I am writing to clarify rumors about a “secret meeting.” I have not attended any secret meetings. The meeting I attended in Prairie City was on my calendar and was not a meeting of the Union County Commission.

We received a letter from the Governor with these exact words: “We are open to your continued feedback.” This was a meeting of elected officials sharing ideas and concerns. It was not for making decisions. I also traveled by myself and on my own dime.

Public health, mental health and economic Health are of the upmost concern to me and others that I interact with. None of us have dealt with this before, so it is ever challenging. We were not trying to overthrow the state health authority.

I want to hear your concerns and suggestions and I welcome them. I will continue to post updates from Union County’s well-qualified Incident Management Team and Northeast Oregon Joint Information Center. Let’s work together to get through this and become better people in the long run. I am seeing neighbors helping neighbors and teachers, business owners and others working hard to keep things going.

Lastly, I would like to thank those that have called or emailed to get the facts before attacking on Facebook and other places. I love Union County and the people here and promise to continue to work hard for you!

Donna Beverage

Union County commissioner

Union