Your voice, March 18

On April 18, the Columbia Gorge Alliance will be staging a “Common Ground Workshop” as part of their national Citizens Campaign on Immigration. Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington’s 3rd District, a member of the Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, has expressed an interest in the results of this workshop. Those results will include a list of “Points of Agreement” compiled by an equal number of “Red” and “Blue” participants in the workshop.

Points of Agreement? On immigration? Impossible? Braver Angels is proving over and over again that this fundamental element of public policy problem-solving is quite possible. The secret? Provide an environment with facilitated dialog and without an “audience” to impress.

Maybe you reside in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District and would like to explore participation in this workshop. Especially if you lean “Red,” we would like to hear from you. Or maybe you live in the Gorge and simply want to know more about Braver Angels. Our national website is braverangels.org.

Better yet, contact us at columbia-gorge@braverangels.org and we’ll share more information about the April 18 workshop, or help you locate information on our virtual programs (such as debates), or invite you in as a volunteer ambassador, or workshop moderator, or event organizer, or alliance co-chair.

Help us hold America together.

Doug Roof

Hood River

Wasteful

Remember when Americans were told that the federal government was filled with fraud and waste? Programs, services, and people were cut to get rid of the unnecessary fat, remember? This week, we learned that in September 2025, Pete Hegseth had a record-setting shopping spree with taxpayers’ money. In an effort to spend down their remaining budget or lose it for next year, Hegseth approved the following: $93.4 billion on grants and contracts, $225.6 million on furniture, $12,540 for fruit basket stands, $2 million on Alaskan king crab (the third time the admin spent millions on king crab in 2025), $6.9 million of lobster tail (added to the $7.4 million on lobster tail in 2025), $15.1 million on ribeye steaks, $1 million on salmon, $139,224 for doughnuts, $124,000 for ice cream machines, $26,000 for sushi tables, $5.3 million of Apple devices, $1.8 million for musical instruments ($98k for a Steinway piano, $26k for a violin and $22k for a custom flute). In addition, a record $6.6 billion of purchases were from foreign governments and foreign-owned businesses in September. Learn more at www.Openthebooks.com.

It’s important to note that every administration is guilty of the annual September shopping spree, but Trump campaigned on reducing the cost of government, and Hegseth’s Department of Defense now holds the record for most money spent in one month.

Tell Congress to vote no on any additional funding for the DoD and to start questioning their budget.

Sue Kusch

White Salmon

Parks & Rec

The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District has done more with less in Hood River County for decades. Originally established to simply oversee the pool when the city could no longer afford it, our community has time and again asked for the parks and rec district to take on more. And they have.

They’ve added more parks. Connected more trails. Taken over Community Education’s recreation programming; that serves hundreds of youths and adults, even though no field space is owned by the district. They’ve done all this without an increase in the tax base since the late-90s. Which was the same tax rate established in the late-80s and only guaranteed the pool’s sustainability.

Today we know what good the Hood River Valley Parks and Rec District provides to our community. Tens of thousands pass through the doors of the pool annually. Thousands walk and ride its trails, play in its parks, and rely on its cost-effective activities to keep us connected and healthy. Study after study shows us the benefits of small towns like ours having a well-maintained pool, accessible parks, and community recreation. Property values go up. Healthcare costs are offset with the multitude of physical and mental benefits. Community cohesion rises. And maybe above all else, youth safety is ensured thru collaborated swim lessons for all school aged children. Something that can never be understated in an outdoor community like ours that’s surrounded by water.

These upcoming bond and levy measures are the next steps in our community’s growth and wellbeing. Post WWII, Hood River secured the funding to build a pool which still operates with some of the same pieces underground today. Now we’ve grown almost 170% since the 1940s and almost 40% since only 2000. The task before us is to pay it forward for the next half century or more. Our parents and grandparents understood the value of what they were providing for us and now it’s time we acknowledge the need to do the same. Without the passage of these measures on the May 2026 ballot, we’re only guaranteed less.

Mike Howard

Hood River

Vote Seeger

Last October, Bernard Seeger called me to inquire if I’d be interested in helping his campaign for House District 52 as a full-time volunteer. The decision to accept was not difficult for me.

I worked with Bernard Seeger from 2009-2011 when I served the Columbia Gorge Consortium as executive director and he was city administrator of Cascade Locks. I found him to be smart, with incisive intellect, as you would expect a West Point graduate would be. More than that, Bernard asks the tough questions and draws people from diverse points-of-view together to reach a common goal. Bernard Seeger’s entire life has focused on service to the communities in which he has lived. He has always gone the extra mile. As an example, in preparing for service as a representative in the Oregon State House, he went back to OSU studying forestry, as anyone guiding the State of Oregon needs a firm grounding in the verdant forests that have been and are central to Oregon’s livelihood and character.

In my professional career, I have been honored to work with U.S. military academy graduates and attorneys who graduated No. 1 from law schools that included Harvard and Yale. Given a choice, I would take a service academy graduate over a No. 1 law school graduate any day. Why? The service academies instill a code of conduct and integrity not found in law school. That code is the core of Bernard Seeger’s character.

I am a native born Oregonism with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in Oregon. There is no one I want more making decisions about the future of my home state than Bernard Seeger.

Dave Eatwell

Cascade Locks

Restorative justice

I am writing in response to a letter to the editor in the Feb. 11 edition of Columbia Gorge News about an unsatisfactory experience of Restorative Justice. I am so sorry the writer had such a negative experience. Restorative Justice, when done well, can be very impactful and produce highly positive outcomes for all parties involved.

I have been volunteering with Six Rivers Dispute Resolution Center’s Restorative Justice program for a couple of years. I’ve seen lives changed and rebuilt in very positive ways. I’ve seen persons who did harm gain understanding, insight, skills, accountability, and repair damage. I’ve seen those they have harmed feel heard and empowered to direct restitution meaningful to them. Six Rivers’ highly trained staff are extremely adept at brokering these processes with both parties until satisfactory resolution is achieved.

I’m sorry the writer of the letter to the editor did not have the same encounter and outcome with the Restorative Justice program they worked with. I believe there are a number of Restorative Justice programs in the Gorge. In my experience, Six Rivers Restorative Justice program is one that is done really, really well and produces very significant positive results, for all parties involved.

Pamela Tindall

White Salmon

Coward

Just as many November 2024 general election President Trump voters express that Trump’s cruel, lawless, racist tyranny is “not what I voted for,” the same is likely true of many voting for Michael Baumgartner as 5th Congressional District Representative.

Watching Baumgartner suck up to Trump lapdog Attorney General Pam Bondi during her histrionic, unhinged performance at Congressional hearings on opening the Jeffrey Epstein files was especially nauseating (Spokesman-Review, Feb. 12, 2026).

Then Baumgartner, always lapdog to House Speaker Mike Johnson, in turn always lapdog to Trump (hence Baumgartner always lapdog to Trump), voted against a House resolution to overturn Trump’s tariffs on goods from Canada that passed the House with six Republican votes — notably one from neighbor Dan Newhouse, Washington’s 4th Congressional District Representative, who finally stood against Trump (Spokesman-Review, Feb. 13). That ended Newhouse’s 5-year period as generally Trump’s lapdog following Newhouse’s exceptionally courageous vote to impeach Trump for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Of course, Newhouse’s current “courage” is made much easier by not seeking re-election.

Just after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, I wrote (Spokesman-Review), “Our country needs a legitimate Republican Party willing to make fact-based and courageous actions such as the recent one by Newhouse.  Otherwise, the Republican Party will either be destroyed or will remain vulnerable to any lying, bigoted, intimidating and aspiring dictator …”  Unfortunately, so true!

After moving to Spokane from the 4th Congressional District in 2013, I quickly recognized Baumgartner’s reputation for excessive self-promotion, but only following his 2024 election that he’s a coward and MAGA cult member.

Norm Luther

Spokane

Former Gorge resident

Iranian history

Both the conservative and liberal press point to U.S. and Israeli conflict with Iran beginning with the 1979 Islamic Revolution (overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi). History paints a more complete picture. In 1941, the then Iranian leader Reza Shah was initially pro-German, partially to counter Soviet and British designs on Iranian oil. But Reza Shah agreed to a compact (that the U.S. later joined) with Britain and the Soviets to secure oil and supply lines for the allies. He provided a crucial safe transport point for thousands of Jewish refugees headed to Palestine and Britain from Poland and other countries occupied by the Nazis. After World War II ended, the U.S. and Britain withdrew from Iran, but the Russians remained in the north, supporting separatist movements. Iran responded with a rising tide of nationalism and democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh (1951-53) as Prime Minister. Mosaddegh nationalized the oil industry. The CIA and British Intelligence orchestrated a Coup d’etat in 1953, installing strongly pro-western Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who consolidated power. His secret service violently repressed the Iranian people, culminating in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. If you have read “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” by John Perkins, you already know that in post World War II America, we have a history of overthrowing governments that we felt did not act in our best interests. Under Obama, to counter fears of Iran building an atomic bomb, the Europeans and Obama negotiated a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program. However, Trump in his first term, walked away from the treaty triggering a rapid build-up of the Iranian nuclear program and an end to inspections, breaking the deal that promised to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Indeed, as any Native American tribe can attest, we do not honor our deals. Let the blame for the current war fall where it belongs — directly on squarely on Trump. Trump, with his threats of invading numerous countries, has transformed the USA into a pariah country. As Iran was a great beneficiary of the George W. Bush invasion of Iraq, both Russia and China are the winners in Trump’s current war.

Michael Beug

White Salmon

‘Clear choice’

Hood River is facing an important decision regarding the former Hood River News site at 419 State St. This property will be redeveloped, with two very different options before the community at the March 30 city council hearing.

One option is a professionally managed, 135-room hotel. The alternative is a substantially larger, high-density mixed-use development that includes more than 100 condominium units along with commercial space, which may incorporate hotel components.

The standalone hotel proposal complies fully with city code, meets height limits, utilizes only 55% of the parcel, and contains approximately 130,000 square feet of building area. The design incorporates brick and timber exterior elements, intended to reflect Hood River’s historic character. A hotel would create permanent jobs, activate downtown by driving visitors to local businesses, and generate substantial lodging tax revenue — all at a more moderate scale of development.

The planning commission denied the hotel proposal based on concerns about “compatibility.” We believe their conclusion overlooks key facts in the record and does not fully reflect the project’s compliance with applicable code standards. We have therefore appealed to allow a more complete review by city council.

If the appeal is denied, the viable alternative would be a much more intense condominium development. The scale difference reflects financial and regulatory realities. Construction costs, required public improvements, and land value demand significant increases in density to make the project feasible.

The condominium option totals approximately 290,000 square feet — more than 223% larger than the hotel — across two large buildings covering the full parcel. It includes an additional story above the city’s height limit and reduced parking requirements. Oregon housing statutes, particularly Senate Bill 1537, provide such flexibility for development projects that increase residential housing.

The decision before city council is straightforward: approve the smaller, lower-density hotel project with greater potential economic benefits, or allow a significantly larger mixed-use development.

Either way, this prominent downtown site will be developed. We encourage community members to review the facts and consider which option best reflects Hood River’s long-term vision. Learn more at www.419statestreet.com.

Gabe Duus

Vancouver

Gambee for commissioner

Lisa Gambee, who recently retired from being the Wasco County Clerk, is now campaigning to be a Wasco County Commissioner. Lisa’s experience as a county clerk gave her valuable insight into county government and what it means to provide a public service and be a public servant. As county clerk, Lisa also had the opportunity to become acquainted with the people who reside in Wasco County and assist them with their myriad administrative and electoral tasks and needs.

Lisa demonstrated leadership, transparency and initiative in her county role and will do the same and more as a county commissioner. She can make sound decisions, solve problems and work with others well. Lisa has drive and determination, a solid professional background, and sound character. By these measures, Lisa would make an excellent addition to the Wasco County governing body.

Having been deeply involved in both north and south county issues, Lisa would be a county commissioner for ALL of Wasco County. Mark your ballot for Lisa Gambee to be your new county commissioner.

Sue Knapp

Maupin

Real target

I expect the real target of the current war on Iran is the canceling of the November elections here in The United States. Clever.

Such malignantly clever, and yet also lying, dangerously incompetent blundering arrogance such as that we are seeing leading up to and in the current war is not unprecedented. Quite the contrary, history is littered with the wreckage of empires in which such people of poor character, driven by raw narcissistic greed, driven by fierce vicious anger and hate, got their hands on the controls and proceeded to destroy everything they could.

Some experts are worried about $35 per gallon gas. Me, I’m thinking beyond that to the possibility of system crash and empty grocery store shelves. The cruel corrupt thugs running Iran see our empire as a monstrous giant with easily destroyed glass knees, an obvious example being our fragile financial system. Maybe we’ll find out if they are right.

In the deterioration and/or crash of all 400 or so empires previous to this one over the past several thousand years, most people continued to obtain most of their food locally. Not so presently. A suddenly shattered empire thus means many millions of starving people, it seems to me.

Jerrold Richards

Lyle

Vote Gambee

I’m writing in support of Lisa Gambee for Wasco County Commissioner, Position 1, because she brings something essential to county leadership: a deep commitment to fairness, transparency, and non partisanship.

As Wasco County Clerk, Lisa oversaw our elections with steadiness and integrity. At a time when election systems across the country faced scrutiny, she made sure every ballot was handled securely and every process was open and understandable. She spent whatever time was needed helping residents learn how our systems work so they could feel confident their votes were counted accurately. That dedication strengthened trust in our local democracy.

Lisa’s approach to decision making is equally grounded in service. She listens first, looks at the facts, and focuses on what will benefit the entire county, not one group or political viewpoint. She understands that the role of County Commissioner is about stewardship and practical problem solving. It’s about making thoughtful choices that support our communities, our rural areas, our economy, and the people who call Wasco County home.

Wasco County deserves leaders who put people first. Lisa Gambee has already shown she does exactly that. I encourage my fellow residents to support her in this important election.

Sheila Dooley

Mosier

Land exchange

Apparently, Mt. Hood Meadows doesn’t understand that a deal is a deal. As a result, a lawsuit has been filed by Thrive Hood River to compel Meadows to abide by the terms of the contract they made with Thrive and Hood River County over twenty years ago.

Back then, Meadows made plans to develop a sprawling destination resort amid the pristine forests on the  slopes of Mt. Hood near the Cooper Spur Mountain Resort, including developing in the Crystal Springs watershed.

Meadows had obtained substantial acreage from the County via an improperly done land trade, unleashing a host of litigation, supported by a diverse affiliation of 14 recreation, environmental, and citizen organizations. All the parties to that suit, including Meadows, Thrive Hood River, and Hood River County, finally sat down, and after extensive negotiations, reached a deal intended to end that litigation.

The deal kept Meadows from developing our precious farm and forest lands by having them trade most all of their holdings in Hood River County for approximately 120 acres of valuable Forest Service land at Government Camp that was already zoned for development. All of the parties agreed to work together to do all we could to make that deal happen.

Thrive expended tremendous efforts, here and in Washington DC, to have the US Congress pass two rounds of legislation to accomplish that “clean sweep”. A deep dive into the long history of this effort was published in Nathan Wilson’s articles in this paper in January 2025.

Thrive has learned that Meadows turned its back on the deal that we all reached. Taking advantage of all that work we did, Meadows decided they wanted to keep the Cooper Spur Mountain Resort and Ski Area, along with substantial acreage around it to use and develop further.

That was not the deal they made with the County and with Thrive. We have tried repeatedly to negotiate some further compromise with Meadows, to avoid perpetuating lawsuits and start this new one, to no avail. All we are asking is for the court to compel Meadows to keep the deal we made.

Scott Franke

Thrive Hood River Board Member

Mt. Hood