Giving thanks can be a window to politician's soul.Byline: COUNTY BEAT By Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard For a glimpse into the psyche - or at least the political philosophy - of a county commissioner, look no further than the list of people that outgoing board Chairman Peter Sorenson chose to honor at the end of his one-year term wielding wield tr.v. wield·ed, wield·ing, wields 1. To handle (a weapon or tool, for example) with skill and ease. 2. To exercise (authority or influence, for example) effectively. See Synonyms at handle. the gavel gavel small mallet used by judge or presiding officer to signal order. [Western Culture: Misc.] See : Authority . Sorenson gave out a slew of certificates after delivering the annual State of the County address this week: He singled out several county employees for special efforts to keep the skids of county government well-greased: information services' Tony Black for his "extraordinary management skills"; recording secretary Melissa Zimmer, "a fixture at all commissioner meetings - we can't even have a meeting until she's there"; and the county's public information officer, Melinda Kletzok, for her nonstop HP's brand name for its fault-tolerant servers, which range in size from four CPUs to 4,000 CPUs. The NonStop line was created by Tandem Computers, which was acquired by Compaq, which later became part of HP. production of information about county issues and programs. His pro-environmental stance came through as he presented awards to Aimee Code -the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides' right-to-know coordinator, who cajoled and harangued the commissioners through adoption of an herbicide-as-last-resort policy - and Jan Nelson, a volunteer on the county's Public Health Advisory Committee, who worked on the same issue. Eugene Councilwoman Bonny Bonny (bŏn`ē), town, SE Nigeria, in the Niger River delta, on the Bight of Biafra. In the 18th and 19th cent., Bonny was the center of a powerful trading state, and in the 19th cent. it became the leading site for slave exportation in W Africa. Bettman won recognition for her "shepherding the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard name change" through the council, as did citizen mega-volunteer Scott Bartlett, who also got kudos for service on the county's budget committee and heading the controversial Lane County Animal Regulation Task Force. In sheer numbers, the bulk of Sorenson's thanks went to the leadership of the county's many employee bargaining groups. And in an homage to the past, Sorenson ended by honoring two former Oregon Democratic members of Congress. Eugene attorney Charles Porter Charles Porter may refer to:
Porter got a big laugh when Sorenson said Porter had been one of the first people interviewed on the well-regarded television news show, "Meet the Press." Out of the audience came the ever-crusty Porter's quick retort re·tort n. A closed laboratory vessel with an outlet tube, used for distillation, sublimation, or decomposition by heat. retort a globular, long-necked vessel used in distillation. - "The first." Attorney union opposes across-the-board cuts Speaking of unions, the county commissioners invited all of their employee bargaining units A bargaining unit in labor relations is a group of employees with a clear and identifiable community of interests who are (under U.S. law) represented by a single labor union in collective bargaining and other dealings with management. to comment on the specter of another $4.6 million cut from the general fund if Measure 30 fails next month and local revenues continue to lag behind costs. So far, only the Lane County Prosecuting Attorneys Association has responded, but with some pretty sharp language. "We need strong, courageous leadership from you," says a letter from the deputy district attorneys DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. The Act of Congress of March 3, 1815, 2 Story L. U. S. 1530, authorizes and directs the district attorneys of the United States to appoint by warrant, an attorney as their substitute or deputy in all cases when necessary to sue or prosecute for the United . "We need you to stand tall and recognize that tough choices must be made. We understand that if you exercise no leadership at all, across-the-board funding cuts will have to be made to balance the county budget. Such cuts will guarantee that no department will have the resources necessary to provide quality service." The letter says the most important services are police, jail, courts and probation, and they should be protected this time around "even if that means 100 percent of the discretionary general fund is dedicated to law enforcement." That's not the advice - legal or otherwise - that the commissioners have followed so far. They recently instructed department heads to draw up preliminary budgets that cut 9 percent from last year's numbers. New tourism ideas could get funding Got an idea for some way to bring more tourists - and their money - to Lane County? The competition's now open for community groups, individuals and organizations to apply for grants to make some of those projects happen. County commissioners have decided to earmark earmark taking a piece out of the edge or center of the ear with a punch as an identification mark. The shape of the mark may be registerable under local legislation. $94,700 from the tax on hotel and motel rooms and campground spaces to try to bring even more room-tax dollars into the county. Completed applications for a portion of the grant money must be submitted by 5 p.m. Feb. 4. The grants will be awarded in early March, on a matching-fund basis. Applications may be obtained at the Lane County Parks Division offices in Armitage Park at 90064 Coburg Road, at the Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
For information, call Loralyn Osborne at 682-2000. Randi Bjornstad can be reached at 338-2321 or rbjornstad@guardnet.com. |
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