In our view, Jan. 10: Cheers & Jeers

Cheers: To local tattlers. A more appropriate description would be alert citizens who are willing to perform their civic duty and help the juvenile justice system work efficiently.

Clark County sheriff’s deputies, after receiving a tip or tips, arrested three teenagers in connection with about three dozen tire slashings early Sunday morning in the Minnehaha area.

Every local resident — by reporting suspicious activity observed or suspicious comments heard — can become an unofficial law enforcement officer. Citizen policing is especially valuable in tough economic times when local governments face severe funding challenges and staffing shortages.

Jeers: To state and local transportation officials across the river for excessive freeway potholes. Yes, the winter storms are partly to blame, and we’ve got our share of teeth-rattling potholes on this side of the river, too. But anecdotal observations reveal a greater abundance of potholes — deep and long ones — over there, especially on Interstate 5 near downtown Portland.

Unlike Washington state, which uses solid chemicals (salt), Oregon makes limited use of liquid de-icer, plus sand, which is left on roads for days, acting as an abrasive. Other big contributors to potholes were the two tire-chain mandates declared in the city of Portland during the storms. Large numbers of truckers had to chain up during the storms before entering Oregon, and the rambling behemoths gouged and pounded over many passages of exposed pavement. Over here, tire-chain mandates typically are issued only in mountain passes and gorges. Yet another reason to live on this side of the river.

Cheers: To police officers and fire marshals in Vancouver for issuing three citations for fireworks violations on New Year’s Eve. Two citations carried fines of $500 each for possessing illegal fireworks, and one citation carried a fine of $250 for using legal fireworks outside of the legal Fourth of July season.

A greater effect than just the citations could be the deterrent effect as word spreads around the community.

Jeers: To all six members of the Olympia City Council for e-mailing each other during council meetings, lining up votes and even insulting members of the audience. According to The Olympian newspaper, the council was told by Assistant Attorney General Timothy Ford: “E-mail deliberations on public matters that are concurrently being discussed in a public meeting are wholly inconsistent with the state Open Public Meetings Act.”

Although Ford did not say if the law was violated, “At the very least, you could say that the spirit of the law is not being followed.”

The e-mails were obtained by the newspaper and many were published. Councilor Jeff Kinsbury at one point described a member of the audience, local activist Gerald Reilly, as a “coward.” Reilly made this astute observation: “I find it ironic to accuse someone of being a coward from the safety of your own anonymity.”

We’re all for politicians making the best ethical use of high-tech gadgetry, but deliberations at public meetings must remain public.

Cheers: Remember when the use of seat belts was a subject of debate? Even though folks had no complaints about mandatory seat-belt use in airplanes, many argued for years about the use of seat belts in land vehicles. In 1986, only 36 percent of vehicle occupants in Washington state were using seat belts.

The debate fizzled as we all grew smarter. According to a recent Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial, seat-belt use in the state has increased for the fifth consecutive year, and the rate now stands at 96.5 percent. How many of today’s public debates will seem so unnecessary in a few years?