoncapitalchronicle. com.

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