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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
The Chronicle
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Serving Columbia County since 1881
Election 2020: Council, commission transition JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Unofficial results from the Nov. 3 election indicate a leadership changes at the city and county level. Within St. Helens, unofficial results indicate two new faces are likely to join the city council: Patrick Birkle and Jessica Chilton. Birkle will replace Keith Locke, who decided not to run, in position 2 and Chilton will replace Ginny Carlson in position 4. Having served on the budget committee with the city for six years, Birkle said he is ready to assume more responsibility and be a voice for the community. “I’m humbled and honored to have won the election,” Birkle said. “As a councilor I will promise people I will listen, and I will listen to understand.” Birkle was up against Mark Gundersen and received about 400 more votes than him. His priorities for the upcoming session revolve around public input, inclusion and engagement, he said. He wants to bring a greater level of transparency to the council and city operations so residents have a better understanding and more active voice in determining how resources are used, he said. Birkle said he has lobbied the council for years to try and change the schedule of the meetings. Currently, the council meets the first and third Wednesday of the
Courtesy photo
Patrick Birkle
month and has a work session at 1 p.m. with a regular session at 7 p.m. As a substitute teacher, Birkle said the schedule is not ideal, and also likely prevents others who work during the day from being involved in the discussions before the topics are voted on later that same evening. “I think that does not provide sufficient time for citizens to provide their input between the work session and regular session,” he said. “I would like to have the council consider a longer time span between when the council is presented information and discusses it to give citizens more time to respond.”
Casey Garrett
Courtesy photo
County commission At the county level, results indicate a change for one commission position and a second term for another. Results from the Nov. 3 election place incumbent Margaret Magruder 3,000 votes in the lead over challenger Brandee Dudzic for Columbia County Board of Commissioners, Position 1. Magruder said she attributes her victory to voter confidence. “They feel that I am dedicated and that I am working for the good of Columbia County and they have given the go-ahead to keep on going for the next four
Margaret Magruder
Courtesy photo
years.” Magruder said her she is maintaining the priorities she has established as county commissioner. “I have always been working for the good of the county,” she said, “helping to bring more jobs to the county, which means more revenue to provide services the county needs and desires.” In the race for Columbia County Commission, Position 3, the unofficial results show challenger Casey Garrett with a lead of just over 1,000 votes over incumbent Alex Tardif. Garrett said he was waiting to see the final unofficial results but he felt confident of victory.
“I don’t see how I could lose at this point, which is a good thing,” he said. “I am not taking any thing for granted, there are still votes left to count, but it is moving in the right direction. I am feeling pretty good about it.” Garrett said he is now preparing to take office as a new county commissioner. “I have a few months to get things in order before I take office but I am going hit the ground running,” he said. Garrett said he will have three priorities as a Columbia County Commissioner. “To work on consistently improving customer service, develop more recreation access to our public lands and other areas around the county, and to be a part of the team to promote good paying jobs in the county,” he said. “I look forward to a smooth transition.” How Columbia County voted Columbia County voters as a whole favored Republican candidates in state, national and district-wide races. A majority of voters chose Republican candidates in the partisan races, and voted against statewide results in each race. National In the presidential election, 53.24% of voters in the county voted for Donald Trump and
See ELECTION Page A14
COVID cases spiking said. “We’re not in a good position moving into the winter.” The county averages between four to five new cases a day, he said, and there’s been a small uptick in virus-related hospitalizations. The count is at 17 now and had previously hovered around nine or 10. The influx of cases brings the county’s total case count to 314 since the pandemic began. There have been two pandemic-related deaths in the county, one occurred in early August and the other in October. The deaths are a reminder of the severity of illness the virus can cause and a reminder not to underestimate the virus, Paul said in a release. The rise of cases also affects how quickly students will be able to return to school, even with relaxed metrics released by the state. The metrics look at case rates over a
MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
The state has continued to break its own record for highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a day—988 were reported Saturday, Nov. 7, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Three of those cases were within Columbia County. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the OHA reported 874 new cases with six of those cases from Columbia County. On Monday, Nov. 9, 723 were reported in the state, four in the county. In all, the OHA reported 51,155 cases in Oregon since the onset of the pandemic. The surge of COVID-19 cases locally, statewide and nationally raise concerns, Columbia County Director of Public Health Michael Paul said at a board of commissioners meeting Wednesday, Nov. 4. “It’s not good news at all,” Paul
See COVID Page A15
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
The riverwalk will extend along the Columbia River in the Old Town District of St. Helens.
Riverwalk project moving forward MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
The St. Helens City Council approved the riverwalk request for qualifications, allowing architecture and engineering firms to submit their qualifications for the project to be reviewed by the city at the Oct. 21 meeting. Plans for a riverwalk development have been brewing for
years. In 2015 the city purchased 225-acres along the river, including the 22-acre Veneer Property that was once the site of a plywood veneer plant. The Veneer Property is key to the riverwalk project due to its proximity to downtown. Conceptual plans for the riverwalk include trails, a new amphitheater and green space. A conceptual plan of what the area may end up looking like was released in May. Associate planner Jennifer Dim-
sho clarified that the drawings were conceptual and formal designs will be drawn by the firm selected by the city after receiving qualifications and conducting interviews. “If there’s a desire to actually incorporate water access for fishing, or a beach is another thing people have mentioned, those things will be brought up through the design
See RIVERFRONT Page A12
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