WW welcomes letters to the editor via mail, e-mail or fax. Letters must be signed by the author and include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Preference will be given to letters of 250 words or less. FOR THE RECORD I would like to correct one statement and clarify others made in Patty Wentz's article on the Columbia River Slough and Willamette River clean-up legislation I am sponsoring in the Oregon Legislature ["Spare the Rod, Spoil the River," WW, Feb. 3, 1998]. First, unless Willamette Week knows something I don't, I am not a "former" firefighter of the Portland Fire Bureau. I do take an unpaid leave of absence during Oregon's legislative sessions in Salem, but upon adjournment I will return to the PFB as a fire lieutenant. Ms. Wentz is right. There is conflicting scientific evidence regarding dredging contaminated waste from the bottom of the Columbia Slough and the Willamette. However, DEQ, the Port of Portland and the drainage districts responsible for the discharge into the Columbia Slough apparently have concluded that dredging--as opposed to leaving the contaminants in the water and "capping" them--is the preferred course of action. In 1997 DEQ recommended approval for a permit to the Port of Portland to dredge contaminated and toxic wastes from the Willamette River in and around Terminal No. 4 and Dry Dock No. 4. Parenthetically, DEQ actually allowed those contaminated toxic wastes to be dumped back in the river at the Ross Island Sand & Gravel mining site. Additionally the Columbia Slough drainage districts (including District No. 1, the managing district) have dredged parts of the slough as recently as 1994. Some may argue against dredging the Portland Harbor because of the alleged confusion among scientists as to whether or not it is safer to just "cap" toxic sediment and leave it in the river. Yet as the previous examples illustrate, the Port of Portland and the Columbia Slough drainage districts seem to believe dredging contaminated sediment from the river and slough is acceptable. I believe the real reason for the resistance to cleaning up the contaminated harbor is the perceived cost. Yes, it will cost a lot more to clean out the bottom of our river and properly dispose of the contaminated sediment, but it is important that we place the highest value on the health of our river and the salmon migrations that traverse the Portland Harbor on the way to their spawning grounds, not to mention the native fish that live in the Portland Harbor. Ms. Wentz stated, "As a state senator from 1993-1998, Leonard's environmental ratings were among the lowest of Portland Democrats." According to the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, which ranked the 12 Portland Metro senators, I ranked No. 4. In the entire 30-member senate, I ranked No. 6. Certainly I was not the highest ranked, but just as certainly I do not have one of the worst environmental records. I wish to thank Willamette Week for bringing much-needed attention to the long-overlooked Portland Harbor and Columbia River Slough. State Rep. Randy Leonard Salem THOSE PESKY BARFLIES I realize that it is difficult to find sober writers in Portland [Nightlife, WW, Feb. 3, 1999]. It is even more difficult at 10 cents a word, but I highly recommend finding someone who can at least take notes as they are researching a bit instead of writing their blurred memories as they brush the previous night's vomit off of their tongue. As the owner of the Cobalt Lounge, I have had to deal with a few instances of finding fruit flies in drinks at numerous establishments. Let's face it, the little bastards love alcohol almost as much as some of you writers. I have no problem with bad press when true, but the waitress replaced the beverage and apologized to the patron. Perhaps it should have been the fruit fly complaining about a brain-dead writer about to drink it. To LB: HOW WAS THE COMEDY NIGHT YOU WERE WRITING ABOUT? No extra charge for the fly. It's on me. Hugh Davis Northwest 3rd Avenue Liz Brown responds: I assure you, I was not drunk the night that a bug turned up in my beer. (By the way, the comedy wasn't bad.) A DOG'S LIFE I never thought I'd see the day when Willamette Week and Jonathan Nicholas would share an opinion. But it happened last week, and, predictably, your opinions both sucked [Scoreboard, WW, Feb. 10, 1999]. I refer to your Losers column, regarding the bill to require that dogs be secured in the back of pickup. You asked (rhetorically) if readers had ever seen an unhappy dog in the back of a pickup, then added "we didn't think so." Well how about giving us a chance to answer. I've seen plenty of dogs that were not pleased to be in the back of pickups, some very uncomfortable as they were jerked and bounced around at highway speed. And I was very uncomfortable following them. Are dogs capable of reasoning what's best for them? By that logic, we ought to let kids hang their heads out of car windows and ride in the open air as well. Now it's my turn to ask: Have you ever seen a dog fall out of a pickup on the freeway? I have. I doubt that I'll ever forget the sight of that dog (a springer spaniel) when it flew out of that truck into oncoming traffic. His ears and tail may have been wagging still, in the breeze of passing cars, but I assure you that was one unhappy, and very dead, dog. Requiring people to secure their dogs is not unreasonable. This is not the frontier anymore, and that F250 is no Conestoga wagon. Think before you write. Terry Davis Southwest Maplecrest Court MISTAKEN IDENTITY I am an attorney in Salem who represents a major workers' compensation insurer and its insureds in matters before the Oregon Court of Appeals, Oregon Supreme Court and other appellate bodies. On Friday, Feb. 10, I got a call from an attorney friend in Portland who said he had seen my piece in Willamette Week. I told him that was a surprise, because I had never written anything for the paper. I bought a copy of the paper and, sure enough, in the "Readers' Peeves II" column on page 17 was a piece signed by "Dave Runner." Without getting into the content of the piece, I found it offensive. Please inform your readers that apparently there are at least two Dave Runners in Oregon and that this one did not write the piece in your Feb. 10 issue. David L. Runner Salem - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published February 24, 1999