Budget committee weighs options for shoring up future city budget shortfalls

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 24, 2025      

The financial pressures bearing down on Independence should be taken directly to residents in a clear and informative way so that the public understands why for-sale signs will soon pop up on park land and buzz will begin about a new levy, according to a discussion Tuesday night by the city’s budget committee.

The meeting– a financial roundtable discussion– arrived at a time when property-tax bills have been issued. And, according to information submitted by the county assessor, a significant number of property owners will see an increase in their property taxes this year.

Independence has the highest tax rate among all cities contained in Polk County, at 18.1129 for 2024-2025 with an uptick to 18.2506 for 2025-2026. 

In the second of three financial strategy sessions, direct calls for action came from some budget committee members not on the city council. “No matter what we do, we are going to squeeze citizens,” said Dana Sharman, one of several residents serving on the budget committee. The committee is composed of all the city councilors and an equal number of volunteers from the community. Sharman seemed to call for openness as the city proceeds, and suggested a list of reference points from the city finance director might be helpful as he speaks with residents. 

The city budget already has a declining General Fund – it is expected  to be at least a million dollars short of its target goal by the time the budget committee convenes to adopt a new budget this spring, city Finance Director Robert Moody said. 

One tentative conclusion so far: A new levy is needed. “We can be forthright about what we’re doing,” said Erin Seiler, who moments before said she felt a levy was the only way to preserve city services, such as parks and the proposed combination of the Independence Library and the Heritage Museum. Seiler later pressed for a way to allow residents to ask questions about debt and spending. 

Though the city has resisted adding a new fee to shore up the finances, Budget Committee Member Bradley Karkanen wondered aloud what it would look like if a fee was imposed – the fee could be added to the utility-bill mailings. 

He acknowledged that this wasn’t an alternative currently being considered, but it could be part of a “useful conversation” to know, he suggested. “What is the fee, if we were to solve it that way?” he asked. 

City Councilor Dawn Roden warned that “there is really anxiety over our water bills.” Financing for the city’s new $44 million water treatment plant lies ahead, she noted. 

But city council members largely weighed in on obstacles that have made maintaining fiscal stability a challenge. Mayor Kate Schwarzler said wetland areas have been a barrier to commercial development in industrial zones; Councilor Evan Sorce noted that state money is drying up – Oregon will have to do some major belt-tightening of its own due to looming “revenue challenges”; Councilor Marilyn Morton observed that Independence has a high number of home businesses, compared with other cities. 

There are generally no state-wide restrictions on home-based businesses – permit requirements for operating one are largely left up to individual cities, according to the related Oregon statutes. 

Councilor Roden revisited a question about cost-savings from a four-day work week, with Friday closures at city hall for all but the police department. Roden has called them “three-day weekends” for some staff. 

Councilor Shannon Corr pointed out that the schedule may be an important retention tool for parents. However, when implemented at other public agencies at the state, such as the Oregon Department of Human Services, the four-day work week there doesn't include closing buildings – employees are given a choice of days so that the operations can continue for a five-day work week.

A Trammart News inquiry wasn’t answered by the city communications director about whether the idea was explored for an in-person four-day work week, in which the days could be staggered  for the city to continue a five-day operational week.  In reply to a Public Records Request by Trammart News the city showed some predicted savings in the cost of utility services for Friday closures. 

The tentative decision to deal with the impending financial needs is to place city park land for sale, with signs easily viewed by the public. But could it be seen as a need for a levy or a threat against not passing it? That’s a risk, said Moody. It could be that “people perceive it as a threat,” he added. ▪ 

GUEST EDITORIAL

for Trammart News Service, October 24, 2025      

Introduction: At times, a trio of individuals at council meetings seem to have targeted City Councilor Dawn Roden, or so it seems to Trammart News. 

Councilor Shannon Corr acknowledged this week she set in motion the recent censure of Roden; City Manager Kenna West spent time at the last council meeting verbally chastising Roden in what appeared to be a retaliatory way; Mayor Kate Schwarzler has taken Roden to task periodically and, in TN’s opinion, provides an ineffective example when doing so. For instance, at the last city council meeting, the mayor interrupted Roden as she weighed in with her own evaluation of the city manager – an evaluation Roden had been told to provide only moments before. 

If I personally sound sympathetic to Roden – someone who I also have criticized for her blunt-spoken ways – it is because she so ably points to the elephant in the room and is often the lone voice in doing so. Just how long can a money-strained pachyderm be allowed to lumber? 

Maybe now it’s coming into full view, trunk to tail. 

Last year, the budget committee all but ignored Roden’s suggestions for cost-cutting – and continually endorsed the city-recommended plan, praising the process. 

This year it may be different. 

On Tuesday, members of the budget committee not on the council – Erin Seiler, Dana Sharman, among others – raised sharp points that signal important questions.

You can read about it in the article on the financial budget strategy session, also in this Friday issue.

In the meantime, here’s an editorial by Roden, who explains her motives for being what could be described as the elephant-spotter who speaks up. – Anne Scheck, Trammart News Service

A Council Member's Perspective: Speaking Up for Independence

Facing Challenges as a Council Member

Before I was elected to the city council, I understood that my victory would place me in a challenging environment. 

The council had long consisted of the same individuals, and as a newcomer, I brought concerns about our city's debt and its track record on major issues. For years, I believed our debt was excessive for a city of our size, though it was only in the most recent budget cycle that other council members acknowledged the severity of our financial situation. 

I am convinced that my constituents did not elect me to simply accept the status quo; instead, I strive to scrutinize every proposal and consider how each decision affects the people of Independence. When I question policies or actions before the council, it is not a personal attack on staff members, despite accusations to the contrary.

Responding to Accusations of Difficulty

Recently, the city manager publicly labeled me as a difficult council member, directly addressing me during last Tuesday's meeting and suggesting that my statements negatively impact her and the city staff. Her remarks, delivered during a discussion about her performance and salary increase, felt unprofessional and off-topic, further highlighting a lack of transparency in our meetings. 

To be clear, I do not work for the city manager, and my intent in raising questions or objections is not to harm her or any staff. I seek answers to make informed decisions regarding our tax dollars and strive to ensure policies serve the people of Independence.

The city manager’s approach has made my role more challenging, as I am now required to direct all inquiries through her, limiting my access to staff opinions. Furthermore, she insists that any questions from council members be addressed in public meetings, yet it appears I am the primary councilor subjected to this rule. When I attempt to present material to council, I am often blocked for not following procedures, despite using the same methods as other councilors who are permitted to present. This singling out is unwarranted.

Recently, I was denied the opportunity to read a resolution condemning political violence during new business and having council vote on the resolution. Although I followed the rules, such a reading would have been meaningless during council announcements, as we cannot act on resolutions at that time. My goal is simply to encourage peaceful disagreement and responsible governance. A simple request that was denied.

My Commitment and Values

I acknowledge that I sometimes make mistakes. However, my dedication to Independence remains unwavering – I cherish our city, its people, and our unique traditions and diversity. It is never my intention to hurt anyone, nor is it to remain silent on issues that I believe are wrong or contrary to our community’s interests. Guided by my faith, I act with conviction, trusting that I will be redirected if I am mistaken.

Addressing the Recent Complaint

I filed a complaint, which was discussed at a recent council meeting. Some have questioned whether grievance was necessary. While it may seem insignificant, I believe it is important to consider how the situation would be viewed if roles were reversed – had I physically tried to prevent someone from leaving the civic center, I am certain the consequences would have been more severe. 

I recently watched the video of the interaction, and I admit it is very difficult to see due to the angle. I did not feel the physical contact was meant to “comfort me,” as stated in the sheriff’s report. I believed they were trying to stop me from leaving the building. Even though law enforcement determined the incident was not criminal, I shared my truth and perception of the event. 

I felt I had the right to stand up for myself and request that such interactions do not happen again. My hope is that by addressing these issues, they will not occur again, and I am prepared to move forward and hope there will not be retaliation. 

Clarifying My Intentions Behind Criticism

For instance, disagreeing with the city planner’s vision for historic Independence is not an attack on his character. I oppose the proposed “more houses, same neighborhood” code change and do not support building townhouses or ADUs in every backyard alleyway. This is a matter of opinion, not a personal criticism of him as a person. 

While I respect the city planner as an individual, I am concerned about the influx of Portland consultants seeking to reshape Independence. Ultimately, it is up to our residents to voice their preferences if they wish to prevent such changes. I am also greatly concerned with the debt of the new water treatment facility.

I believe this can only be funded and maintained by vastly increasing the population and size of Independence. If this growth does not occur, I fear what our water bills will look like. If this huge growth does occur, do we lose our small-town feel and overwhelm our schools and other infrastructure? Again, these are my concerns, not personal attacks.

Similarly, my criticism of the police regarding a local sex offender’s use of the library’s address and physical location was not an attack on their integrity. My goal was to protect children by referencing state laws, which led to the individual being relocated. I appreciate our police, but I felt they erred in this instance. 

When expressing disappointment with the cost and design of Sunset Park, I was not disparaging staff or the park commission. Instead, I aimed to highlight the unreasonable expectations placed on a single employee responsible for maintaining all our parks. My comments about the park’s jagged rocks, horizontal, very short, and sometimes scalding hot slide, and overall expense were intended to address practical concerns, not to undermine anyone’s efforts.

Some argue that the use of system and development fees (SDCs) for Sunset Park means its cost is not a major issue. However, I believe we could have allocated some SDCs to improve ADA accessibility at River Front Park's playground. 

My questions to the city manager regarding closing the civic center on Fridays were not personal attacks, but an effort to understand how such decisions benefit our general fund. 

The manager’s explanation—that savings may take up to two years and could extend the elevator’s life—seemed insufficient. I do not support three-day weekends for salaried employees if it does not serve Independence’s residents.

Additionally, I question the justification for a 5% pay raise for our city manager when we can’t even budget to prioritize public safety and our library. My dissent is not personal; it is my responsibility to advocate for effective governance for the benefit of everyone in Independence.

Clarifying My Relationship with Local Media

There have been allegations that I collaborate with Trammart News. I want to clarify that I have never influenced their reporting or editorial decisions. While I engage civilly with the editor, I do not control their content. 

I believe the editor is committed to informing Independence residents and operates independently. Their reporting has at times criticized my actions or inaction, demonstrating that I am not above scrutiny.

If it seems that their coverage focuses on me, consider whether this is due to the attention placed on me by the city manager and other council members. I have, for many months, may I say years, been the favorite target of some attacks. 

Encouraging Civic Participation

In closing, I want to make it clear that I do not intend to resign from the city council unless absolutely necessary. 

Serving in this role has been difficult, and I often reflect on how I can better serve our community, be a smarter councilperson, and learn from experience. 

My greatest regret is being the sole dissenting voice; I recognize the need to recruit individuals with diverse perspectives for our council and boards. I will work more diligently to bring more and different people to the discussion. 

This is where your involvement is crucial. 

I encourage you to consider running for local office in the upcoming November 2026 election, with three council positions and one mayoral seat available.

Additionally, please consider applying for the planning or budget committees. Please note, the sitting mayor has the sole vote to put people on commissions or boards. If that does not change it will be difficult to get diverse minds on these boards. 

Diversity of opinion is so important! It is time for you to step up, this is our turning point – together, we can build a stronger Independence. I cannot do this alone. It is time for you to help! ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 24, 2025      

. 

Update on Indy Days 

The city’s time-honored Fourth of July celebration, Independence Days, will go forward under a newly formed non-profit organization called “Friends of Community Parks” now that it’s no longer a city-sponsored event. 

It’s a welcome development and a big relief to residents, so Trammart News asked the head of the new non-profit to weigh in on how the plan will be carried out. 

This year’s Independence Days will duplicate the 2025 celebration, explained Susan Graham, president of the non-profit, already nicknamed “Friends” or “FCP” by some of those involved in it. 

Graham’s comments came after a city resolution approving the change – a "Memorandum of Understanding" passed unanimously by the city council at their last meeting. The approval of the plan followed a presentation this fall to the city’s “ad hoc” committee – the committee formed in the wake of the announcement that the city was bowing out of the event. That decision was made at the conclusion of the city’s last budget session, as one of several cost-cutting measures. 

The ad hoc committee included several city council members and some volunteers from last year’s Indy Days Committee. 

“Although we already have agreement from many longstanding volunteers to repeat their involvement, we will also call for new volunteers to join from all over the community,” Graham said.

In approving the resolution, the city officially passed the responsibility for the Fourth of July holiday festivities on to the new Oregon nonprofit. The corporation is awaiting receipt of their  IRS 501c3 determination letter. 

In general, a Memorandum of Understanding or MOU outlines the intentions, roles, and objectives of the parties involved, clarifying the project's goals and responsibilities, Graham explained. 

Under the MOU, the city may provide property ranging from a portable stage and security fencing to other items at no charge, but technically, it’s at the city's discretion to share these items. 

Experienced volunteers with “a strong understanding” of how the past Indy Days event was carried out already are on board, Graham said. 

Volunteers will take over roles previously held by city staff. “We are extremely happy with the level of information sharing that has already been provided to us and are excited to get even more community members involved with this important event,” Graham added.

One change is that security won’t be provided by the city. In meetings with the Independence Police Department, it was determined that experienced private and contracted security services will be used inside the park. Independence Police will handle their responsibilities outside of the park. 

Social media will be used and there will be signs around town explaining how to get involved. “We will also cooperate with various community organizations to get the word out,” Graham said. “We will also put out a call for volunteers to sit on the Friends of Community Parks Budget Committee,” she added. 

Update on city grants

Almost $17 million in grants has rolled into city coffers over the past three years, with a positive impact on nearly all city departments, said Assistant City Manager Shawn Irvine, who also serves as the city’s economic development director. 

In a report at the last city council meeting, Irvine credited the city’s contracted grant writer, Marshall Guthrie, with helping clinch a lot of the awards. 

Since 2022, the city has been awarded 33 grants ranging from a $2,000 award to several million dollars, according to the report. ▪ 

ANALYSIS By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 17, 2025      

Annual pay of more than $170,000 was approved for City Manager Kenna West at Tuesday night’s city council meeting but the salary amount wasn’t disclosed. On a 4-1 vote, the councilors passed a resolution that gave West a 5% raise. 

City Councilor Dawn Roden was the only no vote; Councilor Marilyn Morton, who was absent, provided correspondence affirming she was in favor of the decision, as well. 

At the meeting, Trammart News testified from the public podium that an amount of  “more than $170,000” would be reported as West’s new salary, based on calculations made by the news outlet using last year’s contract. The city’s communications director did not respond to a request from Trammart News to provide the new salary amount. 

In receiving her evaluation Tuesday, West’s annual performance review differed from the traditional way such an assessment is usually conducted for municipal administrators, according to examples from Oregon cities ranging from Portland to Yachats. Often a rating system is used, with specific criteria or standards listed on a form or template.  

Generally, such annual evaluations are initially held in an executive session. 

In contrast, Independence’s was held more informally and during an open meeting at West's request. 

Conducting the process this way isn’t typically recommended by either the League of Oregon Cities or the national professional organization for city managers, ICMA. Both have resources for city councils to conduct more structured reviews for city managers. 

However, Mayor Kate Schwarzler suggested an alternative “informal” approach, so that views on West – from both the council and the city’s survey of department heads – would be aired publicly, according to the results of a public records request by Trammart News. 

West said this would prevent the local news media from covering “what I assume will be negative comments from one councilor while ignoring more positive perspectives from others.” 

(Trammart News has repeatedly advised both the city council and West both sides of an issue are always sought; see the public testimony by TN at the Sept 23, 2025 city council meeting at the city’s YouTube site.) 

Schwarzler and West were jointly contacted by Trammart News, to seek their comment on the news outlet’s view that the meeting for West’s evaluation seemed to be planned favorably. Neither responded. 

Extremely supportive reviews were given about West by five of the city councilors, who highly praised her for her leadership ability. A letter read by Schwarzler from Marilyn Morton, who was absent, called West the best city manager she had ever known. 

Additionally, the survey of city staff, which was also presented at the meeting, ranked West as an outstanding leader. 

However, Councilor Roden expressed a differing viewpoint – one that was interrupted by Schwarzler. Roden said her questions often don’t get answered by the city manager, leading her to conclude “I’m not supposed to ask questions.” Roden stated that she’s worried about closures, from reduced library days to Fridays at city hall, which she characterized as “three-day weekends” for employees.

Schwarzler asked how that related to a performance review. “Councilor Roden, I do want to bring this back to the topic at hand,” Schwarzler said. 

Roden countered that the city manager’s job is to “put forth a budget and proposals and ideas” for maintaining services. “That’s why I am concerned,” Roden explained.

The $170,000-plus salary for West was drawn from last year’s contract, after adding 5% and presuming a sum of $2,000 would continue to be paid yearly to maintain West’s membership in the Oregon State Bar, the organization that oversees and regulates law practice in the state. The previous contract also included an additional $670 per month for a car allowance and benefits.

By comparison, a city about half the size of Independence, Creswell, Oregon, advertised a few months ago for a city manager with a midpoint salary of $145,000. Newberg, which is more than twice the size of Independence, currently pays their city manager $188,000, according to a report in the Yamhill News-Register. 

After thanking both the council and her staff in a prepared statement at the meeting, West singled out Roden for her alleged difficulty. 

West asserted that Roden had cost taxpayers money and was a negative distraction, as well as an alleged “collaborator” with Trammart News. 

West also said Roden had used the legal system unfairly by filing a report with law enforcement against West when the city manager followed Roden out of council chambers and grabbed her by the elbow – an incident in which Roden said she felt threatened. 

The complaint filed by Roden was closed with the finding of  "no probable cause for any crimes." Trammart News obtained the surveillance tapes this week through a public records request, and they show Roden pulling away from the city manager’s grasp during the encounter as they exited council chambers. This appeared to be the only time physical contact occurred, according to the surveillance videos, unlike Roden's earlier description.

Roden had made a sudden departure from the council meeting after she received a censure vote from councilors for allegedly breaking confidentiality when she asked about an increase in the purchase price for the city’s eminent-domain acquisition of land for a new water treatment plant. The final sum, as reported by Trammart News, was $459,000, for the 12-acre parcel. 

Roden had not been alerted that such a censure vote was added to the evening’s agenda.

(Photo of West from city YouTube video)

Update on the homeless mother and daughter reported in a story last week: 

Ashley’s Sewing, several Good Samaritans, and most recently, Victoria Kruljac, all have stepped up to make sure these two women were housed and given other essentials. But time is running out on their stay in a local hotel, which has been paid for by community members. 

“I am asking if anyone who reads this either knows of any other options to keep these two women from sleeping outside until they can get into a shelter or get their social security benefits squared away to get them in a subsidized housing situation – or would be willing to chip in some money to continue paying for a motel room at the rate of $110/night,” said Victoria Kruljac. 

Kruljac urged any community member “to reach out with anything you may have to help,” but she stressed that only monetary assistance is being sought at this time. 

Karen, the mother, really wants to stay local so she can continue to be close to her son, who is housed differently, Kruljac explained.

To help, contact Kruljac at her email vnlkruljac@yahoo.com or at 503 409 3232. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 17, 2025      

On Tuesday night, City Manager Kenna West made a range of statements about Trammart News during her informal annual performance review. In an illustration of how this news service typically goes about making sure accurate information is confirmed before publication, the following fact-check on her comments is provided.

We’ve also faced ongoing issues from the blogger at Trammart News – Kenna West, city manager. 

FALSE. Trammart News isn’t a blogger. It is part of the National Newspaper Association, which defines its members as owners, editors and publishers of American community newspapers. 

It is a self-published newsletter – Kenna West, city manager. 

FALSE. The news appears online and in-print – not emailed; It contains articles structured to include quotes, attribution, research and different sides of an issue. That’s one reason the city’s side is continually sought by Trammart News. However, the city manager has banned the city communications director from responding to questions from this news outlet for more than 18 months.

Her conduct has imposed real, and measurable costs on the city – Kenna West, city manager. 

FALSE. Those costs can be attributed to the city manager, who announced that Trammart News would be limited to using public records requests to obtain facts and background. West did so at a city council meeting last summer. She had barred the communications director from answering questions from this news outlet – even questions with simple yes or no answers.

NOTE: Trammart News had petitioned the Oregon Secretary of State that West’s press ban could be wasting taxpayer money and violating city policy by not allowing the tax-paid communications director to answer questions from the local news media. In response, West countered that public records requests would be the alternative. 

In just the past two months, we’ve spent roughly $5,000 in staff and attorney time responding to her public records request grievances and ongoing emails – Kenna West, city manager. 

POSSIBLY. The state’s office of public records advocacy informed Trammart News this week, when that office was contacted about West’s statement, they would reach out to the city. Fulfilling public records requests is a key function of government, Trammart News was told. 

We’ve begun to enforce our fee schedule, and we did receive $1,300 from Trammart News – Kenna West, city manager. 

TRUE. Trammart News agreed to pay even more for public records if need be, which West failed to mention.

It equals time and public dollars. If the same pace continues, we’re looking at around $22,000 per year – Kenna West, city manager. 

FALSE. This is pure conjecture. No such requests have been made. 

With that money we could buy new books for the library, install a dozen benches in our parks, replace failing servers that delay city operations – Kenna West, city manager. 

FALSE. Trammart News has agreed to pay for all public records requests.

Instead, those resources are being pulled into defending against a campaign of misinformation and harassment disguised as journalism – Kenna West, city manager 

FALSE. I, Anne Scheck, am a journalist, not disguised as one. I have a journalism degree 

from California State University, Northridge. I worked for four local/regional general newspapers, one national newspaper, two news-wire services and an international chain of medical magazines before moving to Oregon. I was a board member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. West has repeatedly called straightforward news-related inquiries by Trammart News to the city communications director –  by email, phone or letter – “harassment.” 

NOTE: No corrections have been requested by the city manager to Trammart News at any time during West's administration, a point made recently to her and the city council.

Speaking of harassment. We’ve all heard about the bathroom story from Trammart News more than a few times. Yeah, she chased me into the bathroom. Yep, I lost my temper because of it. Yes, I apologized for losing my temper – Kenna West, city manager 

FALSE. The apology from West was for shouting in the county newspaper offices in Dallas when I contributed the “Indy Page” during covid. She continued to call for me to be ousted from the paper. She was asked to leave by the publisher:  she had issued a threat to stop advertising legal notices in that newspaper if he did not get rid of me. (He didn’t comply.) If the restroom story has been brought up multiple times, it’s for me to reissue apologies due to either West referencing it or her supporters doing so.

And no, I never promised that my staff would respond to her emails – Kenna West, city manager.

FALSE. West’s email apology and pledge are at the end of this fact-check. 

And that was two years ago. While people continue to dredge up the past, we’re focusing on the future – Kenna West, city manager 

FALSE. This was brought to the city manager’s attention only months ago, after I was grabbed by the city communications director while trying to ask a question of the finance director in council chambers – resulting in my filing a sheriff’s report that deemed the grabbing incident “founded.” 

We’re doing the real work that keeps Independence moving forward – Kenna West, city manager. 

TRUE. However, the city is spending sums it has failed to disclose, such as money paid for the property of the future water treatment plant. Even the dollars in salary for the city manager haven’t been publicly shared, despite requests from Trammart News. However, Trammart News has published both of those amounts – gleaned from multiple sources, including public records requests – for public benefit. 

We’re doing the good work that overcomes negative noise – Kenna West, city manager. 

FALSE. Trammart News rejects the noise label and asserts that trying to discredit and marginalize the 9-year-old, highly-local news service is not doing good work. TN’s longtime stated mission is to inform, engage and involve the public. 

Because none of this defines who we are as a city – Kenna West, city manager. 

QUESTIONABLE. A $3.9 million loan of unknown origin, for example, was buried by West for the stated reason that it would take too much staff time to track it down – the source of it was discovered by Trammart News, thanks to help from Stanford University’s local news program. ▪ 

City Manager West’s email of apology and pledge of communication: 

May 18, 2023 3:09 pm

Anne, 

Thank you for your email. I want to clarify a couple of things from today. 

First, I owe you an apology. I rarely lose my temper and I try to always remain professional. Today I lost my temper, raised my voice, and in all honesty disappointed myself. I hope that you will accept my apology for losing my temper and raising my voice. It was inappropriate behavior. 

Second, you will most likely not receive emails directly from me or other staff because we are funneling all media requests (yours and everyone else’s) through Emmanuel as part of his position as Communications Coordinator. He will respond as appropriate. 

Best, 

Kenna

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 17, 2025      

Local news that is strong, targets issues like public spending and provides solid information to the community is more important than ever, said Les Zaitz, who’s frequently referred to as the most highly decorated journalist in the state. 

In a presentation last week to the Salem City Club, Zaitz explained that reliable fact-based reporting is the means needed to counter the sharp reduction in public trust of the media. 

The decline worries him. Survey after survey, including those from the Pew Research Center, show a majority of people no longer have trust in the media – almost a complete reversal from the Watergate era, when 72% were confident in the news that was being reported

In a packed room at the Willamette Heritage Center, he offered a checklist of ways to help assess trustworthy journalism. 

Does the material come from reliable sources, such as data or research from a government document or well-regarded organization? Are quotes attributed? Does the reporting include both sides of the issue and, if not, does it show that attempts were made to do so? 

"These principles don't get discussed very often," Zaitz observed. 

Local news is essential to maintain accountability of elected officials and administrators in city governments and school districts, he stressed.

Zaitz is co-founder of the Salem Reporter, which has become the go-to site for local news at the state's capital city. He noted that he's tried to retire, but he finds it next to impossible with so much social media, podcasting and blogging replacing traditional news media. 

A tireless investigative reporter, Zaitz twice was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. At the Oregonian, where he spent most of his career, he consistently unearthed stories through adroit use of public records requests and tenacious digging and fact-checking. 

One of his most well-known projects – it's become a part of Oregon history – was a multi-part series on Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, a cult leader who took over the tiny Oregon town of Antelope in the 1980s along with his followers. Zaitz uncovered criminal acts by the group that eventually led to its collapse. 

More recently he and his spouse, Scotta Callister, purchased and ran the Malheur Enterprise for a decade prior to its recent closure – a small-town newspaper that broke big stories, gaining national attention. 

The overall message in local reporting should be that it's offering a way "to keep you informed about what is happening in your community," Zaitz said. 

Above all, facts are important, he added. 

But even so, they can be shaded – with labels, like "radical," that veer from the descriptions of what actually occurred. 

Residents need to do their part, too, he said, urging engagement with public officials and attendance at public meetings. 

Civic participation and support of local media that meets good standards will help preserve "the very future of our fragile democracy," he said.  ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 10, 2025      

Worries about a threat to the state’s sanctuary law brought a throng of citizens to the Polk County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, but a post-meeting discussion with two of the commissioners, along with Sheriff Mark Garton, appeared to soothe their concerns. 

In a gathering at the back of the room after the board meeting, tensions eased – anger had erupted earlier in one resident, who used derogatory terms to describe her outcry over the situation. 

However, another attendee, Leanna Deters, a member of “Indivisible Polk County Oregon,” offered a letter instead of heated commentary. It described the reason for the visit to the board: “We’re aware that the Polk County Board of Commissioners voted to sign onto a letter of support for clarification and guidance on responding to requests from the federal government for release of information or other assistance in immigration enforcement.”

The group wanted reassurance that there would be no changes in how the sanctuary law is upheld until the case is decided, according to the letter. 

During her public testimony, Lisa Millman told the commissioners she simply wanted to know “that you all are committed to following the rule of law and upholding the US Constitution, even if federal agents wish otherwise.” 

After the meeting, County Commission Chair Craig Pope, County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst and County Sheriff Mark Garton sat down with about a dozen of those who lingered.

“We cannot deliberate,” Pope told them. “That would be ex parte communication,” added Mordhorst. 

But the two, with the sheriff, expressed the desire to “talk and listen.” Several in the crowd began by saying they suspect the state’s sanctuary law will now be weakened.

However, Garton said he is carrying out Oregon law the same way as he did “yesterday, the same way as today, the same way as tomorrow.” 

He had outlined that in a report to the Polk County Board of Commissioners this past February, when he explained that it’s a violation of Oregon law for sheriff's deputies to ask about immigration status in the course of any interaction with the public; They make no such inquiry during traffic stops or any other encounter involving a possible violation. 

Garton reiterated that point Tuesday – that law enforcement is barred from assisting, coordinating or helping federal immigration officials without an order signed by a judge. 

Like Pope, he cited the outcome of the lawsuit by Marion County as necessary to clear up the issue, in the wake of recent clashes among federal and state authorities over it. 

In the press release issued by Marion County about the lawsuit, county administrators said they were asking for clarity about whether the county is allowed, in light of the state’s sanctuary law, to turn over parole-related records that likely would be available to almost anyone making a public records request for them. 

The suit was filed after agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) served subpoenas to Marion County seeking the records of four individuals on parole for serious crimes. 

But Oregon’s sanctuary law restricts use of state and local resources for the purpose of immigration enforcement. This raised the question of whether Marion County could legally retrieve and supply such records when the request comes from federal officers seeking the documents for immigration-related reasons. In contrast, there is nothing in the law to prevent Marion County from fulfilling a citizen request for such records. 

The lawsuit seems far more complicated than the situation that prompted  it, and identifies complex issues associated with orders for obtaining  information and identities.  

The case is pending. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 10, 2025      

For five years, Karen rented a room not far from where she lives now – on a bench in front of the Independence Library. 

How she and her daughter, Amanda, ended up homeless, and living by the library for the past three months, is a familiar story of sudden loss of shelter. Karen lived with health problems on a low income until the day her place became unavailable when a family member needed to move in. “They couldn’t keep us there anymore,” she said. 

Now she worries, after turning to Polk County Family and Community Outreach, that the federal shutdown will mean her social security benefits – currently in process – will be impacted for the foreseeable future. 

“The librarians treat us very well, the police treat us very well, but after three months … I just want somewhere else,” she said. 

Battling Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Karen has made do with an outdoor outlet she discovered, where she can re-charge her nebulizer when the battery runs low. 

She and Amanda (photo) have enough coverings to keep them fairly warm through the night and they have food stamps to get groceries and the MI Trolley to take them to the store. “I have really depended on that trolley,” she said. 

They both feel safer on Monmouth Street in a downtown location than they would otherwise – it’s a hub where traffic rolls by, streetlights blaze through the night, and a patrol car drives by periodically. 

But they both are coping well because their hope has been it is just temporary. 

They are tired of using whatever bathrooms are available to them – and of getting the wrong kind of attention as they struggle. “One guy just creeped me out,” Karen explained. “He kept bringing us things we didn’t need and visiting and I worried about him because of her,” Karen said, pointing to Amanda, who appeared reluctant to interact or converse. 

The pair have no safety net, she explained – no relative to come find them to offer housing. “We are just waiting, and I am supposed to be seeing Ryan sometime,” she said, an apparent reference to Ryan Pollard, the homeless prevention community liaison for Polk County. 

In the meantime, both mom and daughter are coping, she said. 

The weather has been unexpectedly pleasant, and they were in a prime spot to view the truck bearing “The Wall That Heals,” which recently was in Independence. 

In general, except for the discomfort of their circumstances, the time has not been “too rough,” Karen said. 

“If you write about me, be sure to say that, although my name is Karen, I am not one – not the kind that name means,” she said. “I am just Karen, named that.” 

(Pollard confirmed he has been working with the pair and doesn’t expect the social security payments to be impacted by the federal shutdown.)  ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 10, 2025        

A draft policy that prohibits cell phones during the school day has drawn both robust opposition and intense support among the 228 staff and community members who responded to an online survey about the ban. 

"I am still going through the responses, but they range so far from being strongly against the policy to strongly in favor of the policy," confirmed Emily Mentzer, communications coordinator for the district. 

The extreme opinions are consistent with parental surveys elsewhere. Although there is support for limiting cell-phone use, one national survey of more than 1,500 parents appears to reflect how many feel: that lunch breaks, recess and time between classes shouldn't be off-limits. In the 2024 poll, called the "National Parents Union Survey," more than half of the parents said students should have access to cell phones during these periods.

Families, parents and guardians in Central School District who have been asked this same question, in informal inquiries with Trammart News, said they feel a ban that is too restrictive keeps students from calling home when they need to touch base – for reasons ranging from firming up transportation after classes to emotional support during a bad day. 

However, such bans have garnered wide support among educators and pediatricians alike. 

Last year, a nationwide sample of 985 principals showed nearly 97% were at schools that instituted a cell phone restriction policy, according to a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

The draft policy was presented at Central School District Board meeting Monday night. It calls for "bell to bell" adherence to the policy, which allows electronic devices to be carried in backpacks or stowed in pockets – but bars use during the regular school day during instructional hours, even in school bathrooms, hallways or other places, such as the cafeteria or library.

The policy allows some exemptions, such as cell phone use for medical-condition monitoring and other health-related reasons. However, for the most part, "necessary communications during the school day while on school grounds between students and parents or guardians can be made through the school office."

The cell phone ban is a state mandate, meaning it must be implemented by all school districts across the state. Study after study has shown focus on learning is enhanced when cell phone use is curtailed, from an analysis in the spring issue of American Affairs to several deep-dives into the issue by Education Week. 

At CSD, disciplinary measures for violating the policy can include before and after-school detention, loss of privileges, such as off campus lunch or participation in extracurricular activities. 

However, a similar plan followed at Talmadge Middle School last year proved both successful and drew surprising support from students. 

"You just get tired of seeing all that social media, the stuff about other people is distracting," said one student whose music teacher required phones to be put in a classroom cabinet upon entrance to class. 

The new draft policy also prohibits sexually explicit content, such as sexting, texting or sharing pornographic images. "If one of these things is discovered, we will take appropriate action," Mentzer said.  

By the time they turn into teens at 13 years of age, 88% of youth have their own smartphones, according to Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that investigates how technology affects lifestyle.  ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 3, 2025      

Polk County officials warned Tuesday that the county fairgrounds may be shut permanently as operational deficits continue to plague the facility. With costs for running the county outpacing tax revenue, it's unlikely there will be adequate funds to support the fairgrounds in the years ahead. 

This year the county saw its beginning general fund drop to $5.2 million, down from $6.8 million two years ago, according to County Administrator Greg Hansen. Recently both the Veteran Services Office and the Sheriff’s Office were downsized to help reduce costs – and there are “difficult decisions ahead,” he warned.  So far those are the extent of the personnel cuts. However, they include two, years-long employees, Veteran Services Supervisor Eric Enderle and associate Nikki Rak. The change leaves one veterans services officer.

"We just cannot subsidize the fair anymore,” Hansen said, noting the reduction in the general fund over the last few years. 

Hansen made the pronouncement at the Polk County Board of Commissioners this past Tuesday, after board members heard a presentation on the recent Polk County Fair by Fair Board Chair Tim Ray and Tina Andersen, manager of the Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center. 

The fair this year was similar in many ways to the last one, in terms of earnings and attendance, Ray said. However, auction sales of animals increased, he noted.  But, “we know the fair is still struggling to keep up” in terms of finances, he said. “We’re counting nickels” Ray added. 

The fairgrounds – home to musical performances, 4-H and FFA meetings and vendor events like the monthly flea market – have areas of disrepair, including trip-hazard sidewalks and a seriously aging electrical system, according to Hansen, who has now marked 40 years with the county. 

The cost annually for upgrades, combined with deficits from the fair, would cost an estimated $750,000 annually for the next 10 years just to catch up, he said. 

The meeting drew audience members that included several who serve on the Fair Board. This year, the Fair Board increased fees on services and space rentals, ranging from increasing overnight camping from $25 to $40 and more than doubling storage fees for some spaces. 

Andersen joked that the Fair Board had to take such actions while she was out of the room because she has been so reluctant to raise fees. “But the days of us not raising fees are over,” she said.

“If this was a business, it would have closed its doors a long time ago,” said Criag Pope, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. Pope later observed that he had a strong sentimental attachment to the fair. “I have been on that fairground since I was old enough to lead any kind of critter,” he said. 

The failure to pass a levy that would have meant about $45 a year to the average homeowner was seen as a big blow – and one from which there won’t be a recovery. Another attempt “is not in the cards,” Hansen said.

County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst agreed, noting that many taxpayers are angry about government spending – and they are failing to distinguish among local, state and federal levels.

“The average person wants the same services for the same cost,” noted County Commissioner Jeremy Gordon, who called management of the fairgrounds a “lean” operation. 

Many counties seem to be in the same predicament with fairground facilities, in general, and specifically with their county fair expenses. Umatilla, for example, which has one of the state’s most popular fairs, expected this year to run up a deficit between $400,000 and $500,000, according to a report in the East Oregonian. 

After the meeting, Andersen was asked by Trammart News  about the emergency hub the fairgrounds sometimes provide. During 2020,  when wildfires ravaged areas around Detroit, families arrived, bringing  farm animals and pets. 

Volunteers from 4H and FFA provided animal care. Community  members from across the county brought campers and recreational  vehicles to accommodate those seeking shelter; Several restaurants  provided food. 

"It was all free," Andersen said, including counseling needs for those whose homes had been consumed by the fire.

But it remains a fight "just to pay our bills," Andersen acknowledged. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 3, 2025        

EDITORIAL:  Why unwanted physical contact can seem a stronger blow than actually inflicted

This is an open letter to Mayor Kate Schwarzler, who seemed to minimize an incident in city council chambers that became the subject of a complaint to the Sherriff's Office. 

It began on a night right before a city council meeting months ago, the city Finance Director Rob Moody, said questions were welcome. I approached him to ask one. “Can you get a quote right?” he retorted. 

This kind of comment to Trammart News never belongs in the articles I write – and so I persisted for an answer I could use. 

That was when I felt a grab from behind, on my shoulder, by the City Communications Director Emmanuel Goicochea, who wanted to stop me. The city manager, Kenna West, stood nearby, seemingly encouraging him to take action. It was not the kind of touch to simply get my attention – a touch I have used many times, myself.

I filed a complaint with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation ensued. My complaint about being grabbed was deemed founded by the investigator.

How did Independence Mayor Kate Schwarzler respond?   By claiming that I am infringing on elected officials when I seek to speak with them, even during meeting breaks. This is even after Trammart News provided a TN policy explaining that saying “no comment” is a response in which any questioning ceases – and even after the news outlet submitted a letter to the city that included a legal opinion showing her view is in error.  (Schwarzler did not respond to emailed requests for comment on this issue.) 

In an address to the city council ten days ago, I told the council that Goicochea hasn’t responded for at least 18 months to any emails, phone calls or written requests from Trammart News. 

Now I want to explain why using physical contact to stop me from asking a public official a question about public funds is so misguided, so wrong, and why Schwarzler needs to rethink her position – and why she should never conclude that any physical altercation of any kind is an approach that is justified. 

Here is why I believe my pain was significant from this event.

When I wound up in the emergency room of Salem Hospital the night I was grabbed by the city’s communications director, I was surprised by the sharp pain I felt in my abdomen. It was inexplicable. To be clear: The grab wasn’t that hard. 

I didn’t think my discomfort was a cardiac event – my heart seemed to be thumping like a drum, but the pain wasn’t in my chest. My blood pressure showed a normal range. After a couple of hours sitting in a place where there were truly ill people, and I wasn’t one of them, I left. 

As a relative non-drinker, my husband told me I needed something to help me sleep – and he poured me some port he’d been saving for a special occasion. 

The next day I knew what had happened: It had been a case of backward time travel. That grab had transported me back to a playground long ago, when the shining star of the school – a youth athlete so talented he eventually was drafted by the NFL – shoved me from behind. This is the story of that golden boy, who bullied me, and of the twists and turns our futures took – and of the way life has of evening up the score. 

This is the story of that boy, an idol at the school, and how his treatment of me led to lifelong lessons. 

He was handsome, skilled at every grade-school sport from dodge ball to flag football, with a dazzling smile and top grades. Never lacking for the next bright shiny object, including the high-end bicycle of the day and the most sought-after apparel.

Me? I must have seemed the polar opposite. Often clad in hand-me-downs, with untamed curly hair, I also had a complete inability to learn girlhood habits: how to whistle a tune, how to skip around in a circle, how to do special dance steps while jumping rope. 

To this day, there is only one reason I can imagine that Mike (not his real name) picked on me. I showed what adults of the time called gumption. It wasn’t necessarily a compliment. 

If I was the first to finish a quiz in the “Weekly Reader,” I usually had something to say about it – such as the comment that "they should be more like crossword puzzles." When an art project was assigned to draw the school yard, I put my own particular spin on it – making sparrows into parrots and elms into palm trees. 

Mike would not leave me alone. Poking fun at me became his pastime. And, when I failed to react, it turned physical. At first, it was sneers and light “accidental” brush-by collisions in the hallway. But the day came when I got shoved from the back during recess, as Mike gripped my shoulder and pushed me forward. 

In what seemed a miracle to me at the time, a male teacher was watching and, in what surely would lead to a lawsuit today, gave Mike a full-on body tackle. “How does it feel?” the teacher shouted. “Huh? How does that feel?” 

The fact that I can remember it like it occurred five minutes ago tells you all you need to know. But the truly important aspect was the turning point it provided for me. The jeers never stopped from Mike, but the physical contact did. 

And that would be the end of the story except there are two parts left to tell. The first is that when I went off to a small state college I met a woman who told me a football player at the big university had made her brother’s life miserable during high school – a guy named Mike, a guy I might have known in childhood. Yes, I had.

The second thing that happened is that I was forced to see Mike on television after we both graduated from college – he was so camera-ready handsome and so successful on the gridiron he had scored some product endorsements, which he charmingly pitched frequently from my TV screen. The wallowing I did over life’s unfairness was monumental. 

But years later, when I was researching an article that required me to cover anger management, Mike’s name popped up again. This time he had made headlines for a different reason. In an incident in which he became angry over a trifling matter with a stranger, he had hit the man so hard he sent him to emergency care. The news photo showed the victim hospitalized, with tubes inserted into him like tentacles. Mike was found guilty of a felony. 

The bully finally got caught in an all-too-public way. I wished for him a hard-knock life and let it go. 

But there was one more chapter to be written and it arrived unexpectedly. I had been assigned a story that involved football injuries and, in an experience I will never forget, a former player who was almost a household name agreed to speak with me. 

He believed his football-related concussions had led to CTE – Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – and his life was difficult. “My wife never knows who is coming through the door,” he said. The affliction was worse, he explained, because he had been so admired at one time and so fearless on the field. Now, he had deep regrets. 

So did I. 

Mike had made my childhood so much tougher than it should have been, but he ended up having uncontrollable rages. And I had been glad to hear about it. The wheels of justice seemed to have turned in my direction. 

But I still possessed the one thing that seemed the destructive aim of Mike. A brain that may have been odd in a kid, but one that could beat him on school tests or earn accolades for creativity by turning a tree-filled yard into a tropical paradise on a simple required drawing. 

And so I not only forgave Mike, but I felt sorrow, too. But I never stopped being grateful to the teacher, who stopped the behind-the-back grabbing that I believe sent me reeling psychologically when it happened this year in city council chambers.

I am hoping Mayor Kate Schwarzler can fathom the difference as she insists that city councilors need to be safe, too – from pestering by a journalist like me. 

Because there is nothing to compare to unwanted and unwelcome physical contact and I think she should recognize that. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, October 3, 2025      

The Monmouth-Independence Trolley clinched an important step into the future for the popular cherry-red buses this week – the Independence City Council approved a resolution to form a commission to oversee the iconic transportation line and also created an advisory committee for recommending strategies to keep it running. 

In a presentation by Monmouth City Manager Rochelle Roaden, Independence city councilors were informed that the operational cost – a constant worry by riders and drivers over the past several months – has two funding sources, including $750,000 from Cherriots, the transit provider. Another $1.75 million was awarded by the state legislature, Roaden later confirmed.  Monmouth is tasked with managing the finances for the trolley, a role described as the "fiduciary agent." 

Along with Monmouth, both Independence and Western Oregon University are part of an intergovernmental agreement, a cooperative contract in which the three will share responsibility for the streetcar-like buses. 

The trolley has attracted many riders from among college students at Western Oregon University and those from Central High School, Roaden noted. 

Under the intergovernmental agreement, the advisory committee will include WOU students and a hoped-for student representative from the Central School District, who won't get a vote but can provide a "youth perspective." 

One rider already has given that teen opinion in the wake of the resolution's passage. This week, when told there were developments aimed at making the trolley's future solid, one 16-year-old said she was relieved to hear it. 

"I love riding this because it is so reliable, on schedule," she said, settling into a seat on the back bench. "Also, it is cozy in here," she added, noting the bus has an old-time ambience. 

The intergovernmental agreement establishes a Monmouth - Independence Trolley Operations Commission. It will meet monthly and  consist of seven members – three staff from each city, including the city manager or someone the city manager designates for that position,  plus a representative from Cherriots, which runs the line. Two major responsibilities for the commission: to draft operating rules and maintain funding. 

In addition, a Monmouth - Independence Trolley Advisory Committee is being formed, which will meet quarterly and have 11 appointed members, including three appointees made by each City Council. Among those will be the President of Western Oregon University or a designee; A WOU student representative; Representatives for individuals with disabilities, seniors of at least 65 years of age, low-income populations; and a non-voting youth member, 12 years of age or older. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 26, 2025      

City Manager Kenna West was appointed by the Independence City Council Tuesday night to reply to a grievance filed by Trammart News alleging certain public-notice rules weren't followed for city meetings – and her response demonstrated that the city system was "in transition" and has made strides for public notification. 

The city sent the document to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, and provided it also to Trammart News, which withdrew the bulk of the complaint – with a request to continue to pursue questions regarding a recent censure vote of City Councilor Dawn Roden. 

In its response, the city stated: "At the time of the grievance, the city was in the process of migrating to a new Agenda and Minutes platform.” The city's statement included the explanation that there was ongoing community education about the transition, including reminders to the public about that on the city's social media and in the city's newsletter.

Trammart News commended the improvements in an email to OGEC – the new system appears to fix hitches the news outlet encountered. For example, the main page of the city's website – with a gold medallion labeled "Agenda & Minutes" – now directs viewers to the new calendar system.

But in the same email to OGEC expressing support for the city's improved web-based access to meeting information, Trammart News also sent a request, asking to continue a challenge to one part of the city's filed response. It centers on the added agenda item at the August 26 city council meeting, which was placed on the agenda late in the process and with no apparent alert to the councilor who was the subject of the agenda item. 

In that meeting, a vote to censure Roden was taken. It passed with one abstention by City Councilor Bill Boisvert, who was not in attendance at the council meeting related to the censure, and a "no" vote by Roden. 

Mayor Kate Schwarzler had said during the city council meeting that she attempted to contact Roden to meet about the upcoming item. However, a public records request showed the email communication from Schwarzler to Roden to be a seemingly casual inquiry. It read: “Good morning, Councilor Roden, I meet periodically with councilors and have not had the opportunity to check in with you. Would you be available to meet? If so, are there days and times that work well for you? Thank you, Mayor Kate.” 

Trammart News asked Schwarzler if there were any other emails or correspondence to Roden about this issue, prior to the meeting; Schwarzler inquired of Trammart News if public records requests were made for Roden's emails. In fact, a public records request for texts and emails relating to the incident has been made by Trammart News that includes all city councilors. Trammart News has been notified the city will charge about $1,800 to provide these emails – a sum the local news agency has agreed to pay. 

The public records requests often are needed because the city's communications director, Emmanuel Goicochea, failed to answer any of the questions about city operations from Trammart News for at least 18 months. In testimony to the city council by Trammart News at its last meeting, this was pointed out – with a summary of an email from City Manager Kenna West in 2023 that seemed to assure that communication with Trammart News would be the protocol. In July 2024, Trammart News first provided public testimony to the council about the city’s systematic lack of communication with the news organization with no response or action from council members.

As previously reported in IndyNewsOnline, some city staff have indicated that the city manager instituted an apparent press ban against speaking with Trammart News, which is said to have occurred early in her administration. 

In another development this week, a complaint filed by Roden with the Polk County Sheriff's Office has been finalized. 

Roden had left the city council meeting abruptly, following the censure vote against her. West followed her out of the meeting and grasped Roden's elbow, according to the Sheriff's Office report. However, no other physical contact was found to have occurred and the case was closed with the conclusion "no probable cause for any crime." 

Trammart News has requested the council chambers and lobby surveillance videos of the exchange between Roden and West but was turned down initially due to the ongoing investigation. "Once I have confirmation from the sheriff’s office that the case is closed, I could process a new request for you," City Recorder Myra Russell stated in response to an inquiry this week. 

Trammart News plans to follow up on the matter. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 26, 2025      

This is the phone call you never want to get. If it comes the way mine did, sleep-jarring at 4 am. At that time, you know there is a terrible reason for receiving it. 

And there was. My niece had died – by suicide.

She had gone to a city park. My sweet niece, in a park. My 20-something niece, with her whole life ahead, but not now. 

I was new to my small town in Oregon, but even if I had neighbors who were friends, would I have been able to communicate this to them? I couldn’t seem to put the words together for my husband. I couldn’t seem to get rid of my anger and horror.

My sister’s daughter – dead. My sister now mired in depression. Me having to answer the dumbest, most insensitive questions ever directed toward another human being. And delivered in such soft tones by the stupidest people. “How did she do it? Does suicide run in your family? Were you close to your niece?”

I wanted to talk about how sweet she was. 

My small town offered no comfort. No one knew me then. They couldn’t see what I was – this angry, angry, angry person with no outward sign of it at all. And at night, the awakenings. 

Snakes in my sleep as I wandered a dark swamp. During the day, my thoughts were on fire. 

I called one psychologist who perkily told me my insurance plan wouldn’t work for her and hung up. Another counselor shared an office with a colleague that I met on my way in – mistaking me for someone she obviously didn’t like. I left.

So, the snakes continued to come, nightly, and flames of anger flared in my mind during the day.

Help came in a way I never could have predicted. An online search. Key words of “grief and suicide and support” led me to a small group in a nearby town. I emailed them. I got a warm invitation back, and an even warmer welcome when I joined them.

One had lost a niece to suicide, too. All had lost someone the same way – a child, a parent, a sibling, a spouse. 

They all lived in a small town – just like me. They were all trying to deal with the unthinkable – just like me. But they were better than me in a thousand ways. Compassionate, encouraging and most of all, not seething in anger, like I was.

And how they helped me. Those wonderful, miraculous people never flinched from showing support.

People so nice, so unselfish that they could keep hoisting a bucket of sad, unfair slop, without throwing it at anyone else…but so sympathetic that they gave me an “atta girl” for doing just that, time after time, as I unleashed my anger. 

I will carry them in my heart to the end of my days. And wonder how I can ever repay such good grace. And when one of them put out a call for writing contributions after I’d left, I answered. I don’t know if it was even used or published or disseminated, but I felt better sending it. It’s called, “Where Wings Belong.” 

Here it is:

“When I was very young, I saved just enough from childhood chores to buy a beautiful sky-blue friend – a little buddy of a bird who had chattered cheerily at me, nodding and bowing at me from a perch behind the glass of a local pet shop. Who would have guessed that today, five decades later, I’d still owe that little creature a debt of gratitude for teaching me the hard toll an unsuitable habitat can take. 

For showing me that love cannot resolve pain. For shifting my youthful lens on life so much that even now, it helps me understand the loss of my niece, and those like her. 

It was a most splendid little parakeet. A stalwart male of bright azure with black and white flecked scallops. 

He comported himself like a little general, sizing me up by alternating cocking one eye and then the other, arching his feathers in puffery designed to make him seem to be a much bigger bird.

But he wasn’t a big bird. He was a very small one. And he wasn’t really a parakeet. He was descended from parrots that roamed the arid, sunny scrubland of Australia where they lived in flocks and flew across wide prairies. And my bird wasn’t a little general, either. 

He was a tiny, obedient soldier; welcoming companionship, wanting to hop up on any hand wanting to take him outside the cage. And that is where the sadness starts, as it so often does. 

Because if you are born with razor claws or fearsome teeth, you are not likely to be bothered by groping fingers and grasping hands. But if you are a beautiful and small bird, and never squawk when squeezed, you can become the hit of the neighborhood.

And that’s just what happened. Dubbed with the seriously under-stated title of “Pretty Bird,” my parakeet, or parakeet-like bird, soon had a name change. Some young children on our block simply couldn’t pronounce his original moniker. Thus, he became, “Prebie.”

Prebie taught me about fragility, about how wrong it is to assume that, simply because a little bird seems to hop happily on a finger over and again – allowing curious kids to stroke, poke and prod – it doesn’t mean that deadly damage isn’t being done.

In fact, it may mean hurt. So, the day came when Prebie, whose Aussie relatives are capable of living for years on the outback plain, could no longer stand on his perch. Instead, he huddled at the bottom of his cage. 

And when I took him to the veterinarian, I was stunned to learn that Prebie wasn’t just sick – he was dying. The white-coated vet slowly pulled back the blue feathers and showed me what lay beneath – bruises. Black and blue from all that handling.

“You fix this,” I told the vet, emptying my pocket as the nickels and dimes skidded across the metal examining table. But the vet shook his head. 

“It was no one’s fault,” he told me, kindly.

A little bird like Prebie liked friendly hands and neither I, nor my young friends, could have known how much he was harming himself to be with us.

Soon, the vet told me, Prebie would die, because little birds like him always do. Sometimes they die from climbing onto outstretched hands. They like that, even when it injures. 

Sometimes they die because they need to live in a dry, warm climate and houses can be drafty, and they catch cold. Sometimes they die because, even though they love sitting on hands and shoulders, the lure of the air becomes too much and they take flight, crashing into ceilings or bedposts. 

They die, the veterinarian told me, because where they need to live is a different place. A far off one, out in the open with others of their kind in a flock, flying daily – on wings where they belong. 

And so, sometimes I think about that world and about the assumptions we make about the living things that are in it. And then I also think about a place far away where wings belong, and I know my niece has found that place, too." ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 26, 2025      

Unhealthy historic trees will be cut down in Pioneer Park and replaced with the same species – and protective steps will be taken to help ensure they thrive, according to a resolution passed by the Historic Preservation Commission Monday night. 

Three trees in the park have been identified as hazardous due to decay or rodent damage. 

However, the price of the removal and replacement of these large trees – there was no monetary estimate available from the city – prompted HPC Board Member Anne Devane to ask about the cost and how it will be paid. 

“I’m not certain,” said City Planning Manager Fred Evander, later adding that it was not the “purview” of the HPC to consider that issue. 

After the HPC meeting, another resident queried Trammart News about the expense of installing new trees, suggesting it might mean the city will forego new plantings. The city budget is likely to be more than a million dollars short of where it should be by year’s end, according to a report this summer by the city’s finance director. 

The city’s communications director, Emmanuel Goicochea, failed to respond to several attempts to answer questions about project costs and how they will be paid. 

In a discussion led by HPC Chair Jennifer Flores, the board recommended that fencing or caging be placed around the new trees to protect them from deer and other possible damage while growing. Board member Rebecca Berry noted that even the shock from a kickball landing on a young tree could possibly cause harm. 

In approving the plan for removal and replacement, the HPC followed certain suggestions from the executive director of the Luckiamute Watershed Council, Jordan Perez, who recommended new plantings with fairly large measurements, such as Bigleaf Maple, also known as the Oregon Maple, and Oregon White Oak. Perez advised tree plantings of about six feet tall and three inches in circumference. 

These trees are the same species as the original trees and maintain the historic presence of those species, Perez pointed out. In general, planting native species, like those two types, within a riparian corridor like Ash Creek maximizes health of the nearby ecosystem, Perez explained. 

Though historic trees often are seen as in need of preservation, HPC Board Chair Flores (photo at upper right) has personal experience with one – it crashed in her yard years ago as she made attempts to get the city to recognize it was becoming hazardous. 

She commended the plan by the HPC for the trees in Pioneer Park.  

A timeline hasn’t been announced. However, the Bigleaf Maples (Acer macrophyllum) are expected to grow more quickly, reaching tall height within a few years, Perez said. In contrast, the native Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) grows slowly and take years to achieve a size that’s typical for landscaping purposes, he said. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 19, 2025      

When he returned to the field where his friend and fellow soldier had died decades earlier, “I felt something go shut in my heart while something else swung open,” wrote Vietnam veteran and author Tim O’Brien in “The Things They Carried.” 

It is this book, which she recently read – along with seeing so many veterans of that war on motorcycles in a procession through Independence Tuesday – that is drawing Maddie Lehrer to “The Wall That Heals.” 

Soon she’ll become what’s termed “a Navy wife,” when her fiancé enters military service and the pair exchange vows. Everything she knows about the Vietnam War has come from books like O’Brien’s prize-winning collection of essays, as well as other media. She is far too young to have known the war any other way.

A visit to “The Wall That Heals” will change that. 

For David Shea, who served in that war, the wall means revisiting a time that many tried hard to forget. Today, he has no trouble talking about it, but his wife Jeanine helped him to learn how to do so. “I didn’t keep it inside,” he said. Still, according to his wife, it could have become a lurking “dragon” – the kind of monstrous memory that has affected so many. 

Lehrer, a recent graduate of WOU who studied history, and Shea, who worked as a civil engineer after the war, are but two of the thousands anticipated to experience “The Wall That Heals” by the time it departs following closure, Sunday afternoon. 

Lehrer made her comments on the patio of Brew Coffee and Taphouse in downtown Independence, where she works. Shea made his observations on the sidewalk in front of The Starduster Cafe, by the Independence State Airport. But both share the same sentiment: this replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the nation’s capital will give them a sense of connection that cannot be found on the pages of a book or even in a memory. 

That was the same reaction Mari Jo Young had, after she took her place at  the information booth Wednesday night at The Wall That Heals. Young, a  veteran who served in the Women's Army Corps in the mid-to-late-1970s, saw how  far the wall stretched. "I thought of those names, how many names," she  said.  

The Wall That Heals has now traveled thousands of miles this year, through scores of communities, almost thirty years after it was unveiled on Veterans Day in 1996.

Kristy Felde, an active member of the Facebook group Women of Independence-Monmouth, said she is going to visit because, as a teenager, she saw the actual monument in Washington DC and “it made a huge impression on me.” 

She recalled being overcome as she viewed name after name, row after row, trying to absorb that all of them represented a death. “I want to make sure I go,” she said. 

Roxanne Beltz, a Monmouth city councilor and graphic artist who worked as a volunteer on promotions for the arrival of The Wall, remembers the Vietnam War from the perspective of girlhood, when the draft affected neighbors and friends. “For people who grew up in that era it had such a significant impact,” she said. “And for so many it has given such a better understanding and insight into the impact on society,” she added. 

Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst, a former manager of Les Schwab, said he was glad to have the opportunity to work with the team from the tire company to erect the wall from components that made the long journey by truck. He noted that these are veterans who came home to find they couldn’t expect a hero’s welcome and, all too often, were confronted by hostility. 

“This helps correct that wrong, giving them the honor they deserve,” he said. Independence City Councilor Dawn Roden, herself a military veteran, stood watch the evening after the wall was set up. “I’m proud to do this,” Roden said. 

(The Wall That Heals will be at the Sports Fields in Independence until Sept. 21 and open 24 hours daily. The effort was initiated by American Legion Post 33 and involved scores of volunteers.)  ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 19, 2025        

What’s so special about a mug, a glass, a goblet, or a stein of beer? No matter what flavor blend – from ales of sunny yellow to hickory brown stouts – this is a drink that has only one source of zip and zing. It is, of course, the mighty hop. 

This weekend, in a tradition that dates back practically to the roots of Independence, the hop is the center of a celebration that brings the city together, the Hop and Heritage Festival, which is always the third weekend in September. You could call it a hoppy happening – and it’s more than a century old, dating back to the early migrant farm camps in Independence when the town was the hop capital of the world. 

Hop is a crop that is still the crowning glory of beer, but currently and locally, it’s more confined to craft brews. Gone are the days when the hills were alive with the green hopyards in Independence. 

If you are wondering what happened, it is by now well known. Beset by smaller risks, such as “lice,” which today are known as aphids, and an even bigger threat from downy mildew, those growers were constantly battling natural pests. “Just one darn trouble after another!” was the caption on a grainy black-and-white film from the early 1900s. 

The colorful history of the hop industry is well-chronicled, but it is Peter A. Kopp, author of the Oregon Historical Society’s “Hop Fever,” that captured details such as the hop label as the “wolf of the willow” because the plant literally can kill willow trees nearby to help it flourish. This phrase was first used by Pliny the Elder, a student of nature in the Roman Empire, according to Kopp. 

As time went on, this “wort” – as hops were sometimes called – became known for adding a kicky flavor and acting as a good preservative. Lore has it that the name “hop” eventually was conferred because of the plant’s punchy, peppy-infusing properties, which was likened to a joyous jump. 

When the 18th Amendment passed, prohibition hammered down hop production. Recovery began after the 1933 repeal of the law, but by that time the depression was underway. 

Sadly, the huge hop crops of Independence were time limited. They were so labor intensive – as a climbing vine, the vegetation needed trellises to have proper growth and yield. And this meant whole villages of cloth hop huts had to spring up around Independence to support the harvests. 

Today, hop growers often depend on craft beer and specialized breweries. Home grown by some home-brew enthusiasts, hop crops can thrive on local land and in gardens, where the region’s soil and weather is still ideally suited for hop growing. 

Aphids are still a problem, though. But now there are safer ways to banish the insects, compared with the heavy pesticide applications used decades ago. In Independence, Hillary Hawthorne, an avid gardener, suggests dish soap and water for eradication. Master gardener Becky Jay said just plain H20 can do the trick, through sudden “drowning.” 

Asked which method he recommends, Jordan Perez, executive director of the Luckiamute Watershed Council said either one sounds fine for aphid riddance. 

And, if by chance, a few of the tiny six-legged creatures become part of the brew-making mix, it just “adds a little protein,” according to one beer aficionado. 

(This year’s Hop + Heritage Festival, which began in 2001, will be held tomorrow, Saturday , Sept. 20, in downtown Independence and In Riverview Park from noon to 8 pm.) ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 19, 2025      

The estimated savings from closing the Independence Civic Center on Fridays – leaving only the police department open – is hard to precisely predict, according to a summary obtained by Trammart News from a recent public records request. 

Canceling one day out of five normal weekdays means 20% fewer operating days, which will lower utility costs and slow the deterioration of the building from foot traffic and other use.  This will reduce the electricity needed for lights, heating and cooling in half the building one day per week, which is expected to save 8–12% of annual energy costs.  

The public records request by Trammart News was made following this year's budget-building process, after several city-affiliated individuals noted that there were no specific details provided  on the potential savings of the Friday closures.

The projection by the city shows the lifespan for some parts of the facility can be extended by one-to-two years for every 10 years of service under the plan. “Even a one-year delay in needing major repairs or replacement could mean avoiding six-figure emergency costs,” the document states.

For instance, a commercial HVAC replacement can run $150,000 to $250,000, “so even a one-year deferral is a significant financial cushion,” according to the forecast. The reduced run-time of bulbs and fixtures lengthens replacement cycles by 10% to 15%, it says.  Another example is the recent elevator repair in the Civic Center which cost over $60,000.

From flooring and paint to copier costs, there will be less need for replacement and refurbishment when use cycles are shortened one day a week over time. 

By stretching the periods between needed service events, the avoided costs could cumulatively mean large savings over time. “These are deferred costs, not cash-in-hand savings. But they meaningfully reduce the risk of sudden major expenses hitting during the current budget crunch,” according to the document. 

The document states that staff numbers already are reduced to “bare bones” so no personnel cuts or reduction in employee work hours are planned due to the new 4-day work week. 

Staff may work longer hours or perform tasks remotely, say city employees. The city announced that “avoiding layoffs or wage cuts preserves institutional knowledge and prevents long-term losses in efficiency or service delivery capacity.” 

There also  are “hidden savings” in “avoided costs,” including the expense of retraining. “Maintaining schedules and allowing some remote work avoids burnout, which reduces turnover," according to the city. ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 12, 2025      

The state-required policy to ban cell phone use throughout district schools may take every minute of the two-month “runway” time to meet the final October deadline, according to Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Kubista, who advised CSD board members Monday night that there are a lot of details to iron out. 

Though some schools across the state, such as those in McMinnville, enacted the ban from the moment schools opened their doors this fall, CSD is taking it slower, Kubista said. 

There needs to be outreach to student groups, such as student council and MEChA, as well as community feedback. There’s concern that some students will be reluctant to break what has been a touching-base tie to friends or families at lunchtime or during passing periods. “This varies from student to student,” observed Orlando San Miguel Morales, a student representative to the board. 

So far, the tentative policy allows the phones to be stored on the student, such as stowed away in backpacks. 

But, under this new ban, districts need to designate specific times when students can use their cell phones – and Kubista said she believes the ban will be from the time the school day begins to the ending bell, but there will be exceptions.

One is for use as a tool during classes, when teachers may want students’ phones available for instructional purposes. 

Also, exceptions for the ban may need to be made for other reasons, such as for students on Individualized Education Programs – but that exemption may carry thorny implications. 

Several board members wanted to know how the inquiry will be made by a teacher or staff member to determine an allowed use. The worry: For someone who has an IEP or a medical condition like diabetes, receiving a description of the reason for the exception may risk veering into invasion of privacy. 

Under the executive order from Gov. Tina Kotek, the district must provide crystal-clear rules for exceptions and how they will be addressed.  “That’s why we wanted this runway,” Kubista said. “We’ll get there,” she added. 

Board member Melanie Landon-Hays said she was happy to see the district take more time than some others, which shows the policy is being “thoughtfully done.” 

In other news, Kubista announced that before and after school programs will return to Central School District. Programs will roll out toward the end of this month. Due to anticipated program cuts at the end of the 2024-25 school year, it needs to be rebuilt, according to Emily Mentzer, communications coordinator for the district. 

The district was notified in mid-August that federal funds – feared lost this year – were reinstated for the programming. The district is in the process of hiring and onboarding staff.  ▪ 

By Anne Scheck 

Trammart News Service, September 12, 2025    

Trammart News has filed a grievance with Independence alleging that a recent city council meeting – a meeting in which censure of a city councilor was imposed – did not provide appropriate advance notice of the agenda to the public, as required by law. 

The filing was made under relatively new legislation, which took effect last year, and clarifies procedures for announcing public meetings. The bill also gave additional oversight for enforcing the rules to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. 

The new rules require the process to begin at the city level. The grievance was filed by Trammart News on behalf of the news outlet’s mission statement to work for public access and open government so that residents can be "informed, engaged and involved.” 

Because the agenda item relating to the censure was not included there was no opportunity for public testimony about it. The issue was voted and passed by the council.

In the grievance, Trammart News points out that the public meeting notice for that city council meeting, held August 26, was absent from the city’s typical posting – a website page containing a pledge by the city to provide such notices at the site. 

Other alleged lapses included a possible violation of inter-communication among city councilors. Some members of the city council, prior to the vote at the meeting, appeared to know about the introduction of the missing agenda item before it was introduced – a prepared statement on the agenda item was read by Mayor Kate Schwarzler.

The item for censure, which was for violation of confidentiality, was introduced by City Councilor Shannon Corr, with a reminder from Schwarzler that such items are allowed to be brought to the meeting without previous notice. 

Councilor Dawn Roden, the subject of the censure-related agenda item, said she hadn’t been notified about it. Schwarzler countered that she had reached out to Roden by email, but that Roden said she was unable to make a suggested meeting time. 

Trammart News found no indication that Schwarzler had broached the subject of the agenda item in the email she sent, which suggested a meeting with Roden. A public records request by Trammart News of the email shows it contained the following message: “Good morning, 

Councilor Roden, I meet periodically with councilors and have not had the opportunity to check in with you. Would you be available to meet? If so, are there days and times that work well for you? Thank you, Mayor Kate.” 

Schwarzler did not respond to Trammart News’ inquiries about the matter, nor did the city communications director, Emmanuel Goicochea.  

At the council meeting, Schwarzler suggested the decision could be taken to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission as another step. However, Trammart News received confirmation from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission that a censure alone would not meet the criteria for an OGEC review.

In addition, Trammart News sought the opinion of outside experts as to whether a sum of tax-paid money for eminent-domain purchase is confidential under Oregon law, which is what Roden provided by asking a question about it in open session. The amount of the money for a 12-acre parcel of land south of the city – the planned site for a new water treatment plant – is $459,000, including attorney fees. 

Under Oregon law, the general expectation is that the government will be transparent about such expenditures. A statement from the Department of Justice, obtained by Trammart News, calls exceptions to disclosing such expenditures a very narrowly-defined area. 

An inquiry sent to the Office of the Public Records Advocate, which provides information on public records laws and best practices, echoed that finding. 

That office sent the following statement to this news outlet: “Confidential settlement agreements are not automatically subject to withholding under the public records law. Whatever portion a public body wishes to withhold must be linked to an applicable exemption in the law.”

No such exemption has been cited by the city, as requested by Trammart News. City manager Kenna West has explained the reason behind the censure was a “violation of council rules” and of executive session. 

Roden hasn’t made any further statement to Trammart News about the censure.

The grievance filed by Trammart News over the public meeting notice has been received by the city. “We are investigating your allegations and will get back to you with a response,” according to Myra Russell, city recorder and executive assistant to the city manager. 

(Note: A few weeks ago, a Trammart News editorial was written addressing this censure incident, which followed inquiries about the alleged violation of confidentiality to several outside authorities. A legal opinion has been sought on the issue, based on case law and Oregon statute. It will be published at a future date.)  ▪