The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

by Rick Nelson

In my youth, newspaper persons used to tell of the publisher of a major weekly newspaper in Skamania County. They said he had been a press agent for Marilyn Monroe and that he was accustomed to shooting from the hip.

So when a man was arrested for murder, the publisher printed a story about the arrest with a headline saying something like this, "Hang the SOB!"

Prosecuting attorneys and other officers of the court frown on newspapers printing such material that might prejudice a jury, so they confronted the publisher, who repented.

Next week, he printed this, "Give the SOB a fair trial; then hang him!"

I don't know if the story is true, but like any good myth, it gives insight into human nature. This myth could apply to a couple of issues floating around the county.

One such issue is the proposal announced and championed by Commissioner Mike Backman to raise the county Current Expense Fund property tax levy to help fund a variety of endeavors.

These include the Cathlamet library and swimming pool, the county fair, WSU Cooperative Extension, Grays River Valley Center, Wahkiakum Emergency Management and the Wahkiakum Community Center. While they all serve the public good in some way or another, they're all struggling to find funding.

Backman's idea is this: Representatives of the various entities will prepare an analysis of the needs and benefits of their organizations. They'll collate all that and in July begin an educational campaign. A proposition for voters will be prepared for the November ballot, and as Backman puts it, the voters can have their say on the things they like.

At this point, I'm neutral on the issue. I agree that the organizations serve the public well and deserve support, but I'm not sure this is the best way to do it. I want to see the details before I make up my mind.

Other people have expressed opinions.

The Eagle has received letters to the editor in opposition of a tax increase. Writers say an increase in taxes will be a burden on the people least able to afford the expense, and they suggest the agencies continue looking for other funding sources.

Commissioner Blair Brady said he likes the proposal, and perhaps better than Backman's levy lift, then perhaps voters should authorize creation of a park and recreation district that would fund the programs. A park and recreation district would levy its own taxes, and the county levy wouldn't be affected. This would allow the county to increase its levy for its own needs, if necessary in the future.

Commissioner Dan Cothren expresses concern about the timing. He's working with Puget Island residents to create a continuing program for placing dredge spoils along certain eroding shorelines, and this would include a measure for voters in the affected areas to vote to assess their property to generate funds to pay permitting expenses. It's bad timing to have two tax measures on the ballot, he feels.

There are lots of questions to be answered about the proposal. We just have a concept now; we need a detailed, concrete proposal to evaluate. Going back to our myth, we may find that the fair trial proves the accused SOB to be innocent, or in our case, that the proposal has merit and won't have an odious impact on property taxes. In that case, people may actually want to vote for it.

That would be the point of a fair trial.