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Comments
Mot
This is good news!
Mr Johnston has done a great job here in Yamhill County during this current service.
We are super blessed to have him. Let's get out the vote and be sure he returns the service people!
Drew
Thank You, commissioner Johnston! You have our votes. Keep up the good work.
manyhands
Do not vote for Kit!
On October 2 Yamhill County Commissioners Kit and Mary Starrett added a Yamhelas trail item to the commissioners' meeting after the initial agenda publication. No information on the trail, which is dear to many Yamhill County citizens' hearts, was included in the meeting packet.
Mary and Kit voted to direct Planning Director Ken Friday to repeal an ordinance concerning the trail project and remove it from the county’s TSP. Citizens at the meeting called Mary's and Kit's process, "sneaky." County Commissioner Bubba King voted no on the item.
The good news is, Yamhill County's nine planning commissioners must hold a hearing to allow citizens to submit letters and testify. (Stay tuned for the date of the trail hearing, to which you can send letters and attend to testify in favor of the trail.)
The bad news is, county planning commissioners are appointed by Yamhill County Commissioners.
I say this because in 2023, Mary, Kit, and county commissioner at the time Lindsay Berschauer appointed six candidates with jaw-dropping conflicts of interest and lack of qualifications to the county parks advisory board. The appointments included Lindsay's husband and Celine McCarthy. Celine, who owns farm property along the proposed Yamhelas trail, and her husband, Greg, who was convicted in federal court the previous year of financial fraud, were among the largest campaign finance donors to Lindsay, according to the News Register article "Commissioners engineer takeover of parks board; two resign in protest."
All we can hope is a large outpouring of letters and testimony will convince the planning commission to drop any allegiance to the commissioners and recognize two very important things: Yamhill County citizens and businesses have indicated repeatedly they want and would benefit greatly from the trail.
Vote for Marvin Bernards!
manyhands
Do not vote for Kit. He aborts what YC citizens want and supports what big money wants.
A little background:
In 2023 newly-elected Chehalem Park and Recreation District (CPRD) board member Jason Fields (who is now running for YC commissioner) voted down the simple walking bridge.
At a CPRD board meeting Jason snarled to longtime CPRD superintendent Don Clements, “... That bridge idea is dead… I’m not in charge right now, but I’m telling you for sure we are going to kill the bridge idea.”
Why such vicious opposition to a park improvement by a new park board member and now a candidate for YC commissioner?
Because approval of the footbridge might lead to approval of other bridges and trails in Yamhill County. And some big-money campaign contributors are adamantly opposed to one trail in particular - the Yamhelas Westsider Trail.
It is widely known that one source of big money in YC politics is the George family, which owns and operates one of the largest hazelnut processing companies in the country.
George money in the 2023 election went to supporting the election of Jason and YC commissioners. The contributions have paid off handsomely for the Georges, with Jason decimating the walking bridge and Kit working stealthily with YC Commissioner Mary Starrett to get rid of the Yamhelas trail.
Voting down the walking trail is the polar opposite of what Yamhill County citizens want, Don told Jason.
Same goes for the Yamhelas Westsider Trail -- as 3,200 signatures in favor of the trail attest.
Please attend an open house Wednesday, November 19, to show your support for the walking bridge.
The open house will be held 5 to 7 pm at Chehalem Park and Recreation District (CPRD) headquarters, 125 S. Elliott Road, Newberg.
The park district will also host a virtual open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 20 via Zoom by visiting tinyurl.com/msdxzd9x. The meeting ID is 842 3129 7328.