Van Dusen, Morden and Mathews reward Heilman’s negligenceIt is demoralizing when public officials lack the courage or the mental rigor to set a good example. That is the ultimate damage in the ho-hum display of moral ambiguity at Astoria City Hall Monday night.

Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen joined councilors Don Morden and Loran Mathews in supporting Councillor Bob Heilman’s appeal of a judgment by the Historic Landmarks Commission. The HLC had cited Heilman for his window remodeling of the historic Portway Tavern. Heilman did not obtain a building permit, and he used an unlicensed contractor. Even though he took an oath to uphold the ordinances of the city, Heilman flaunted the city’s rules. To the outsider, it appears that he did so deliberately.

There was a substantive matter at stake in Heilman’s willful disregard for the city’s historic preservation rules. But as with all such choices, the larger matter at stake in the council’s decision was much more basic and essentially human. By letting Heilman get away with a “dog ate my homework” argument, three councilors announced that it’s OK to thumb your nose at city rules. At least if you are a member of their club.

Heilman set out to thumb his nose at the city he was elected to lead, and Van Dusen, Morden and Mathews have told us “That’s OK.”

The saddest evidence was that Mathews and Morden did not seem to grasp the choice in front of them. Instead of addressing the question of standards and procedure as laid out in city rules, Mathews said: “I feel that the building looks fine.” Morden said: “It’s a historic building that has been modified several times over.”

There was one display of intelligence and courage. Blair Henningsgaard was the one councilor who had read the record thoroughly. He hit the target squarely when he said: “As a councilman (Heilman’s) duty is to uphold the ordinances of the city of Astoria. I think we should hold Mr. Heilman to a higher standard.”

The council’s look-the-other-way act resembles the strange justice that Astoria Municipal Judge Kristopher Kaino and City Prosecutor Dan Van Thiel offered a Portland lawyer in a drunken-driving case last year. When confronted with a writ of mandamus, City Attorney Harold A. Snow was compelled to take the case away from Kaino and Van Thiel, and justice was done.

Just as Judge Kaino’s outrageous judgment in that matter calls into question the quality of justice in his courtroom, the threesome-plus-Heilman makes one wonder about the depth of decision-making in the City Council chamber.

It’s time to ask the state to take the Heilman matter away from three councilors who are unwilling to make one of their own play by the rules.

Those who are appalled by the council threesome’s unprofessional, cavalier behavior Monday night should appeal this case.