Data centers are universally unpopular. According to recent reporting by the New York Times, nearly three in four Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their communities, especially if those centers–and more broadly, artificial intelligence–remain unregulated.
As more government leaders realize that unfettered creation of data centers is an unpopular issue, they have gone mostly silent on building data centers in the communities they serve. In other words, some folks were for data centers, until they were against them.
This includes current Newberg mayor Bill Rosacker. In a long Facebook post published in February 2025, Rosacker wrote that he was “somewhat supportive of a small server farm (<20 acres)” on the WestRock mill property in south Newberg. Rosacker argued a server farm could provide several well-paying jobs and a significant tax base while requiring fewer employees to travel to and from the data center site. He also specifically referenced the property’s access to electricity, the Willamette River, water rights and potentially treated wastewater as reasons Newberg could accommodate such a use.
And, just last month, Newsberg reported that Rosacker was appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Local Advisory Committee, a group of local and state officials who advise the agency on environmental issues affecting local governments. The committee will begin its new charter by discussing the challenges local governments face in the sustainable siting and development of AI infrastructure and data centers. While this does not mean Rosacker was appointed because of his views on data centers, it does make his February 2025 comments particularly relevant as Newberg discusses the future of its own industrial land.
Surely Rosacker recognizes the unpopularity of data centers in Newberg, and the community’s general resistance to having them planted at the mill site. Because it’s clear that Newberg also does not want a data center built here. Why else would petitioners for a Rural Heritage Park ordinance use data centers as an enticement to gain signatories?
As the political action committee Share Our Parks organization pointed out in an July 31 Facebook post, the petitioners for a Rural Heritage Park ordinance were misleading others. Petitioners, text messages, and signage suggested a bill would assure that data centers were permanently prohibited from Chehalem Park and Recreation District property. This obfuscated the real intent of the petition: to keep bike riders from using trails at Crystal Rilee Park, raising questions about whether a small group of people should make decisions about publicly-funded, publicly-maintained properties.
The messaging from Rosacker about data centers is muddled, perhaps because they are so unpopular, and because he was for data centers, until nearly everyone else was against them. These are policy questions he should more readily answer: Does he still support placing a data center of up to approximately 20 acres on the former mill property? And, given his new federal advisory role, how should communities like Newberg balance data-center development against water use, energy demand, industrial-land scarcity, employment generation and neighboring residential areas?
Rosacker’s opponent, Elise Yarnell Hollamon, is offering a different, far more transparent and compelling position. She acknowledges that data centers are part of the infrastructure supporting modern technology, but does not support placing one within Newberg or rural Newberg. Our community’s limited industrial and employment land should instead be prioritized for uses that generate substantial numbers of living-wage jobs and contribute to a vibrant riverfront and mill district.
“Data centers are an inevitable part of modern life,” Hollamon told us. “Every day, we rely on technology that requires this infrastructure, and pretending otherwise isn’t realistic. What is realistic is being thoughtful about where data centers belong and scrutinizing their impact on the communities where they’re proposed. I do not support a data center within Newberg’s city limits or rural Newberg.”
Hollamon has a mill strategy that begins with bringing the property back online and developing it as competitive employment land. She proposes revisiting and revitalizing the Riverfront Master Plan, directing eligible Urban Renewal resources toward infrastructure and predevelopment barriers at the former mill, and building a direct working relationship with the private property owner so Newberg has an active seat at the table as the site’s future is determined.
For Hollamon, the mill is fundamentally an affordability and economic-development issue. Newberg has lost significant manufacturing employment, and the former mill represents one of the community’s most consequential opportunities to recruit new employers. Her argument is that public economic-development tools should be used intentionally to lower the barriers preventing private investment, rather than waiting for the market to determine the future of the riverfront without meaningful city involvement.
Her plan also considers River Street and its thriving as an established residential neighborhood. While River Street residents are already navigating significant questions surrounding road reconstruction, Hollamon argues that the ultimate use of the mill should account for traffic, neighborhood impacts, the riverfront and the city’s broader economic-development goals—not simply tax-base generation.
Fundamentally, in our efforts to build a better community, we believe that thoughtful planning is necessary, rather than ready capitulation to tech companies looking for cheap land and energy to build their data farms.
This is why Newberg Neighbors is supporting Elise Yarnell Hollamon: someone who is for all of Newberg, not just the privileged few. We believe Better is Possible for Newberg.
People in our community, our Newberg neighbors, are being picked up by immigration enforcement without warrants, detained without charges, and often sent out of state, leaving families and friends in the dark about their whereabouts.
Some call these immigration actions what they are: kidnappings. Many of our city officials seem to shrug, saying little to nothing about the people they’ve been voted to represent. An entire community is living with fear, their lives on hold because of ICE, and Newberg city officials don’t want to address the trauma being perpetuated by rogue immigration enforcement.
This is unacceptable.
On October 5 and in conjunction with UNIDOS, we are hosting a Pack Newberg City Council event, hoping to call attention to our neighbors’ pain and to our city government’s inaction. We want to stand in solidarity with immigrants who have made Newberg home, and who are being dehumanized by ICE actions–and our local government’s inaction.
If you can participate, please gather in front of city hall before the city council meeting on Monday, October 5, at 5:40 p.m. Each participant in our event will receive a picture of an immigrant who has been harmed by ICE, including the images of 15 Yamhill County residents who have been detained, and 55 people (nationwide) who have died because of ICE activity.
We plan to hold the signs during the city council meeting to humanize a dehumanizing process, putting names and faces to the immigrants impacted by ICE kidnappings. After making statements during public comments at the council meeting, we will march from city hall to the flag pole, where we will hold a vigil for local and national victims of ICE.
Standing in Solidarity with our neighbors will convey to our elected officials that they cannot be silent about the harmful effects of unfettered immigration enforcement. Standing in solidarity with our neighbors will hopefully convey that we are mourning with those immigrants who are themselves grieving the loss of family members to ICE raids, as well as the loss of safety and security.
We hope you will join us in supporting folks who are our neighbors and friends, and who deserve to know that Newberg is a place they can call home.
Let us know if you are willing to hold a sign! We need 60+ people, and it would help us a lot if you would let us know you are planning to be there and participate. We can even assign you the person’s sign you will carry ahead of the event. Please use this link to indicate your interest: https://forms.gle/C3GFNrujHXrg3yHi6
Over the past few years, our site has been committed to the vision that a better community is possible when we work together to assure that Newberg is a place where everyone can thrive. That simple premise has seemed so challenging, which is probably why we are excited about Elise Yarnell Hollamon’s campaign for mayor and her assurance that Better is Possible when our city leaders work for all of Newberg.
A recent Newsberg candidates’ questionnaire asked mayoral and city council candidates the same three questions, and published their unedited answers in full. The responses from Elise, as well as city council candidates Larry Hampton and Leisha Adams, share some important common ground:
Affordability matters.
The cost of city services matters.
Newberg needs to solve these challenges.
Elise identifies affordability as Newberg’s most pressing issue, and has a clear, common sense solution to lessen the burden of city costs on Newberg’s citizens. Her innovative idea would bring Dundee, Dayton, and regional partners together around long-term water infrastructure with the goal of significantly reducing water rates without raising taxes.
She also believes that bringing living-wage jobs back to Newberg is possible if the city can get key employment land—particularly the former mill property—back online, rather than focusing on efforts to bring a data center to the area.
Fundamentally, Elise is driven by the conviction that the tone of leadership at Newberg City Hall needs to change, so that respect and genuine consideration for different perspectives is once again part of how decisions get made. Electing Larry and Leisha for city council, alongside Elise for mayor, will help achieve these goals.
Larry also identifies affordability as the most pressing issue, connecting it to housing, utilities, living-wage jobs and the costs of development. He supports pursuing partnerships with neighboring communities for more affordable and sustainable utilities, expanding industrial and commercial opportunities, and developing the former mill property. He also says he wants residents to know that he intends to listen well to community needs, and adjust his approach when necessary.
Leisha brings her professional experience managing and auditing nonprofits and her current work as a Yamhill County finance analyst to the conversation. She focuses specifically on water costs, asking how Newberg can reduce what residents pay while still maintaining necessary infrastructure, and points toward growing the number of customers sharing those costs.
The Newsberg article provides only an outline of Elise’s vision for making Newberg a better place for everyone to thrive.
So here’s a little spoiler: there’s a lot more detail to come. In the coming weeks, we’re excited to share the details behind how Elise proposes significantly reducing water rates without raising taxes, how Newberg can bring living-wage jobs back, and how considering all voices becomes something leadership actually does—not simply something candidates say.
And a second spoiler: Bill’s lack of initiative on the mill site over the last four years—and what appear to be his plans in the coming days—are concerning. The contrast with Elise’s vision for the future of that site is clear.
Want to support Elise, Larry, and Leisha as they fulfill their promise that Better is Possible?
COME HEAR MORE AT THE CAMPAIGN KICKOFF!
📅 Friday, September 4 ⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM 📍 Newberg — RSVP for the location 📧 comms@livabilityoregon.org
“They have masks on their faces. You can’t tell who they are,” said Innovation Law Lab’s (ILL) Communications Manager Victor Romero Hernandez of ICE agents in recent months. “ICE has become a lot more violent and aggressive, and a lot less transparent,” he told me.
Romero Hernandez says detentions used to be much more reliably tracked than they are currently. On the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement website, a search engine called “The Online Detainee Locator” (ODLS) is displayed. An individual believed to be in ICE custody can be searched on the system using the individual’s Alien Registration Number or alternately, using first name, last name, and country of birth.
On the website, ICE notes that “[f]or security reasons, ODLS does not provide information about transfers that are planned or in progress.” However, “Once a person is transferred and booked into another ICE detention facility, ODLS will be updated with that information.“
According to Romero Hernandez, the information about detainee location that ICE says it provides is not consistently made available. “It used to be that they [ICE] would detain somebody and then they would appear on the ICE identifier,” he said. “Now, not as often.”
Innovation Law Lab is a Portland based immigrant advocacy organization, with “team members in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Washington, and Mexico,” its website states.
The organization was founded in response to the detention of Central American migrants at covert facilities near Artesia, New Mexico over a decade ago. These were “secret detention facilities in very remote areas,” said Romero Hernandez.
Cell and wifi service were limited or nonexistent in these areas, so Innovation Law Lab “built a software system to support immigration attorneys” where they had previously been hindered in their work for lack of access.
Now, the work of Innovation Law Lab is three-pronged. “[W]e use the law, technology, and organizing to advance the immigration movement,” Romero Hernandez said.
Lately, he says, everyone’s workload at ILL has “gotten a lot heavier.” With an increase in detentions, he says their attorneys have had to respond very quickly to a lot of cases. Meanwhile, those working in advocacy for the organization have been focused on lobbying to maintain free and low-cost immigration services in Oregon through the Equity Corps of Oregon.
“As a formerly undocumented person, I can speak to how hard it is to stay on top of rent and food on top of trying to pay attorneys and legal experts,” Romero Hernandez said.
In recent months, immigration proceedings at courthouses have attracted ICE agents and resulted in detentions, he told me. When ICE teams detain individuals they often “don’t have identification,” he stated.
“We think about these as kidnappings,” Romero Hernandez continued. “It’s […] like kidnapping, where people are snatched off the streets in unmarked vans.”
*Shared with permission from a Yamhill county Substack writer
Federal retrenchments in health, education, and family support are leaving states to fill widening gaps. Cuts to Medicaid, narrowed Title IX protections, stagnant childcare investments, and uncertainty around reproductive rights all raise the stakes for Oregon families.
Women and children often bear the brunt, but fathers, caregivers, and communities as a whole are also affected. Oregon must respond boldly with equitable healthcare, family care, childcare, and educational support that shields every household—especially the nearly 70% of Oregonians earning under $100,000—from destabilization.
Healthcare for all Oregonians: Building Toward Universal Coverage
In 2022, Oregonians approved Measure 111, making health care a constitutional right. In 2023, SB 1089 created the Universal Health Plan Governance Board (UHPGB) to design a comprehensive plan for delivering affordable, equitable care. By 2026, lawmakers will review proposals to unify coverage and financing.
Oregon already operates OHP Bridge, providing premium-free coverage for adults who are at 138–200% of the federal poverty level. Pairing this with federal 1115 Medicaid waivers and 1332 reinsurance mechanisms can channel federal funds into a single, sustainable system. Lessons from Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts show that expanding coverage is possible, but only if cost growth is disciplined and affordability benchmarks are enforced (Colorado Health Institute, 2024; Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, 2023; Washington Health Benefit Exchange, 2024).
To make this more than an insurance program, Oregon should reward providers for better health outcomes—like improved chronic disease management, widely adopted preventive care, and reduced avoidable hospitalizations—and offer Oregon cities incentives for providing and funding community clinic spaces and support for new medical and nursing graduates in primary care roles.
Family Care: Paid Leave That Works for Everyone
Oregon’s Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) program now guarantees up to 12 weeks of paid leave (14 for pregnancy-related needs). Since launching in 2023, it has delivered over $1 billion in benefits to more than 150,000 people. Yet delays in processing and limited awareness—especially among fathers, self-employed workers, and small business employees—undermine its impact.
To strengthen PFML, Oregon should:
Streamline applications and improve processing for faster benefit delivery.
Expand outreach to fathers and caregivers in non-traditional roles.
Integrate PFML with universal health coverage so families’ wages and health needs are jointly protected.
Childcare: Affordability as an Economic Imperative
Oregon has the highest infant care costs in the nation—nearly $18,000–$19,000 annually. Public investments have reduced “childcare deserts” from 27 counties in 2018 to just 9 in 2025. But demand still far outpaces supply.
Legislation such as SB 5514 ($225M for subsidies), passed in July, 2025, and HB 2593 (still in Committee; goal of bill is to reduce waitlists) should be implemented. State leaders can also expand support for childcare businesses and explore municipal childcare grants for cities that invest in facilities, or workforce training.
Education: Schools as the Core of Family Safety Nets
Schools are more than a place to learn—they are frontlines for child safety, mental health, and family resources. Narrowed federal Title IX protections risk undermining these roles. Oregon should maintain strong state-level Title IX standards that protect all students, including boys who underreport harassment and girls who face systemic barriers (Oregon Department of Education, Title IX Guidance, 2024).
Education funding should also be coupled with child wellness services in each community:
Expand SafeOregon tip lines and mental health counselors in schools.
Fund afterschool and early-learning programs as child-protection tools.
Encourage partnerships between schools, healthcare providers, and social services so families can access multiple supports under one roof.
A Unified Vision for all Oregon Families
Oregon has a historic opportunity to weave together universal healthcare, strong family leave, affordable childcare, and robust educational supports into a cohesive safety net. Doing so will not only protect low to average income households from federal shortfalls, but also improve long-term community resilience.
The path forward is clear:
Guarantee healthcare as a right—and make it affordable.
Strengthen PFML so all parents and caregivers can use it.
Cut childcare costs and expand supply statewide.
Keep schools as safe, equitable anchors for every child.
When the federal government falters, Oregon must stand tall. By building systems that value health, caregiving, and education for everyone in our communities, Oregon can ensure her families have the stability to thrive.
Over the past few years, our Newberg community has faced significant challenges—from disruptions in our schools to growing division and distrust among neighbors due to political polarity. Despite these hardships, we’ve also seen the incredible resilience of our community: people coming together to support one another, advocate for children and families, and rebuild trust through dialogue and shared action.
Now, we face a variety of new challenges. Recent federal funding cuts are creating real gaps in essential services—especially in areas like health care, education, and community support. These will create gaps in services that will have a direct impact on our neighbors, our schools, and the most vulnerable among us.
Rather than give in to discouragement, we believe this is a moment to come together with renewed purpose. We are committed to working across differences to ensure that our community continues to thrive. That means listening to one another, identifying where needs are greatest, and finding creative, compassionate solutions—together.
Our values are rooted in our faith and in the belief that every person deserves dignity, care, and opportunity. We are inspired by the legacy of Newberg’s Quaker founders and the many people who have worked tirelessly to make this a place of welcome and hope. We believe in the power of community to rise above division and meet challenges with courage and grace.
When we launched this group in 2023, our goal was focused on overcoming challenges that had befallen our schools and our children’s education. We told the stories of our town—stories that reflect the humanity, strength, and spirit of our neighbors and helped drive the changes to support the values of the majority of our community. Today, a mission that supports unity and the stories of our community feels more important than ever. By lifting up the voices of those affected by change, we hope to inspire action rooted in empathy and shared responsibility.
Let’s continue building a Newberg where everyone belongs, where every child is supported, and where we face the future not with fear, but with faith in one another.
Our Mission Statement
We are a collective of local writers dedicated to fostering unity and compassion in our community. Through thoughtful storytelling and clear communication, we shine a light on the events, challenges, and needs that shape our shared lives. By informing our neighbors and amplifying local voices, we aim to inspire connection, encourage action, and build a stronger, more caring community—together.
*Please contact us if you have a story you’d like to share or a topic you’d like us to explore. This is our old email, being used for a new, broader purpose: betternsdschoolboard@gmail.com
“However, after an extensive investigation, I found that systems to monitor the district’s finances were either non-existent or were unsophisticated and ineffective in achieving the desired outcome.” Independent Investigator Dave Novotney, Ph.D.
A damning 56-page investigation report was obtained by Newberg Neighbors and reveals that former Newberg School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Phillips failed to monitor the budget, resulting in an $8 million deficit. He also used racist language and misrepresented the district’s compliance with state standards. The report, prepared by independent investigator Dave Novotney, Ph.D., substantiates four of seven allegations against Phillips during his tenure leading a district beset by years of controversy.
Dr. Novotney was also briefly the interim superintendent prior to Dr. Phillips, when then-board chair Dave Brown and three other board members fired Dr. Joe Morelock with no plan for a replacement. At the time, Novotney provided his services for free as the superintendent of the Willamette Educational School District, of which Newberg is a part. Upon his retirement, he became an independent investigator.
The investigation, which included interviews with 27 district employees and administrators, paints a picture of a superintendent who held informal “pop-in” meetings instead of implementing proper financial oversight, referred to students and staff using racist terms in private conversations, and told staff to report compliance with state standards even when programs fell short – because “nobody actually reports out of compliance.”
We are expecting further information from our records request. This report, which is redacted to protect the identities of those who were interviewed over the course of the investigation, is the first.
Newberg Neighbors has taken the liberty of creating a Cliff’s Notes version for public consumption.
Allegation 1: Did Dr. Phillips fail to provide adequate oversight of the budget?
The allegation was substantiated, with 4 specific duties contained within school board policies CB and CBA were cited that demonstrated Dr. Phillips’ culpability for the devastating budget fiasco. Furthermore, as Dr. Novotney is a former superintendent himself, he had specific knowledge of the responsibilities of a superintendent and the budgeting process and found Phillips to be lacking in his fiduciary responsibilities.
Specifically, the district lacked basic systems with which to monitor the budget, did not implement a practice known as “budget blocking” in the district’s finance software that would have prevented the overspending responsible for the budget deficit, and did not grant administrators access to monitor or view their departments’ budgets. Despite Dr. Phillips’ claims that he isn’t responsible for the mess made of the district’s budget, Board Policy very clearly states that, while the superintendent can delegate tasks to others, they are not relieved from the responsibility of actions taken under delegation.
Allegation 2: Did Dr. Phillips use racist and discriminatory language during private meetings?
The allegation was substantiated, with two standards in the employee handbook and two standards in NDPS board policy CBA cited to have been violated. Dr. Phillips referred to Caucasian kids as “whities,” Hispanic students as “brownies” and LGBTQ students as “gays and weirdos” in multiple instances with two separate people, one of whom Dr. Phillips assumed would be friendly to his views. In Dr. Phillips’ interview, he expressed frustration at a perceived lack of loyalty among administration ranks, seemingly expecting to be protected at all costs by the principals who worked beneath him. Dr. Phillips also claimed ODE wanted students to be referred to as white kids and brown kids. This item is potentially reportable to TSPC.
Allegation 3: Did Dr. Phillips mislead ODE, the NDPS Board of Directors, and the community at large about the district’s full compliance with Division 22 standards in fall of 2023?
The allegation was substantiated. NDPS board policies CM and CBA were cited to have been violated, as well as two standards in the employee handbook. This item is potentially reportable to TSPC.
Allegation 4: Did Dr. Phillips fail to adhere to board policy regarding Reductions in Force (RIFs) in June of 2024?
This allegation was unsubstantiated, with specific board policy cited that demonstrated why this was an unfounded claim. Specifically, the June RIFs were for classified and non-represented staff, two populations who don’t require Board of Directors action before the RIF process can begin.
Allegation 5: Did Dr. Phillips fail to properly implement administrator evaluations consistent with TSPC standards and Board Policy CCG?
This allegation was substantiated and was fairly cut-and-dried. However, Dr. Phillips claimed administrators in Newberg had never been evaluated by TSPC standards, which was easily found to be untrue as TSPC standards were used in the 2021-22 school year by Karen Pugsley, who was Admin on Special Assignment at the time. The evaluation created by Dr. Phillips was merely a self-reflection.
Allegation 6: Did Dr. Phillips attempt to negatively impact the employment of Gregg Koskela?
This allegation was unsubstantiated, as the other superintendent in this equation seemed to understand the communication from Dr. Phillips to be a concern about whether Mr. Koskela was writing and posting on his blog during company time. It should be noted, however, that Dr. Novotney believes Dr. Phillips did make a significant error in judgment in contacting Mr. Koskela’s new boss.
Allegation 7 was specific to Dr. Phillips’ time in Jewell and the civil rights lawsuit filed last spring.
As the litigation is ongoing, a proper investigation was unable to be completed. However, Dr. Novotney noted in his report that Dr. Phillips promptly reported an inappropriate letter discovered in the classroom of the sex offender to the proper authorities.
We recommend reading the full report in its entirety. In early 2022, we had a superintendent candidate with the knowledge, experience, and reputation to lead a district of this size; yet the conservative school board majority chose a superintendent on administrative leave and under investigation at his then-current job, who was also forced out of his previous job due to the expression of racist views via the reposting of anti-undocumented immigrant sentiment on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Thus, none of what’s contained within the pages of the report should be a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to school district business over the last four years.
It is clear Dr. Phillips was not hired because he was the best man for the job; rather, he was hired despite being unqualified for the job. His sole qualification was his political views, which closely matched those of the conservative board majority. Don’t take our word for it: one of the people interviewed stated Dr. Phillips referred to people unaligned with his political views as “commies.” This cronyism directly led to chaos, destruction, and heartbreak for our district and community which will take years to fully recover from.
It is our hope the community will remember this saga when it’s time for school board elections in May. Our next school board will be responsible for hiring a permanent superintendent for our district. It is imperative we continue the healing process by electing people with integrity who are committed to the non-partisan nature of the school board, so that a superintendent of good character who will lead this district with competence, professionalism, virtue, and accountability may be hired.
Your letter to your “Friends and Family,” published on multiple community social media sites, was the impetus for me to write this open letter to you. *By resigning suddenly, just four months shy of the end of your term, you were not good to your word and never responded to my request to meet with you despite multiple reasons for meeting.
You have been an enigma to me. Your words frequently sounded good, but your actions seldom matched your words. Despite writing to you numerous times while you were on the board, you never acknowledged that you had received or even read any of the emails I sent you. The last time I wrote to you, I requested a meeting, for you to listen to me, for me to listen to you. My letter mentioned several topics I wanted to discuss:
Finances. Specifically, your thoughts about who you believe is responsible for them and your understanding of what happened with Dr. Phillips.
The Superintendent. How you understood the role of Dr. Steven Phillips, his contract, and the role and contract of the deputy superintendent. Also, I wanted to know why the board approved a deputy superintendent contract, something that is not normally their job.
Your intent in the August 13, 2024 board meeting: A lot of what was said and asked about at that board meeting is deeply troubling to me. The disclosure that you reached out and spoke to two people on protected leave is the most serious from a legal perspective. I have agonized over whether to file a formal complaint about this incident. I have decided to hear you out and ask my questions before making that decision.
Your response to my request to meet and talk was curt, but I was pleased you responded! Here is what you said: “This response is to let you know that I have received your email. You have included many things for me to think about. Once I have had time to consider your request I will respond.”
Since you never did respond, instead quitting and posting a public letter, I have to assume this public letter is your response, so I shall respond in kind.
In 2008, I went back to work after mainly raising children for 15 years. I worked part-time for NOCAP (Newberg Off-Campus Alternative Program). Over a period of years, my eyes were opened to a part of Newberg I didn’t know existed.
God was working in my life. As the reality grew that here in Newberg there were many children growing up in poverty, or broken homes, or homes rocked by drug addiction, abandonment, mental health issues and death, many of my biases were exposed and challenged. God, like he always is, was good. Co-workers were patient with me. Students were patient with me. God was patient with me.
My path with the Newberg School District was long and windy, but when I landed back at Catalyst (NOCAP renamed and in a beautiful new building-thank you Newberg!) in a job that used my Bachelor degree in sociology/social work, I had found both my passion and my calling. To quote Frederick Buechner about vocation, “The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done.” I was doing meaningful work in my hometown with a diverse group of dedicated staff and students.
Those who followed developments in the district noticed that when you won the board election in 2021 (against a life-long conservative Christian, who also felt called to serve on the school board) you told people that big changes were coming. (The plan to fire Joe was already in place) For those of you who were paying close attention to the developments of the school board, you heard that Dave Brown, as the new chair said, “**Discovery has got to go.” We also heard Renee Powell regularly denigrate staff and spout that we were “indoctrinating” students. For those folks, it may not have been a surprise that I took a leave of absence, then resigned, so I could continue to speak truth and advocate for the students of the school district, specifically Catalyst.
I was very prayerful, and honestly believe the Lord called me to Catalyst, and then called me to leave Catalyst to continue being a voice for the marginalized students in Newberg. I was to continue partnering with God’s love and God’s work in the world.
Because of you firing, without cause, a skilled superintendent and your efforts to create school policies that would transform the environment into one that normalized and centered white nationalism and Christian nationalism, and making sure loyalists were in all positions, I was persecuted and my husband reassigned (sound familiar?).
District office staff received personal death threats and other personal threats on an almost daily basis; threats that often stated support for Dave Brown and the board. ***Carey Martell, who Dave Brown described as “doing more for the school district than anyone,” mailed an entire glossy flyer (funded by ?) full of smears and lies about my husband to the entire school district population.
Four community members, two of them teachers, were sued by four board members, including you. No, not one of them shared personal addresses or phone numbers of the four of you, or suggested that anyone harass you. They were desperately trying to figure out who you all would actually listen to. Your employers? Your pastors? In one case, a person was trying to get important information from a former team member to the appropriate person. Your suing actually seemed to be retaliation against the group of parents who sued the board for acting illegally.
Note: You lost your lawsuits, they won theirs.
Back to me and other staff members–losing our main income and the constant physical and financial threats created a tremendous amount of stress for me, my family, and a large number of school district staff. The staff members you sued left the district. The community members you sued left our community.
I am a strong woman who has no illusions that following God will be easy. Yet still, it was disheartening that my husband and I had to be subjected to such hatred. When you first started working with the new board, I was alarmed at how Renee Powell still spoke words of absolute certainty and shame to her fellow board members. You didn’t speak much, but sometimes when you spoke, it sounded good.
Your actions seldom matched your words however. Your votes were always in support of Renee and Dr. Phillips, even when things like that sweetheart deal contract that NEVER should have happened in the first place were on the table. During that process, you used a manipulative form of dehumanization as an analogy, saying the board was “holding a gun” to Phillips’ head. I think this was pure projection as Dave Brown and the rest of his board, including you, held the school district hostage with a completely hidden, sweetheart of a contract for Phillips. There was a stunning amount of lies and manipulation when that contract was brought to the light.
Still, after Renee moved, I was hopeful your sense of calling to the district and desire for good for the district, combined with the obvious effort every board member made to include you and treat you respectfully, would result in good for the district. We all watched as the district’s severe budget problems came to light. I hoped you would finally lay blame in the right place. After all, it is critical for school districts that the superintendent oversee the budget correctly.
Instead, I witnessed you blame anyone but Phillips and subsequently witnessed a lot of manipulation from you. To say your words and your body language/tone/voting did not match is an understatement. You spoke what I sincerely believe to be lies about the former chair of the school board, even though you should have known by then that Phillips would do anything, including lying, to save his own skin. You claim that you have witnessed “a high degree of dishonesty and manipulation, resulting in good people’s lives being turned upside down and their careers and reputations being destroyed”.
Hear me—-Dr. Phillips brought that on himself. He was largely without honor in the budget crisis. There was plenty of evidence present prior to you hiring him to know that Dr. Phillips, despite fitting the political profile you were looking for, was not a skilled superintendent. You brought him to our district anyway. You brought a high degree of dishonesty and manipulation. It resulted in good people’s lives being turned upside down and their careers and reputations being destroyed long before Dr. Phillips failed to oversee the budget.
When you resigned suddenly from the board, with no warning and no explanation, I figured the results of the investigation into Dr. Phillips were too painful. I was hopeful that the Lord, or one of his gifts, cognitive dissonance, had finally been acknowledged in your life. But no. Instead I read a letter full of enough grievances and blame to mask any Spirit of God speaking or cognitive dissonance that might have been showing up. It makes no sense that you resigned four months before your term was over because of “negativity, false accusations and miscarriages of justices.” By your telling, those have been present since the beginning of your term. I’m sticking with this being the way to avoid the cognitive dissonance created by Dr. Phillips’ actions and the independent investigation.
I feel incredibly fortunate that I was hired by Forest Grove to work at their alternative program and my husband was hired by a small district in the opposite direction, where he is their amazing communications director and now oversees bond work as well. Like many other former district employees who were forced out of jobs or experienced RIFs because of budget cuts, we have found meaningful work far from our homes. I look forward to becoming a new grandmother this year and many other things. I will be continuing to practice hope, to seek truth and justice, and to lean into joyful community. As my pastor said today when we gathered to worship, “We get to experience WITHNESS”— both with others and God. I have made long lasting and meaningful relationships because of these rocky years our school district has endured. ****I will never regret that.
God is great and His plans are perfect.
Elaine Koskela
Former employee of the Newberg School District
* “How many good people will be dissuaded from running if this garbage keeps up?” This statement, made by the person who posted your letter publicly, is another reason I was moved to write this open letter. I take heart in the fact that so many people in Newberg and Dundee are paying attention and have shown a willingness to hold our public officials accountable, even at great personal cost. It’s another thing I will never regret; a whole lot of people were very interested in what was happening in our public schools and many, many people have stepped up. By all means, if you are a person who believes that public education is the best way of making sure we educate all our children, if you believe that all our children are worth educating, if you are passionate about working together with other passionate people, if you are willing to listen and learn, and speak your knowledge, and follow the rules, please get involved! You will find amazing people to work alongside.
**Discovery is an amazing six-week program that is successfully used in many types of alternative schools to teach study skills, to allow new students to get to know each other and the school, and to learn the culture and structures of the school, including the main tenant that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. I don’t think Dave had a clue what Discovery was when he declared, waaaay out of his lane as board chair, that “Discovery has to go”.
***I cannot make myself look up the exact quote, but the italics are quite close.
****Using your format and occasionally your actual language to speak my truth is intentional.
Like the rest of the country, Newberg and Yamhill County have a unique opportunity to turn the page on controlling, grievance-filled politics by rejecting politicians who have refused to work with any “outsiders,” taking their positions as a mandate to do as they please.
Since Linsday Berschauer burst upon the scene to run for county commissioner, Yamhill County has seen the rise of partisan dominated politics for community-based issues. With the election of Berschuaer came the rise of two far-right political groups seeking to control all politics in Yamhill County: Newberg Dundee Strong and Mac We Are.
These groups are both affiliates of Strong Town, USA, an organization that advocates “for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable and inviting.”
Sounds good, but despite being affiliates, the agenda of Strong Town, USA, is not really the goal of Newberg Dundee Strong and Mac We Are. Instead, the local organizations are fueled by the identity politics of MAGA.
Thus, voters in our county are faced with low-knowledge candidates who exhibit a lot of confident wrongness.
We see it in the giant signs that liter our beautiful country roads.
We saw it with a “100% MAGA” Newberg-Dundee School Board that made national news for its racist policies, then fired a popular and competent superintendent in the Newberg-Dundee School District superintendent and hired their candidate, Dr. Phillips.
We saw it with the lavish praise poured on the new superintendent and chief financial officers by the 7-person board, all members of Newberg Dundee Strong. Their hand-picked leaders for our district repeatedly lied to the community, hiding the fact that they bankrupted the school district, then sued the district for their own incompetence.
We see it with the aggressive smearing of any outsider by Carey Martell, whose “Yamhill Advocate” operated in conspiracy theories that made his targets in Newberg feel unsafe.
We see it with the exclusionary, biased and prejudiced reporting of Becky Wallis, member of NDS, conflict resolution officer for Yamhill County Republicans, and editor of Yamhill County News
We want to take a moment to point out the end result of Wallis’ multiple complaints to the Newberg School Board. Confident wrongness that cost the district (and therefore the taxpayers) time and money. Board member Nancy Woodward and Finance Committee chair Kat McNeil spent countless hours responding to the complaints. One of the board lawyers also gave hours of time. Becky herself seemed to take pleasure in the time and money she caused the district to waste.
On Friday, November 1, all three complaints that made it to the Oregon Ethics Commission were dismissed. All of Wallis’s complaints were protective of Dr. Phillips, insisting that the board and the chair of the finance committee were breaking the law by hiring an interim superintendent and pointing out financial issues, respectively. Confident wrongness at work.
We have the opportunity to put this kind of partisan politics behind us. We need politicians that are knowledgeable and skilled, not blinded by purity partisan politics. We need politicians willing to work with ALL citizens of Yamhill County for the common good.
The city of Newberg is fortunate to have three amazing, highly qualified candidates running for city council: Dr. Jeri Turgesen, Tyson Butler, and the only incumbent, Elise Yarnell.
The city of Newberg is fortunate to have three amazing, highly qualified candidates running for city council: Dr. Jeri Turgesen, Tyson Butler, and the only incumbent, Elise Yarnell.
Yarnell has served six years as a councilor from District 1. She is an amazing communicator and a proven collaborator with extensive experience getting things done! Besides holding a lot of institutional knowledge as our longest-serving city councilor, she is currently the only council member who is not a member of the ideologically rigid and uncompromising Newberg Dundee Strong.
The monopoly Newberg Dundee Strong had on the school board has caused the Newberg Dundee School district to suffer greatly. The last thing we need is our most senior member of the council replaced with yet another member of Newberg Dundee Strong. We are concerned the city councilors will follow the example of the former Newberg Dundee school board members and not engage with or listen to constituents outside of their group.
Why is Newberg Dundee Strong running a candidate for this position in the first place? Britta Mansfield announced her candidacy with a picture of her and Lindsay Berschauer at a local festival. On her website, Britta says, “I believe the community should still be involved in regularly choosing who they want to represent them and lead.”
Sounds good, but there is absolutely no indication of how Mansfield would represent or lead better, let alone different, from Yarnell. In fact, Britta’s entire campaign, from the language used right down to the branding, seems to be copied from Elise. This raises a good deal of concern about why she is running under the guise of “let(ting) the citizens choose who represents them.”
If Mansfied wins Yarnell’s seat with no other changes to the council, then EVERY council position will be represented by members of Newberg Dundee Strong. This concern about a Newberg Dundee Strong monopoly was shared with Mansfield on her Facebook page, along with a question about if she would represent all her constituents. Instead of attempting to quell the concerns about representation, Britta just ignored the question altogether.
Thankfully, in addition to Elise, there are two other highly qualified citizens running for city councilor positions: Dr. Jeri Turgesen and Tyson Butler.
Turgesen was raised in rural Yamhill and brings her rural sensibilities and years of experience as a psychologist in Newberg to the table. She oversees all behavioral health for the Newberg Dundee School District. She is passionate about Newberg being a safe and nurturing community, especially for our children.
This passion about youth mental health led her and Elise to create and implement a system to identify and help students experiencing suicidal ideation. Their combined efforts stopped the rash of youth suicides that rocked our community several years ago and it is crucial that this work continue.
Like Yarnell, Turgesen is a clear and effective communicator. They both recently gave testimony to the Board of Commissioners about youth mental health, successfully getting funding released that had been held. Berschauer had held the funding because of her concerns about parents’ rights. Jeri explained the collaborative approach the health center uses and showed its effectiveness with data. There is 100% parental/guardian participation for youth in crisis. Her kindness, coupled with an ability to address serious issues, is much appreciated.
Butler is a working professional who chose Newberg to raise his children, largely because it is a tight-knit community. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and has 10 years of experience in community development and conflict resolution. There are skills that will be put to good use here in Newberg! Jeri and Tyson will bring much needed diversity, skill and experience to our community. They will foster a strong, collaborative city.
Please vote for Elise Yarnell, Dr. Jeri Turgesen, and Tyson Butler for Newberg City Council!
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