News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Three members of the Sisters Sewer Focus Group resigned in protest Monday night, March 16, because the groups "agenda seems to us to be blatantly biased" in favor of the sewer.
Libby Bottero, Virginia Groom and Pam Emmrich left the community information meeting after stating their objections to the tone and content of the focus group's first newsletter, sent out this week.
The 12-member group's mission is "to provide unbiased, accurate information on which Sisters voters can base an informed decision going into the May 19 election," according to the newsletter.
The newsletter was composed by Vergie Ries, a paid consultant and facilitator, based on presentations made to the group at their workshop last week.
In a prepared statement, Bottero, Groom and Emmrich said, "we object to inaccurate and misleading scare tactics - such as unsubstantiated charges that Sisters residents are dumping raw sewage into the ground, contaminating the groundwater, and endangering the health of our children."
The three also "object to the fact that, so far, only sewer proponents have been invited to address the focus group."
Bottero earlier told The Nugget that she wanted Bill Boyer and Howard Paine of the Alliance for Responsible Land Use in Deschutes County to address the group regarding costs of the sewer and of potential growth.
Ries indicated that she was scheduling them for the appropriate meeting.
The first newsletter presented the overall view that a sewer could be installed now as a preventive measure, or Sisters could wait until there is evidence of a contamination problem before acting.
The newsletter acknowledged that there is no evidence of groundwater contamination in Sisters, but it reflected the DEQ position that "it is just a matter of time."
Ries insisted that the newsletter was based on what the focus group was hearing from Department of Environmental Quality and county sanitation experts who addressed the group. She said their points were carefully explored and no one objected to their inclusion in the letter.
Melanie Curry, another focus group member, defended the newsletter.
"I was really impressed that she (Ries) really put facts in there and it doesn't appear to be an opinion-based newsletter," Curry said. "It's slanted information if you're against the sewer. She just put what those guys (county and DEQ personnel) said in there."
Curry expressed dismay that the three sewer opponents quit the group.
"The facts don't support their position and that upsets them," Curry said. "It's just really unfortunate that they did that. They've lost their ability to voice their opinion now."
Curry, who lives in Buck Run, says she favors a sewer, though said she has "a lot of questions - particularly about how they handle the effluent."
But the sewer opponents were not the only ones who were uncomfortable with the newsletter. Focus group member John Tehan echoed some concerns.
"I was kind of surprised," Tehan told The Nugget. "It seemed awfully one-sided."
Ries believes some of the concerns about the newsletter can be alleviated by having the focus group review it before it goes out next time.
"I think that's a good idea and we'll do it," Ries said. "I felt awkward having so much control over the written product. The focus group needs to have ownership of it."
It is unclear what will happen to the three empty places at the table. Ries indicated that the resigned positions could be filled with replacements, but Tehan urged that Bottero, Groom and Emmrich be given a chance to reconsider.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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