Letters to the Editor: May 17, 2024
Nothing accomplished
Almost two years ago, County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer survived her recall election by approximately 1,600 votes. The people who voted for Lindsay should ask themselves what she has done for them since then.
Her big-dollar backers could claim they’ve gotten to sit down with her for a meal or some such, as repayment for their support, but the rest of us haven’t had that luxury. Nothing of any substance seems to have gotten done in a county with a $189 million budget.
Here’s hoping we don’t find ourselves this same question again because Lindsay has gotten re-elected. Vote for David “Bubba” King instead.
Philip Haynes
McMinnville
Wise choice
Yamhill County families and farmers need strong leadership and experience to protect our communities and spend resources wisely. Yamhill County is a special place with special communities and elections provide an important opportunity to choose proven leaders.
As interested voters, we attended candidate forums in McMinnville and Newberg during April and May. The candidates for county commissioner were very well differentiated during those events.
One came off as very talented, informed and prepared. Qualified and experienced, she exhibited traits of a strong leader and manager. The other simply didn’t.
We need competent, tested leadership and representation. The choice is vividly clear: Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer is the best candidate for Yamhill County commissioner.
The News-Register, even after these very telling opportunities to hear the candidates, made a big mistake by endorsing a candidate who is not qualified or ready. His lack of knowledge of the county government and his inexperience are too risky.
Being a leader is sometimes about making difficult and controversial decisions for the good of the community. That is why we elect people who can think independently, ask questions, communicate effectively and reason well.
It is not all about spending and taxing more or chasing short-term supposedly “free” money. It is about making difficult choices and making government accountable to the people.
Our families have served, lived, learned and farmed for generations in Yamhill County. We support the proven, intelligent and capable Lindsay Berschauer.
She represents the welfare of all citizens, farmers, industries and businesses.
We encourage you to dig deeper than the newspaper and filter out the noise to form your own opinion. A vote for Lindsay Berschauer is a wise choice.
Steve Belt
McMinnville
Lee Schrepel
Yamhill
Leader instilling pride
As a business owner and taxpayer, I’ve had enough of the careless and wasteful actions of the current board of commissioners.
We need the board to be taking action to address addiction and homelessness. Instead it is de-funding programs working to address the problem.
Our businesses and families are suffering due to these actions. We are already severely underserving our community, and can’t afford to now lose more funding.
I want a commissioner who is pro-farmer, pro small business and pro Yamhill county. This makes my vote for Bubba King one of my easiest choices.
He conducts himself with integrity, he’s truly non-partisan, he advocates for everyone in the community, and he remains calm under pressure.
He knows and loves Oregon. He wants to work together to find solutions for a diverse community. He will work for the people who will hire him — the voters and the taxpayers, not a few special-interest folks.
He is a candidate who will follow the law, value ethics, ensure the safety and security of this county and be a leader we can be proud of. Vote for Bubba King!
Lisa Pool
McMinnville
Time for a change
It is time for a change to a new commissioner who does not shut down, ignore and vilify those whose views are different.
It is time for a change to a new commissioner who recognizes and listens to the myriad of citizen viewpoints in this county.
It is time for a change to a new commissioner who does not denigrate fiscal conservatives not blindly following her leadership.
It is time for a change to a new commissioner who understands that those who hold center and left viewpoints should also be heard.
It is time for a change to a new commissioner who does not push cronyism.
It is time for a change to bring back the values of civility and courtesy.
It is time to vote for Bubba King.
Sidonie Winfield
McMinnville
Comments
manyhands
3 reasons you should NOT vote for Lindsay Berschauer for County Commissioner:
1. Lindsay's campaign includes significant donations from the farming community. Donations from the George family, owners of one of the largest hazelnut processing companies in the country, have been prominent in her previous campaigns. Nothing wrong with that. Where it becomes very, very wrong is when she represents only the big money that helped get her get elected and blatantly ignores the wishes of the citizen majority.
2. Here's one example of how Lindsay serves her wealthy farmer campaign supporters and ignores pure and simple betterment for citizens: In 2020 Lindsay killed the Yamhelas Westsider Trail, even though construction had already begun and it meant returning hefty private donations and a $1.5 million grant to the state. She killed it because her farmer supporters are against having regular people (ugh!) sully "their" lovely county. She killed it even though an online petition in June of 2021 gathered more than 3,200 signatures in favor of the trail.
3. Lindsay appointed six candidates with jaw-dropping conflicts of and lack of qualifications to the county parks advisory board. One of them is her husband. One of them is Celine McCarthy. McCarthy and her husband, Greg, who was convicted in federal court last year of financial fraud, were among the largest campaign finance donors to Lindsay.
4. There are many more examples of this politician's wily undertakings. You'll find them in Mac's News-Register newspaper. Keep informed. Everybody rise up and vote for Bubba King.
manyhands
Steve and Lee:
In your letter, "Wise Choice," you wrote, "We encourage you to dig deeper."
I encourage you, dear fellows, to dig deeper and list facts. Buzz words such as "proven leader" are useless.
You wrote, "One came off as very talented, informed and prepared . . . The other simply didn’t."
Can you please give an example of how Lindsay was "talented" and Bubba was not? How about an example of how she was "informed" and Bubba was not? Same for "prepared."
You wrote, "Yamhill County families and farmers need strong leadership and experience to protect our communities."
There are lots of Yamhill County citizens who are not "families and farmers." They are the ones who need protection.
For example, in 2020 Lindsay killed the Yamhelas Westsider Trail, even though construction had already begun and it meant returning hefty private donations and a $1.5 million grant to the state. She killed it because her farmer supporters are against having regular people (ugh!) sully "their" lovely county. She killed it even though an online petition in June of 2021 gathered more than 3,200 signatures in favor of the trail. And on and on with the wily undertakings.
A vote for Lindsay is definitely not a wise choice.
yamhillbilly2
Steve & Lee, your cute little mailer arrived at our home the other day and your statement of “she represents the welfare of all citizens” is a pretty blatant lie. Why does she never meet with any of the people who do not agree with her?
treefarmer
Always appreciate the views expressed by those who write these letters. It appears that the incumbent has two levels of support: - those who find her cronyism to be HIGHLY advantageous for them, - and those who base their vote on name recognition (proliferation of huge in-your-face signage) coupled with the failure to understand the extent to which she has abused her power and mismanaged our county government. And why does she never meet with those who don’t agree with her you ask, (yamhillbilly2)? I recognize that as a rhetorical question, but for the record, the answer is that it would be a total waste of her imperial time since she has never shown the slightest intention to represent us or address our concerns. Sure hope she is about to be de-throned, I for one, am repulsed by the fact that our taxes pay her salary with no return on our investment.
Lulu
"Repulsed" is the perfect word regarding Berschauer.
fiddler
Lindsay always blames the N-R for her failures! Seriously, she does. When N-R reporters meet with her she blames the paper.
She comes across as intelligent, and I believe she is, but she is misguided and egoistic and that leads to dishonesty. I don’t trust her.