1 On Feb 8, 02:31 pm, Uncle Walt wrote:

Now, is this following Hardy Meyers’ practice of rejecting multiple signatures when one is invalid? Or were all 74 rejected signatures actually invalid? And is a 14% rejection rate “normal”?

3 On Feb 8, 03:08 pm, THartill wrote:

Were all 74 rejected signatures actually invalid? Or were some rejected under the Hardy Meyers theory that you can reject multiple signatures for a single invalid one?

Not sure about that one…

And is a 14% rejection rate “normal”? Seems high to me.

That is pretty close to normal, maybe a little high because both CCfog and the Daily A first reported that people could sign it from both District 3 and District 5.

The problem is that you don’t know the rejection rate on most ballot measures. Of the ones that get the go-ahead, the Clerk stops counting after they get the necessary amount. Only the ones that fail to get enough valid sigs can you check for a rejection rate.

The civil union ballot measure which was 100 sigs short had a 11.2% rejection rate.

5 On Feb 8, 04:23 pm, The Guy Who Writes This wrote:

Funnier yet, the 300 votes did get counted and 4-123 failed by an even larger margin, and with the same supporters, the signatures were counted and they failed again. How much will this special election cost us? When are they going to realize that they must stop making end runs around democracy with their constant and unending campaigns of revenge?

7 On Feb 8, 05:38 pm, Patrick McGee wrote:

And what was that degree of failure Guy?

How many votes?

What was it, 48 to 52%?

Just curious don’t you think?

Maybe not.

Geez Guy, one epiphony after another. One of your alter-egos dating one of Carrie’s?

9 On Feb 8, 06:04 pm, THartill wrote:

Thanks Scott for the update…

Can the group just find 2 of the 17 people and turn those in witht he right date info…or are those names now invalid?

11 On Feb 8, 07:33 pm, Jon Dana wrote:

Jennifer Bunch must have been collecting those signatures, seems she can’t keep her days straight.

13 On Feb 9, 05:32 am, The Guy Who Writes This wrote:

Patrick, it’s like being a little bit pregnant. Either you are or you are not. They lost and then they failed, and judging by the public opinion I’m hearing out there, they we will lose badly again. I haven’t heard anyone outside of their group who is supporting them.

All this aside, I would still like to know just how much their “shenanigans” is costing the tax payers this time.

15 On Feb 9, 03:31 pm, scott wrote:

“Oh Brother” is pretty ignorant to the way the petition and recall process works.

The signature sheets are custom built for each issue, or for each commissioner to be recalled, with a signature of the chief petitioner, the issue, etc… so therefore it would be impossible for one of the sheets to be sitting around anywhere for any length of time previous to their approval by Nicole Williams. From the day approved you have 90 days to collect the required number.

But if you didn’t want to just spew crap you would’ve checked that yourself at the Elections Office instead of just runnin’ yer mouth – now wouldn’t you have?

Concerning the number needed: we’ll submit more than required just to be sure it’s done.

And by the way OhBrother – as far as I can tell there’s no sign here telling me to keep out aside from a few invective-spewing ignorami – I stopped coming here and now I’m back for as long as it suits me to do so and I promise that it probably won’t be long , given that I really can’t stand to think that I’m posting where Carrie Bartoldus seems to be taken seriously. Not to mention the fact that the place is still infected with anonymous-posting cowards. Have a nice day.

PS – Tryan: 35 hours plus another 35 volunteer? Slacker. I do apologize to you for the “looper” remark though, I was somewhat outta line on that – but only slightly, given what passes for insightful comment in here.

17 On Feb 9, 05:02 pm, Phil wrote:

You reading between the lines or something, scotty? Where in Oh brother’s post did he say or even imply you were being kept out? YOU’RE the one that said YOU don’t read here anymore, idiot.

Do you drink before you post? While you’re posting? or what? As far as taking Carrie Bartoldus seriously, it’s okay to admit doing so, you’re joining the 6,999 that took her seriously and the 1,416 over Sam’s 1,249 in their district that took her seriously. That was the largest margin of any precinct in the whole county. So, you’re finally in winning company.

You gonna have the OPEN government courage enough to admit Jen Bunch was with you guys at that Calpine meeting?

19 On Feb 9, 07:02 pm, Wildman Of Williamsport wrote:

Yes, Lil’ Scotty is the voice of Josh Marquis and Cindy Price.
He is a minion. A bot.

21 On Feb 10, 09:31 pm, Peter Huhtala wrote:

Hello Anon – I’m from Astoria. I’ve lived here about a half a century. I reside in the district that Mr. Lee is being recalled from representation. Nearly all of those that support the recall are locals, but there are some newcomers (only been here thirty years or so) and a few that just showed up in the last decade. If you are referring to those that signed the petition to demand recall, all the verified signatures, swiftly collected, are of course from voters that live in District Three. We’re all citizens and neighbors that care about our communities. I consider it my unfortunate civic duty to seek Mr. Lee’s removal from office. I guess that I don’t understand the point of your question, Anon.

23 On Feb 10, 10:48 pm, Anon wrote:

Just would be very interesting to see where those people who posted there names on the “we support the recall” list are from, thats all… Take it for what its worth.

I understand that signers of the recall petition have to currently live in district 3. My question is: How long?

Peter Huhtala: Have you ever had to work for a living?

25 On Feb 11, 12:54 am, John wrote:

No Peter, that isn’t true. You can say that all you want but we have the words of Scott Reuter that counter yours. He has said, from the moment that the 4-123 petitions were on the street, “First “we” are going to get back Marquis’ money, then “we” are going after the commissioners who took it away from him.” Then we have Marquis’ emails in which he says, “they can suffer the consequences”. Just because this time he was a little bit smarter and isn’t leaving a paper trail doesn’t mean he isn’t there. He shouldn’t have let Scott blab all over the internet, he shouldn’t have tied himself to the ballot measure, the same people shouldn’t be at the core of this recall. There is a trail, not as blatant as the last one, but the stink is still there.

27 On Feb 11, 09:14 am, Anon wrote:

Peter:

Thank you. I respectfully disagree with you on your point that we will lose more jobs than we will gain. I dont believe we will lose a single job. Tourism based, low paying, or otherwise.

Its just a bit strange to me that the same people are for the recall (for the most part) that were for Cindy Price, Yes on 4-123, and anti LNG. I’m beginning to see a patern, thats all. I think the voters in the county and district 3 are sick of this. The commissioners are doing a good job. (except for Sam Patrick, he needs to go)

Would have supported a recall on the port commissioners because of their LNG vote? That time you waited for the election and took a run for the seat. You lost, but I respect that and I think that is what elections are for. This recall is just bad for our entire county and I hope it goes down hard.

29 On Feb 11, 05:45 pm, Peter Huhtala wrote:

Higher end tourism related. Recreational fishing, especially businesses that cater to wealthier out of town sport fishermen. Retail merchants and small businesses owned by those who value the quality of life here, and will not tolerate the attitude of military security needed to create the illusion of safety for tanker transit. There are also business people that have semi-retired here and are employing contractors to improve the properties that they have purchased; I’ve spoken with some who would leave if LNG comes in. We also could lose out on high-tech relocations or start ups operated by corporations attracted to the unique and irreplacablle environment we enjoy. There’s more, but I must go to a meeting. Please don’t bother to get me into an argument about exclusion zones, shoreside security and the like. Read Richard Clarke’s report to the Rhode Island Attorney General.

31 On Feb 11, 08:09 pm, Peter Huhtala wrote:

Anon! We agree on one thing: We don’t want CCA to ban gillneting on the Columbia. As for the rest of it, why it almost seems as though we live in different worlds. I can see that you are intelligent and articulate, so I persist in this communication. LNG does not equal natural gas. It is a processed fossil fuel primarily derived from foreign sources. Its life cycle carbon loading approaches current coal burning technology; exceeds total relative loading if we factor driving up natural gas prices in China and India,thereby encouraging use of older, dirtier coal technology. LNG is not a solution to global warming, it is yet another problem.
Oh yes, we have a second point of agreement: I like to watch the ships go by as well. Best fishes!

33 On Feb 11, 09:43 pm, Smith wrote:

Peter and Patrick, do either of you heat your homes or hot water with natural gas?

35 On Feb 14, 04:05 pm, Anonymous from CA wrote:

I apologize for not giving my name, but I am new to town, originally from CA, have lived on earth less time than most of you have lived in Astoria, and would prefer not to have any anti-CA crosses burned in my front yard. (Sort of a joke, but the tone of some of these posts is kind of not that funny to me). I also require a job to pay my bills, and I wouldn’t want my prospects ruined.

I would like to say though- I don’t live in Lee’s district, but I’d like to see him recalled. I could go either way on LNG, I think its bad to cut Marquis salary but that he should probably leave the area if ppl hate him so much.

I really don’t think Bunch has an issue with Lee because of her mom and the DA- things aren’t always conspiracies. Could it be possible they have philosphical differences that have put them at odds and it has become increasingly personal? Isn’t it obvious that planners and developers tend to think a little differently? Leave her mom and the DA out of it! I want the guy out of town just so we can talk about other things without that coming into it.

I think people tend to support things like LNG, Lee, and more development because they are probably a little more conservative, and others are anti-LNG, anti-Lee, more pro-environment and controlled growth than development, and pro-DA, because they are more liberal. Or did I mess some of that grouping up?

My point is voters don’t “conspire” to be pro-life, anti-gun control, and anti-taxes- some stances just tend to go together because people with a certain ideology tend to apply that world view to everything, not just one issue.

Not everyone from CA is “ruining” your town- I’m pretty sure a lot of jobs retirees are leaving wouldn’t get filled by locals without newcomers. Change isn’t always that bad- sounds like most want the economy to improve, and educated workers help that. If my college education was paid for by the state of CA (and it was) then isn’t that better that I used all those CA tax dollars and then used my skills in OR? What kind of newcomers would you prefer- I suppose people who aren’t active in the local scene, don’t care about the town and have no education? Maybe some druggies? Am I less of a person because I was born somewhere else (I thought CA was part of the USA?). Outsiders are so welcome when you agree with them, but once you don’t its all about where people where born.

Furthermore, if Lee is such a local (and he sure does seem to be a “good ‘ol boy”) why is his cell phone based in Florida? Check out the record of the phone exchange between him and Ed Wegner in the report (the thick one by Goldsmith). The area code googles as Florida. And I heard Lee was from Texas originally (that’s right- those stupid Texans, coming up into our perfect town!). And to even drive home the weirdness of the pro-Lee anti-outsider stance even more: Lee is anti-planning. Texas doesn’t even have zoning. Texas is anti-planning. Texas and Lee are anti-planning. Oregon STARTED planning. No state has more planning than OR. CA doesn’t have planning laws at all as strict as OR. You can thank your Oregonian governor Tom McCall for it. So how can CA outsiders be accused of “ruining” the area, if “ruining the area” is being PRO-planning? Sorry, thats an OR standpoint, not a CA standpoint. And Lee’s anti-planning standpoint is pro-Texas, not pro-Oregon. Get your state-bashing fact right! Now if your argument is that the N. Coast is not like the rest of Oregon- now that makes sense!

One last thing: Lee’s choice of words in the report (the thick one again). He says the DA “ran his wife against” him (yeah, right before he places his absurd conspiracy theory in the minds of the community about Bunch’s mom… paranoia-inducing weed anyone?). Let me quote it again “He ran his wife against…” Um, does anyone else notice that’s a pretty wrong way to characterize it? So she had nothing to do with it? So the wife just does the husband’s bidding? Should she just get in the kitchen and make her husband some pie already? Could it be that the DA’s wife decided to run and the DA supported her aspirations? Or must it be that the DA used her for his political means (I know thats how the Lee’s roll, with the wife doing the husband’s county-staff interfering). I know, I know, those damn liberal commy feminist Californians. Sorry guys, I just can’t seem to turn it off. Its just that in CA, wives have their own jobs, independant of the husbands. In some states, women and men even vote for different presidential candidates. But I guess in Astoria women having the vote is a moot point since we all vote/hold grudges as a familiy unit. Maybe I’ll spare you all my horrid contributions and go drown myself in the river we all love to fight about.

-Evil young CA newcomer

37 On Feb 14, 11:12 pm, chuckles wrote:

I think its damn funny how the DA’s wife is independent of him, yet Lee’s wife is assumed to be glued to him. The same womyn yipping that gals can be independent howl that “LEE” did something, when it was his WIFE who supposedly yelled at the director. They associated Lee and his wife as one and the same, but can’t understand why others associate the DA and his wife as the same. Did you notice that about yourself?

Another thing, idgit, Lee’s family came from Germany before settling in Walluski almost 150 years ago. The gossip you misheard, possibly, is one of Lee’s children having lived in Texas. Furthermore, every single person who I know that thinks the DA should be paid by the state and if he wants more should apply to the state for it, dislikes LNG, has a college education, has travelled and lived elsewhere, works their fingers to the bone struggling to make it through each paycheck, consider themselves liberals voting accordingly and over half the people I know have cell phones from somewhere else because they have a cheaper number or are on a FAMILY plan with someone. I don’t know very many “liberals” that support the death penalty for mentally unstable people and for children (as the DA does), personally, but maybe your idea of liberal and mine are different. Since you obviously don’t know Lee, have obviously never talked to him, I think if you plan on staying here and continuing to contribute to the growth of the community you will stay away from those who think their main contribution in life is writing on blogs and forums and instead will GO to a meeting or two, MEET these commissioners in person and TALK to them. You could try stopping on by Lee’s office or out at the RV park. He’s not just the commissioner for his district, he’s on the BOCC, which is for everyone and you have a right to voice your concerns to his face and listen to his answers.

39 On Feb 15, 01:13 am, Peter Huhtala wrote:

Chuckles, think this through: Richard Lee got himself in this mess. His wife yelling, threatening, demanding someone be fired – or not – can’t be compared to an individual offering their service by running for public office, except to acknowledge that each of these women are independent people. It is a risky commitment to run for office, and your family should participate in the decision, but it is unfathomable to think that one spouse could “run” another.

Anon from CA: Don’t worry, we gave up cross burning in the early 60s, as some might recall. We stopped shipping Asians to California decades before that. Someone did torch the Socialist Hall and a few Chinese gillnetters “disappeared,” but that was 75 and 100 years ago. When I was a kid in the 50s, there was one black man in town. Jack shined shoes and swept hair in a barber shop. He was quick to call himself the N-word and eventually the downtown merchants bought him a weekend in San Francisco before he passed away.

Today, the John Birch Society isn’t in the phone book. This town is much more diverse and respectful of newcomers and new ideas. I’ll admit that you’ll find some on these blog-things that never learned the meaning of ad hominem, let alone the concept of avoiding it in argument. But our culture has changed dramatically and local politics will ultimately follow this progressive trend.

As for LNG, you are incorrect in categorizing the opposition as liberal. Many conservatives that value the quality of life here and envision a graceful transition to a more prosperous, sustainable future, were among the first to speak up against the LNG speculators. There are also a smattering of people who are registered Democrats, and perhaps think of themselves as liberal, who believe that LNG import could be a good thing. Opposition to LNG has united some unlikely allies, as has the realization that we must recall Mr. Lee if he chooses not to resign. I suppose that strange alliances have emerged on the other side of these matters as well.

In the end this division will pass and we’ll learn to respect each other a bit more. I suspect that if we’re really going to heal, us locals will have to face up to the travesties of our past and apologize as best we can. Perhaps it is our reluctance to repudiate those ugly secrets that makes us so cold and distrustful as a community when those from other parts of this country and planet come to live among us. Welcome, Anon from CA, do not be afraid.

41 On Feb 15, 10:02 am, Peter Huhtala wrote:

I think that a publisher would show me the door for using such worn cliches. I’d better hold off on the book. How about you?

43 On Feb 16, 01:24 pm, Far Man wrote:

Peter
I thought you lived on Althenda which is not in Lees district. Did you re-register in his district?

45 On Feb 16, 01:53 pm, Uppertown Love Machine wrote:

On Feb 16, 06:49 am, 007 wrote
Peter, .... Be your own man and tell us why The Daily Astorian would not print or even report on the E-mails of Josh Marquis.