Arlington, Oregon mayor and the "sexy photos
February 29th 2008 03:44
Carmen Kontur-Gronquist was a small town mayor. The little town of Arlington, Oregon has a population of around 500 people and is perhaps best known for once disappearing (a dam on the Columbia River flooded the original town site) and as the location of a huge garbage dump. A huge 100 car trash train one mile long takes Seattle's garbage to a dump near Arlington six times a week. The landfill also gets trash from other sources, but the haul from Seattle is the bulk. And the area is also seeing wind turbines pop up. Other than that there isn't too much going on in Arlington. It's just like so many other small towns in the inter mountain west. Interesting to visit, and usually very conservative.
Many people from other areas of the country think Oregon is a hotbed of liberalism. Truth be told, alot of the state isn't any different politically from places like Idaho or Kentucky. A majority of the people vote how their preachers tell them to. So it wasn't a huge surprise that Arlington citizens voted to recall mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist. To some citizens credit, the vote was close - 142-139. The pictures making the rounds of the mayor in lingerie next to a fire truck was just too much for some. But what kind of mayor was she?
I don't know that much about her record, but I do know this - it was a volunteer job. She was doing it for free to help her town. She has lived in the town for sixteen years and has kept the books for the fire department. FYI - the photos in question were taken in front of a truck belonging to another department. She has been a lifeguard at the city pool and manages the rural health clinic office in Arlington. Sounds like the kind of citizen any town should be proud to have.
A few Arlington citizens cited other reasons for voting against her in the recall, but for the most part it is assumed that the vote centered on the photos. I didn't add them to this story because I think they are unimportant. What is sad is that some saw photos of a woman dressed no more scantily than a model in a Sears catalog as a reason to remove her from office. The things some people think are important.
Many people from other areas of the country think Oregon is a hotbed of liberalism. Truth be told, alot of the state isn't any different politically from places like Idaho or Kentucky. A majority of the people vote how their preachers tell them to. So it wasn't a huge surprise that Arlington citizens voted to recall mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist. To some citizens credit, the vote was close - 142-139. The pictures making the rounds of the mayor in lingerie next to a fire truck was just too much for some. But what kind of mayor was she?
I don't know that much about her record, but I do know this - it was a volunteer job. She was doing it for free to help her town. She has lived in the town for sixteen years and has kept the books for the fire department. FYI - the photos in question were taken in front of a truck belonging to another department. She has been a lifeguard at the city pool and manages the rural health clinic office in Arlington. Sounds like the kind of citizen any town should be proud to have.
A few Arlington citizens cited other reasons for voting against her in the recall, but for the most part it is assumed that the vote centered on the photos. I didn't add them to this story because I think they are unimportant. What is sad is that some saw photos of a woman dressed no more scantily than a model in a Sears catalog as a reason to remove her from office. The things some people think are important.
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