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Opinion

June 25, 2013

The effects of change

About midway through a 40-plus year management career, I became interested in the phenomenon of organizational change. I learned that people don't necessarily resist change, but do resist the way change affects them personally. The proposal to convert Washougal from a strong mayor to a council-manager type of municipal government portends the type of change that begets both benefits and difficulties. Among the latter are the effects it will have on current and future council members and candidates, as well as the city administrator. I leave to others the task of making the case for change. My focus in this editorial is on the effects the proposed change would have on the job of the city council, and the qualifications needed for the job. These issues deserve consideration during the debate.

June 18, 2013

It could be time for a change in Washougal city government

Sometimes change can be good. In the near future, we may see changes in government at the county level. In the recent past, Ridgefield and Battle Ground changed their city governments from a strong mayor to a council-manager form. Maybe now is the time for a similar change in Washougal. At the June 10 Washougal city workshop, Councilwoman Joyce Lindsay requested time at the next workshop (June 24) to discuss putting forth to voters the option of changing Washougal's form of city government from the strong mayor system we have now, to the council-manager form.

June 11, 2013

Graduates have an exciting road ahead

This weekend, more than 600 seniors will go through commencement ceremonies in their quest to officially become high school graduates.

June 11, 2013

Letters to the Editor for June 11, 2013

Commemorate Flag Day June 14 is National Flag Day. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Schick-Ogle Post 4278 asks that local residents commemorate this day by flying our national flag.

June 4, 2013

It’s about the animals

At its heart, the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society is an organization that does an incredible amount of good work in the Camas and Washougal communities. The no-kill shelter located in the Port of Camas-Washougal Industrial Park is a nonprofit group funded mainly through donations. The city of Washougal also contracts with the dog shelter to provide space for dogs brought in by animal control.

June 4, 2013

Letters to the Editor for June 4, 2013

Coal trains will benefit jobs, economy I've spent 13 years at BNSF Railway, working on trains as conductor and engineer. I’ve dealt with a lot of manufactured products traveling on our trains. However, I've never had to deal with a manufactured issue until the recent conversation about coal dust.

May 28, 2013

‘Paying it forward’

"Paying it forward." It's a term we've often heard used in the movies, but when one Washougal resident uses this term to describe some of her recent activities, she truly means it. Mary LaFrance has overcome some serious medical issues in her life. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2005, she underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. And when doctors later discovered that some potentially cancerous cells were once again growing in her breast tissue, she made the incredibly brave decision to have a complete double mastectomy.

May 21, 2013

Remembering on Memorial Day

Originally, Memorial Day was created to recognize the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the American Civil War. Today, however, it serves as a day to remember all Americans who have died while serving in the military, in past and present conflicts. In Camas and Washougal, a number of services and ceremonies at local cemeteries are scheduled to commemorate Memorial Day. Those events are profiled in an article in today's Post-Record.