tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72337974978635059062024-02-06T21:15:56.920-08:00WALT WAGNER, CROOK COUNTY NOTESPOLITICAL AND SOCIAL COMMENTARY
WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-72064000009414246872016-01-04T11:47:00.001-08:002016-01-04T11:51:57.542-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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IMPROVED TEST SCORES: <br />
<br />
A study published in 2007 by Christopher Johnson, professor of<br />
music education and music therapy at the University of Kansas,<br />
revealed that students in elementary schools with superior<br />
music education programs scored around 22 percent higher<br />
in English and 20 percent higher inmath scores on standardized<br />
tests, compared to schools with low-quality music programs,<br />
regardless of socioeconomic disparities among the schools or<br />
school districts. Johnson comparesthe concentration that music<br />
training requires to the focus needed to perform well on a<br />
standardized test.<br />
<br />
Aside from test score results, Johnson’s study highlights the<br />
positive effects that a quality music education can have on a<br />
young child’s success. Luehrisen explains this psychological<br />
phenomenonin two sentences: “Schools that have rigorous<br />
programs and high-quality music and arts teachers probably<br />
have high-quality teachers in other areas. If you have an<br />
environment where there are a lot of people doing creative,<br />
smart, great things, joyful things, even people who aren’t doing<br />
that have a tendency to go up and do better.”WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-7674320502617127052015-06-16T14:47:00.002-07:002015-06-16T14:48:33.774-07:00School Testing Mythbuster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-21754658223046624762015-06-05T21:35:00.001-07:002015-06-05T21:35:22.050-07:00The etymology of words and phrases is very interesting!<br />
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<br />WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-46578597640241376812014-11-02T07:52:00.000-08:002014-11-02T07:52:00.573-08:00<a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1516928558575845&set=vb.1452170575051644&type=2&theater" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1516928558575845&set=vb.1452170575051644&type=2&theater</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This is an example of the Ford Institute training program. We put these up October 31st, the end result of members representing the community coming together with a finished practical beautification project for Crook County.</span>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-38944766556829426852014-01-29T20:58:00.002-08:002014-01-29T20:59:18.522-08:00Qualities not measured by tests<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-88339153893564874892013-11-15T08:36:00.000-08:002013-11-15T08:39:28.259-08:00Our Education System cartoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-18242376177044812112013-04-18T10:34:00.004-07:002013-04-18T10:36:24.084-07:00The Teacher's Dilemma<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">After
being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:
"Let me see if I've got this right: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">You
want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive
behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor
their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">You
want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually
transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self-esteem and personal pride.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">You
want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair
play, how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">You
want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior,
and make sure that they all pass the final exams.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">You
also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their
handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or
any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 13.0pt;">You
want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a
few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food
stamps.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 17px;"> You want me to do all this,
and then you tell me......I have to find time to TEACH?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Author unknown.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<!--EndFragment-->WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-3105082922820934532013-04-17T15:48:00.000-07:002013-04-18T10:58:06.109-07:00The Keep Kids Safe License Plate hit the road October 15, 2012. GET YOURS!<br />
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<br />WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-59417422657209940382013-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:002013-04-18T11:14:17.163-07:00NEED A JOB? Invent it! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 20.0pt;"><b>Need
to find a job? Invent it<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>By
<span style="color: #0044a9;">Thomas Friedman</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #535353; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">Published in the bend Bulletin: April 02. 2013 4:00AM PST</span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">When
Tony Wagner, the Harvard education specialist, describes his job today, he says
he’s “a translator between two hostile tribes" — the education world and
the business world, the people who teach our kids and the people who give them
jobs. Wagner’s argument in his book “Creating Innovators: The Making of Young
People Who Will Change the World" is that our K-12 and college tracks are
not consistently “adding the value and teaching the skills that matter most in
the marketplace."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">This
is dangerous at a time when there is increasingly no such thing as a high-wage,
middle-skilled job — the thing that sustained the middle class in the past
generation. Now there is only a high-wage, high-skilled job. Every middle-class
job today either requires more skill or can be done by more people around the
world or is made obsolete faster than ever. Which is why the goal of education,
argues Wagner, should not be to make every child “college ready" but
“innovation ready" — ready to add value to whatever they do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">That
is a tall task. I tracked Wagner down and asked him to elaborate. “Today,"
he said via email, “because knowledge is available on every Internet-connected
device, what you know matters far less than what you can do with what you know.
The capacity to innovate and skills like critical thinking, communication and
collaboration are far more important than academic knowledge. As one executive
told me, ‘We can teach new hires the content, and we will have to because it
continues to change, but we can’t teach them how to think — to ask the right
questions — and to take initiative.’"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">My
generation had it easy. We got to “find" a job. But, more than ever, our
kids will have to “invent" a job. (Fortunately, in today’s world, that’s
easier and cheaper than ever before.) Sure, some will find their first job,
but, given the pace of change today, they will have to reinvent, re-engineer
and reimagine that job much more often than their parents if they want to
advance in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Every
young person will continue to need basic knowledge, of course," Wagner
said. “But they will need skills and motivation even more. Of these three
education goals, motivation is the most critical. Young people who are
intrinsically motivated — curious, persistent and willing to take risks — will
learn new knowledge and skills continuously. They will be able to find new
opportunities or create their own — a disposition that will be increasingly
important as many traditional careers disappear."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">So
what should be the focus of education reform today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">“We
teach and test things most students have no interest in and will never need,
and facts that they can Google and will forget as soon as the test is
over," said Wagner. “Because of this, the longer kids are in school, the
less motivated they become. Gallup’s recent survey showed student engagement
going from 80 percent in fifth grade to 40 percent in high school. More than a
century ago, we ‘reinvented’ the one-room schoolhouse and created factory
schools for the industrial economy. Reimagining schools for the 21st century
must be our highest priority. We need to focus more on teaching the skill and
will to learn and to make a difference and bring the three most powerful
ingredients of intrinsic motivation into the classroom: play, passion and
purpose."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">What
does that mean for teachers and principals?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Teachers,"
he said, “need to coach students to performance excellence, and principals must
be instructional leaders who create the culture of collaboration required to
innovate. But what gets tested is what gets taught, and so we need
‘Accountability 2.0.’ All students should have digital portfolios to show
evidence of mastery of skills like critical thinking and communication, which
they build up right through K-12 and postsecondary. Selective use of
high-quality tests, like the College and Work Readiness Assessment, is
important. Finally, teachers should be judged on evidence of improvement in
students’ work through the year — instead of a score on a bubble test in May.
We need lab schools where students earn a high school diploma by completing a
series of skill-based ‘merit badges’ in things like entrepreneurship. And
schools of education where all new teachers have ‘residencies’ with master
teachers and performance standards — not content standards — must become the
new normal throughout the system."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">Who
is doing it right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Finland
is one of the most innovative economies in the world," he said, “and it is
the only country where students leave high school ‘innovation-ready.’ They
learn concepts and creativity more than facts, and have a choice of many
electives — all with a shorter school day, little homework and almost no
testing. In the U.S., 500 K-12 schools affiliated with Hewlett Foundation’s
Deeper Learning Initiative and a consortium of 100 school districts called
EdLeader21 are developing new approaches to teaching 21st-century skills. There
are also a growing number of ‘reinvented’ colleges like the Olin College of
Engineering, the MIT Media Lab and the ‘D-school’ at Stanford where students
learn to innovate."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 11.0pt;">—
Thomas Friedman is a columnist for The New York Times<a href="http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/ABOUT/662012948/1044&nav_category=ABOUT"><span style="color: #0044a9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #535353;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-80903115593807051622013-01-18T17:28:00.000-08:002013-01-18T13:11:18.146-08:00Do You Hear the People Sing?<div>
France had its problems, and we have ours now; we must choose our own path and our own future. </div>
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Join me in tomorrow's freedom! </div>
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Walt Wagner </div>
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'Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes.<br />
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Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see? Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free! </div>
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Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes! </div>
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Will you give all you can give so that our banner may advance? Some will fall and some will live. Will you stand up and take your chance? The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France! </div>
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Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again~! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!' </div>
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From Les Miserables, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer</div>
WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-73536752711600138842012-11-07T08:03:00.000-08:002012-11-07T08:10:48.015-08:00A SINCERE THANKYOUI want to extend a sincere thankyou to the 4330 people who voted for me, who still believe there is room for honesty in politics. You were able to think for yourselves and ignore the uninformed editorials. <br />
<br />
It's difficult to talk about the cronyism, backroom deals and secrecy that underscore Crook County's "business as usual" modus operandi; let's hope that communication with citizens will at least improve to a degree that is effective. <br />
<br />
And let's hope the judge's health improves enough that he can actually do the job, which hasn't been the case since August; this is something the public has a right to know and has been withheld. <br />
<br />
<br />WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-3253948974941025962012-11-05T07:52:00.005-08:002012-11-05T07:57:56.346-08:00<b>SUPPORT A REAL FISCAL CONSERVATIVE!</b> Visit the <b>Oregon Watchdog's</b> <b>endorsement list. See link at the right.</b>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-71431855532935167632012-10-31T08:37:00.000-07:002012-10-31T08:37:28.453-07:00letter from Craig Brookhart<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><b>Vote Walt Wagner for
Crook County Judge</b></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Published in the Central Oregonian, Tuesday, October
30,2012<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Since
the beginning of the year, we’ve been talking about making changes in the way
our county operates. You’ve heard about the principles of Constitutional
government, the need for improved communications and accountability to the
people - transparency, effective planning and much more. Many have felt the
sting of high unemployment, housing foreclosures and generally have been asking
where we are headed as a county.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
certainly been a long year and like you, I’ve heard more than enough
campaigning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The many candidate
forums have left little doubt who has the clearer picture of the issues, and
who can communicate plans and solutions to deal with them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
were told to be afraid of change by an “outsider,” but look around, have you
noticed all the changes? Were you asked? Did you know we are still fighting to
protect our reservoir, or that even more changes are on the way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
a contentious primary and an even 3-way split, Walt Wagner threw his hat into
the ring recognizing we need a change in our local government.
Opportunistic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, absolutely.
Two thirds of you opted for new management and I expect you are still hoping
for it. Well, now is your chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
time for principled leadership and an improved outlook for our county. Let’s
make it happen in this election cycle. The best ideas are on the table, so
let’s take advantage of them when we cast our vote.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Craig Brookhart<o:p></o:p></div>
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Prineville<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-64413162309867879042012-10-17T15:53:00.001-07:002012-10-31T08:39:39.088-07:00A REAL OPPORTUNITY IN CROOK COUNTY! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.0pt;"><b>A REAL OPPORTUNITY!<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">published in the Central Oregonian, 10/30/2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">In response
to the Tuesday, October 16, Central Oregonian editorial blurb about the
judge's race,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'd like to stress
that the editor has never interviewed me; he has never attended any forums in
which I've participated; he has appeared at no County Court meetings over the
last five months, at least none I've attended since I was asked to run after
the May primary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet Vance Tong
pretends to know what motivated me to run for Crook County Judge. How many
newspapers across the country do endorsements without a candidate interview?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Vance
called me an "opportunist."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is an opportunity, yes, to implement my ideas as well as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;">some of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;">those of the incumbent's two primary challengers, Brad Bartlett and Craig Brookhart,
both of whom support me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's an
opportunity to really do some good for this county and to change "business
as usual." Communication with county residents has been virtually
non-existent on a scale large enough to be effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where has
this editor been for the last four years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently the 66% of voters who chose someone else in the May primary
saw something that the newspaper editor did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where has he been involved? What voters has he contacted to
test the climate of this election? My support at this time comes from many
prominent Crook County residents: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans,
Patriots, Independents, and Democrats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">So I ask
again, why no candidate interview? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Walt Wagner</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Powell Butte </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-69575940663477257752012-09-28T11:47:00.000-07:002012-09-30T07:37:15.190-07:00AN INDEPENDENT IS RUNNING FOR CROOK COUNTY JUDGE!<br />
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I am FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE, AGGRESSIVELY PRO BUSINESS, and ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE.<br />
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I will be a new challenger in November since I was successful in my bid to obtain the Independent Party of Oregon's nomination for the Crook County Judge position.<br />
<br />
I'd like to highlight here some of the aspects of my past life and work that uniquely qualify me for this important leadership position in Crook County.<br />
<br />
I retired in 1992 from a 27 year career with the Oregon State Police, during which I was the State Police Academy Commander in Monmouth, moving on to General Headquarters in Research and Development, Internal Investigations, Management Audits, Legislative tracking, Public Information Officer, Professional Standards. I was a principal instructor in Oregon Laws and Court Procedures, Vicarious Liability, Motivational and Evaluation Techniques.<br />
<br />
I have successfully and aggressively run a BUSINESS in Kauaii, increasing their income via electronic fund transfers from about $1000 a month to over $5000 a month in only three months, with no marketing money, illustrating how effective a fiscal conservative can be. <br />
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I was the first Chairman of the Oregon State Games, the statewide Oregon Olympics, managing all aspects of the games, encompassing all counties in the state. In my second year, I was a member of the Executive Committee.<br />
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After retirement, I managed the Nutrition and Fitness program for the College of Legal Arts in Portland, teaching there for six years.<br />
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Locally in Crook County, I was instrumental in obtaining the bulk of the funds which allowed the Powell Butte Community Center to be completed. I was Chairman in 2005 and am currently a board member of the Powell Butte Farmer's Community Club. <br />
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I was also Chairman of the Polk County SW Fire District budget committee.<br />
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I was appointed by the Oregon Department of Education to the Drug and Alcohol Advisory Committee for the State of Oregon.<br />
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I was awarded a Federal Certificate from the Safety and Health Council for supporting the joint advancement of occupational safety and health within the Federal Government. <br />
<br />
Training of record: I completed the Northwestern's 350 hours management training on Staff and Command through BPST. <br />
<br />
I'm proud of my service in the United States Navy, receiving Honorman of my Company during basic training over 40 others in my company.<br />
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I'm looking forward to talking with those of you from all parties in Crook County. I'm seeking your support in November for the Crook County Court Judge position.WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-24387125000759680372012-09-24T07:32:00.001-07:002012-09-24T07:34:08.840-07:00<br />
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Wagner pressing McCabe on public openness</h1>
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By Joel Aschbrenner / <i style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Bulletin</i></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><small class="pubDate" style="color: #999999; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Published: September 24. 2012 4:00AM PST</small></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BB&Date=20120924&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=209240328&Ref=AR&Profile=1001&MaxW=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Walt Wagner - " border="0" height="200" src="http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BB&Date=20120924&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=209240328&Ref=AR&Profile=1001&MaxW=300" style="margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="169" /></a><br />
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Walt Wagner</div>
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Crook County judge</h1>
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For our complete coverage, visit www.bendbulletin.com/elections.<br />
One position open</div>
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Walt Wagner, an Independent Party candidate for Crook County Judge, wants to make the county government more open.</div>
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Increasing transparency is the cornerstone of Wagner’s campaign to unseat Mike McCabe, a 20-year veteran of the county court who beat Wagner in 2008 when both ran as Republicans for the county’s top administrative position.</div>
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Wagner said his chief complaint is that the county does too little to alert people to meetings and county business, and too few people know how the county is being run.</div>
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For example, Wagner said, a county meeting earlier this month with U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., to discuss Merkley’s bill to remove water from the Prineville Reservoir was originally scheduled to be closed to the public. That was, Wagner said, until several groups found out about the meeting and demanded it be open.</div>
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McCabe was in the hospital at the time and said he did not know why the meeting with Merkley was not initially publicized.</div>
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McCabe said he disagrees with Wagner’s claim that the county is not transparent. The county sends out meeting notices to several hundred people — anyone who asks to receive them — and makes meeting agendas and minutes available to the public online and at the county courthouse.</div>
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“I don’t know how much more open you can get," he said. “We try to make everything as open as we can."</div>
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Reducing unemployment</div>
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In Crook County, which maintains the state’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 14.1 percent, recruiting jobs is another key issue in the campaign.</div>
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McCabe points to the economic progress since he took office in 2009, specifically the development of data centers in Crook County.</div>
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Facebook has built one 300,000-square-foot server farm on the outskirts of Prineville and is working on a twin facility next door. Apple, meanwhile, has applied for applications to build two data centers that cover more than 500,000 square feet.</div>
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McCabe said he worked for more than three years helping to recruit the data centers, serving as a point person when the tech companies had questions for the county.</div>
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While the centers are expected to employ only a few dozen people when complete, they are creating hundreds of construction jobs in the meantime and bringing in contractors who eat at local restaurants, shop at local stores and stay in local motels, McCabe said.</div>
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“That’s a pretty big kick," he said.</div>
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Wagner isn’t convinced data centers are the silver bullet for Crook County.</div>
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“I think data centers make good partners in the community," he said. “But we have to look at how many people they actually hire."</div>
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Manufacturing jobs are what Crook County needs, Wagner said. While wood-product manufacturing is down, Prineville is the perfect place for a manufacturer of outdoor clothing and equipment, he said.</div>
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If elected, Wagner said he would visit companies and pitch them the idea of relocating or building in Prineville.</div>
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Backgrounds differ</div>
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McCabe, a lifelong Crook County resident, served as a county commissioner for 16 years before being elected judge in 2008. He previously worked as a rancher and a loan officer for Farm Credit Services.</div>
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Wagner’s career is more eclectic. He is a Navy veteran who spent 27 years with the Oregon State Police as a trooper, public information officer and the head of the state police training academy. He served as the chairman of the first Oregon State Games, ran a small farm in the Willamette Valley and even did some modeling for the outfitter Helly Hansen.</div>
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Previously Wagner ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate as a Republican and for the state House, once as a Republican and once as a Democrat.</div>
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In 2008, McCabe defeated Wagner by earning 63 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.</div>
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A unique position</div>
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The county judge is a unique position in that it serves as the head of the county’s legislative body and its top executive, said Scott Cooper, Crook County’s judge from 2000 to 2008.</div>
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The judge chairs the three-member county court alongside two elected commissioners and serves as the county administrator, managing day-to-day business.</div>
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While it’s cheaper to have a county judge rather than a full-time county administrator, the judge system has been abandoned by all but nine eastern Oregon counties because it puts so much responsibility on one person, Cooper said.</div>
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Prior to 2008, Crook County looked to get rid of the judge position in favor of a full-time county administrator but balked when the recession hit and revenues shrunk, Cooper said.</div>
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— Reporter: 541-633-2184, jaschbrenner@bendbulletin.com</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" name="s_i_saxotechbendbulletin" src="http://saxowesterncommunications.122.2O7.net/b/ss/saxotechbendbulletin/1/H.5-pdv-2/s0632961443625?[AQB]&ndh=1&t=24/8/2012%207%3A24%3A27%201%20420&ns=saxowesterncommunications&cdp=2&pageName=News%2CLocal%20%26%20State%2CWagner%20pressing%20McCabe%20on%20public%20openness%3A20120924%3A209240328&g=http%3A//www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20120924/NEWS01/209240328/1001/NEWS01%26nav_category%3DNEWS01%26template%3Dprint&r=http%3A//www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20120924/NEWS01/209240328/1001/NEWS01%26nav_category%3D&cc=USD&ch=News01&server=S260608AT1VW724&c1=Story&h1=News%2CLocal%20%26%20State%2CWagner%20pressing%20McCabe%20on%20public%20openness%3A20120924%3A209240328&pid=News%2CLocal%20%26%20State%2CWagner%20pressing%20McCabe%20on%20public%20openness%3A20120924%3A209240328&pidt=1&oid=http%3A//www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20120924/NEWS01/209240328/1001/NEWS01%26nav_cat&ot=A&s=1920x1080&c=24&j=1.3&v=Y&k=Y&bw=1108&bh=889&p=MoveNetworks%20Quantum%20Media%20Player%3BShockwave%20Flash%3BFlip4Mac%20Windows%20Media%20Plugin%202.3.8%20%3BiPhotoPhotocast%3BJava%20Applet%20Plug-in%3BMusicnotes%3BQuickTime%20Plug-in%207.6.6%3BSibelius%20Scorch%3BSilverlight%20Plug-In%3BWebKit%20built-in%20PDF%3B&[AQE]" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="1" /></span>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-49173534419860125142012-09-06T10:46:00.000-07:002012-09-06T10:51:11.813-07:00Wagner rocked the boat with Listserv email<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><small class="pubDate" style="color: #666666; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Published: <span property="dcterms:issued" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span property="bend:publicationDate" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">September 06. 2012 4:00AM</span></span> PST, Bend Bulletin</small></span><br />
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Election season tensions are showing in Crook County, where a candidate has been criticized for sending campaign emails to county employees.</div>
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Walt Wagner is the Independent Party candidate seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Mike McCabe as the county’s chief administrator and chair of its governing body. In Crook County, that position is called the county judge, and the governing body is the County Court.</div>
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Wagner used the county’s Listserv when he sent out a message promoting online campaign materials. The Listserv includes the email addresses of county employees as well as citizens who asked to receive news releases and notices of public meetings.</div>
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Andrea Cantu-Schomus, director of communications for the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, said there’s nothing illegal about Wagner’s action. Wagner said that getting his campaign material out is his constitutional right.</div>
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But Assistant County Counsel Eric Blaine complained that the emails could encourage employees to violate rules that prohibit them from engaging in political activities while at work, including visiting campaign websites. Several employees had complained after receiving the email.</div>
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The election is a sensitive one. The incumbent, McCabe, won the May GOP primary, but he had only a little more than a third of the votes, with a total tally of 1,015. Opposition candidate Bradley Bartlett took 960 votes and Craig Brookhart had 972. The challengers complained about a lack of openness in county government that they said discourages citizens from getting involved.</div>
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If Wagner can attract both Bartlett’s and Brookhart’s supporters, he might unseat McCabe and upend the established order in Crook County. No Democrats have filed to run.</div>
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That possibility adds to the anxiety surrounding this election, and might increase focus on issues like the use of the county’s Listserv for campaign purposes.</div>
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Wagner has asserted that it’s not his job to prevent county employees from violating the prohibition on visiting campaign sites while on the job. That’s certainly true. However, not all that’s legal is wise. Better to find other routes to reach those voters.</div>
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<b>(Walt's response: I don't disagree with the editorial board; however, this route was taken with the intent to inform, and as a past public employee who is sensitive to their positions, I believe this should have been a non-issue. This has happened in other areas of the state and the burden definitely falls on governmental administrators and their legal counsel to provide the necessary information and training to employees to prevent violation of statutes. That was not done in this case. Through personal contact with Crook County legal counsel and administrators it was obvious that they were not well versed in campaign law specifics.) </b></div>
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WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-3968886820182809202012-09-05T14:23:00.000-07:002012-09-06T07:58:28.420-07:00Judge candidate's emails ruled legal<!--[if !mso]>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Judge
candidate's emails ruled legal</b></span><b style="font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #535353; font-family: HelveticaNeue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Walt Wagner used Crook County's Listserv to distribute
campaign material</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21pt; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue;"><b>By <span style="color: #0044a9;">Joel Aschbrenner</span> / <i>The Bulletin<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
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<a href="file:///Users/rebecca/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span style="color: #535353; font-family: HelveticaNeue;">Published:
September 05. 2012 4:00AM PST</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
candidate for Crook County judge was within his rights when he used a county
Listserv last week to publicize his campaign Facebook page, a state election
official said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
a county official said the email put county employees who received it at risk
of violating election rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Walt
Wagner, an Independent Party candidate challenging incumbent Mike McCabe, said
he accidently included the county Listserv in an email blast promoting his new
Facebook page. Distributing campaign material, Wagner said, is his
constitutional right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Assistant
County Counsel Eric Blaine asked Wagner in an email to “cease and desist"
sending campaign emails to the county Listserv.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
county uses the Listserv to send public meeting notices and news releases to
employees and members of the public who request them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Distributing
campaign material through the Listserv puts county employees at risk of
violating a campaign law that prohibits government employees from engaging in
political activities, like visiting campaign websites, on the clock, Blaine
said.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535353; font-family: HelveticaNeue;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
nothing prohibits Wagner from distributing campaign material to county
employees or using the county Listserv to do so, said Andrea Cantu-Schomus,
director of communications with the Oregon Secretary of State's Office. In
fact, McCabe could use the county Listserv to publicize a website of his own if
he wanted, she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wagner
said he viewed Blaine's request as an attempt to intimidate him from continuing
to distribute campaign material. “When you start intimidating someone and it
could affect their First Amendment rights ... that's wrong," Wagner said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wagner
is a candidate for county judge, an administrative position and chair of the
county court — a three-member governing body — with no judicial
responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blaine
said he was only trying preclude county employees from receiving campaign
material at work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">“The
county's only interest is to protect employees from violating campaign
rules," Blaine said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wagner
said that is not his problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">“It's
up to the county to make sure county employees are informed that when something
comes in like that, they ... should either delete it or send it to their home
email," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
all, 126 people received Wagner's email. Several complained to the county about
it, Blaine said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
county is now looking to secure its Listserv from similar uses in the future,
Blaine said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
county had used a simple list of email addresses that any recipient could
access by clicking “reply all," rather than using a blind carbon copy
feature, which prevents recipients from seeing who else received the message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-5328451550374616712012-08-03T16:19:00.002-07:002012-08-03T16:19:32.110-07:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">It's official - I filed as an Independent candidate for Crook County Court Judge in the general election, November 6, with the Crook County Clerk's office on Thursday, August 2, 2012, at 12:47 p.m. This was made possible because I secured the nomination of the Independent Party of Oregon. The filing application, form SEL110, had to be signed and notarized by Independent Party officers and sent to the Crook County Clerk. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">We think that this is the first time an Independent candidate has run for this position in Crook County. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9mkvNWTgzPxilya5JlvuEDvKNaTem0xIJnIPnwkzftFGLB9q4ymwfpRriZvOAoPDPF_Itdl-iaGvYdI8agxpu_wBQBNjHAk52IAFpXM-0O8vTLGa9MA964XMk2n9xKCMneTlYbjiZGPg/s1600/best+head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9mkvNWTgzPxilya5JlvuEDvKNaTem0xIJnIPnwkzftFGLB9q4ymwfpRriZvOAoPDPF_Itdl-iaGvYdI8agxpu_wBQBNjHAk52IAFpXM-0O8vTLGa9MA964XMk2n9xKCMneTlYbjiZGPg/s320/best+head+shot.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-54815087462100088522012-07-19T10:33:00.000-07:002012-07-19T15:47:02.649-07:00The Independent Primary is completed now in Oregon as of July 17. I've mailed my application to the Independent Party headquarters, which will send back a notarized original giving me the party nomination. I will then file with Crook County. This means that I will be on the November ballot as a candidate for Crook County Court Judge.<br />
<br />
To support me with a contribution, mail checks to:<br />
Crook County Citizens for Walt Wagner<br />
7598 SW Stillman Rd., Powell Butte, OR 97753.<br />
<br />
There is an Oregon Tax credit available, up to $50 per individual, or $100 per joint return. <br />
<br />
Thank you so much for your support, and your vote this coming November! WALTWALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-81581001558337295982009-12-21T19:54:00.000-08:002009-12-21T20:28:14.959-08:00SHOW ME A LEGISLATOR WITH GUTS!The holidays are upon us, and despite our economic woes, for many if not most of us they will be filled with happiness, family, sharing - and driving. And it will be a great shame if the joys of the season are ruined by death or mutilation caused by someone <b>driving under the influence of intoxicants: DUII. </b><div><br /></div><div>Take the case of Ginger Davis of Canyonville, OR, who some years ago was the sole survivor of a two-car violent crash that claimed seven lives. Davis caused the deadly crash; she was dead drunk with a blood alcohol level of .23, way over the legal limit. Two of the victims were her own children. And this accident happened because nobody until then had taken the problem seriously enough to create a real deterrent.</div><div><br /></div><div>Davis had a long history of alcohol problems, going back to high school. She had several previous drunk driving arrests, lost her license, but still continued to drive. Then one day in 1991 she was involved in an accident in Nevada. She left the scene, bought more liquor, and 24 hours later in Utah, she hit a car occupied by two Salt Lake physicians and their three children. Everyone in that car, plus the two children in Davis's car, were killed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The judge's words, typical courtroom lip service, were harsh, but not his sentence. Five of the vehicular homicide charges were dropped in a plea-bargain "deal." It was as if five of the killed didn't even count. Davis received two sentences of from one to 15 years.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Oregon legislature had NEVER proposed or passed a law to really protect the public from the deadly drunk driver. It's time to be realistic: people consume alcohol legally. Drunk driving is a topic people don't really want to think about. The voting public, and even the judges, often seem to take the attitude, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Alcohol is a legal intoxicant, but driving impaired isn't legal, and it's deadly. And yes, it IS preventable. Ask those now spending their lives in wheelchairs how important this is.</div><div><br /></div><div>The legislature started by allowing the police officer to draw blood to ascertain the amount of alcohol consumed. Then the breath testing machine was used. Both are all about evidence AFTER THE ARREST; they don't stop someone from driving. If you've lost a loved one to a drunk driver, or seen a dead body at the crash scene, experienced the screams, pain, horrible smells of blood and oil, seen all the broken glass on the highway - then it is real to you. Then you care, and you'll ask WHY this drunk was still out driving a car, when a REAL DETERRENT is possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we need to save money. We have a representative from Bend who wants to have police officers testify by phone at implied consent hearings, so they won't have to be paid for court time. But only a REAL DETERRENT will ultimately save money. When will the legislature become PROactive instead of REactive, start passing laws that will really prevent driving drunk, and save lives?</div><div><br /></div><div>What am I talking about? What is a "real deterrent"?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Oregon legislature has failed miserably for the past 60 plus years in this area. Nobody has had the GUTS to propose or pass a law that will make the drunk THINK before he gets into a car. The diversion program has some very good points, and if its classes on drinking an driving worked in every case, the recidivism rate for drunk driving wouldn't be so extremely high. And punishment for driving drunk has always been light.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the legislature passed a law mandating a year in jail, no exceptions, for the second drunk driving offense, regardless of a previous diversion program, the certainty of a stiff sentence would finally make drinkers think before getting behind the wheel of a car. Conviction would cause hardship for their families, cost their jobs. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jail space? No problem; after 6-8 months of this sentencing, word of mouth and a good media campaign would alert the drinking public that a designated driver is a necessity, because the alternative, a year in jail, would devastate their lives. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's see: who wouldn't benefit from this law? Emergency room doctors; florists; defense attorneys; physical therapists; tow truck operators, wheel chair manufacturers. The obituaries will be shorter lists. And the ACLU is sure to find something wrong with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Come on, legislators! Stop worrying about your next election, and pass a REAL DETERRENT to drunk driving! Let's save some Oregon lives, and set an example for the nation to follow.</div><div><br /></div><div>Walt Wagner</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-27870935966260330672009-04-29T16:25:00.000-07:002012-08-17T10:06:20.117-07:00WHAT WOULD WE DO?Yesterday, my wife, Rebecca, was presented with a question: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3333ff;">Here we are...at the end of George W's reign...the country's economy is in shambles - America's world image is in shambles...what would be YOUR advice?"</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I've asked her to write her response below, because I totally concur! Walt. </span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To begin with, I wouldn't blame Bush for the current economic shambles. It started with Jimmy Carter, or even further back in FDR's failed socialistic policies after the Great Depression. Ironically, it was the country's coming together in WWII that finally put paid to that era. Under Reagan, we had some good entrepreneurial growth; the rich got richer, but the poor didn't get poorer. To quote him, it was "morning in America." Under Clinton, banks were forced to make bad loans, and Barney Franks and his ilk flourished. Then Bush Two's 17 attempts to get more regulation were rejected by a democratic congress, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the foxes watching the henhouse</span>, the SEC regulators who wanted the cushy multi-million dollar post-government advisory jobs awaiting them in the areas they were "regulating," <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">failed miserably</span> in the job they were assigned to do. I do give Obama credit for attempting to put a time lapse between government regulatory jobs and private sector employment in the same field. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">You really want my advice? I'd adopt Ron Paul's agenda.</span> More isolationism; pull back from the billions in foreign aid we can't afford; limit federal government spending to essential programs and promises only, i.e. national security, social security, medicare/medicaid. Leave MUCH more decision making to individual states. Curtail military operations except where our national security is compromised, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">but build up defensive capability,</span> so that nobody can EVER detonate a nuclear bomb two miles over America's heartland where the electro-magnetic pulse would wipe out all communications, thus plunging this country into worse than 19th century conditions and total chaos. This could happen SO easily; we have no "star wars" defense against rockets coming in; (WHY didn't we listen to Reagan!) and the rogue nations are building their rocket capability very fast. They already have the nukes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Economically, I'd make sure this country did NOT go down the road to socialism but remained a capitalistic country not dependent on foreign imports or oil. I'd stop the bleed out of the country looking for cheap labor. I'd develop the vast Bakken oil reserves in the Dakotas, supposedly greater than the Saudis'; AND I'd make electric cars the most affordable vehicle of the future. I'd research a way to permanently neutralize nuclear waste material so that nuclear power would FINALLY really be "clean energy." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In short, I'd work to make this country again the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">shining beacon</span> that everybody wanted to enter, not just those fleeing poverty, suppression, and tyranny, but those seeking real opportunity and a place to bloom. Starry-eyed idealism? Probably. But it happened before, and it can and should happen again. </div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Rebecca Wagner</span></div>
WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-58659991056678742422009-04-27T11:09:00.000-07:002009-04-27T11:39:30.465-07:00BEND RATED NUMBER FOUR IN THE NATIONIn the May, 2009, issue of Newsmax magazine is an article titled, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">"Uniquely American, the 25 Cities and Towns that Best Express Our National Values."</span> </span> We were pleased to see that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Bend</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">is ranked number four</span> out of the 25, and for the benefit of those who don't subscribe to Newsmax, quoted below is the text from that article.<div><br /></div><div>"Bend is a great example of a community that set a goal - to make the town a national tourist destination - and succeeded.</div><div><br /></div><div>The city ranked third on the 2008 "Best Performing Cities" (small metro) list, according the Milken Institute, a California-based think tank that tracks this list annually based on wage and salary growth, job growth, and high-tech sector growth. Much of the credit goes to residents' efforts to grow from a regional destination to a national one in just five years. </div><div><br /></div><div>A large chunk of its tourism revenue flows from the nearby Cascade Range, where features include the Mount Bachelor ski resort, Cascades Lake, and the Deschutes River.</div><div><br /></div><div>From 2003 to 2007, room-tax collections in Bend grew more than 55 percent. Three million people a year visit Bend, and 61 percent of those participate in outdoor activities. The tourism industry pumps an estimated $300 million annually into the local economy and employs nearly 16 percent of the Deschutes County work force. Trade, transportation, and utilities beat it out only slightly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bend has the highest average number of sunny days in the state, so it's not surprising that it's also quickly becoming a prime retiree destination. Apart from is high desert climate, retirees, locals, and tourists alike gravitate to Bend for its cultural offerings, great dining and nightlife, excellent healthcare, and small-town feel." </div><div><br /></div><div>On a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being the highest, Bend was rated as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>Hospitality <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8</span></div><div>Wholesomeness <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">9</span></div><div>Family Friendliness <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8</span></div><div>Devotion to Religion <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6</span></div><div>Culture <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8</span></div><div>Community Activities <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7</span></div><div>Scenic Beauty <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">10</span></div><div>Education <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div>It's gratifying to see the area where we chose to live appreciated in the national media. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-349507826409596322008-07-20T17:38:00.000-07:002008-07-22T15:20:36.225-07:00MeadowLakes DownMention to anyone the recent <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">trapping and killing</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">of a family of beavers</span>, at least four, at the MeadowLakes Public Golf Course, and the almost universal reaction is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">"Awwwww! No!"</span> <div><br /></div><div>The title above refers to Richard Adams' book, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Watership Down,</span> standard high school English fare, written from the rabbits' point of view. For everyone familiar with that book, the problem of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the human animal as greatest predator and destroyer of habitat</span> is magically, some say allegorically, illuminated.</div><div><br /></div><div>I (Rebecca) wanted to write this from the the beavers' point of view, but not knowing exactly how they were killed, I can't quite get into their heads. Yet. Walt is still looking into it, because according to an authoritative web site on beavers, http://www.beaversww.org/beaver.html, "Snares hold the victim helpless against predators and can cause death by strangulation, or drowning due to entanglement. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">No kill trap that currently exists will reliably cause an instant death under field conditions,</span> and drowning traps are especially inhumane for animals that can hold their breath for 10 to 15 minutes..." Not a pretty picture, is it! </div><div><br /></div><div>Relocation traps like the Hancock or Bailey live traps are a humane method of trapping; the beavers could then be relocated as far away as necessary to keep them from returning.</div><div><br /></div><div>City officials tried to keep the killing hush-hush, indicating that they knew people would not approve, would be upset. So why was this done? The busy beavers took down three trees. Less trees, less hazard for the golfers, right? What's the big deal? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I suppose the beavers could have taken down more trees and flooded the waterways with their house/dams. And although <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">there are many ways to co-exist with the beavers</span> and their works, including running wide pipe through the dams to ensure continued water flow, fencing, tree protectors, repellents, or relocation, (Google "beavers" for a wealth of information!) city government chose to kill them instead. </div><div><br /></div><div>The excuses were many, such as, "They'll come back if we try to relocate them." Really? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Where did they come from, then?</span> </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The reality</span> is that when they are two years old, young beavers strike out to find their own territory. Beavers can live up to 20 years, and reach a size of up to 65 pounds. They mate for life and start reproducing then they are three. If a mate is killed the survivor will mate again, but because they breed only once a year, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">beavers rarely overpopulate</span>. They will even decrease their rate of reproduction when occupancy reaches a certain level. </div><div><br /></div><div>In 1969, the Oregon State Legislature voted to make the beaver the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Oregon State Animal</span>. This was done after extensive transplanting efforts resulted in renewed healthy beaver populations over much of the state, the beaver having been nearly eliminated in the mid 1800's by fur trappers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oregon is now called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Beaver State</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">We're proud of our beavers, the animals and the sports teams named after them.</span> And while "harvesting" is allowed under ODFW permits, to kill the state animal unnecessarily seems simply wrong. Certain people made some bad decisions here. </div><div><br /></div><div>We welcome your comments. Walt and Rebecca Wagner</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233797497863505906.post-43537461735161723312008-06-04T21:20:00.000-07:002012-08-17T10:06:48.118-07:00RESORTS OR NO RESORTS: THAT IS THE QUESTIONThe front page of the Tuesday, June 3, Bend Bulletin featured a very interesting article from the New York Times News Service. It provided an almost eerie look into the possible future of Crook County's Powell Butte area if resorts are allowed to proliferate beyond the area's ability to sustain them. The article described Murcia, Spain, and deserves a good look from our planning commission.<br />
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Murcia, Spain, is a desert area very similar in topography to our Central Oregon landscape, the photo on the bottom of the page showing a cone-shaped mountain and sparse vegetation. Good land farmed for generations has given way to a plethora of golf courses and elegant vacation homes, in a "resort-building boom." The result: Murcia is running out of water. The Spanish Environmental Ministry blames this on a combination of "global warming and poor land use." But it's more than just bad decisions: some local officials are now in prison for taking bribes that allowed construction on land with insufficient water.</div>
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The greener pastures of Central Oregon are turning from farm land into resorts and golf courses at an alarming rate. The old farming and ranching way of life is losing out to more and more five or ten acre plots as agriculture becomes increasingly more difficult to keep economically viable, and farmers and ranchers are tempted by the money that can be made from selling to developers.</div>
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It would behoove Crook County to take a lesson from our sister climate in Spain. Avion Water, which is supplying water to Brasada Ranch, and which will likely attempt to provide water for the two other approved resorts, is rumored to have already had seven dry wells. (It's also rumored that the record of these dry wells has somehow become lost.) Golf courses take a tremendous amount of water, and what Avion takes out of the ground can't help but deplete the area's aquifer. (It should be noted here that Prineville's excellent public Meadowlakes Golf Course is a wastewater treatment facility that has won Golf Digest's National Environmental Leaders award.) </div>
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Our previously approved resorts are nowhere near capacity; some are just in the planning stages with no impact yet on our water supply. I have to agree with the overwhelming majority of voters in Crook County, and say that we should approve more resorts only after we have seen the impact of our planned resorts at full or nearly full capacity. </div>
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Are the resorts we have already approved good for Crook County? Yes, because they are and will be a valuable asset to our economy, but new ones should be considered only after we have conducted real, unbiased planning and research into habitat, water, traffic, and any other area having an impact on our infrastructure. The voters have spoken loudly; these same voters will be watching the actions of our county court and planning commission. Government too often forgets that its purpose is to do the will of the people, not the other way around.</div>
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Keep visiting this blog for up to date information on issues in Crook County. A link is coming soon on the Central Oregonian's Calendar page. Walt and Rebecca Wagner</div>
WALT WAGNERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12836229559458434715noreply@blogger.com1