Without comment or answer to the Northwest Observer’s questions, it appears due to the September 29, 2021, decision by the Appeals Court related to mask wearing as “nonmandatory recommendations”, the Facility Director, Jeff Jorgensen, captured the reason for any order given to the citizens by Clackamas County Commissioners and their legal counsel, Steve Markour, in this building, is that this building is now the “same as your private home”.

This government building houses or at least use to house hundreds of government employees. Many government employees continue to stay at home while now elected government officials call these government buildings “home” and their “private property”, now the move is to claim they can eject anyone they want without reason, cause, or law?

October 14, 2021, the Northwest Observer sat for 45 minutes in front of commissioners Tootie Smith, Mark Shull, Paul Savas, counsel Steve Markour during the Clackamas County Commission’s meeting mask free until the moment the public comment session began. Jorgensen approached the reporter holding in his hand what looked like some head gear contraption from 2001 Space Odessy. Because of the appeals court decision is that the reason Jorgensen never mentioned the “deadly virus” or the “emergency” or “the pandemic” and had no qualms with shaking the reporter’s hand? Now the issue has become simply that these buildings are the same as “your private home”?

The Northwest Observer's questions not answered by Chair, Tootie Smith, commissioners Mark Schull, Paul Savas and county counsel Steve Markour submitted via email include as follows:

• Do the four of you agree with the facility director's statements?
• Before I write my news article on last night's meeting I would like from your county counsel, Steve Markour, the law. Not Governor Kate Brown's and OHA "rules", "mandates", "recommendations", "guidance", "requirements", "suggestions", "orders", "edicts", “restrictions” or comments the governor made on TV to the public (and since September 29th Appeals Court "nonmandatory recommendations" comment), but the law, starting with the Constitution of the United States, the Oregon Constitution, Federal Civil Rights laws and Oregon law including, but not limited to ORS 401.165(5) and the Oregon Constitution Article IV, Section 21.
• Smith, Shull, Savas and Markour comments, please, on the governor's position as opined through her AAG Michael Casper at the Appeals Court on September 29, 2021.
• Do the four of you agree with the court's comments on "nonmandatory recommendations"?
• Commissioners Smith, Shull, Savas and county counsel, Steve Markour, were in attendance and saw the Northwest Observer reporter sitting in full view of everyone mask free for 45 minutes. Comment from all, please, as why the reporter was only approached about wearing some kind of 2001 Space Odessey head covering when the public comment session started?
• Given what looked like Chair Smith’s history in the public record in standing up for the Constitutional rights of her constituency and the citizens of her county what influenced her this night to have everyone masked up?

On November 19, 2020 Clackamas County Commissioner Tootie Smith said, ”How dare Governor Brown think she’s going to come out, she’s going to send the police into people’s homes and arrest them and fine them for having a Thanksgiving meal with their family, while at same time she lets rioters and anarchists destroy downtown in the city of Portland. That’s hypocrisy.”

On July 28, 2021, Commissioner Smith continued her defiance. “As the Delta variant continues to rise in Oregon, Clackamas County chair remains staunch in her defiance of virus restrictions”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

And on August 12, 2021 Commissioner Smith continued to uphold her consistent stance. “This week, Governor Brown issued a mask mandate to all indoor buildings yet said local authorities would not be charged with enforcement. My question to her is this: if it’s not enforced, how is it a mandate?” Smith asked.”

Oregonians know more and more now after a year and a half of listening to Governor Kate Brown’s pinball edicts on television that Kate Brown’s, OHA’s and OSHA’s “rules cannot violate law”, and more and more citizens wonder when their elected officials will also learn that civics lesson.


--Margo Logan

Post Date: 2021-10-17 11:13:57

Last Update: 2021-10-17 11:38:30