County Students Excel in Chess
Trash Bash 2023 Page 9
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Headlight Herald TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
VOL. 135, NO. 11 • $1.50
Dungeness Drag Strip ...
Tillamook to participate in pilot program to address housing issues
TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023
Former police dept. office manager files $1.75 million lawsuit A
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Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for Oregon seeking $1.75 million in damages from the City of Tillamook and several employees for a slew of alleged offenses surrounding the termination of a former police department employee. Molly Folkema, who worked as office manager for the department, alleges that after reporting harassment by an officer she was retaliated against by the city, culminating in her eventual termination in May 2021 while her alleged harasser returned to duty. The suit, filed on January 30, is the second brought against the city this year seeking a multimilliondollar judgement. Former Police Sergeant Erica Bomar filed a $2.5 million suit against the city on January 11, alleging wage discrimination and retaliatory practices surrounding her firing in November 2021. Both women are represented by Randy Harvey. In addition to the city, the lawsuit names City Manager Nathan George, Police Chief Raymond Rau, Human Resources Director Jamy Christensen and Officer Lynn Lothman, Folkema’s alleged harasser, as defendants. Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) investigated Folkema’s claims last year and found that the city had different conditions for employment and created a hostile work environment based on sex, had retaliated against her for reporting unlawful discrimination and had terminated Folkema based on her sex. The saga that would lead to Folkema’s eventual termination began to unfold in January 2019, when Lothman was assigned to light duty following an injury and began spending more time in the office. Folkema, who had been employed as part-time office manager for the department since 2017, formed a friendship with Lothman, bonding over illnesses of relatives. The pair began texting on their personal phones. At some point, in the fall of 2019, Lothman’s wife found their texts and became upset. This spurred Lothman to send Folkema a text breaking off the relationship in which Folkema claims he also said that he wanted to grab her and “have his way with her.” According to the suit, Lothman continued to pursue Folkema at work even after this declaration. In the fall, he allegedly rubbed a tattoo on Folkema’s ankle, making her uncomfortable, and he continued to text her into the winter and spring of 2020. In May 2020, Folkema reported Lothman’s continued advances to then-Chief Terry Wright, who issued a verbal warning to Lothman on May 7, directing him to stop texting Folkema. Again, Lothman persisted in his pursuit of Folkema, allegedly initiating more physical contact with Folkema in the workplace. The suit says that Lothman would hug Folkema, kiss her neck, rub her leg or initiate shoulder rubs, during which he attempted to reach down Folkema’s blouse on multiple occa-
n See LAWSUIT, Page A3
The 36th Annual Garibaldi Crab Races were back in action Saturday and Sunday hosted by the Garibaldi Lions Club. Pictured was a heat in the kids division. See next week’s issue or visit our website for complete results when they are available. See more photos on page 2. Headlight photo by Will Chappell
Charity Drive tops $187K Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
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his year’s 70th annual Tillamook High School Charity Drive was a rousing success, raising $187,959.91 between February 10 and 20 to support local causes and the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. After two years of the pandemic restricting the fundraising and festivities, students and faculty said that this year felt like a return to Charity Drives of old. “I felt like it was just A new and exciting event that proved to be popular this year was kind of more back to normal,” Senior Overall Hungry Hippo. Organizers had to come up with a new event due to the retirement of the gentleman who oversaw the Donkey Basketball for so Gabriella Garcia said. many years. Headlight photo by Will Chappell “It was cool to get things back to how they into it, but they were.” for the senior class to help them were before.” Charity Drive was capped off The single most successful fun- pursue post-secondary education. at the alumni basketball game on Applications for the grant funddraising activity was the collecFebruary 22, where fundraising ing open on March 24, closing on tion of scrap metal, spearheaded totals and the Charity Drive Court April 21, while senior scholarship by the boys of the various grades. were announced. The Charity applications open April 3, with a In total, the scrap collected had Drive court consisted of Seniors May 5 deadline. a value of $41,000, representing Riley Fleming and Ryan Mizee, Charity Drive has always been some 450-plus tons of scrap sold Juniors Naomi Travis and Henry about more than just fundraising to Averill’s recycling at $90 a ton. Thenell, Sophomores Stella Hurlithough, and this year was no difRestaurant takeovers, concesman and Allen Ramirez Castillo ferent, as students participated in sions stands and carwashes were and Freshmen Chantale Kahaleau a wide variety of fun and creative also major sources of fundraising and Lakota Navarre. activities. From students facing and the freshman class’s success At the end of its seventh off against Firemen and PUD emin these helped them raise the decade, Charity Drive has raised ployees in a hungry hippo compemost money. $4,173,139.06 in total through the tition, frantically corralling balls The freshmen raised efforts of generations of Tillain laundry baskets while being $49,283.24, besting the sophomook High students and supportpushed on scooters, to obstinate more and senior classes, which ive community members. chickens refusing to play along raised over $47,000 each, and the “We really appreciate the comwith coop poop bingo, the week junior class, which raised over munity support,” Charity Drive was chockfull of good memories. $44,000, in the friendly competifaculty advisor Rachelle Metcalfe Garcia, fellow senior overall tion to raise the most funds during Berniece Harris and junior overall said. “The community really come the drive. out I feel like this year and supShayla Hillstrop all said that Half of the funds raised after ported the drive and the activities the Mr. THS competition, won expenses, $86,193.45, has already that each class had.” by Ryan Mizee, was a favorite been donated to Doernbecher memory from the week. Children’s Hospital, while the rest Please send any comments to “I was really impressed with all still awaits disbursement. The remainder of the funds will the boys, they all did really good,” hedlightreporter@countrymedia. net. Garcia said. “The dancing part, be split between a grant to a local you’d think the boys wouldn’t be organization and scholarships
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Will Chappell Headlight Reporter
illamook’s City Council approved the city’s participation in a proposed pilot program that would see the city’s housing crisis addressed by strategies previously reserved for larger cities. Tillamook will partner with the county government as well as the governments of the other six cities in the county should the legislation creating the program, proposed by State Senator Suzanne Webber, become law. Tillamook City Planner Tommy O’Donnell and Tillamook County’s Development Director Sarah Absher said that the proposed program could prove a boon to the county and cities as they try to address an acute housing shortage. The proposed legislation would give Tillamook access to state programs promoting housing that have previously been available only to cities with more than 10,000 residents. O’Donnell said that the bill would increase his department’s access to grants, allowing him to contract outside assistance to tackle larger projects. Tillamook would need to change their code to allow for “middle housing” in residential zones to qualify for the program if the bill is passed. “Middle housing” is any of a wide variety of non-single-family unit types, from duplexes to cottage clusters to townhouses. The Tillamook Revitalization Association (TRA) delivered its annual report to the council at the meeting as well. TRA is a group of local business owners that look to promote downtown Tillamook through events designed to increase foot traffic for businesses. After several years of reduced activity, TRA returned to a normal calendar of events in 2022, hosting Moonlight Madness in August, the Monster Mash Bash on Halloween and Santaland in December. The group will put on that same calendar of events this year, with a planned haunted house in the works for Halloween. They will also be bringing a temporary Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial to the square downtown over Memorial Day Weekend and are organizing a downtown scavenger hunt and music on the plaza events for June. TRA is also working to replace the city’s trash cans and bring a permanent Veterans’ Memorial to downtown Tillamook with the help of Councilor Doug Henson. Mayor Aaron Burris reappointed Tamra Jacobs and Patrick Matthews to the city’s planning committee. A first reading was also held for the ordinance that will update and reenact the city’s code of ordinances. City Manager Nathan George has been working to compile all ordinances passed by the council into an updated code since his arrival in 2021, after finding the code had not been kept current since 2013. The second reading will take place at the council’s next meeting and the new code of ordinance’s will be posted on the city’s website in a searchable format. Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia.net.