We have a home in Cannon Beach and have been coming to the beach for over 25 years. An article in the Cannon Beach Gazette, dated May 22 titled “Committee proposes 1 percent room tax hike,” contained a very offensive and disturbing quote by Steve Sinkler, president of the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce. Under the sub-headline “Paying Peanuts,” he said, “There’s a saying: ‘You pay peanuts, you get monkeys,’ and we’re paying peanuts.” The logical conclusion of that statement is: we’re getting monkeys. That is, the current hourly employees at the Visitors Center are monkeys. I was taught that it is wrong, let alone offensive and rude, to compare people with monkeys.

Interestingly, a number of times I witnessed one of those so-called monkeys, longtime Cannon Beach resident Dave Springer, helping visitors at the center with their questions. He was warm, personable and informative with each visitor, who ended the conversation with “Thank you very much, you have been very helpful.” Ironically I also witnessed, albeit once, one of the Visitor Center’s non-monkeys (I think that’s a person in Mr. Sinkler’s lexicon), Courland Carrier, the center’s executive director, who also attempted to assist two visitors. Let’s just say it was more monologue than dialogue, ending with the visitors’ puzzled looks.

My point is that, yes the Visitor Center employees are people, not monkeys, no matter what their hourly wage, and they certainly deserve the respect of the president of their employer. Plus, at least one of these employees (PEOPLE) is doing a great job and is an excellent representative of the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Cannon Beach.

Peter Musser

Seattle