Vote for Leti
We have the opportunity this spring to elect a fresh new voice to the Hood River County Commission. I first met Leti several years ago when we served together on the board of our local Columbia Area Transportation District (CAT). Leti has now served on the CAT board for eight years, and she has been dedicated to bringing needed transportation services to residents in all corners of the county. She is also a great listener and wants to hear from people with all points of view to better understand their concerns and the problems they face. Then she comes up with creative and practical ways to address those concerns.
I know her talents will serve her (and us) well as a new county commissioner who will strive to make this place we call home an even better home for all of us.
I urge you to vote for Leti Valle Moretti.
Leanne Hogie, former CAT board chair
Hood River
Cleanup man
Rod Runyon for Wasco County Commissioner. He’s the man! Did you check him out along I-84 as the highway cleanup man?
Annadale Rooper
The Dalles
Vote Euwer
When I moved to the Gorge in 1986, I was fortunate to meet and become friends with Gene and Meg Euwer, Parkdale orchardists. They were both respectful and deeply committed to the land they farmed. Equally, they were committed to the people who came to the county in hopes of finding opportunities to better their lives and provide a future for their children.
The Euwers were among the first orchardists to welcome Hispanic workers and recognize the interdependence of orchardists and agricultural workers. While Gene pruned trees by committee, Meg often transported workers, spouses and children to medical and other needed appointments. Committed to a bi-cultural reality, the Euwers raised their daughters to be bi-lingual with a deep bi-cultural understanding and commitment.
One of their daughters, Jennifer, now an orchardist in her own right, is a candidate for chair of Hood River County Commissioners. When elected, she will bring to county leadership that same deep respect for the land and its people that her parents instilled in her.
While knowledge and respect for our county’s narrative is important, the chair of Hood River County Commissioners will need to see clearly the ever-changing circumstances of our future. I am confident Jennifer can and will provide that leadership .
Please join me in marking your ballot to elect Jennifer Euwer, chair of the Hood River County Commissioners.
Your vote for Jennifer will be a vote that will always make you proud.
Gary Young
Hood River
Weigh in now
Sad to see the homelessness counts rise significantly. (“Homeless count finds increases,” Columbia Gorge News, March 30, 2022). Right now Congress is working on appropriations for next year, so it is the perfect time to contact your representative. Tell them to weigh in with the appropriations committee, asking to raise funding levels for affordable housing and housing vouchers. The first will take time, but an increase in housing vouchers can help families more immediately, and both are needed.
In addition, the Child Tax Credit helped millions pay rent and buy food before it lapsed. Renewing the Child Tax Credit can help families remain in their homes, so ask your member of Congress to vote in favor of renewing the Child Tax Credit.
By speaking to our members of Congress we can help create the political will for action to bring an end to homelessness.
Willie Dickerson
Snohomish, Wash.
Support Runyon
If people who vote in next month’s election believe that Phil Brady is the answer, I believe they need some serious help with the question.
Phil Brady was a recent member of the board of directors at MCMC. As a member of that board he would have been instrumental in setting policy for that institution. Recently, more than a dozen doctors left MCMC, in part due to policies established while he was a member of the MCMC board. This comes directly from a doctor who recently left MCMC.
Again, in 2018 Brady was instrumental in placing a $235,000,000 bond measure before voters of our local school district, a bond that would have added more than $300 in annual property taxes to your budgets. (If you had a home with a $200,000 taxable value, the cost would have been more than $600 per year.)
My vote will go to Rod Runyon, a man of experience who has actually done the job for us in the past. Rod has proven time after time that he is fiscally responsible and that is what we need in a county commissioner.
Please vote for Rod Runyon — knowledgeable, dedicated, responsible.
C.L. Petersen
The Dalles
Brady endorsement
I am honored to endorse Phil Brady for Wasco County Commissioner.
Phil’s science background gives him the necessary skills for understanding and dealing with complex issues the county faces, from water and energy resources to community health. His background as a teacher gives him the skills to work effectively with people who have varied interests, and to understand the struggles that so many families in our community are facing.
As a former county commissioner, I know how critical it is for a commissioner to listen to the public with respect and the intention to learn from them. It’s also critical to take this knowledge and do something with it. Phil can and will do both. We need this kind of leadership for Wasco County.
Phil embraces values he learned from his father, Minor Brady: Work hard until the job is done, and treat people fairly. He lives these values every day, and for this reason, I am confident that Phil will dedicate himself to making life better for all of Wasco County’s residents. Phil Brady gets my vote for Wasco County Commissioner.
Dan Ericksen
The Dalles
Wealth disparity
Americans have egalitarian views about ideal income distribution. Typically, the top 20% should hold 30-40% of the wealth, the bottom 40% should hold 20-30% of the wealth. Most now believe that the bottom 40% have 8-10% of the wealth. In truth, the bottom 40% held a meager 0.3% of the wealth 20 years ago and were underwater by 10 years ago. The top 20% held 84-85% of the wealth 15 years ago and had increased their cut to 90% by the time of the Trump/GOP tax cuts. The top 1% saw their cut of the pie increase from 34-35% 10 years ago to more than 40% at the time of Trump’s election. During COVID, median family incomes fell nearly 3.2%. At the start of COVID restrictions, the combined wealth of the top 1% of Americans was $3 trillion. By the end of Trump’s presidency their combined wealth had grown to $4.8 trillion.
The wealth disparity in the U.S. was very similar to the wealth disparity in both China and Russia and it is now by far the most extreme in the world. Wealth disparity in the U.S. is more than twice that of Canada, France and Great Britain, three times that of Finland. The organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (of which the U. S. is a member state), estimates that the wealth disparity is reducing economic growth by about 5% per year and that economic penalty of unfair taxation is growing. In short, in a fairer society we would all be better off, richer and poorer alike. It is not a zero sum game.
Tax cuts in America are popular in rural areas. However, taxes redistribute wealth from prosperous coastal cities to rural areas. Cutting taxes starves rural areas of services, leaving most rural residents desperate and eager to blame their problems on high taxes, immigrants, and people of color. So, if you are a rural resident, vote for candidates who promise to increase taxes — the money will mostly come from wealthy cites and will mostly benefit rural areas.
Michael Beug
Husum
High integrity
Local elections matter. They can have a bigger impact on our day-to-day lives than national elections.
That’s why we’ll be voting for Phil Brady for Wasco County Commissioner in the May election. Phil is not seeking a job — he’s seeking another opportunity to serve his community, something he has done his entire life. Having worked as a teacher for many years, Phil understands the struggles so many families face. His decision to run for county commissioner stems from his desire to do more to ease those struggles and help make life better for everyone in the county.
At a time when politics is so full of corruption and meanness, it’s refreshing to have a candidate that is the opposite — Phil Brady has the highest integrity and he’s a really nice guy, too. Phil will be a commissioner who listens to everyone, encourages everyone to participate in the process, and achieves solutions that will serve the best interests of our entire county.
At the end of April, all registered voters in Wasco County will get a ballot in the mail. If you aren’t registered to vote, you can register online at OregonVotes.gov until April 26. If you don’t receive a ballot in the mail shortly after April 27, contact the county clerk’s office at 541-506-2530.
Typically, far fewer people vote in primaries than general elections. But your vote in the primary is critical, because our next county commissioner will be chosen in this primary.
Please join us in choosing Phil Brady.
Karen and Steve Murray
The Dalles
Support for Brady
Phil Brady should be our next Wasco County Commissioner. I worked with Phil on the Watershed Council, and I found him to be a great listener, humble yet firm, willing to do whatever it takes to make positive progress, and a very creative thinker. His educational background, interest in and contributions to our community, and his willingness to respectfully listen to all points of view will assure that he will accomplish what needs to be done in our County. Please vote for Phil as Wasco County Commissioner.
Gary Wade
The Dalles
Commented