December 25, 1975 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Qrossenbacher Bros. Inc.
61. N. 6th Ave.
Ore. 97209
By STEVE PATCH
Even before assuming his
official duties, Shelton's new
mayor has decided there's
something he doesn't like about
being a politician.
"Some people tend to see the
office as having some sort of
awesomeness about it,"
complained 31-year-old Jim
Lowery, his eyebrows corrugated
over darkly serious eyes.
"That's the last thing I want
as mayor."
Indeed, while his dark visage at
times might be mistaken for dour,
Jim Lowery exudes a desire to
communicate. Even now that he's
left the campaign trail, he is a
man given to frequent and
spacious smiles.
"I would hate to have people
feel, just because I'm mayor, that
they can't talk to me as they
always have," Lowery said last
week as he approached his
January 13 inauguration. On that
date, ousted incumbent Frank
Travis will step down after 13
years in office and Jim Lowery
the husband, father of three,
business agent for IWA Local 3-38
and political tenderfoot will take
the reins.
The following is an exclusive
Journal interview with the
mayor-to-be:
I
understand a logger he's not the
conservative, slow-thinking
individual a lot of people make
him out to be. One thing you can
count on is he won't beat around
the bush with you, and I like that.
If this is "logger mentality," I
would think we'd have a pretty
open society.
I believe the elite groups may
be more responsible for this term.
I don't think it applies to the
community as a whole.
Q. What's your attitude
toward the use of violence to
counter violence - one perhaps
fundamental issue in the current
debate on gun control?
A. I'm basically nonviolent.
I've never seen a fight yet that
really accomplished anything. But
when you're talking about
something like a man's wife being
raped, now there's a problem that
talking can't solve.
I might have the reaction to
kick the hell out of the guy, but
that's more passion than human
reaction. Any time you get
human passion involved it's
difficult to say how you'll
respond. We all have our boiling
points, and once we get past that
point we have the potential for
violence."
Q. What do you think of drug
control and similar restrictions on
potentially harmful, do you
prohibit as well the sale of model
airplane cement, the fumes of
which doctors agree actually
decompose the sniffer's brain
tissue?
personal freedom?
A. First of all, the law is
already there. The law says it is
illegal to have certain drugs, and
as mayor my prime responsibility
will be to see to it that the police
force acts as it should.
As far as my personal
opinions are concerned, I have
mixed feelings. I know some
people here who say they are into
drugs, and they tell me there's a
lot of heroin going through town,
that Shelton is looked upon by
outsiders as an easy hit, a good
place to score hard drugs. I think
the problem may be much more
serious than the community
would like to believe.
Take a look at the crime rate
and see how many are related to
drugs or booze. If the effect they
have on you has some violent
effect on another, then maybe
you shouldn't be allowed to use
them. But, then, prohibition
proved you're not going to keep
booze away from people, and I
suppose the same thing is
probably true with marijuana, for
instance.
A. Hmmm. I don't know, to
be perfectly honest.
Q. What role, if any, should
the city play in the shaping of
educational policies?
A. I'm not aware that it has
any role in it, really, but if 1 could
I would certainly like to be
involved. Education obviously has
a great effect on our community
- and, besides, 1 have a couple of
kids who are coming up through
that system in Shelton, so I'm
concerned as a citizen as well.
Q. Do you have any quibbles
with the school board?
A. Hmmm. I don't know if an
all.out war between the city and
the school board would be good,
you know?
"Just because someone Q. Are Shelton's recreational
has all the bucks doesn't facilities adequate?
mean he should get A. No, I don't think so.
preferential treat- Q. If the public should be Presently all we really have
ment. . . "
protected by law from things (Please turn to page two.)
THIS YOUNG LADY, who seems more interested in something other than
Santa Claus, was one of the youngsters who had a chance to talk to Santa
during the annual Christmas party for children of hazardous dutyemployees
in Mason County sponsored by the Shelton Chamber of Commerce.
Youngsters watched entertainment and received treats from Santa during the
program.
O
Isas
assls
nce
availa
Je
several
ereu
groups
resentatives of ten
state, federal and private
who have services which
available to flood victims
in the PUD 3 auditorium
to give those who had
damage in the flood
this month assistance or to
assistance.
l'he meeting was arranged
ay after Mason County
federal designation as a
area because of the flood
cials stressed that
is available from each
agencies which participated
that anyone who suffered
damage can contact the one
can give the-type of
ante they need.
persons from the
Engineer J. C. Bridger
this week his office is looking
cost of obtaining and
; a Bailey Bridge to carry
over Goldsborough Creek
Matlock Road just west of
city limits.
bridge across the creek
this month after
water had resulted in
deadline
ir next week
for the Journal will
day early again next week
Use of the New Year's
Journal will be printed
and distributed in the
ednesday.
deadline for society news
will be noon Monday, the
for classified advertising
• m. Monday, for
~Spondents' columns noon
for general-news and
5 p.m. Monday, and
advertising noon Monday.
county appeared during the time
the group was at the PUD
building to get information on
assistance.
La Verne Brodie, a
representative of the Federal
Disaster Assistance
Administration, said both grant
and loan programs are available
through the various agencies
represented at the meeting
Monday.
The purpose of the meeting,
she said, was to offer all of the
services available in one place at
one time for flood victims.
She stressed that assistance is
still available and that those who
suffered flood damage can
contact any of the agencies
involved.
The participating agencies
washing from under one of the
piers on the bridge and the bridge
settling.
The Mason County Economic
Development Council, which had
appeared at the county
commission meeting December 15
to urge the commission to move
as rapidly as possible on repair of
the bridge, assisted in locating
Bailey Bridge sections which are
available.
Bridger said the temporary
bridge sections are available from
the State Highway Department.
His office, he said, is
investigating the cost of getting
the bridge sections here and
installed.
A consulting engineer has
been hired to prepare plans for
the repair of the bridge.
The county hopes to get
federal assistance for the bridge
project through its disaster area
designation which was received
last Friday.
At the time the bridge was
closed, Bridget estimated it would
take from three to seven months
to complete repair work.
we re:
Farmers Home
Administration, 107 East
Broa, dway, Montesano,
Washington.
Mason County Assessor's
Office, Courthouse, Shelton.
Department of Employment
Security, P.O. Box 367, Olympia,
Washington 98504.
Department of Social and
Health Services, P.O. Box 519,
Shelton.
American Red Cross,
Mason-Thurston County Chapter,
2618 12th Court SW, Olympia,
Washington 98507.
Small Business
Administration, Fifth Floor,
Dexter Horton Building, 710
Second Avenue, Seattle,
Washington 98104.
Agriculture Stabilization and
Conservation Service,
Thurston-Mason County ASCS
Office, 417 South Pear, Olympia,
Washington 98501.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development, 630 Logan
Boulevard, 500 Union Street,
Seattle, Washington 98101.
Soil Conservation Service,
Mason County Conservation
District, Kneeland Center, P.O.
Box 130, Shelton.
County Extension Service, 12
Federal Building, Shelton,
Washington.
Thursday
is holiday
for most
City, county, state and federal
offices and most businesses in the
county will be closed Thursday
for the Christmas holiday.
The county commissioners
voted Monday to allow
courthouse offices to dose at 2
p.m. Wednesday, the day before
Christmas.
There will be no city or rural
mail delivery, but mail will be
sent from and arrive at the post
office.
Schools in the county started
Christmas vacation Friday and
will resume classes January 5.
Q. How do you see Shelton,
sociologically?
A. When I first arrived, eight
years ago, I was struck with the
feeling that there were three
distinct classes here: the elite, or
the more or less untouchables
who somehow felt they had more
of a vested interest in the town;
the working class, which included
the general businessman and the
guy who worked for Simpson;
and the partially unemployed -
your occasional brushpicker, for
instance.
I've mingled with all three
since coming here, and I've come
to the conclusion tha* the elite
distinction does exist. But the
other two groups aren't really
separate, I don't think. In any
case, it's not a problem. A
molding of the three would be
good, though, because the
community could use their
combined intelligence.
Q. Does the majority
necessarily know what's good for
it? How does this affect a mayor's
decision.making responsibilities?
A. In futuristic planning there
will be many instances when you
don't have the same philosophies
as the majority. I imagine I will
have those kinds of decisions now
and then. I don't think such
dec!sions necessarily have to be
popular with the majority, but
you should listen to all arguments
first before making a decision.
Sometimes the best way to
discourage change is to not accept
a heckuva lot of input - and I
just don't happen to go along
with that.
Q. Is there a prevailing "logger
mentality" in Shelton?
A. Hmmm. I've never heard
that term here. I work for loggers
a lot in my job, and if you
"As far as the kids are
concerned, they have
~p
nothing now...
Thursday, December 25, 1975 Eighty-ninth Year - Number 52 3 Sections -40 Pages 15 Cents Per Copy
A 20-year-oid Yakima man,
who was found missing from the
Washington Corrections C~nter
Friday morning, was caught in
Yakima Monday morning.
Richard Vernon,
superintendent of the corrections
center, said Brooks was caught by
Yakima officers coming out of his
brother's home about 11 a.m.
Monday. He was being returned
to the corrections center by
Yakima authorities, Vernon said.
Brooks had been discovered
missing from the corrections
center Friday morning. The
Mason County Sheriff's Office
was notified of the escape about
9: 30 a.m. Friday.
Vernon said it appeared that
Brooks, who was in the training
center portion of the corrections
center, went over the fence in the
dense fog last Thursday night.
The alarm system in that
section of fence, Vernon said, was
found to'be not working.
The company which installed
the system checked it out
Saturday, Vernon said, and found
that apparently a recent electrical
storm'had blown out some of the
electrical boxes, making part of
the alarm system inoperable.
Vernon said weekly checks on
the alarm system will be made to
be sure it is in good working
order.
~~~~~~HHI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
acci
amages
A former Washington
Corrections Center inmate has
been awarded $252,000 for the
loss of his arm while he was
working in the laundry at the
corrections center in August,
1974.
The former inmate, Rodney
Harvey, was awarded the damages
by a King County Superior Court
jury recently.
Harvey was serving a term in
the corrections center for vehicle
theft when he lost his right arm in
laundry machinery which he was
operating, the evidence in the case
showed.
The jury award was actually
$280,000, but the jury found that
Harvey was 10 percent negligent
in the accident and the state 90
percent negligent. This special
finding by the jury reduced the
damage award to $252,000.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H~~~~~~~H~H~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The superintendent said after
Brooks was discovered missing
they found a place where the
fence appeared to have been
beaten down. There were, he said,
footprints on ~he other side of the
fence and some clothes were
found also.
Vernon said Brooks may also
have put a dummy in his bed.
After the escape was
discovered, patrols of corrections
center officers and local law
enforcement officers began
checking the area and continued
the patrols over the weekend.
Vernon said Brooks had been
at the corrections center about six
months and had been conunitted
from Yakima County on a life
sentence for first degree murder.
The superintendent said
Brooks had been kept at the
training center at the corrections
center, although very few of those
committed for an offense as
serious as the one Brooks was
charged with are kept here.
Christmas baskets were
packed and distributed to 130
needy families in Mason County
Saturday through the 40 and
8-Journai Christmas project.
Forty and 8 members began
packing the baskets Friday and
completed the job by putting the
perishable items into them
Saturday morning before they
were picked up.
Some of the baskets, destined
for those who were unable to pick
them up, were delivered.
Contributions to the
Christmas fund at the Journal as
of Tuesday noon totaled
$1,189.25, short of the amount
needed to pay for the baskets
which were given out.
Contributions to the fund can
be brought or mailed to the
Journal office.
Contributions received were
from anonymous, $10; Rudie and
Ada Oltman, $10; anonymous,
$11.75; Mason County Chapter
14, Daughters of the Pioneers,
$10; Shelton-Mason County
Zonta Club, $25; Mr. and Mrs. J.
W. Umphenour, $5; in memory of
Warren and Mamie Earl by Robert
and Phyllis TembrueU, $5; Bud
Rietdorf, $25; Herb and Clara
Angle, $10; anonymous, $5; Mr.
and Mrs. O. J. Ashford, $10; Skip Clinton Willour, $15; Mason
and Margaret Ness, $10; George County Auditor's Office, $26;
and Catherine Cropper, $5; Rocky and Marian Hembroff,
Dayton Nimrod Bingo, $25; $10.
....
40 AND 8 MEMBERS, left to right, Frank Travis, Harry James and Herb
Schumacher, packed some of the 1_30 Christmas baskets which were
distributed Saturday through the 40 and 8-Journal Christmas fund.