THE OCEANSIDER: County Selects Finalists to Replace Commissioner Yamamoto; ONA Forms Emergency Response Network

By Jerry Keene, Editor, The Oceansider

The county has announced six finalists in the process to replace retiring County Commissioner David Yamamoto. Yamamoto announced his intent to retire by the end of the year in an open letter published several months ago. Under state law, the two other Commissioners (Erin Skaar and Mary Faith Bell) must select a replacement to serve until Yamamoto’s term expires at the end of 2024. They invited eligible county residents to submit a resume and letter of interest by September 14, and 16 people responded. The Commissioners then offered applicants a one-on-one interview with both Skaar and Bell.  Earlier this week, the county issued a Press Release announcing the selection of six finalists. It also announced dates for a public candidate forum  (Oct. 12th ) and panel interviews (Oct. 16th ) with the Commissioners before they make a final decision. The county declined to identify the applicants who were not selected as finalists and has not yet provided background information on the finalists themselves. We have listed the Finalists below with relevant background information available – the Tillamook County Pioneer will be sending the finalists it’s “Questions for the Candidates” – watch for further information:

   Paul Fournier – recently retired Tillamook County Deputy Sheriff
   Ken Henson – former General Manager of Pelican Brewing Company
   Jerry Keene – retired attorney, former President of Oceanside Neighborhood Assn.; member of county STR Advisory Comm.
   Paul Levesque – retired Chief of Staff for Till. Co. Board of Commissioners
   Doug Olson – current member, Tillamook PUD Board of Directors, Tillamook County Budget Committee
   Matt Williams – no confirmed background information as yet

The Candidate Forum is set for October 12 from 5-8 p.m. at the PRI Building, 4506 3rd Street, Tillamook, and by remote viewing.

The Panel Interview with the Commissioners is set for October 16, 5-8 p.m. at Tillamook Comm. College, 4301 3rd Street, Tillamook, and by remote viewing.

ONA Team Announces a “Giant Step Forward” to Establish an Oceanside Emergency Response Network  

Experts anticipate that a natural disaster, like a wildfire, earthquake or related tsunami, will probably isolate Oceansiders from the outside world and also from each other when our already-spotty cell phone signals fail completely. Led by Oceansiders John Prather and Rob Hoeper, the ONA Emergency Preparedness Team has reached a major milestone in their plan to assemble a network of neighborhood volunteers equipped with handheld radios to maintain emergency communications during disaster events. As The Oceansider previously reported, the Netarts-Oceanside Volunteer Firefighters Association recently agreed to purchase handheld radios for the project. Those have arrived. This week, the ONA Team conducted field tests from every part of Oceanside to confirm their transmission range.  Hoeper and Prather are thrilled to announce that volunteer neighborhood monitors with such radios will be able to communicate with the central ONA volunteer station on Maxwell Mountain Road (the “hub”) from all areas of Oceanside – ranging from Radar Road north of the Village to the gated entrance at The Capes!  This was a crucial step and clears the way to continue with the plan.

The ONA Team has already divided the Village into “sectors” and is recruiting a volunteer monitor or “sector captain” in each one. During a disaster event, each sector captain will have agreed to quickly patrol their assigned neighborhood and use their radio to alert the central ONA volunteer station of situations that require emergency responders. The central volunteer station will collect and relay such reports to the Netarts-Oceanside Fire Department (NOFD) emergency operations center for an appropriate response.

In an interview with The Oceansider, Fire Chief Tim Carpenter wholeheartedly endorsed the ONA plan. “Communications is key in every type of emergency.  We’ve needed something like this citizen network for years. I’m really happy to see the community step forward to fill that need and will give it any support I can.”  For further information, email the ONA Emergency Prep. Team at robhoeper@gmail.com.

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And that’s the view from Oceanside!

www.oceansidernews.com
jerrykeene@oceansidernews.com