By Tom Henderson • Staff Writer • 

Debate heated between two of three council candidates

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Comments

Joel

Before reading this article I was leaning towards Sal. Now I'm leaning towards Chenoweth. I couldn't agree more with his take on that mess on Alpine Ave. I had no idea that it cost millions. What a waste.

Jim

There’s a whole lot of folks in McMinnville that know what a waste of money Alpine Avenue was. The money for this was hidden in a city wide street improvement bond and probably would have failed miserably on its own. The Cook School Remodel and Alpine Avenue are still the biggest waste of taxpayer money in the last 25 years.

TTT

My child's elementary classroom doesn't have A/C and the temperature even on a day like this starts in the mid 70 degree range and hovers in the high 80 degree range for much of the day. I really wish the school district would have considered A/C for all children before they embarked on other district wants. I consider A/C a need when the windows barely open.

Alpine could have waited.

Joel

In the older neighborhood between the courthouse and the high school their are several intersections that are completely uncontrolled...four way intersections with no stop signs on any of the four corners. Its been that way for years. If the city council had millions burning a hole in their pocket, you'd think that they would start with buying some stop signs instead of that Alpine Avenue thing.

Trafik

A sitting city councilor can’t use the word “re-elect” on his signs? Seriously? This manufactured issue of semantics smacks of tactics used by those who have difficulty debating actual issues. Sal was appointed by the council, as directed by procedure — a de facto election by those already representing us. He can hardly say “re-appoint” on his signs but I’m sure there are folks who’d love to debate that, as opposed to real issues.

Whether any of us like it or not, McMinnville is moving toward a tourism economy, largely based on the wine and hospitality industries. We can dig in our heels and pine for the old days when Turkey Rama was the highlight of the year or we can accept the inevitable and shepherd our actions to gracefully and prudently move McMinnville into the future. Sal Peralta is the only candidate able, willing and actually prepared to do this.

As for the Alpine District, yes, the amateurish signage looks tacky but the larger vision is crucial to our inevitable economic growth. Without this planning, that growth will happen but it’ll take the shape of strip malls with mildew-streaked, backlit plastic signs and endless parking lots. I know that’s just fine for some but I’d prefer a managed approach with an eye toward quality, sustainability and good taste.

I could be wrong, but I understand Chris Chenoweth has imposed a ban on himself from any setting where alcohol is served. If this is incorrect, I’d love a clarification. But if it’s true, how can a man opposed to merely appearing alongside a glass of wine be at all effective in shepherding a city increasingly dependent on the fruit of the vine?

While Peralta moves left of me on a number of issues, I have absolute confidence in his ability to lead this city into a reasonable and prudent future. The alternative candidates are earnest but utterly unprepared.

Joel

Trafik, What does the word "re-elect" mean? It means the people have already voted for you in a previous election and are now given the opportunity to keep you or make a change. I'm no expert in political science but I would bet that incumbents seeking "re-election" are usually more likely to win. Mr Perlata was NEVER elected so he can not be re-elected. I don't know him and I don't know any of his challengers but I personally find that little slight of hand on Mr Perlata's part to be very concerning. In my opinion, it either shows that he is not attentive to detail or worse it may show that he is not afraid to bend the rules when it favors him.

Trafik

Joel, Peralta was appointed by the council, a body of elected officials acting on our behalf. The council elected him, as a matter of procedure. The use of the term “re-elect” on Peralta’s signs indicates he’s a sitting city councilor (which he is) and that he was elected (which he was, by the council, using a legal appointment procedure to fill a vacancy).

I do not believe Peralta’s use of the term is at all disingenuous and am, frankly, surprised others find it to be dishonest. On the other hand, splitting this semantic hair could be construed as a clever diversionary tactic from an opposition unable to hold its own in meaningful debate. I find that worrisome.

I have the mobile telephone numbers of three of our city councilors in my own phone’s directory — Sal is one of those. I know him well and I can attest that Sal’s attention to detail borders on the obsessive. Where most of us would be content to skim a 350-page legislative bill, Sal would read every freaking word. This is precisely why he's well-suited to serve on the council.

Joel

Trafik, I truly respect you but that first sentence in your last post is a demonstration of some seriously amazing mental gymnastics.
He was appointed by the existing council to fill a vacancy. He was not elected. It's that simple.

Joel

In fact, not only was he never elected to the city council, if my memory serves me right he has ran for various office's many times in Mcminnville and has lost every time. I may be wrong on that, so feel free to correct me.

Joel

Actually, on closer review, the mental gymnastics spans your first three sentences.

Joel

Was Gerald Ford elected President??

Joel

Wow. That really got me agitated. I'm done venting now, I promise.

Bill B

So, what exactly is wrong with service industry jobs?

Mac Native 66

First off, WELL SAID Jim!
Peralta praised the project, but Chenoweth said it was the perfect example of a wasteful pork project. “I’m frankly just shocked that my opponent would stick his hat on opposing really one of the most consequential developments we’ve had in this city in quite some time,” said Peralta.
“To a lot of people in McMinnville, when they look at that project, they think, ‘I gave you money, and you spent a million dollars a block for that?’” he said. “The next time you come to them for money, unless you do a really good job between now and next time, they’re not going to want to give you money again because they’re seeing waste,.”
>
Second off, this piece of work (Councilor Remy Drabkin is running unopposed) is just as guilty and needs to be replaced.
So, to all who don't unseat Remy, you're just as guilty as she is, PORK BARREL SPENDERS!!!!!!!!

Trafik

Joel, you’re defining election solely as a general popular vote. I am using a broader definition to include special circumstances like filling an unplanned vacancy.

Most legislative bodies have clearly defined legal procedures to fill unexpected vacancies. In these cases, the existing body (our city council) is made up of elected officials (we voted them in) and they hold an ad hoc vote specifically to fill the vacancy. They are holding a de facto election on our behalf. I find this neither irregular nor difficult to understand. It has nothing to do with party, personal ideology or any divisive issue — it just fills a vacancy.

I do not find it disingenuous for Peralta to use “re-elect” on his signs to indicate his true, legal, voted-on incumbency. If the situation was reversed and Chenoweth was the appointee, I’d feel precisely the same. This is much ado about nothing — unless you’ve got a weak, stuck-in-the-past platform and need a red herring to deflect attention from substantive matters.

Bill B, I had the same thought — a tourism economy will, by definition, be weighted to the service industry. Service industry positions can absolutely be living-wage jobs.

Mac Native 66, Chenoweth is your man. No need for any high-falutin' future planning when everything was just fine before the dang wineries came around. Back in the 1960s.

Trafik

Actually, Joel, on further reflection, your Gerald Ford analogy might be appropriate. Was Ford elected president on a straight popular vote? Of course not. Was he elected as part of a ticket where a clear line-of-succession meant he’d assume the title if circumstances dictated? Absolutely. In effect, Ford was elected — just not in the most direct sense of the term.

Likewise, we elect our city councilors, aware a protocol exists for them to fill unexpected vacancies and trusting them to act on our behalf to elect an appropriate appointee, if circumstances require. Hence, Peralta was elected by our council — acting on our behalf — as part of a clearly defined protocol to fill a vacancy. Obviously, Peralta’s name wasn’t on any general-vote ticket, but our duly elected representatives duly elected Peralta on our behalf. Although we don’t always agree with them, when we elect them, we grant them permission to act for us. And, if I’m not mistaken, Peralta earned a unanimous vote.

Not the clear-cut election of a general election popular vote but a legitimate proxy election nonetheless.

Regardless, I know Sal to be an honorable man. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t trying to fool the McMinnville masses into thinking they’d previously voted for him in that role. More likely, he was trying to find a simple way to highlight his incumbency.

Oregonian

"Re-elect" is misleading in this situation.

Mike

I walk up Alpine all the time, the project runs several blocks, not just one block. As I understand it the project is the first infrastructure investment in a 25 year plan. Should the city invest to entice businesses to an area? One business persons opinion might be yes because it means profits and local jobs. Another business person might say no it is waste of money to bet on a 25 year plan which may never happen. Our country was built by risk takers and people with vision of a better future for their children. Just as there are folks who see the Alpine project as a waste of money, there are folks here in McMinnville who see develop giving hope for a vibrant future which will help keep our children living here.

Jim

Projects like the one on Alpine would be fine if they had some merit in their planning. It’s an attempt to continue the never ending banter of tourism as our only hope of McMinnville being economically sound. The laughable Project on Hill Road is another attempt at trying to make our Community look like Bend or some other high end tourist town. Hill Road should have been planned as a belt way around the town and not some artsy fartsy Street filled with planters and stamped concrete. The farmers,log trucks and big delivery trucks need a way around town not right through the middle of it. We need to vote for people on the city council that want to take care of all aspects of city business and not just focus on tourism.

Reporter Starla Pointer

Trafik, you're probably too young to remember that Gerald Ford, who had been speaker of the House, was appointed to replace Spiro Agnew as vice president in the Nixon administration. He was approved by the Senate. Nixon resigned the next year, making Ford president. The only time he ran on a president/VP ticket, he lost to Jimmy Carter.

Lulu

Chris Chenoweth's narrow and conservative religious tenets prevent me from considering him an acceptable candidate in any competition. Can't you just picture him saying, "No, thanks, Jesus; I'd rather have a Sierra Springs"? Yet again, we are dealing with another pompous, paternalistic bunch trampling women into continued convenient subservience. The fact the females accept this treatment makes it even more reprehensible. We should expect council matters and opinions based on actual life here and not some personal agenda cobbled from his favorite book, the Bible. God doesn't smell the landfill or get stuck in traffic jams in Yamhill County; people do. Furthermore, acting unhinged over the "hidden" intention of the word "re-elect" is a distraction unconnected with this election. Choose rationality: Vote for Sal.

Joel

Lulu, Religiphobic, bigoted hate speech is not acceptable here or anywhere else in civil society. I find your comments as offensive as if you were to attack a candidate based on their race.

Trafik

Good grief, I go away for awhile and return to a minor maelstrom.

I hate making mistakes but I’ll own this one. Thanks, Starla — I stand corrected and offer apologies to Joel. Reagan’s first term was also my first vote and I was relying on a fogged memory to recall the Nixon/Ford/Carter era as opposed to a far more prudent Google search. One word for me: Duh.

While I applaud Chris Chenoweth’s energetic efforts to present a unifying message as his campaign theme, I am troubled by his stated belief that homeless people are “being shipped here from Portland” with no verifiable evidence (see comments: https://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=to-tow-or-not-to-tow--1536884986--30737--) and his insistence that local crime is on the rise (see: https://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=homeless-problem-won-rsquo-t-be-solved-by-hyperbole--1537549529--30857--) in spite of evidence to the contrary. Both statements suggest a disconnect with reality, a belief in sinister conspiracy theories or just a dishonest use of fear to win an election. It’s difficult for me to overlook this.

Further, can anyone verify or debunk my earlier statement on Chenoweth’s alcohol policy – that he will not enter a facility where alcohol is served? While I deeply respect religious conviction, an inability to neutrally address alcoholic beverages in a noted wine region would almost be a deal-breaker by itself — too many economic factors are tied in to the local wine and brewing industries. Blessedly, my own church uses actual alcoholic wine for Eucharistic purposes so I am not faced with a similar dilemma.

I know Sal Peralta to be an honorable man of intelligence, drive and humility. While he’s further left than I would prefer, I know he’s already doing a bang-up job on the council — no need to prove himself to me.

Reporter Starla Pointer

No worries, Trafik -- and no Googling, either; I lived through the Nixon/Agnew/Ford era. On another note -- a humorous one -- the only time I ever had wine (or any alcohol) was during communion, when I mistook the white wine for the water that comes out of my tap, rather than choosing the nice, fresh grape juice. Yuk!

Trafik

When I was a kid, I somehow got my hands on one of those floppy (yes, floppy like a thin sheet of vinyl) promo record albums entitled "Spiro T. Agnew Speaks Out on Radicalism." My brother and I would set it to play at a speed higher than it was recorded and laugh our heads off at this angry guy who sounded like a chipmunk. :-)

Mac Native 66

Trafik, Councilor Remy Drabkin is the biggest reason for Alpine Ave looking so uglier now then it was before the make over. It's a shame no one is running agents her now.

Yamhill Truth Serum

Don't forget that Sal Peralta's vote can be bought heck if they want to overturn the bag ban grocery stores could pad Sal's pocket and the vote could change just like that, presto chango. If businesses want smoking banned all they need to do is come up with some incentive money. Don't forget Sal's pay to play scandal in 2010 where he was acting as the head of the Independent party of Oregon and offering his parties endorsements for money. Take a look for yourself.
https://oregoncatalyst.com/3317-Kitzhaber-Scandal-5000-Independent-Party-pay-out.html
Sal is dishonest plain and simple the guy couldn't even be honest on his campaign signs his signs say "Re-elect Sal Peralta, Peralta wasn't even elected he was appointed and in fact, Yamhill County voted No to Sal every time he ran for anything. It just goes to show that often times leadership simply doesn't care what constituents have to say as long as they get their personal philosophy represented. Yamhill county spoke but were ignored. If you don't believe me about all this believe Steve Allen

"Ours is a government of checks and balances. The Mafia and crooked businessmen make out checks, and the politicians and other compromised officials improve their bank balances". Steve Allen

Lulu

Oh, bull. Politics has no business in religion and religion no place in politics. I want assurance our city councilors are working in the best interests of all citizens and not simply a specific few sharing some kind of bizarre moral agenda. No sweetheart deals and nobody considered more equal than others.

T.W.S.

Lulu - you have quite the cynical view of an awful lot of people, yes you have indeed.

Mudstump

Chris Chenoweth, has reached deep into his "political resume bag of knowledge and experience" and what does he pull out to dazzle the electorate?....the words "re-elect" aren't quite fitting for his opponent to use in this campaign. Really? Is that all you got? Does he have anything more than an obsession with definitions? We need big thinkers not micro-managers.

Mudstump

Lulu - "Oh, bull. Politics has no business in religion and religion no place in politics."

I agree. Pulling out the religion card is a dis-qualifier in my book.

Trafik

If I’m not mistaken, Yamhill Truth Serum, both the Republican and Democrat parties filed complaints against the Independent Party of Oregon at more or less the same time, for more or less the same reasons — to discourage the IPO and those who would support them from joining the two-party fray. Further, then-Secretary of State Kate Brown — even then no friend of Peralta’s, given his long-running and outspoken support for the opposition's Knute Buehler — dismissed the complaints. People donate to political parties all the time and a near-equal number of people file complaints, just because they can. Makes for good sound bites but little substance — much ado about nothing, kind of like the hair-splitting “re-elect” debate.

Really, Chenoweth supporters? This is all you can come up with?

Speaking of Chenoweth supporters, can anyone confirm that Chris Chenoweth observes a self-imposed ban on entering premises where alcohol-containing beverages are served? I would love to have this debunked if it’s not true. But if it’s accurate, the more I think about it, the more I believe a man with a moral aversion to wine is incapable of leading a city with wine as its signature industry. That’s a deal-breaker.

Mike

This is a classic American political discussion. Increase the negatives. Trash talk your candidate's opponent. Then defend against the trash talking. Who is the most pragmatic candidate? Do you want some who is pragmatic and flexible? Do you want some one who is fixed in their beliefs, beliefs you agree with? The election is getting close. The ballots are on the kitchen table. The next two weeks will be such fun.

sbagwell

Alpine Avenue is a city project. The money could not have been spent on AC or anything else in the local schools, as they are governed by an entirely different entity, the McMinnville School District.
Steve

Lulu

I think Truth Serum must have mixed in some grape Kool-Aid.
I urge you to peruse Facebook for Abundant Life Fellowship--you'll find some fascinating reading about the group--both from the followers and the critics. Ask yourself afterward if someone from this fundamentalist organization could handle city applications and proposals with an open mind, or if all his rulings are filtered through a killjoy dogma solely intent on finding and ferreting out evil right here in River City.

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