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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 25, 2006 Fish and wildlife panel’s vote produces business backlash By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A recent dividing of upcoming Columbia River salmon catches between sport- and commercial-fishing interests is generating heated debate over whether Oregonians serving on public commissions deserve private backlash for their public decisions. At least three large sport-fishing dealers abruptly pulled their business dealings with Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission member Jon Englund’s marine-supply businesses after his Jan. 6 vote to allocate a higher percentage of Columbia spring chinook to commercial fishermen than last year. Dan Grogan, president of Fishermen’s Marine and Outdoor, which has two outlets in the Portland area, believes Englund’s position as a major supplier to the commercial-fishing industry makes him "too close" to the industry to decide salmon-allocation issues. "I think that’s out of line," Grogan said Tuesday. "Some things are just too close to home." Englund, who said 60 percent of his companies’ business is with industrial-marine firms, declared a "potential" conflict of interest in the decision to allocate 55 percent of Columbia’s upcoming spring chinook fishery to commercial gillnetters. Advertisement He cast the deciding vote in the 4-3 commission split, a vote Englund said was "honest and fair for all people." But in a Jan. 12 letter to Englund, Grogan wrote that he has canceled outstanding orders with Englund’s supply firm, U.S. Distributing, because of the Jan. 6 vote. He also wrote that he will not reconsider his stance until Englund resigns the commission seat and asked for a reconsideration of the vote. "I think I have every right to pull my business from someone who makes decisions that hurt my business," Grogan said. Current and former state commissioners are publicly decrying what they see as an unfair attack on Englund and an all-out assault on Oregon’s commission-style oversight of state agencies. Englund has "acted by the book" on those issues, and attacking Englund and his business "is profoundly disturbing to witness," commission Chairwoman Marla Rae said Tuesday. "Many of us believe that the attack on his integrity cannot go unanswered," said Rae, who made the industry letters available because they are public records dealing with commission issues. "This is not how we do business in Oregon." Jacksonville attorney Don Denman, the commission’s vice chairman, called Englund’s financial fallout a "real attack" on the commission-style approach for using volunteers to oversee policies and activities of state agencies. "It’s one thing to write a letter chewing someone out over a vote. We get that all the time," Denman said. "But to try to affect someone’s business because they voted their conscience on an issue, I think, is pretty reprehensible. "We’re going to lose a lot of highly qualified people if, every time we make a controversial decision someone doesn’t like, we get our businesses boycotted," he said. Brian Brush, president of the Roseburg-based North River aluminum boats, canceled his business with Englund Marine Supply of Astoria in a Jan. 10 letter made public Tuesday. In his letter to Englund, Brush called for Englund to resign and have the commission reconsider the decision. Brush also wrote that he has encouraged other marine-industry leaders, the aluminum boat-building industry and sport anglers in general to "follow my lead" and do business elsewhere. "We have not been organized in the past, but we are organizing and going to fight for a common goal," states the letter, which is on North River stationery and signed by Brush. "This is a battle that Sports Fishermen, The Sportfishing Industry and Salmon — will WIN!" In a telephone interview Tuesday, Brush denied organizing or taking part in any organized boycott and declined to discuss the letter’s content. "I don’t consider it a boycott," said Brush, a former Medford police officer. "You’d have to have an organized group to have a boycott. "I just chose to spend my $225,000 a year someplace else," Brush said. Gail Achterman, a former natural-resources policy adviser to Gov. Neil Goldschmidt and a current member of the Oregon Transportation Commission, called "economic retaliation" over public service a direct threat to the governmental structure because it would harm recruiting of suitable commissioners. "It means you’re out to destroy citizen-based government," Achterman said. Achterman called the retaliation against Englund the heaviest she’s ever encountered in her experience with Oregon boards and commissions dating back to 1981. Englund said Tuesday he was on the road doing "damage control" with business associates. He said the personal attacks were "real hard" but that he would not change his vote even if he had foreseen the fallout. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Fish and wildlife panel�s vote produces business backlash ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement