Letters to the Editor

To the editor,

I was shocked to read Johnny Johnson’s letter to the editor in support of Korinda Wallace’s candidacy for the Dayton School Board. His anti-LGBTQ and religious rhetoric has no place in a discussion about the public education of our children. I would hope that Ms. Wallace disagrees with the appalling sentiment expressed in this letter as she is seeking a position that will need to be in support of ALL children, regardless of their orientation, or that of their parents. How welcome and safe can LGBTQ kids and parents feel at our school after reading that letter, knowing it is in support of a candidate for school board? After being called evil by one of her supporters, how can Ms. Wallace reassure LGBTQ kids and parents that if they are bullied because of their orientation, she will take their concerns seriously? What kind of example is this setting for youth? Will bullies believe they can hurl bigoted abuse at LGBTQ kids with impunity, because it appears they have a sympathetic ear on the school board?

I’m calling on Korinda Wallace to come out against that letter and show LGBTQ kids and parents that they are supported in our community and welcome in our schools. This is an opportunity for her to show the public that protecting some of our most vulnerable kids is important to her. Making an assurance that she disagrees that children and parents in this community are evil because of who they are and who they love, would go a long way toward making a lot of parents feel better about giving her a seat and a voice on the school board.

Amy Rosenberg

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

Ms. Weins, Thank you for expressing your concerns about my capacity as a write-in candidate. Let me address those concerns one by one: 1) I did indeed question a candidate and the group they are affiliated with regarding the disruptive actions at a local school board meeting where that candidate refused to wear a mask, refused to leave and also stated, and I paraphrase, that all our kids need to get Covid so they can get over it. When I visit the Facebook and website of this political action group and look at the candidates’ profiles, they profess, loud and clear, their religious beliefs. THEY are bringing THEIR religion to the table and into their candidacy and most likely into their roles as elected leaders. So, who REALLY isn’t separating church and state? I certainly haven’t brought my religious beliefs into my candidacy in any form. I hope you can send the same ‘separation’ message to the Columbia County Conservatives. In fact, one of the letters to the paper in support of Corinda Wallace, a CCC school board candidate, the supporter infers that God calls homosexuality a SIN and that she is the change needed in our school system. I ask again, who is bringing religion into candidacies?

I didn’t attack anyone’s PERSONAL relationship with God. It stopped being PERSONAL when they included their religion on their political campaign material. They made it NOT personal, they made it public, not me. And my ‘attack’ as you call it, certainly isn’t about the religion but about the person, the candidate, who claims to operate within the boundaries of that loving and compassionate religion. And again, not about their relationship with God, but about their relationship to their fellow man as self-proclaimed followers of a loving Christ.

2) All Things Dayton: 4 years ago, I created a Facebook page. One of the BILLIONS of Facebook pages that exist. It has ground rules; no politics, no bashing your neighbor or local businesses, no bashing local elected or appointed officials, no bashing of local government entities, no religion except for posting church start times, events etc., basically civil behavior is required. I don’t post my personal beliefs, my negative experiences at local businesses or my religious beliefs there either. 4600 people are members of that page and they all seem to be able to operate just fine within these guidelines and in fact appreciate not having to deal with negativity, arguing, anger, etc.–YES, indeed I have removed people from that page and for good reason. They wanted to use it as a place to trash other members of this community, bash businesses, post their political beliefs etc. Pretty much everything that the page says not to do. One of those that I blocked was Seth Bryan, member of the Columbia County Conservatives, and a Port candidate, who started his own Facebook page where for the past 4 years, I have been verbally assaulted, verbally abused and have seen other members of our community, including the Port Director, raked over the coals in some pretty hideous and unkind ways. I have ignored that for the past 4 years until many of these people that have been verbally abusive, decided to run for office.

I don’t own Facebook. I operate one little page in the billions of pages where others can post whatever they want. Come on, censorship? Did I block them from Facebook or one page? Were they able to go to another page or create another page and say what they needed to say? Yes, they did. So no, I don’t hold the power to censor anyone from saying anything they want on Facebook. I just stop them from trashing the All Things Dayton page. And 4600 members seem be ok with that. And I think that the positivity of that page actually speaks quite clearly to how I would tackle issues in a positive way.

3) I am a Republican, not an idiot. This is a person statement that starts with ‘I’ and never includes anyone else. I cannot speak for or to anyone else’s idiocy. I can only speak for mine. And when I say I am a Republican and not an idiot, I mean that I think and speak for myself. I don’t buy into some other person’s idea of what a Republican is, I don’t join conservative groups that want to tell me what kind of Republican I must be or should be to get elected and I hold tight to the number one tenancy of being a Republican and that is; I AM AN INDIVIDUAL. I have been a Republican my whole voting life and the party I joined never puts policy over people, or politics over practicality and personal responsibility. I don’t determine who is a ‘good’ person or who is an ‘idiot’. Only those individuals can determine that. I can certainly call out the actions of candidates as obviously you can as well. And as others have done so too. And am ok with that.

I hope I was able to address some of your concerns.

Vicki Zoller

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I am writing in response to Felice Wien’s letter to the editor last week in the Chronicle in regards to Vicki Zoller’s Facebook page, All Things Dayton.

The Facebook page, Another Man’s Treasure, was set up to buy and sell in the area. Users were using it to post announcements of events. I suggested in a post that another Facebook page would be useful for such notices.

Vicki created the All Things Dayton and clearly states what the page is used for. She is the administrator and she monitors what gets posted on it. She works to keep it positive, only for events and notifications, and shout outs to local businesses. Other pages with other administrators were created for those who want to post their opinions.

Felice said, “How is this type of behavior going to translate to being on the city council” referring to Vicki monitoring her Facebook page-All Things Dayton.

I’d say, it translates very well. This is the type of person who would make a good candidate for the Dayton City Council.

Teeny McMunn

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I am writing in support of Shawn Brown, candidate for Port Commissioner seat 1. Shawn brings depth of knowledge and a holistic approach to the economic health of the county that extends beyond a single issue, or series of pet issues. He understands that in order to accomplish the growth and prosperity that we all want in this county; we need to expand our tax base and bring in businesses. He also understands that we can’t just wave a magic wand and make businesses want to move here. We are missing critical infrastructure that would make our area attractive for business and livable for workers. He has identified 3 key areas where local government can make Columbia County a welcome place for industry.

The first is affordable housing (not to be confused with low-income housing). We all know that the rental market in our area is very tight. I moved here 10 years ago and it wasn’t easy to find an apartment. Now it’s nearly impossible. New businesses don’t want to build in places where workers can’t find a place to live, or are priced out of the rental market.

The second is childcare. Families with small children can’t live and work here if there are no options for childcare. There are no daycares in Dayton. There are very limited options for pre-school. As someone who works in Dayton and has a small child, this is something I’ve struggled with myself and know a lot of other parents who have struggled as well.

Lastly, businesses need reliable, high-speed internet. The Port is just shy of the $500K matching funds needed for a $4.5 million grant that would bring reliable, expandable, broadband internet to Dayton. This is something that can help businesses in Dayton right now, and help make Dayton an option for businesses like call centers, and for people working remotely.

As we watch our community struggle to keep a pool, build a wastewater facility, attract talent for jobs, or fund a police force, most of us understand that we need to expand our tax base. And Shawn Brown understands that this is what the Port is for. Not for shutting down opportunities, but for taking advantage of them. He’s not focused on keeping people out and maintaining the status quo, because we need growth and diversity to prosper. Shawn Brown has the knowledge, background, and vision we need to help make us a vibrant and economically healthy community, and that’s why I’m supporting him for Port Commissioner position 1.

Amy Rosenberg

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I am writing today to express my concerns over write in candidate Vicki Zoller.

I was appalled by the letter Ms. Zoller wrote regarding a fellow citizen who refused to wear a mask at a public-school board meeting. Ms. Zoller went out of her way to publicly smear this individual’s choice on a highly confrontational matter, using religion of all things to do it. While Ms. Zoller took the liberty of interpreting the word of God and Jesus Christ for the town, she chose to speak of love and treating others with love while demonizing local individuals.

Ms. Zoller claims that she has not brought her religious beliefs into her candidacy, yet she writes a letter to the editor pointing out how her opinions are more godlike than that of this other candidate. Vickie claims that Jesus would wear a mask to show love for those around him, because a mask is the simplest way to show love for a neighbor. The Jesus I remember reading about regularly interacted with individuals with not only respect and kindness, but no mask, gloves or social distancing in sight. He willingly joined the lepers and diseased.

On another matter, Ms. Zoller admits to censoring bullying or political opinions because they have no place on All Things Dayton, she is only censoring certain political beliefs. If she aligns with the opinion, it is a fact and therefore posted for “information only” with the comments turned off. Bullying is also allowed as long as it is posted in an encrypted manner and aligns with Ms. Zoller’s own opinions.

While Ms. Zoller did indeed state “I am a Republican, not an Idiot” she never publicly noted who she was calling an idiot, therefore the comment was completely acceptable. This is a highly incendiary, confrontational, judgmental comment. I see red flags.

Ms. Zoller has shown that she is hostile and alienating to anyone who disagrees with her. She has shown that she is willing to make a public smear campaign of people who disagree with her, all while telling them they need to treat others with love and respect, and she proclaims on some of her signs “truth matters” while deleting the opinions of others she doesn’t deem to be truth. I don’t believe this is an individual fit for a public office where compromise, empathy and tact are necessary skills.

Sierra Faflik

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

Accentuate the positive.

The ballots will soon be arriving for the local general election. Voters have two very different groups of candidates to select from.

One group, the Columbia County Conservatives, is against a long list of projects and proposals. As a group, the members can be described as angry, aggressive towards their own local government, and disruptive to the process of decision-making. As described in an article in The Waitsburg Times, Jack Miller divorced himself from the group when he was verbally attacked in one of their meetings. One of the CCC group, who is running for the Dayton School Board, disrupted a school board meeting by refusing to wear a mask or leave the room. The school board had to end the meeting; what is she going to do if she is elected to the school board? The Port, the City Council, and the School Board are in for a hostile, disruptive, divisive, and negative period if the Columbia County Conservatives candidates are elected. I ask you to vote AGAINST them.

The Positively Dayton candidates are a group of people who do not have an ideology to promote. Many have previous local office experience; the group as a whole has given a lot of volunteer time and energy to our local community, including The Club, the Liberty Theater, the Dayton Historic Depot, Kiwanis club, and their local churches. This group of candidates cares about our community, is willing to work with others for a better future, knows how to contribute to positive outcomes, and accepts responsibility to build projects and proposals. The Positively Dayton candidates include Shawn Brown and Jack Miller, Port Commissioners; Boe Stevenson and Teeny McMunn and Fred Crowe and Vicki Zoller, City Council. They will work FOR our community. Please vote FOR them.

Cathy Lee-Haight

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

Teeny McMunn worked for me for about three years as office manager, bookkeeper and salesperson for The Times newspaper in Waitsburg. On top of that, she wrote a well-loved recipe column for the paper. She was the best employee I could have had in that position.

Teeny came to The Times after retiring as co-owner of Hometown Carpets and Trade Center, which she helped run for nearly 30 years, including the last ten in Dayton.

Teeny’s entrepreneurial and business experience as well as her conservative but compassionate outlook and her love for the Dayton community will be great assets on the Dayton City Council. Please vote for Teeny!

Ken Graham

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I feel like I’m living in a Brad Thor thriller. An enemy of the U.S. releases a virus as a bioweapon to reduce the earth’s population. Media fans the rising fear. Let’s save humanity with a vaccine. Which, oops!! is worse than the virus. If the vaccine doesn’t cause immediate blood clots, heart attacks or seizures, it’ll increase the occurrence of cancer and auto-immune diseases. Forget the VAERS reported deaths and vaccine damaged people. Let’s keep listening to BIG PHARMA making millions from the sales of booster shots. Let’s keep listening to a certain philanthropist who said he wants to reduce the world population through the use of vaccines.

Really? Regardless of one’s race, political views, or religion, when humanity is being set up for mass extermination it’s time to band together. It’s past time to believe that vaccines are for our health and happiness. Australians who are in the streets demonstrating against mandatory vaccination are having their skulls cracked by the police. Old ladies are getting sprayed in the face with what appears to be pepper spray. How life-saving is that? Just when we thought the forced sterilization of Native Americans and the imprisonment camps of Japanese-Americans was a page out of our dark past, we have the current Covid hysteria.

Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations allows the use of the vaccines, masks, and PCR tests under EUA (Emergency Use Authorization). I have a right to informed consent. I have a right to refuse it. On the box of N-95 masks, utilized by our First Responders, it claims it will not stop the spread of covid. So how is this cloth diaper I’m supposed to wear on my mouth going to stop a miniscule virus particle?

In Thor’s thrillers, Harvath and his team come to unravel the darkness and save the day. We need more Harvaths Those with sisu. Those willing to stand for truth and right. Those who don’t just go along to get along. Trump said…let Australia be a warning to us. The vaccine mandate is my line in the sand.

Whether you are from the right, left, or center please research the tyranny being forced on the world. In our small community, I spoke with two local doctors. They said it was sad that the Vax was mandatory, but they still supported it. We are being blinded, lied to, and manipulated.

Though it may be uncomfortable, please do not trust the narrative just because it’s easier. We have to educate ourselves if we are to survive as a free people. I support the local candidates who are taking a stand against these unconstitutional mandates. If you have taken the shot, don’t take the boosters. Listen to Dr. Zelenko, Dr. Judy A. Mikovits, the Frontline Doctors, Stew Peters, and others who are trying to investigate and get the truth to us. Let’s unite in Freedom. As called for by Chris Sky of Canada…United Noncompliance. If you won’t hear this from me, take it from Pfizer’s former Chief Scientist Michael Yeadon. I found his video called Planet Lockdown, on Before it’s News.

P.S. By the way, Congress is exempt from the vaccine mandate.

Kathryn Tapio

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I am supporting the following candidates for various offices in Columbia County, the City of Dayton, Dayton School District Board, and the Public Hospital District: Shawn Brown, Commissioner No. 1 Columbia County Port No. 1 Jack Miller, Commissioner No. 3 Columbia County Port No. 2 Teeny McMunn, City of Dayton Council Member No. 3 Write In Candidate Vickie Zoller, City of Dayton Council Member No. 5 Fred Crowe, City of Dayton Council Member No. 7 Grant Griffen, Dayton School District Director No. 3 Jeff McCowen, Dayton School District Director No. 5 Jim Kime, Public Hospital District Commissioner No. 3 Barbara Miller, Public Hospital District Commissioner No. 4.

I have known these candidates for many years, served on committees and boards with them, and can attest that each one of these candidates has the best interests of their respective positions as their number one priority. They are not running for and do not have any agenda other than helping each public entity do what is best for our town, schools, and county. I urge readers to exercise their right to vote and vote for each of the above candidates.

Katie Leid

Dayton, Wash.