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| 7/29/2010 11:18:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article
Comment on this article | Letter: Clarifying rail policy
Editor:
This letter is in response to a letter written by Peggy Kite-Martin that appeared in the July 8 Chieftain. In that letter, Ms. Martin accused Marc Stauffer of using his position on the board of directors of the Wallowa Union Railroad to "take the livelihood of Dan Martin, who held the railroad together for five years, and to give the job to his young son who had nowhere near the same set of skills and/or experience."
Throughout the history of the Wallowa Union Railroad, the employees have been hired not by the board of directors but by staff. The only exception to that process was in the hiring of the original general manager, which was done by the board of directors. In this case, Ben Stauffer was hired by Jim Seifert, who at that time was the supervisor of maintenance for the railroad. Ben Stauffer came to the Wallowa Union Railroad having previously worked for Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad in LaGrande.
Ms. Martin's letter raises several other issues as to why Dan Martin is no longer a railroad employee. We will not respond to those issues other than to say that when the railroad operations were contracted to Frontier Rail, Mr. Martin became their employee and when the contract with Frontier ended it was determined that Mr. Martin's services were no longer needed.
This response is an attempt to clarify the issue raised and is not politically motivated. The Wallowa Union Railroad neither supports nor endorses any candidates for any political offices.
Steve McClure
Mike Hayward
Co-Chairmen, Wallowa Union Railroad Authority
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