As I meet with people throughout our council, I have been asked why I, or we, did not respond to the editorials and stories about the recent verdict against the Boy Scouts in Portland.

At the court’s direction, we have been, and continue to be, restricted in communications about this case. Because this matter continues, the Judge has asked that the Boy Scouts of America refrain from comment on the specific allegations.

However, I must comment and respond to the mischaracterization in a recent editorial (in a different publication) that we are not concerned about protecting youth.

As a movement Scouting does care very deeply about the safety of our members and all youth, and always has. Abuse is a huge problem in our society. According to Childhelp.org there are 3.2 million reported abuse cases in the United States every year. We are one of only a few agencies that has a rigorous, nationwide system of background checks of every registered volunteer leader and employee — conducted through an independent service — which attempts to keep out of the program those individuals who should not be leading youth.

The unemployment rate in Oregon has been in double digits for the past year, but it seems as though many politicians in the nation’s capital are focused on creating frustration and gridlock instead of new jobs.

Bipartisanship isn’t completely dead, though. Recently, I joined with members of both parties, including Republican Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, to introduce a bill that will both create jobs and lower monthly energy bills for families and businesses.

It’s called the Rural Energy Savings Program and it works like this: Rural electric co-ops like the Oregon Trail Electric Consumers Co-op in Baker City will administer low-cost loans to help families and business owners afford the up-front costs of energy efficient renovations. The families and business owners will see their energy bills go down, and can pay off the loan out of these savings. In fact, they can pay it back with a charge on their electric bill, so they don’t even have to pay an additional bill.

We doubt it would happen.

Except one BHS club that encourages all students to treat each other with dignity and respect has a different name.

It’s the Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA).

And some people, unfortunately, are either unwilling or unable to tolerate homosexuality.

Oregon’s Public Meetings Law explains in admirably clear language what school boards and other public agencies aren’t supposed to do during an executive session, which is a meeting, or portion of a meeting from which the public can legally be excluded.

Among these prohibitions, to quote the law: “No executive session may be held for the purpose of taking any final action or making any final decision.”

The Baker School Board violated that provision of the law Friday evening when it agreed to have vice chair Damien Yervasi telephone Walter Wegener Jr. and offer him the job of superintendent.

Wegener accepted the board’s offer. He later confirmed that in a telephone interview with Herald education reporter Chris Collins.

Yervasi, along with Board Chair Deon Strommer, disagree with our contention.

They argue that their actions don’t constitute a final decision because Wegener had only verbally accepted the board’s $102,537 salary but had not signed a contract.

The Baker School Board brought to town this week the three finalists for the job of replacing Don Ulrey as superintendent.

But in our estimation the board’s decision should come down to just two candidates: Earl Pettit of Douglas, Ariz., and Walter Wegener Jr. of Friday Harbor, Wash.

The third finalist, George Park of Panguitch, Utah, disqualified himself by failing to disclose a significant, and relevant, fact to the board when he was interviewed earlier this month.

The fact is that Park had been on paid administrative leave from his job as superintendent of the Garfield County district since July 2009. Park resigned from that job on April 1 of this year.

The Baker School Board didn’t learn about Park’s situation until board members Ginger Savage and Lynne Burroughs traveled to Utah, after Park’s interview, to talk with locals about his performance.