Claire Hall
Hall is a Lincoln County commissioner.
Fifty years ago, Oscar the Grouch greeted anyone who approached his trash can on theSesame Street television show with a simple, blunt message: “Scram!”
About the same time, beloved Oregon Gov. Tom McCall was telling potential newcomers to “Visit, but don’t stay.”
Today, as an elected official in Lincoln County, the heart of the beautiful Oregon Coast, I’m delivering a message I thought I’d never be sending: “Don’t visit! Come back later! The beach will still be here when you are able to get here safely.” And just in case that’s not clear enough, I’ll channel my inner Oscar and add: “Scram!”
This isn’t an easy thing for me to say. More jobs in our county are dependent on hospitality than any other segment of our economy. The state’s closure of restaurants, beaches and campgrounds, and our county order curtailing lodging operations, are being keenly felt in the pocketbooks of many workers and small business owners. I’m hearing from single parents who are worried about paying the rent and mom and pop shops of all kinds who don’t know if they can survive this.
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I get those messages loud and clear. But while lost dollars can be made up someday, a lost life is lost forever. When I ran for this office, I said my highest duty was to protect the health and safety of my communities, and I’ve never wavered from that belief.
One group of people isn’t getting that message, though—the absentee property owners. Many of these homes are in the vacation rental market, and while we’ve been able to prohibit renting a home out for less than 30 days, the legal experts say there’s no way we can keep people away from their own property.
I have friends here who have second homes in other parts of our beautiful state. They’ve canceled all plans to travel to their homes indefinitely. They have seen what I fear many absentee owners don’t get—that in a community with limited stock in stores and two small hospitals, seeing parking lots full of out-of-state license plates right now fills many hearts with anger and fear.
So please, everyone, stay home. Follow the state, national and international guidelines and stay home. Be a decent human being who shows they care about others, even those they don’t know, and stay home.
If you truly love this coastline, you’ll do what you need to do to protect those of us who call it home.
"Opinion" - Google News
April 08, 2020 at 09:00PM
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Opinion: Love the coast? Then stay home - oregonlive.com
"Opinion" - Google News
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