Citizen
Serving North Tillamook County since 1996
North Coast November 10, 2016
northcoastcitizen.com
$1.00 Volume 21, No. 22
2016
Willaim L. Dillard Jr.
lDavid Yamamoto
Stevie Stephens Burden
Mike Scott
Hans Tonjes
Scott Galvin
Voters decide national, state and local elections Recreational pot still legal to sell and buy in Manzanita
By Ann Powers editor@northcoastcitizen.com
avid Yamamota will D be sitting next to Tillamook County Commis-
sioners Tim Josi and Bill Bartlein the next four years after successful winning his bid over political rival Jennifer Purcell for the board’s Position 2 seat. Unofficial election results from the Tillamook County Clerk’s Office show Yamamota, of Pacific City, winning 54 percent of the 12,030 votes cast. Here’s a look at how North Tillamook County constituents voted in their municipal elections, Nov. 8. Bay City Shaena Peterson secured the uncontested mayoral race for a two-year term. Kari Fleisher and Crystal C. Killion will serve on the city council for the next four years.
NORTH COUNTY NEWS ONLINE
Garibaldi Out of the 375 ballots cast in Garibaldi’s mayoral race, 293 went to Suzanne McCarthy and 82 were write-ins, according to the Tillamook County Clerk’s unofficial results. The two open council spots went to Joe Grice with 35 percent of the vote and Monty Elliot winning 33 percent of the ballots.
Manzanita As expected, Manzanita’s new mayor is Mike Scott. The two-term city councilman and former planning commissioner brought in 291 votes unopposed. Incumbent Hans Tonjes and newcomer Scott Galvin won the two vacant city council seats with 28 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Oregon Coast Cannabis (OCC) is budding with joy today. About 70 percent of Manzanita voters shot down Measure 20-138. If approved, the ballot question would’ve
banned recreational cannabis sales, dispensaries and producers within city limits. “We are definitely excited and would like to thank all of the voters who voted no on Measure 20-138,” said OCC co-owner Andrew Buck. His business partner, Hannah Hayes, agreed and said the dispensary intends to show that gratitude by continuing to be a viable economic entity for the area. “We are looking forward to being a quality, craft-cannabis resource and education center for the community,” she said. “We are very grateful and thankful.” Manzanita’s marijuana measure vote was 149 for and 308 against. Nehalem Appointed incumbents swept Nehalem’s municipal bids. William L. Dillard, Jr. will remain Nehalem’s mayor for at least the next two years. The appointed incumbent
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secured his re-election bid with 61 percent of the vote for Position 3.
Rockaway Beach Joanne D. Aagaard won her uncontested, re-election bid for a second term as Rockaway Beach’s mayor. She said she will address the city’s top concerns she outlined as, “affordable housing, parking and just about the same problems for all small towns in Tillamook County.” City Council Positions 1, 2, 3 and 5 were all up for election. Incumbent Nathan Beeman secured Position 1 uncontested. Susan (Sue) Wilson is the victor in the second council seat. The incumbent took 60 percent of that vote. Position 3 went to council newcomer Kristine Hayes, beating four other opponents with 29 percent of the ballots cast in her favor. Incumbent James Doyle
retained his Position 5 council seat. Wheeler Wheeler’s municipal election was pretty much over before it began. There were five incumbent and uncontested candidates running for five positions on the ballot. Stevie Stephens Burden continues on as mayor for the next four years. The city council members include Dave Bell, James (Jim) King, Loren Remy and Heidi Wilcox-Siglin. All council seats carry four-year terms, except for King’s. He has a two-year unexpired term. Pot Tax Throughout the county, voters approved a three percent tax measure on sales of marijuana items by recreational retailers within city limits.
Homegrown homecoming: NKN grad returns as county’s new medical director By Ann Powers editor@norhtcoastcitizen.com
Including E-Edition
won that race with an 80-to20 percent advantage over his opponent Micah White. White is on the city’s budget committee and founder of the Nehalem People’s Association. “Success is often proceeded by failure,” White said. “The good news is that 20 percent of Nehalem, one out of five people, voted for me and greater democracy. That is a huge accomplishment. The Nehalem People’s Association meetings will continue and in the two years until the next Mayoral election our influence will only increase. This minor setback is the start of something beautiful.” In the council races, all four-year terms, appointed incumbent Hillary Howell won with 82 percent of the vote for the Position 1 spot. Stacy Jacobsen, also an appointed incumbent, will remain in the Position 2 seat with 58 percent of the unofficial tallies. And Jim Welsh
ne of the North Coast’s “homegrown” has returned to replant her roots as the new medical director for Tillamook County Community Health Centers (TCCHC). Manzanita native and 1985 Neah-Kah-Nie (NKN) High School graduate, Dr. Lisa Steffey (formerly Howell), moved back to the area from Redmond where she was practicing family medicine at the Mosaic Medical Clinic. She said she is happy to be serving the health needs of the community she has always called home. “I’ve worked with health centers for years and it’s a passion of mine to help improve the health of communities,” she said. “When this job became available in the community I grew up in, I was excited.” So was her husband, Chance Steffey, who was born in Tillamook, raised in Bay City and is currently a civil engineer. The two were high school sweethearts and scholar athletes, according to NKN High School Principal Heidi Buckmaster – who went to high school with the couple. “They were both very friendly, very responsible and very respectful,” Buckmaster recalled. “Lisa was
a high achiever in math and science classes and we’re super happy to have her back in town. She grew up in this area and she knows the people.” Lisa said she first decided on a career in the medical field during her high school years. “I worked at a pharmacy in Wheeler when I was 16 and my grandmother was a nurse,” she said. “I was going to be a pharmacist, but then I switched my major to biology in college.” Lisa received her undergraduate degree at Western Oregon State College in Monmouth (now Western Oregon University) and her medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Dr. Lisa Steffey, an NKN graduate, returned to Tillamook County to take over as Medical Pomona, Calif. She completed her Director for Tillamook County Community Health Centers. She was active in school and residency in family practice at the also played on the Lady Pirates volleyball team, she wore number 21. University of Wyoming. The osteopathic doctor began her Photo provided career at Indian Health Service on a master’s degree and Lisa worked ensure quality health measures are the Wind River Indian Reservation in in urgent care and was a doctor at a in place, help plan the organization’s Lander, Wyo. prison. future and continue to see patients of She and Chance had two children, Lisa said she enjoys medical mis- all ages. Erica and Christopher. The family sion trips and recently returned from “Coming back here feels really eventually moved to central Oregon, Papua New Guinea. She’s also been good,” she said. “You know what where Chance was the CEO for La a health-care missionary in Tanzania, you’re coming to and you know what Pine Community Clinic and Lisa the Dominican Republic and Mexico. you’ve missed, when you’ve been practiced family medicine. In her new position as TCCHC’s gone.” From there, the Steffeys relocated medical director, Lisa said she aims to Colorado while Chance earned to be a voice for medical providers,
DUI-related accident near Wheeler could turn fatal By Ann Powers editor@northcoastcitizen.com
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DUI-related head-on collision just south of Wheeler, Nov. 6, could turn into a vehicular homicide charge for the 24-yearold female driver of a U-Haul truck, according to Oregon State Police (OSP) Trooper John King. “They were bad all over,” King said of the injuries sustained by the 35-year-old male victim driving a white Toyota Camry in the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 101 near
MP Z-46. “It could go fatal.” King said the identities of those involved are not yet being released pending the outcome of the male driver’s injuries, who was airlifted to Portland’s Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (OHSU) in critical condition. The female driver also sustained injuries, but was released from Tillamook Regional Medical Center (TRMC). Emergency teams used the Jaws of Life to extricate both victims. Officials said the U-Haul driver was
traveling northbound when she crossed over the lane and struck the Toyota. She is currently charged with DUI, assault and reckless driving, King added. The highway was closed down for about one hour after the accident occurred at 3:36 p.m. In addition to OSP, Tillamook County Sheriff’s Department, Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue, Rockaway Beach Police Department, Rockaway Beach Fire Department and two TRMC ambulances responded to the scene, according to officials.
Citizen photo by Hal McMahan Emergency crews work the scene of a head-on accident near Wheeler, Nov. 6.