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Show 2 Vernal Express Wednesday, October 17. 2X1 Opinion and Commentary MC&STRAWS by Jack Y.'illl Terrorists attacks V According to government officials, there is evidence that terrorists may have been pUnrunj to disperse biological bio-logical or chcnucal sgentt throughout Amenca. PubiK health, state and local health response has been that there are no confirmed cases of anthrax to Utah. Since Sept 1 1 Utah public health has been presented present-ed with new reports of potential threats from throughout through-out Utah. As of 11-14-01 there have been seven suspicious suspi-cious incidents reported to public health, but no confirmed con-firmed cases of anthrax. Utah's public health disease monitoring network is in place. The network notifies public health officials of any concerning or unusual disease trend. After a threat assessment and information analysis has been completed public health will determine the appropriate appropri-ate response and testing. Public health's lab services are able to test for anthrax and is busy responding to reports of anthrax exposures but is aware of other organisms to watch for. Public health is asking that Utahns avoid requesting antibiotics to prevent being at risk of anthrax and smallpox. When antibiotics are overused, or used when they are not necessary, anti-resistant strains develop and cause antibiotics to be ineffective in the treatment of bacteria. Utah's public health and law enforcement officials are asking Utahns to" keep an eye out for suspicious letters or packages. It is important to note what to watch for. Below are some indicators to watch for Excessive postage. Handwritten or poorly typed addresses. Incorrect titles. Title, but no name. Misspellings of common words. Oily stains, discoloration! or odor. No return addresi. Excessive weight Lopsided or uneven envelope. Protruding wires or aluminum foil. Excessive security material such as masking tape, string, etc. . Visual distractions. Ticking sound. Marked restrictive endorsements, such as personal or confidential. Show s a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address. If you have identified a suspicious package the health department gives the following steps to take to reduce the risk to you and others: Do not open the letter. If the letter has already been opened and powder spills out, do not clean it up. Do not panic. Keep others away from the area. Wash your hands immediately with soap and water. Notify your supervisor, law enforcement and public pub-lic health officials. Evacuate the area. Ensure that all persons who have handled the letter wash their hands. Start a list of names and telephone numbers of all persons who have handled the letter. The covert release of a biological agent will not have an immediate impact because of the delay between exposure and illness onset Consequently, the first indication of a biologic attack may only be identified iden-tified when ill patients present to physicians or other healthcare providers for clinical care. PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THX EDITOR What is your opinion? The Express welcome letters let-ters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent perti-nent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive and of reasonable length (two typewritten double spaced pages). Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, signa-ture, phone number and address. Letters for the sole purpose of expressing thanks to individuals or groups will not be printed In the forum. Letters may be mailed, faxed at 789-6690 or through e-mail at editorOvemal.com. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters. let-ters. AH letters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily nec-essarily the opinion of the Express Editor. Reasons for Firefighters Dear Editor, On Sept. 1 1, this country suffered a tragic evenL We lost many thousands of lives, a number of buildings, untold economic hardships and we lost several hundred firemen all in one fell swoop. As firemen, we grow very close to each other because we put our lives on the line together. If we get in trouble at a fire the only one there to come in and save us are our own fellow firemen. When so many firemen were lost in the WTC attack we felt sick and felt the loss just as New York firemen felt And then an awe inspiring event took place. In front of the fire station a small memorial started. We do not know who started it first but a flower arrangement showed up and then two then three flowers. Before long a wreath showed up and then an American flag. Several hats came next with some more flowers. To the firemen of Uintah CountyVernal City, this touched our hearts. We are proud of our citizens and we were proud to be firemen. We knew this was in memory of the fallen firemen but we also knew this was a thanks from you to' us. We recognized this and wish to thank you back for all you do for us. When we were in a' meeting last week Mrs. Spencer and some of her young women from the Vernal 7th Ward showed up. They had made plates of cookies and small fire hats full of cookies for each and every firemen. fire-men. Many times in the paper we have seen editorials thanking the firemen but never have we seen such an out pouring of thanks and gratitude toward the department. depart-ment. We wish to tell you all thanks from the bottom of our hearts and express our continued support to you and our town in times of trouble and need. Thanks again for letting let-ting us serve you. UINTAH COUNTYVERNAL CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT DEPART-MENT LYNN RUNOLFSON Vernal Express (ISSN 0892-1091) Published every Wednesday tor $24 par year in hopping area and $36 par year out of (hopping araa within stats and $38 paryaaroutof atata within USA by tie Vernal Expreea Puttering Company, 54 North Vernal Avenue. Vernal. Utah 84078. Pertoctca postage paid at Vernal. Utah 84078 POSTMASTER: Send addrese change to VERNAL EXPRESS. P.O. Box 1000. Vernal Utah 84078. Jack R WaKs Steven a WaBe . ..Pubtehar VVginia Harrington.. VtaWFeWL Richard Harrington Sara Moon Jody Smuin ..EdMor and oo-pubasher -i-f-eaBjni wHar PUbac Notices Advertising -dverDMng .Orciietton 4 CTaetWsd Ads Phone: 435-789-3611 FAX 435-789-eeSO Website: www vernal. corn e-maf: edHortvemej.oorn DEADLINES Display Advertising.. Claseito Advertising.. Monday 12 noon Monday 5 pjn. Pubic Notice . ..Monday 5 p.m. Monday 3 p.m. Dear Editor, After watching, reading about and following the ongoing battle over whether or not we should change our current form of government in Uintah County I have a few comments. First of all I have never been one to be very politically active. Mostly because I have not felt educated about certain issues to make a choice about something I knew little or nothing about However, on the upcoming government gov-ernment change issue I feel I have become educated, on both sides, enough that I can go to the ballot box and mark the box that says I am "FOR" the change. I would encourage all citizens of Uintah County to also educate yourself about this issue so that you can make a wise choice on Nov. 6. Let me tell you a few reasons why I feel the change would be good for all of us: 1. As our county government stands, we elect three commissioners to carry out business as they see fit for . our county. I don't believe these men to be evil or bad people. I do believe they are influenced greatly by special spe-cial interest groups or people. There only needs to be two of the three commissions to agree to pass any proposal. pro-posal. Unfortunately I have come to believe that in many cases it is these special interest groups and people who are really making the decisions for our county. I believe in the committee form of government proposed this is less likely to happen. 2. What education is required at present to become a county commissioner? None. The new proposal for our county government is that a person, that has been educated edu-cated in government management, be hired as the county coun-ty manager. I would encourage any current commissioner commis-sioner who wants a full-time county government position posi-tion to go back to school and gain the education needed to manage a county. Then they could also apply for the county manager position. 3. The ads that claim that by voting "FOR" the change you will be giving up your right to vote are flat out lies. If the truth were known it was your current county commissioners and their supporters who tried to keep mis issue from ever coming to the election table. It took threats from the state to get them to concede and put this issue on the ballot The committee for a better form of government took every legal step they were required to give us, the citizens of Uintah County, the opportunity to vote on this issue. Under the county . manager YOU will still be voting for a person to represent repre-sent your area of the county plus two "at large." Does that sound like you would be giving up rights to vote? The elected (part-time) committee can then hire and fire the county manager. As our government stands, once elected a county commissioner can not be fired or impeached. That worries me. As a regular person with no esteemed title or high position, but a citizen of Uintah County, I would urge all Uintah County citizens that are able to vote to educate edu-cate yourself on this issue and vote. I believe we all have a voice and we need to be heard. That is truly what our veterans fought and died for. STACEYFUNK Vernal Think more Dear Editor, I am on the Committee for a Better Form of County Government so you know what I think on this subject, or do you? It seems that some people are telling you-and you-and the public what our committee thinks-and what we are trying to do to Uintah County, the oil patch, the care center and society as we know it Unfortunately, some of the people telling you what we think are not on our committee. Some have not even read the plan and some want you to think we are an evil bunch of people trying to take away your right to vote. I just want to tell you what I really think. I Think: This county has grown a lot It is time to run things like the big business it has become, with a professional pro-fessional manager, working for and at the will of an elected council. " ' I Think: It is time for better representation for everyone every-one in the county. And I think there will be greater accessibility to elected officials with seven council members, one of which will be a neighbor of mine. I Think: With a council form of government we will have a bigger base of people with more experience in different areas to draw from, professional people, ranchers, oil field people, homemakers, business peo- l fiOT KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL FOR KISSING a icmi Tuevra it BEIN6 SUSPENDED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT. SO... 160TTOGOELK . ui iKi-riKts aitu ka rin iiwini imu niinmi srs A Akin wnw i r am WARDLY WAIT nilv 1 xa s -ej 4 JL . fQEDEER- SEASON f) pie, would be able to run for and serve on a part-time council that would add so much knowledge and expertise exper-tise to our county. I Think: With seven members on the council it will be a safer form of government To have a majority vote a council member will have to convince three other people peo-ple of the merits of an issue. As opposed to our present form where literally one person can run the show if he can get one other person to agree with him. It will also safe guard against back-room meetings in which decisions deci-sions are made with no regard to public opinion. I Think: It is the right of every person to have their own opinion. On any given subject I happen to have one. Just ask me, I will be glad to share it with you, I deeply believe in and respect your right to yours. I am asking you to please express your opinion, and vote on Nov. 6. TOMI WILLIAMS Vernal Points to think about Dear Editor, In looking at matters irMhe paper and signs on lawns, I find that I have friends on both sides of this county government issue. This is good. It is suggested that we all think before deciding, so here are some points to think about. 1. Some want to decide based on decisions county commissioners have made in the past It is a fact that all decisions are not popular with all people at all times. Some decisions we agree with and some not even from the same commissioners. Sometimes they even make definite mistakes. The county road situation is a good example that seems to come up. We must remember that all people in government are human and will not always get it right Whether we have three or seven will not entirely eliminate the human factor. A professional county manager will also be human and make decisions that are not agreeable to everyone. He or she will also make mistakes. 2. In Utah there are four choices for county government govern-ment Three commissioners, five to seven commissioners, commission-ers, elected county council with appointed county manager, man-ager, and elected county council with an elected executive execu-tive (administrator). Of the 29 counties, four have elected elect-ed to change from full-time commissioners to part-time with a manager. Grand County and Salt Lake County appear to have some problems, depending on whom you listen to. Let's not re-hash that discussion here. Cache County appears to be working quite well. There is, however, one important difference. Grand and Salt Lake counties have an appointed manager while Cache County has an elected manager. 3. One of the challenges our country is facing is the growth of executive power in relation to legislative power. This direction moves the government farther away from the people. A good example of this is the creation of the Grand Staircase National Monument If this decision had been made by the congress rather than the president it would have probably been different and also much closer to the desires of the majority of Utah citizens. ' 4. It is true that on a national basis we don't get to vote for all of our representatives and they often don't live anywhere near our part of the state. We do however vote for the president who makes the executive decisions deci-sions on a day to day basis. What if the president were appointed (hired and fired) by the congress? Would that make for better government..even if he or she were professionally trained for the job? The move for change is being rushed in order to get it on the ballot this year. This is partly because of a new law in the state that makes it more difficult to change in the future. Let's not let this deter us from a wise decision. deci-sion. If a change is necessary, let's do it right Let's defeat this present move and then consider in the future and change that might be better such as an elected manager man-ager of more full-time commissioners. It may be more difficult to change in the future, but a rush into this form could be a big mistake. CURTIS JAUSSI Vernal '; My take Dear Editor, I suppose there are numerous and varied reasons why people do certain things, make certain decisions or vote a certain way. They vote for something they think is right or perhaps against something they feel is wrong. Next month all registered voters in the county have an opportunity to tell our community leaders, and the community at-large which form of government they prefer. I cannot conceive of any argument for or against that has not already been addressed in the media - biased or otherwise, but here is my take: Currently we have three commissioners making decisions deci-sions for our county; how our money is spent, what to do with our public lands, and many other decisions that affect our way of life. Whether the affect is positive or negative is subjective, depending on your point of view. Our three commissioners have probably each had a turn - or many turns - at making poor decisions or exercising exercis-ing bad judgment. Again, it depends on your political views. However, I do not think that is any reason to make such a drastic change in government as proposed in this election. If these three men are subject to poor decision-making and bad judgment - don't think seven councilmen (or women) won't be subject to the same imperfections. Humans are funny that way. What I'm saying is don't vote for a change in the county's governmental gov-ernmental structure based on your feelings about our commissioners? If you honestly think the proposed form of government is the better of the two - even at taxpayer's expense -1 suppose you should vote for it A comment was overheard the other day from gentleman gentle-man that he is voting for the change. He knows Dr. Anderson and thinks he's a great guy. That is not a good reason to change an entire form of government My boss is for the proposed change. I respect him completely com-pletely as a boss and for his personal convictions. However, I have to vote my conscience - not his. Research it for yourselves, attend meetings and vote your conscience - whatever that may be. Is it easy to get rid of a bad council member? Sure it is; we vote him or her out the next election. Is it easy to get rid of a bad commissioner? Yes - the same democratic democ-ratic way. Is it easy to get rid of an administrator? Not according to our history. Need I remind you of a recent superintendent of schools? We couldn't vote him out We had to wait for our school board to do it BRAD ANDERSON Vernal Types of government Dear Editor, This is my assessment of the County Form of Governments as performed in Grand County, Utah. I was a county commissioner for approximately six years and I was a county councilman for a four-year term. I was appointed in 1975 to finish out a county commission commis-sion vacancy and then was elected for a four-year term in 1976. 1 returned to Moab from living in Colorado for several years and made the decision to run for the county coun-ty council in 19. I served on the council form 1997 through 2000. Prior to running for county council I observed that the 'new form of government' had been in effect for about four years and there were only three councilmen left on the county council, the other four councilmen had resigned. One member of the council decided not to run for re-election and I replaced the other councilmen. That left only one of the original councilmen that served his term and was re-elected, the other six origi- nal had left for one reason or another. The 'new form of government', seven councilmen and a county administrator had been enacted when I was living in Colorado so I was not involved in any way. I understand that all this was done because of some appearance of wrong doing by the existing three person commission in their effort to have a road built from Grand County to connect a road in Uintah County. After moving back to Moab in 1993 and observing the way our council form of government was working I made the decision to run for office. I thought that I could be an asset to the county council and try to get the council focused and active in things that needed to be done in the county. Some of my observations are: Council form of governrrent with seven councilmen was installed in about 1992 to replace the three person county commission. -. By 1997 there was only one of the original council-men council-men left on the county council. By each voter voting for only three council members they have less representation than voting for all three commissioners. There have been three county administrators in the past eight years. By the time an administrator gets trained and knowledgeable about the county they are gone to better jobs. In fact the present administrator is See Letters on page 3 3 X |