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LTE ~ Coos Bay Wastewater at a Turning Point
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LTE ~ Open Letter to Mayor and Councilors of Coos Bay on Wastewater Treatment
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LTE ~ Occasionally the Righteous can Still Win
LTE ~ Rigging Elections Using Three Proven Mechanisms
LTE ~ Help Support the Right to Pursue Fishing, Hunting, & Plinking
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LTE ~ An Open Letter to the Mayor of Coos Bay Crystal Shoji from Fred Kirby
LTE ~ Mark Daily Running on Two Issues, User Rate Fees & Best Available Tech
LTE ~ Judge Candidate Ryan Hughes was Libeled & Slandered Anonymously  
LTE ~ Coos Bay Wastewater at a Turning Point
LTE ~ North Bend Airport Manager Might be "Nuts" 

FROM:  Teri Grier, North Bend
DATE:  December 28, 2016

Editorial by Teri Grier

In 2012 when Democratic Representative Caddy McKeown was first elected, she beat her Republican challenger by nearly 3,300 votes.  In her 2014 re-election, like most incumbents, she was able to increase her vote margin, beating her Republican opponent by over 4,700 votes.  But in the two years that followed, McKeown began to lose the trust of voters in our community as she curried favor with Portland-area lawmakers and businesses.

During the last two years, Portland-area Democrats have marched McKeown up the hill on legislation that has increased fees to taxpayers and will harm small business. Voters noticed. 

In a race where McKeown outspent me by nearly $250,000, she only won by 1,111 votes – a full 3,562 voters abandoned her in 2016.  It’s my hope that as she heads into the next legislative session, she takes notice and remembers who she is supposed to represent.

Legislators in Portland are proposing everything from rent control to environmental policy that will make it even harder for those of us in rural Oregon to find work. 

Our Oregon, the group that backed the failed Ballot Measure 97, a $6 billion dollar tax increase, is now trying to overturn the will of voters with a $4 billion dollar tax increase proposal. 

Many of the same special interests that backed Measure 97 also back McKeown.  Will she be able to resist her donors and stand with her community that opposed Measure 97, or will she support a revenue-raising package at our expense?

McKeown will serve again as chair of the Transportation Committee.  In 2015, Democrats failed to pass a transportation package. The one that was proposed had plenty of giveaways for Portland-area lawmakers but very little for the rural and coastal parts of our state.

Additionally, the Senate President wanted millions in money to seismically retrofit the Salem Capitol, but little was to be seen in proposals for seismic dollars to protect coastal residents in tsunami zones.  Will we be ignored again?

Even more disappointing is the disappearance of a committee dedicated to rural communities.  Will McKeown continue to vote for a Speaker of the House who cares so little for the state outside her own insulated pocket of Portland? 

The Portland-metro area has plenty of representation without Representative McKeown siding with them.  Maybe she should consider running for Speaker, or supporting anyone else, who will prioritize the hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who don’t make Portland their home. 

Voters are watching.  We have a need for real infrastructure investments and leadership that will get our government spending in line. 

We see how the rest of the country is bouncing back from the recession and enjoying economic boosts.  It is unacceptable that Oregon’s huge budget deficit, caused by uncontrollable state spending that House Democrats fail to address, is continuing to stall Oregon’s economic recovery.

I respect the will of our voters in choosing Representative McKeown again.  But we’re not going to sit by and watch as she continues to go-along-to-get-along with Speaker Kotek’s agenda. 

The session starts next month.  Let’s hope this election sends a strong message that voters want McKeown focused on the people who elected her, not downtown Portland agendas or special interests.                      

Teri Grier
North Bend, OR

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LTE ~ Colombia County Approves Second Amendment Preservation Petition
LTE ~ Occasionally the Righteous can Still Win
LTE ~ Rigging Elections Using Three Proven Mechanisms
LTE ~ Help Support the Right to Pursue Fishing, Hunting, & Plinking
LTE ~ Irrational Opposition to the Patriot Movement in Saint Helens, OR
LTE ~ An Open Letter to the Mayor of Coos Bay Crystal Shoji from Fred Kirby
LTE ~ Mark Daily Running on Two Issues, User Rate Fees & Best Available Tech
LTE ~ Judge Candidate Ryan Hughes was Libeled & Slandered Anonymously  
LTE ~ Coos Bay Wastewater at a Turning Point
LTE ~ North Bend Airport Manager Might be "Nuts" 

Mayor Crystal Shoji; mayor and city council candidates

Dear Mayor Shoji:


Recent comments and statements made in a series of articles regarding mayor candidate Mark Daily by The World newspaper, including a two pagess article 5 November, a series of articles apparently intended to increase circulation and win small market awards at the next Oregon newspaper gathering, a series of articles that have divided the community; and statements made during the Mark Daily radio program, cause grave concerns for this Coos Bay citizen, and for others.  You must be aware of the many rumors - and minimal fact - spreading re WWTP2.


It has been reported that, following the swearing in of the next council, the city manager will present to the council a "white paper" re the WWTP2 background inclusive of "wastewater woes".  A similar "white paper" presentation re the history of the recent MBR WWTP RFP seems appropriate.


By now, to be prepared for an early vote on SBR vs MBR etc., you have read the 144 pages of the DB Western Texas (DBWT) MBR WWTP2 proposal.  It is respectfully requested that, as the present and possibly the future mayor, you set as an agenda item for the first new council meeting, a white paper discussion of the recent MBR WWTP RFP activity and the single proposal from DBWT, by the city manager / city purchasing agent.  It is requested that the written presentation include:


01 Confirmation that, without apparent expressed concern of the city lawyer; and, in the exact wording as directed by the city council by the members of the wastewater committee comprised of council members; the city, by its city manager / city purchasing agent, released a RFP in contemplation of a contract award for a privatized MBR WWTP2.

02 Based on statements attributable to the city manager, prior to and subsequent to the RFP release, it appears that the city, except for three members of a committee, never had any intent to privatize WWTP2 or to award a contract for a MBR WWTP2.  Please comment.

03 Identify the prospective bidders who received the city MBR RFP.


04 Did all prospective bidders receive the MBR RFP directly?


05 Which companies having built a MBR or SBR WWTP facility received a RFP?


06 Which potential MBR bidders requested and received a briefing before or after RFP receipt by city WWTP staff?

07 Did the city selected SBR contractor, Mortenson Construction, request or receive a MBR WWTP RFP?  If yes, what was their reason for not bidding?  If no, why were they not asked to submit a bid?


08 Was Mortenson told by any city employee or agent that the MBR WWTP RFP was just an exercise that would not result in a contract award?

09 What were some the reasons expressed by MBR RFP recipients, especially those having built all or parts of a SBR or MBR facility, and local contractors needing to create jobs, why they did not submit an offer?


10 Was the DBWT proposal responsive to the MBR RFP requirements?


11 Specifically, what parts of the DBWT MBR proposal were non responsive?


12 Was DBWT given an opportunity to explain or amend any proposal parts considered non responsive?  If so, when?

13 Who were the city MBR proposal evaluation team and which evaluation team member read the entire DBWT proposal?


14 Did the city WWTP experts Wirsing and Kerbo read the entire DBWT proposal and provide their written assessment to anybody?


15 As part of the white paper presentation, may the council have a copy of the evaluation team, and Kerbo and Wirsing, written findings re the DBWT MBR proposal?


16 When did DBWT receive a debrief by the city?  Did DBWT request a debrief?  Who provided that debrief?


17 Does any Oregon law covering superior knowledge or other legal doctrine cause concern that the city is exposed to a significant damages claim by DBWT?


18 If I understood Mr. Beetham correctly, DBWT spent in excess of $400,000 to respond to the city MBR RFP - probably much spent prior to the RFP release - in anticipation of the RFP.  Does DBWT "chemical firm tycoon" Dennis Beetham have legal recourse to recover all monies spent, plus any punitive damages, resulting from all efforts by DBWT personnel, or consultants, preparing a responsive MBR WWTP proposal with the understanding now that it was an intentional or unintentional waste of bidders time?


19 If I understand correctly, it was stated on the Daily radio program that city WWTP consultant / employee Kerbo has billed the city more than $400,000.  What was her billing for WWTP matters through October 2016?


Of course, the worst that has happened, is knowing that prospective employers seeking a place to locate their business and considering our community read the local newspaper to get an understanding of us.  Any business reading The World articles re Daily (and Treasurer candidate Simms bankruptcy having occurred light years ago) (who is next), would run far and fast from us.  We look like a bunch of bumpkins in the boonies being led by an incompetent and dysfunctional local government.


Thanks for setting the agenda item, for a transparent government, and for assuring that citizens are informed.


Fred Kirby

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Planning CD-16-127 CIty of Coos Bay ~ Messerle's Determination to Apply Bio-Solids
LTE ~ An Open Letter to the Mayor of Coos Bay Crystal Shoji from Fred Kirby
Coos County District Attorney Letter on the Daily ~ Hudson Opinion
Coos Bay Procedural Rules for Replacing an Empty Seat on the City Council
Coos Bay Giving Away Public Money to a Private Business Using Urban Renewal
Invoice of Services for Coos Bay Council's Wastewater Treatment Plant August 2016 
Mayoral and Council Candidates for Coos Bay
LTE ~ Wastewater Treatment Plant "Suchadeal"
Time to Teach a Lesson to the Local Politicians
LTE ~ One Very Confused Dick in Coos Bay
Coos Bay Two Ballot Measures on Marijuana Tax & Dispensary License in November
LTE ~ Coos Bay Privatization of Wastewater Treatment Plant for Overpriced Lawyers

Congratulations to the Righteous!!

  Today, 10/27/16, the jury on the Harney County Refuge case found the remaining defendants, including Ammon Bundy, Innocent of all charges proving that occasionally the righteous can still win even when the odds are stacked against them.
 
The trial was held in Portland instead of further east where it should have been held, and Judge Anna did everything she could do to make sure they would be convicted. In spite of not really having a jury of their peers,  the jury got it right and set them free…at least free of charges in Oregon.  Some will still have to face charges in Nevada for their part at Bundy Ranch, but given the Federal Governments passion for precedent, (when it suits them), hopefully charges will be dropped, but I doubt it, there is still tax payer money left to waste.

  Our unelected tyrannical Governor was not happy with the outcome of this trial, perhaps because she was complicate in the murder and cover up of Lavoy Finicum, or maybe just because she doesn’t like that the government was overruled and that doesn’t fit her big government ideology and agenda. Whatever the reason, I hope she loses the upcoming election big, because she doesn’t represent the people, only the unions and people who share her Marxist ideology. I know it’s a longshot, but one can hope.
 
I hope you all join me in prayer for the Cowboys in their upcoming trials in Nevada and pray that the same results are reached there. These are good people who put everything on the line to wake the American people up and they have payed a huge price. They are selfless hero’s, and deserve the respect of us all. These people had almost all of their Constitutionally protected rights violated repeatedly and I hope they sue the State and the Federal government for the treatment that they received and the violations that were imposed on them. May the Good Lord bless and protect them all.
 
In Liberty,
Chris Brumbles
Columbia County Coordinator
Oath Keepers and OFF
Select an item to readClick here to always select the first item in the list
Message sentItem from Elise Daniel moved,

Trump and others claim the elections are rigged. Obama and Clinton insist those charges are baseless.  The truth is somewhere in-between.  

Unless vigilantly protected, all elections in this world will become rigged.   Zealots will always be tempted to cheat.  Our citizens must preserve our electoral institutions.

Continual efforts to rig our elections use these three proven mechanisms.  Voters decide if they succeed or fail.

ONE:  Our main-stream media, CNN, MSNBC and NPR present themselves as politically neutral, yet  comport themselves in sympathy with the left.  Their political advocacy gains effectiveness, yet sacrifices integrity, when disguised as objective news. On the other side, certain Fox News hosts and talk radio icons candidly identify as conservatives, supporting Republican ideals.   Their huge audiences expect open advocacy.

TWO:  Most political pollsters lean toward the left.  Polls become a hidden tool, used to encourage left wing voters and dis-hearten those on the right.  They try to not overplay their hand, in tempting Democrat loyalists to think their votes are not needed.   Every election cycle, pollsters suddenly drift to the right a few days before the election, in a ploy to preserve a modicum of credibility following the election results.  They want to be able to sway people’s thinking, yet in the end appear as objective pinnacles of statistical science. The pretense, that this final shift reflects a last-minute drift toward the right, is silly.  Few believe it.  Most forget it.

THREE: Voter identification is a battleground in American political landscapes.  Every legislative effort to require that voters first provide identification is blasted as a racist conspiracy.  This is an obvious absurdity.  The only people hindered by voter identification laws are those not eligible to vote.  Yet, in countless urban precincts, ineligible voters, swayed by promised largesse, surge in by the bus-load.  Also, many thousands of ballots for geriatric or deceased voters are high-jacked or forged. 

If our elections are rigged enough to pervert the outcomes, it is our own fault.   If we persist in tuning in to the mewling media manipulators, if we allow ourselves to be swayed by the endlessly contrived polls, if we acquiesce to the socialist demands that we let anyone vote with no ID required, then it is we ourselves who have rigged our own elections.

I adjure you all to vote for anyone who will work to preserve our Constitution, our Republic and our liberty.

Stan Avery
Bandon Oregon

A letter to all Sports men and women!  Please read!

I know that most traditional people have a tendency to not get involved in politics which is causing our sporting rights, as well as our second amendment rights, to erode at a rapid rate. I fully recognize most people are still not going to get active for a variety of reasons. Knowing that, I and a couple of others started a group called "Sportsman’s Defense Watch" which is now a tax exempt organization. We are centered in Lincoln County but our membership is open to anyone in the State of Oregon. Our goal is to do the work for all Sports minded women and men. Whether you are a fisherman, a hunter, a plinker, or just one who owns guns for defense we want to look out for your interests.

What do we need from you? We need your membership which is open to anyone in the State of Oregon. It is FREE but we do accept donations. We need numbers for our membership so we can be a force to, hopefully, affect things happening anywhere that affects our rights as sportsman. Have you noticed how big the books for Fishing and Hunting regulations are getting? It seems like we can’t do anything anymore.  A rule and law for everything no matter how little sense it makes.  Oregon, at the hands of big money from anti-gun zealots like Bloomberg who recently gave the present unelected Governor $250,000 for her reelection, has been going after your gun rights and they will continue the assault.

What will you get from us? First off you get to be as active as you want in the organization and we would welcome you at any level. But if you want to not be active we understand as we know people are busy with jobs or family so many just don’t have the time. We would hope to get your email and we would notify you of any issues coming before the Fish & Wildlife, the legislator, or any other organization which might affect your rights. We might suggest a simple email to your congressman regarding the issue. It up to you what you do. We also have a facebook page and a twitter page if you are active in those.  We promise not to fill your email box with useless emails.

I want to ask each of you for two things; 1) Please join us as membership numbers mean we have some influence when we speak. 2) Please vote in the upcoming election.  We need to clean up our state legislature.

To make this as painless as I can,  email me at robf259@gmail.com and I’ll get you signed up.  If I handed this letter to you, you can either mail it or send an email to robf259@gmail.com.  If you want to send a donation send to: Sportsman’s Defense Watch, PO Box 304, Newport, OR 97365.  If you want more information email me and I will send info back to you.

Please feel free to send this letter out to like minded people I may not know.  The only big requirement is that you live in Oregon.


Name: _______________________________________    Email: ______________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________

Thank you,
Bob Folkers
Sportsman's Defense Watch
http://www.facebook.com/oregonsdw
http://www.twitter.com/oregonsdw 

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LTE ~ Judge Candidate Ryan Hughes was Libeled & Slandered Anonymously  
LTE ~ Coos Bay Wastewater at a Turning Point
LTE ~ North Bend Airport Manager Might be "Nuts" 
LTE ~ One Very Confused Dick in Coos Bay
LTE ~ Coos Bay Privatization of Wastewater Treatment Plant for Overpriced Lawyers
LTE ~ Flat Income Tax vs FAIRtax ‏
LTE ~ To the Citizens of Coos County
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Saint Helens, Oregon is Being Invaded!
by Chris Brumbles

What is it with Progressive, Collectivist, Communists?  Even though their ideology has not worked since Karl Marx put pen to paper, they continue their push toward a totalitarian government and enslaving our population.

They call themselves Progressive, but they live in opposite world every day and the truth is that they are not progressive at all, but want to regress us back to a time of serfdom and chains. Forgive me for being redundant, but the fact is, you cannot progress further than what our Founders gave us…LIBERTY.

There is more than enough evidence in history to prove my points if you want to take the time to educate yourselves, but if not, just look at all of the people killed by their own governments in the 20th century; more than all wars combined.

I want to bring your attention to two of these Left Wing, Liberty hating groups that has moved into not only Columbia County, but Saint Helens itself. Rural Organizing Project (ROP), and their partner, the Columbia County Coalition for Human Dignity (CCCHD, we’ll just call them the Columbia County Communist Headquarters Division), has recently reared their ugly heads in St. Helens, spreading their idiotic lies.

They had a meeting the other day at the Soil and Water Conservation building on Millard road and they had previously appeared at the Commissioners meeting to oppose the 2nd Amendment Preservation Ordinance that we submitted. At their meeting, my sources tell me that they took pictures of everyone’s license plates, had security that tried to intimidate, told everyone that if they were unruly they would be escorted out, spread propaganda and lies about Patriots, and filmed the people without their permission.

What are they afraid of?

When you practice deceit, it makes you paranoid.

I read the paperwork that this group/s put out and some of it had just enough truth in it that the average person would not know that it is propaganda and is far from the truth. I will only address a couple of the lies that were told at the meeting at this time as most of the lies, I’m sure people knew were lies.

The crowd was told that they had security because previously Oath Keepers had damaged their cars and sliced their tires. That is a total lie…Oath Keepers protect people’s property, they don’t destroy it; we stand for this Country, our community and our founding documents; we defend the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution everyone’s Liberty, and our REPUBLIC.

They claim that we invade counties and intimidate. Another lie, every op OK’s has been on, we were invited. The reason we didn’t help the Hammonds is because they were scared of the threats received from the Government and asked us not to get involved, and on every op, we have had great feedback.

They call us anti-government; nothing could be further from the truth, we are not anti-government, we want the government to stay within its DELEGATED powers…we are anti Tyranny. They said that the good things we have done in communities around Oregon, have been to infiltrate, but the truth is, we are part of our communities and we are trying to bring communities together to counteract the division caused by groups like this and tyrants; unlike them, we have no ulterior motives.

The CCCHD and their friends at ROP are anti personal property, pro privileges for various social groups at the expense of individual rights of others , pro totalitarian government, anti Liberty, anti anything America or what she was founded on…they are Ameriphobes and their websites read like agenda 30.

They are for forced inclusion, which of course is anti personal choice, and they use the word democracy every chance they get even though we are a REPUBLIC, and their end goal is sustained social political power. They are not “inclusive” either; just have your own opinion and see if they let you stay at their meeting, if you can pass the vetting process to get in in the first place.

These people are probably taking our taxpayer dollars to help steal your rights. They either have not learned from history, don’t know history, or don’t care, which makes them either ignorant or evil and their ideology is Dangerous.
Be aware of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, they want Columbia County to be like Portland and there is not a lie they won’t tell to get there.

In liberty,
Chris Brumbles
Columbia County Coordinator
Oath Keepers and OFF
Oregon POC, Oath Keepers

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LTE ~ Mark Daily Running on Two Issues, User Rate Fees & Best Available Tech
LTE ~ Judge Candidate Ryan Hughes was Libeled & Slandered Anonymously  
LTE ~ Coos Bay Wastewater at a Turning Point
LTE ~ North Bend Airport Manager Might be "Nuts" 
LTE ~ One Very Confused Dick in Coos Bay
LTE ~ Coos Bay Privatization of Wastewater Treatment Plant for Overpriced Lawyers
LTE ~ Flat Income Tax vs FAIRtax ‏
LTE ~ To the Citizens of Coos County
LTE ~ Matt Rowe the Only Candidate to Challenge the Authority of the BOC
LTE ~ Gurney & the Voters REJECTED the Finance Director/County Administrator
LTE ~ Proponent Kissing Off Local Concerns About JCEP
LTE ~ More Transparency for the SCCF
LTE ~ Coos Bay School Board Ignoring Parents & Students
LTE ~ Leshley Still Uninformed

From: fred kirby
Date: Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 11:29 AM
Subject: Proposed Waste Water Treatment facility
To: Rodger Craddock <rcraddock@coosbay.org>
Coos Bay Mayor Crystal Shoji:

Dear Mayor Shoji:

As spokesperson for the city, may the people have a response from you re the subject matter and DA Frasier's 26 September letter, as amended, next week?  Are there four lawbreakers sitting on the Coos Bay city council?

In a big bold letters headline on 27 September, The World newspaper informed the people of this planet that, in the opinion of the local DA, four sitting council members "may have broken the law".

I write to you as a somewhat confused taxpaying citizen of Coos Bay.  For the benefit of council candidates who do not have 13 years, or 13 months, exposure to the wastewater treatment facility history and who are being asked opinions; and for the public in general who watch Coos Media recorded council proceedings; and for the readers of The World who go no further than to read headlines and who are begging for a response from their elected representatives; it is respectfully requested that you set, as an agenda item, or otherwise, at the next scheduled council meeting, time for a meaningful discussion of the content of District Attorney Frasier's 26 September letter re the subject matter and provide all council members with an opportunity to respond to the people.

Receipt of a copy of DA Frasier's 26 September letter, as revised, causes grave concerns.  Mr. Frasier who is neither an expert in contracting or in the construction and management of wastewater treatment facilities, in large part, relied on input from the city manager to form his opinions.  For months, council candidate deVriend and I have independently been doing all possible to understand the subject matter.  I am certain that others have done the same.  This citizen has previously expressed written concern to the council and city manager that the current wastewater related "RFP" on the street should have been, at best, a request for information.  I have every reason to believe that the efforts and objectives of Mr. Brick, Daily, Leahy and Vaughn were and are intended to assure that the taxpayers receive the best wastewater treatment facility for the lowest cost over the next twenty years.  However, I consider the latest RFP effort demanded of the city manager to be time wasting and bidder misleading - RFP's are issued in contemplation of a contract award; not to cover a fishing expedition.  MBR vs SBR and privatization will be an immediate concern and decision of the next seated city council.  Related exorbitant citizen user fees that will grow almost 400% in twenty years may also be revisited. 

For clarity, may the people who have read recent The World newspaper articles re the subject matter, including the Frasier letter, who are preparing to vote soon be provided with answers to the following:


Re the DA 26 September letter:


General

DA Frasier acknowledges that he has relied heavily on input received from the city manager when rendering his findings.  Is DA Frasier's letter fact based?  If not, what should be corrected immediately?


Re pages 4 and 5, Section 3, sub items 3, 4, and 5. 
Many of us have been led to believe that privatization of the wastewater treatment facility would result in tens of millions of dollars savings / cost avoidance over the "status quo plan" proposed by city staff.  Which is correct - has privatization (based on an unsolicited proposal by local company DB Western) been found by staff and independent consultants to be ($27,000,000) more than the city plan or is there a fact based lower number for an alternate plan?  And, is the higher $27 million cost caused by the privatization concept proposed by DB Western or is it caused by privatizing combined with a different treatment concept (MBR vs SBR)?  I note that in items 6, 7 and 9 - council member Brick's motions requested proposals, not RFP's.


Re page 5, items 9 and 10 and page 9

Was council member Brick's motion before the council on 20 September written by DB Western?  Was the RFP currently on the street written by DB Western?  Governments across the planet legally release RFP's that have been written by interested potential bidders daily.  If written by DB Western, did an experienced wastewater expert read the proposed RPF and assure the full council or committee of four, of which you were a party, that the RFP content did not give an unfair competitive advantage to anticipated bidder DB Western?  In lines 6 and 7 of item 9, is it correct that only the appointed committee was empowered to prepare a RFP?  Should the DA's comment read that only the committee, a committee of non technical disciplined individuals, unqualified to render technical proposal assessments, evaluate the proposals received, if any?


Re page 6, third full paragraph

I attended all meetings referenced by Mr. Frasier, or I watched meetings as recorded by Coos Media, except one work session.  The city attorney employed by the people was present at each meeting and participated in each meeting discussion.  Certainly one aspect of the city attorney's role is to assure that city business is conducted professionally, ethically, and in accordance with all governing law.  City council members are lay, not legal, folks.  I do not recall any warning by counsel to any council member that the latest contemplated council actions or actions of the appointed committee, including the RFP currently on the street would be outside of public contracting laws.  Published council meeting minutes are in excruciating detail.  Where may we find mention of this lawyer warning to council members?


Recent council action, or lack thereof, causes other concerns and questions re the subject matter - questions to be asked and answered by the next assembled city council.  GOD willing, the next council will be informed sufficiently to make an immediate decision re this matter..


Thank you for helping citizen taxpayers understand the subject matter and the Frasier letter.

Fred Kirby
Coos Bay

Mark Daily, is running for Mayor, City Coos Bay, November 2016. Replacement of waste water treatment plant #2 is on the table. Mark’s issues revolved around two concerns. One,  user rates, fees. Two, best available technology for quality of water discharged into the Bay. 

DEQ, promotes lower standard of discharge quality currently available in the industry as of 2016.  13 years, City Staff proceeded to design a plant of a lower standard, than best available technology, DEQ meets minimum NPDS permit standards, and is offering to in-debt the Citizens of Coos Bay with a one percent loan of 26.1 million to build this lessor quality plant. 

Yes, most of the City Councils members over the 13 years said yes, voting in a fee structure in the summer 2009, and in 2013 a resolution for a 20 year fee schedule at 6.5 percent. 2015, it was pointed out to the Council, 6.5 percent increase, each year going forward would be overwhelming, burdening rate payers.  Several members of the Council acquired magnifying glasses, and started viewing the waste water plant construction plan and fees.

 It soon became clear the current plan cost were high, water discharge quality of a lessor standard, and the sewer fees were designed to pay those high cost.  The seven member council, including Mayor became divided in their views. These two issues, fees, necessary to support cost, and quality of discharged waste water, on one side, and the other side, just move on with the plans as are, with money from DEQ. The Council was split.

 Is there a way to decrease escalating fees and improve discharge, in the short term, 20 years? Yes, privatize the whole operation. Attorney Report, “ Viability of Privatizing”. Currently, a plan called, a DBFO, where a private partner, designs, builds, finances, operates, City owns plant, a shoe, fitting most Councilors foot.

 DBFO, can provide cost saving for rate payers. The DBFO bid process, open to all, meeting the specs of the bid, not limited to bidders from the state of Oregon.

 Mark Daily proposed motion to the Council to initiate a privatized bid for plant #2, to have a comparison of the current project. He then went a step further to make a motion to start this same process, privatized bid on Plant #1, soon, to be required to meet new NPDES permit standards, requiring plant upgrades. Motion did not pass?

Denny Powell
Coos Bay OR, 97420

Subject: Letter to Editor

Date: August 13, 2016 at 3:59:04 PM PDT

City of Coos Bay at a turning point. The long standing practice of taking a cut of the user fees to fund City operation may be in jeopardy. What! Probably you have heard that the Coos Bay Waste Water Plant #2 has been in upgrade planning mode for 13 years.

A waste water, user fee, payment structure was voted into practice in 2009, by the City Council, on the recommendation of City Staff, and other paid consultants. Those fee increases are moving up each year at a six and one half (6.5%) percent increase into the future.

Turns out, the cost of the city paying for the upgrade (total rebuild is required) is horrendously expensive, and the water discharge into the bay is a lower standard, by not using the best technology available.

Four of the current councilors said enough. Surely we can get bids for lower cost for a new plant. That could even lower our user fees. How?

Current method, city staff has proposed, to continue to want to design, finance, build, operate and own the plant. Using user fees to fund, all the wastewater operations.

What if? As clearly determined in the Council Wastewater Treatment Committee Meeting held at City Hall, Council chambers, August 12, 2016, 9 AM, the Coos Bay City Council can decide to go out for bids for a Privatized Waste Water Plant #2 upgrade.

OH! Of several options in the privatization concept, one is called a DBOO, which means the private offer, will be something other than the City of Coos Bay. The private Entity will Design, build, finance, operate, and own the plant.

Then it would be clear, this waste water plant owner, in their bid, would tell the City how much it will cost the users, so clean water can be discharged into the Bay. This will certainly help all to understand and see what their user fee is being used for.

This is very simplistic concept, and the City Council can request bids from private providers who would like to Design, build, finance, own, and operate a Waste water treatment plant here. The Council can compare the current 13 year proposal, and the new concept to see which is best for the future of the users, and the community at large.  

Denny Powell
Coos Bay OR, 97420

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Dear Commissioners Huxley, Brown and Smith,

Please accept this letter as my sincere appreciation for the BOC tasking your valuable time in deliberating over this most important issue and for your patience in hearing the public comments.

County counsel had questioned the county sheriff as being the highest law enforcement official in the land. Please consider the below link defining the official historical role of the sheriff. http://www.nationallibertyalliance.org/countysheriff

On September 13th and 14th, Oregon III% will be hosting Constitutional attorney and speaker Krisanne Hall in Coos Bay. The events are free to all. Please schedule some time to join us then. We'd love to have you as our esteemed guests.

Krisanne is a highly respected authority on the Constitution and travels the country from her home in Florida. Believe me, you will definitely enjoy and appreciate the history of America's founding through the eyes of our forefathers. Once a venue is secured, I'll send you an invitation. Here's her website.
http://krisannehall.com/

Respectfully,
Tom McKirgan
Vice President National 3%
Member: CSPOA Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association

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  Observations on the 2013 Port of Bandon Commissioner Elections  

This note to file may be useful to review in advance of the next round of port commissioner elections in the future.  It does not cover the entire campaign and others may wish to elaborate on, add to, or amend the points below.  

During the recent election campaign for two port commissioner positions at the Port of Bandon, the challengers, Don Chance, campaigning for position #1 held by Reg Pullen, and Jill Halliburton, campaigning for position #3 held by Rick Goche, confronted a number of media-related problems that hampered their campaigns.

Most notable among these were unfair campaign tactics practiced by the Port of Bandon staff and shoddy journalism standards at The Bandon Western World (BWW).  A higher standard of fairness and ethical conduct might have resulted in a different election result.  

To many readers of the BWW during the campaign, it was evident that the BWW was violating journalistic standards in an effort to sway readers to vote for the incumbent commissioners running for re-election. The BWW had the option to produce an editorial in support of the incumbents, which would have made the paper’s view transparent to readers. Instead, the paper repeatedly inserted bias into its coverage. Here are some examples.  

The Port Manager, Gina Dearth, penned a lengthy letter in support of the incumbents that was published in the BWW on May 9. As Port Manager, her job is directly supervised by and is dependent upon the support of the incumbent commissioners. In other words, she has a clear conflict of interest and should have played no role whatsoever in the port elections.  If she did not recognize her own conflict of interest, the chairman of the Port Commission, Robert Miller, should have ensured that she did not participate in the campaign. At the same time, the BWW circumvented its own publicly printed policy of not allowing letters to the editor in excess of 500 words (her letter was far in excess of 500 words) by titling Ms. Dearth’s submission, “Proud of port’s accomplishments; Port Update,” in huge type, and then including it on the Letters to the Editor page of the paper, together with a photo of Ms. Dearth.  

In its April 11 issue, just before the start of the election campaign, the BWW printed a lengthy article on the front page with a byline that read “by Steve McCasland,” and then in smaller print on the next line:  “For The Port of Bandon.” At the end of the article, which was continued on an inside page, the following sentence was included in parentheses: “Steve McCasland assists the Port of Bandon in its efforts to inform the public about matters affecting the agency.” Because most people don’t read bylines or information in parentheses at the end of a long article continued to an inside page, and keeping in mind that Steve McCasland for many years was a paid reporter for the BWW and his byline would be familiar, the average reader most likely concluded that the article was produced by the BWW, not the Port. The article showcased a trip to Washington DC by two port commissioners, including incumbent, Rick Goche, Jill Halliburton’s election opponent, portraying them as staunch lobbyists for much-needed dredging funds. While well written and informative, the article was not independently produced by an unbiased news staff; it was, in fact, a promotional piece produced by the Port and placed in the newspaper at an opportune time: the start of the election campaign. Candidates Chance and Halliburton should have been offered a similar opportunity.  

At the start of the election campaign, Don Chance submitted a letter for publication in the BWW Letters to the Editor Section and then was informed by the editor that his letter would be published only after a letter from his challenger, Reg Pullen, had been submitted. Is this standard policy? Several weeks later, the BWW published a letter from Mr. Pullen, but without including Mr. Chance’s letter. The editor apologized and then printed Mr. Chance’s letter the following week.  The editor’s conduct was unprofessional at best, and worse if intentionally deceptive and motivated by bias.  

The BWW printed two stories in back to back issues of the paper about the recently published book on the history of the Port of Bandon authored by Reg Pullen and Robert Miller as part of the Port of Bandon’s 100th anniversary. The first article, on April 25, was on the front page accompanied by a large photo of authors Reg Pullen and Robert Miller. On May 2, the following week, the BWW published another large photo of the authors on an inside page. No doubt, the book’s publication was newsworthy, but both articles essentially covered the same ground; the timing and extensive coverage gave the appearance of favoring the incumbent candidate, Reg Pullen.  The formal celebration of the Port’s anniversary will be in early fall. Two articles on the same topic with large photos seemed overkill.  

All candidates were given a deadline for submission of responses to questions prepared by the BWW and the resulting Q&A was published in the paper on May 9.  Mr. Chance and Ms. Halliburton submitted responses by the deadline, but, through an oversight, their bio information was not submitted, although it was available and had been used in their campaign. As a result, the bio information for the challengers was listed as “not available.” Certainly, a one-line email reminder to the candidates would have promptly produced the bio information. The editor’s decision not to make the extra effort seemed petty and not in the interest of BWW readers.  

In its May 16 issue, the BWW published a lengthy letter by incumbent commissioner, Rick Goche entitled, “Fact vs. Fiction at the Port.” In his letter, Mr. Goche listed his views of “facts” about the port and his accomplishments. By titling this letter “fact vs. fiction,” the implication was that Mr. Goche presented the facts and the challengers offered “fiction.” Presumably, the BWW was responsible for the heading of the letter.  

Collectively, these incidents reveal a pattern of bias that has no place in a well-run newspaper. 

Signed Anonymously....