In Our View: Cheers & Jeers

Cheers: To Mable Engeman. The Clark County woman, who was born in 1913, was honored recently by elections officials for her contributions to democracy. Rather than being a political leader or running for office, Engeman has simply made a habit of engaging in her civic duty. She has voted in 25 of the past 33 elections for which she was eligible, giving her a turnout rate of 76 percent that surpasses the majority of registered voters.

Engeman, who is Clark County’s oldest registered voter, cast her first ballot for president for Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s. Upon being presented with a certificate of appreciation from Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, she said it is important to vote “to have the right people in there to do what we need.”

Jeers: To Don Benton. Perhaps this should be a cheer for the former state senator from Vancouver; few people can match his ability to fail upward or land jobs for which they are unqualified, and there is something to be said for that kind of moxie. The latest example is Benton’s appointment to direct the Selective Service System, which would oversee the military draft if one existed.

Benton once headed Clark County’s Department of Environmental Services, despite having no experience in that field. Last year, when it became apparent he would not win re-election to the Senate, he left the Legislature. After serving as Donald Trump’s state campaign manager in Washington, he landed a job with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and The Washington Post reported that Benton interrupted policy meetings so often that he was disinvited from many of them. Now he is being moved to Selective Service, despite having no military experience. As long as the draft is not reinstituted, that’s probably a good place for him.

Cheers: To remembering the forgotten. Teresa Wentworth recently engaged in her annual ritual of placing flowers upon graves at Evergreen Memorial Gardens. What started as an effort to beautify the graves of her father and nephews has grown into a group effort that this year involved the placement of 3,200 daffodils on grave sites.

Wentworth and her friends start out in the Baby Haven section of the cemetery and then keep moving until they run out of flowers. “There’s kids buried here whose parents are long gone, just reading the dates, and we don’t know if they have family or anything,” she said. For one day, at least, they are honored.

Jeers: To dumb criminals. A 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested when a Sheriff’s deputy suspected the man had been engaged in drug activity. The punch-line: The suspect had parked in a handicapped parking space in the lot of the west precinct for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant, and additional charges might be added. When interviewed by deputies, he said he thought he had stopped in a church parking lot. We are all in favor of making the job of law enforcement easier, but this guy might want to reconsider some of his life choices.

Cheers: To Easter festivities. A variety of Easter egg hunts are scheduled throughout the county this weekend, providing children with an opportunity to fill their baskets and indulge in one of the perks of the season. Notably, the weather is supposed to cooperate.

Most important, for many people, is the meaning of the season, with Easter serving as the most holy of observances for Christians. For both believers and non-believers, we wish nothing but hope and peace during this time of the year.