Citizens speak out at local Town Hall

Sisters citizens gave their state representatives an earful on topics ranging from land use to studded tires to rights for gays and lesbians at a Town Hall meeting at Ponderosa Lodge on Saturday, March 19.

Despite being scheduled at 5 p.m. on a Saturday evening, the forum drew some 42 participants, who asked questions and offered comments to Senator Ben Westlund and to Representatives Gene Whisnant and Chuck Burley.

The trio had spent the day ranging the region seeking public input from La Pine to Sisters.

Questions and concerns about the impact of Ballot Measure 37 on land use laws dominated the discussion.

Philip Graham, who lives near Sisters, urged the lawmakers to revise the law so that it would allow people to build personal residences on their acreage but wouldn’t allow large scale development that, he argued, would diminish Oregon’s quality of life.

Grisham said he hoped the legislature could find a compromise “somewhere between the way things were and (Measure 37)... I’m counting on you to make that happen.”

Rep. Whisnant invited Grisham to testify before the legislature when it takes up the issue.

The legislators noted that there were ambiguities in the measure that the legislature will have to hash out.

Sen. Westlund attributed the confusion to the way ballot measures are written.

“People with heartfelt passion go to their $500-an-hour attorneys to write law. And they’re not trained in that,” he said.

The result is that the letter of the law is a lot more complicated than the spirit of the law.

“We all have pretty good idea what we’re voting on when we go into the booth. But that’s not what themeasure said.”

The legislature is expected to act to clarify the question of “transferability” — whether Measure 37 standing for compensation or waiver of regulations is transferable from one party to another.

Gene and Barbara Prete, whose thwarted efforts to build a home near Sisters prompted the statewide measure, queried the legislators as to when action could be expected to clarify the measure. They indicated that Deschutes County is unwilling to act until the legislature does.

Westlund said action will occur this session, but is unlikely in the next few weeks.

A lesbian couple and the parents of a gay son praised Westlund for his introduction of and support for legislation to allow civil unions and for non-discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Whisnant and Burley both agreed that they oppose any form of discrimination, but they did not commit to support of specific legislation.

Bruce Graham of Sisters passionately denounced the use of studded tires, citing a University of Alaska study that indicated that snow tires are more effective (a position he has outlined in letters to The Nugget).

All three legislators indicated that they support the continued use of studded tires.

“I would like to know why you gentlemen won’t ban studded tires when the objective proof is that snow tires are better and studded tires cause $11 million in (road) destruction,” Graham said.

The legislators did not debate Graham’s argument; Rep. Burley praised his articulate and impassioned presentation and invited him to testify before a committee that will take up studded tire regulations.

Scott Pillar of the High Desert Educational District asked about action on allowing Systems Development Charges for schools.

The issue is of interest in Sisters as the elementary school grows more and more crowded.

Rep. Burley noted that schools are now excluded by state law from the list of infrastructure that can be funded through SDCs.

He said that there are several bills in the legislature currently that take widely varying approaches to the issue. Some bills seek to include fire halls and libraries as well as schools on the list and one seeks only to add schools.

“There’s an awful lot of attention being paid to this,’ he said.

Rep. Whisnant expressed his gratitude for the good turnout the legislators experienced on their Saturday tour. He noted that direct public input can have an important influence on their decision making, noting that he and others have changed their mind due to public inputthat cast new light on their positions.