Letter: Disheartening

Published 12:15 am Saturday, October 12, 2024

There seems to be misinformation being circulated that Cannon Beach Together targeted the Cannon Beach Elementary School rejuvenation project when suing the city of Cannon Beach. As a proud member of Cannon Beach Together, and the named individual who brought the suit against the city for the right to vote on bond procurement for these projects, I can shed some light on this.

The intent of the lawsuit was to refer to the voters the $33.6 million indebtedness for the City Hall, police station, and CBE rejuvenation project, for which the city did not seek our approval. This was to give the people a voice. The Clatsop County judge presiding over the case dismissed it. So, we appealed to the state.

Shortly after filing the appeal, the city reached out to settle this out of court. We attempted to negotiate, but the city refused to offer anything other than the CBE rejuvenation project to the voters.

So, if you feel that someone sold out the Clatsop-Nehalem tribe and does not respect them, do not blame Cannon Beach Together, because our intent was for all three projects to go to a vote. We fought tirelessly to secure a vote, investing our own money to ensure citizens have a say in our community’s future. However, our efforts were consistently thwarted.

It’s disheartening to live in a small community and feel voiceless, especially when our industry and customers are the primary revenue stream. We should have a say in how our money is spent.

HANNAH BUSCHERT

Cannon Beach