Image by J. Stephen Conn via Flickr
County commissioner’s opinion editorial published.
My friend, Steve Grasty, a veteran Harney County judge who is retiring Dec. 31, is now facing a recall vote.
The recall vote has little, if anything, to do with his record of exemplary service advocating for and helping guide one of Oregon’s smallest counties — at least in terms of population if not in terms of size. Harney County is one of the largest in America — bigger than some states — and Grasty has been an outspoken and successful advocate bringing attention and resources to Harney County well beyond what would have come their way with a less ardent advocate at the helm. Judge Grasty is respected in Salem for his straightforward approach, his integrity and his willingness to fight for Harney County.
Now, on the eve of his departure from a distinguished career in public service, Grasty is instead going to spend the twilight months of his public life experiencing a prolonged reenactment of the bizarre events that propelled Harney County from relative obscurity onto the national stage.
What are the basic charges? Grasty failed to support the armed takeover of the Malheur Wildife Refuge by out-of-state insurgents who, according to some reports, caused an estimated $6 million in damage to a treasured resource and blatantly plowed up artifacts important to the Paiute Tribes while at the same time transforming the community of Burns from a place where residents felt safe and unified into a nightmare of discontent and fear.
While I have had opportunities to discuss the events surrounding the takeover with Judge Grasty, I cannot grasp the full dimension of the threats and harassment experienced by the Grasty family, nor can I fully appreciate what it was like to be surrounded by visitors who intimidated residents and openly provided a threatening presence. It would appear the armed presence experienced by Burns was not unlike representations from international hot spots.
It will be years before Burns and the small communities surrounding it will ever hope to return to normal. The recall effort focused on a dedicated public servant is evidence of the residue that remains.
Like Judge Grasty and many other elected officials, I have deep concerns about federal ownership of too much of Oregon as well as federal overreach, rules and regulation. It is also annoying that those representing states where federal ownership is as low as two percent fail to understand the impact of having so much land removed from the tax rolls. Conversely, while the concept of taking back the federal lands sounds exciting, it would bankrupt states and counties very quickly. Take, for example, the immense cost of fighting forest fires. Ownership would not necessarily be accompanied by a lack of federal regulations.
Judge Grasty knows the residents of his county depend upon access to federal land to survive. Harney County is the third largest cattle producing county in Oregon and many of those cattle feed on federal land.
But Judge Grasty also has an obligation to uphold the law and conduct business in a civil manner. The path to resolution of federal grievances isn’t paved with armed visitors who turn communities upside down and create divisions that will fester for generations.
While I am concerned about a federal bureaucracy that continues to impose its will upon western America, I cannot condone civil disobedience. And, on a side note, I also believe in honoring a contract with any agency — public or private. As cattle ranchers, our family appreciates the value of pasture and it has never occurred to us that it would be appropriate to withhold our grazing fees.
Simply put, Judge Grasty is being maligned for doing his job. Those who are not bound by an oath of office have considerably more freedom in doing what they choose.
Fortunately, in the primary election, a majority of Harney County voters seemed to support those who were rational in their response to the occupation. I hope that sentiment will prevail in a vote of confidence for Judge Grasty, who deserves to serve with dignity during his remaining six months in office.