Students of Clackamas Community College need Measures 66 and 67
All of us must be fed up with claims and counter-claims regarding Measures 66 and 67. The claims that aggravate me most are the ones that state funding increased during this biennium and that state-funded programs and employees have taken no cuts.
I am on the elected Board of Directors of Clackamas Community College. The state support for CCC went from $18,813,000 down to $14,419,000. That $4-million-plus reduction was covered by our three collective bargaining units at the college voluntarily, no strings attached, forgoing cost of living adjustments for the year.
Those COLA increases were in the contracts ($1.2 million in savings).
In addition, 14 positions from the previous year and 12 newly vacated positions were frozen — no replacements ($800,000 in savings). Staff reductions of classified, full time faculty and exempt employees saved $1.3 million per year. Other efficiencies saved approximately $1.1 million.
We also, unfortunately in these economic times, had to approve a tuition increase. Despite the decreased class sections necessitated by the cuts, and the tuition increase, Fall 2009 FTE (full time equivalent students) increased by 12 percent over fall 2008. Winter 2010 FTE is up 25 percent through the second week of the term versus winter 2009.
Clackamas Community College is doing more with less. Measures 66 and 67 will allow us to keep doing what we are doing. If these measures fail, Clackamas’ additional cuts will be about $1.95 million. The impact will be real and unavoidable for those students who need our services to improve their educational qualifications and ability to find jobs. I do appreciate the contributions of our employees and those campaigning for the measures. These facts are all in the public record and readily available.
I hope a few honest numbers will help you vote yes for Measures 66 and 67.
Ron Adams
Board of Directors of Clackamas Community College
Politicians should start heeding the warning signs of concerned voters
Throughout 2009 we saw independent and conservative voters turning out for what was called a tea party. Many on the far left of the political spectrum were laughing and belittling this movement and said that it would not pick up momentum.
What started with the original Boston Tea Party of 1773 that helped spark one of many reactions that lead to the American Revolution and continued through the 2010 victory of Scott Brown’s win for Senator of Massachusetts on Jan. 19 that rolled over the Kennedy political machine with the help of the Tea Party group and other conservative voters that were fed up with the overspending, back room deals and no openness of this administration. I hope this will be a wake up call to our representatives who have followed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi like a puppy dog on a leash. Doing her wish without even reading the bills presented for vote.
My Fifth District Representative Kurt Schrader, who is being paid more than $127,000 per year with very good benefits, can’t take the time to read the bill to see how it will affect the people of his district.
Shame on you! It will be a short time until November 2010 and we’ll say goodbye Mr. Schrader.
George Abbott
Molalla
Molalla Ju Ju Warriors Mat Club grateful for community support
On behalf of the Molalla Ju Ju Warriors Mat Club coaches and team members, we would like to thank the following organizations for their support at our youth wrestling tournament on Jan. 16 where 507 youth ages 3-16 from throughout the Willamette Valley and Southwest Washington came to Molalla to compete: Molalla Communications Company, Molalla High School wrestling team and families, Molalla Moose Lodge #1277, Cutting Edge Fitness, Northwest Dental Clinic, Bentley Feed Co., Faulhaber’s Lawn Maintenance, Bear Printing, Inc., Molalla Bi-Mart, Molalla River Middle School wrestling team and families, Molalla High School athletic secretary and custodians, Molalla Booster Club, Molalla Police Activities League and most importantly our mat club coaches, wrestlers, and family members who have given so much during the season and really stepped up at the tournament!
Thank you so much!
Beth Faulhaber
Molalla Ju Ju Warriors Mat Club
How much longer is the city going to waste the taxpayers’ money?
There is a recent long and telling e-mail conversation between DLCD and Molalla’s lawyer that shows, yet again, the appalling waste of public monies and disrespect to public agencies that is the ongoing hallmark of Molalla’s comp plan process.
On Jan. 13, DLCD’s Jennifer Donnelly wrote an e-mail that questions the methodology of Molalla’s 50-year urban reserve proposal. Another e-mail chides the city for failing to work closely with Clackamas County to produce an acceptable coordinated plan.
If you care about the misuse of your tax dollars in a time of recession, you should be highly concerned. For Molalla to continue to spend money, via consultants and lawyers, to defend a 50-year projection based on fantasy is a slap in the face of every taxpayer.
Why dump a surprise pile of plans on the county that professional county planners will have to wade through with a big red pencil? What will the city do when the red-penciled plans bounce back — spend even more money on lawyers to defend the indefensible?
What are you, the local resident, more worried about — needed parks, road repairs, and sidewalks or how much money a good old boy may glean from a land deal 50 years from now? How long can you afford to make up for lost system development charges or to pay new fees so Molalla can “loan” money to the bankrupt planning department to foot yet more lawyer bills?
Planning nonsense sent forward to the county means the money hemorrhage to defend land speculators’ dreams will only grow larger. If the city council wishes to prove it works for the good of everyone, it must do some hard analysis before it allows an untrained planner and an “I-get-paid-no-matter-what” lawyer to humiliate Molalla at county hearings.
It’s all about your money — don’t you wish Molalla cared enough about your bottom line to stop the 50-year planning madness?
Susan Hansen
Molalla
Letter to the editor about PDX theft incident didn’t tell the story accurately
Editor’s note: This letter is in response to a letter to the editor written by Bridgette Bunnell and a related news story that appeared in the Molalla Pioneer on Oct. 21, 2009. Bunnell and Jose Romero, both former airline employees, pleaded guilty to theft charges.
My name is Consuelo, I am the wife of the man who was accused of the PDX thefts, I just wanted to let you know that I am not here to descriminate against anyone, nor am I here to blame anyone for anything, I just want the truth to be said. Jose (co-defendant) became friends with the defendant in 2004, they worked the bagroom together. The defendant was never a supervisor for the bagroom so I don’t know where you got that information from. She was just a plain ole’ co-worker like everyone else, In the defendant’s letter that you so graciously posted in your newspaper, she stated that she never did anything wrong, and that she was framed, and that the whole judical system is against her as well as the employees of NWA/Delta.Well I am here to tell you that is false. No one planted anything in her home, no one forced her to sell things on e-bay; She did that all on her own. I am not saying that what Jose did was not wrong. I am not trying to make him look like he is innocent. Jose is paying the price for what he did, but the truth of it all is he is truly sorry for what he did. He even went as far as publicly apologizing to the victims and his co-workers, who went through all of this.
Jose has never held a grudge for her turning him in. He has found it in his heart to forgive her for that. He doesn’t even blame her for the bad decision that he made. He only blames himself. On the other hand, she needs to come to terms with what she did and stop blaming everyone else for her own mistakes. And as for the judicial system being corrupt, that’s wrong. It’s not corrupt — it works — but only if you are willing to tell the truth and cooperate.
Consuelo Romero
Vancouver, Wash.
Writer clears up misconception about adult center newsletter
It has come to my attention that the errors in recent issues of the newsletter published by Molalla Adult Community Center are believed to be my responsibility.
For several years I served as volunteer proofreader. I was replaced more than six months ago and I have no connection with any of the newsletter preparation. My reputation as a professional proofreader does not deserve to be tarnished by inaccurate assumptions.
Vera Erickson
Molalla
Foothills Community Church thanks community for support at Christmastime
Foothills Community Church would like to extend a heart felt “thank you” to the entire community for joining forces with the following business’ to bless the families in need for Christmas: Century Propane, Country Christian Key Club, Cutters High School Pharmacy, Employees of Sunstone Circuts, Girl Scout Troop 40435, KGW-Great Toy Drive, Like That Productions, Molalla Bowl, Molalla Fire Department, Molalla Les Schwab, Patrons of The Spot Tavern, Rite Aid Distribution Center, Ross Coleman Invitational, Rotary Club of Molalla, Safeway and Windemere Reality.
We are excited to share that 197 families were blessed with Christmas dinners and gift boxes this year; 733 people of which 357 were children.
In addition to the Christmas box, a surprise food box was given to each family when they came in to sign up for Christmas!
This brings the total to 374 food boxes blessing our community!
Thank you for your gifts, time and prayers. We look forward to serving with you next year.
Foothills Community Church