Do you remember when Gov. Tina Kotek came to Wallowa County just a couple of months ago to talk about affordable housing?

Here was one of the last things she said before she stepped out of the boardroom at Wallowa Resources:

“You’re asking all the right questions,” she said. “You’re thinking about it the right way. You’re galvanizing people’s interest to do this, because there will be a point when people are like, ‘hey, yeah, housing’ and then, ‘oh — (don’t put the housing) there. You’re going to have that moment. So you have to get past that moment. But we’re all in trouble if we don’t figure this out.”

We couldn’t help but recall Kotek’s comments last week as we listened to questions from some of the 100 or so people who jammed into a conference room to hear about very preliminary plans to ease the county’s housing crunch. You can read about that meeting on page one of today’s Chieftain.

Many of the questions at the meeting concerned just one of those tentative plans from Working Homes, the nonprofit organization spun off from Wallowa Resources to try to make progress on workforce housing — housing that’s affordable for working people. One of the ideas Working Homes is pursuing involves potentially developing a 20-acre parcel in Joseph to include a mix of housing units.

Let’s be clear: The questions that were raised at last week’s meeting were legitimate. Does Joseph have sufficient infrastructure to handle such a development? What might such a development do to surrounding property values? How can deeds be structured to ensure housing units are used for workforce housing and don’t get snapped up for second homes or vacation rentals? That’s just a sampling of the questions that were asked.

They’re important questions.

And there was no way that anyone connected with Working Homes could honestly answer many of them yet. The organization is barely six months old, and it’s tackling a problem that’s been brewing for decades. There are too many moving parts still, too much information yet to be gathered.

Consider an alternative: Imagine that Working Homes had come to the meeting with detailed plans for developing the Joseph parcel, and had done so without seeking much public input. The presenters would have been roasted (and justifiably so) instead of being subjected to the relatively mild grilling they received.

Still, you can understand the frustration that comes from not getting answers to those questions just yet. But Working Homes officials consistently have said they intend to involve the public at every possible turn as they work on their plans (and remember that the organization is pursuing other projects elsewhere in the county). They should be held to that promise. And no one should be afraid to ask the tough questions (in a civil way, of course) every step of the way.

Both ends of the governor’s statement are true: You’re asking the right questions.

But we’re all in trouble if we don’t figure this out.

About our comics pageWe’re pleased to announce the launch this week of a new comics and puzzles page in the Chieftain.

After decades working at newspapers, we understand that readers take comics and puzzles seriously. (On those days when a production error meant the wrong day’s comics or puzzles appeared in the paper, that meant that your morning was pretty well shot dealing with phone calls and emails, not all of them phrased in a civil way.)

Our initial selection of comics seems to be a good mix of classic strips, more modern strips that are consistently funny and some newcomers that are starting to make a splash. But let us know what you think; we’ll probably give you a chance to assess this first batch of comics and puzzles, but we’re not averse to tinkering with the mix. Email your comments about the page to editor@wallowa.com.

And enjoy.