Grants Pass Now

OCCUPATION:Retired.

OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND: JOCO Commissioner; Educator; Personnel Director; Reserve Officer; Park Ranger, Pearl Harbor.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: LLB, Rutgers University; Doctor of Laws, Rutgers Law School; Mediation, University of Hawaii; Police Academy Graduate, University of Guam.

GOVERNMENTAL EXPERIENCE: JOCO Commissioner; US Commissioner, Johnston Island; Children’s Court Advocate; Resource Manager, Naval Air Station & US Army; Board of Education, Guam; Navy Veteran, WWII

I am running for Commissioner again to alleviate serious county problems. I favor a more equitable tax structure: eliminating Josephine County’s share of the property tax and adding a 2% maximum fixed sales tax on nonessential items for five years unless re-authorized by the voters. It will afford a steady income and will be more equitable than constantly targeting landowners for funding. A sales tax will bolster public safety and bring health programs to the level required. I also favor county wide timber harvesting in an environmentally sound manner to aid our economy.

If re-elected, I’ll accept a reduction in the Commissioner’s salary and work to restructure the governing body to consist of a County Manager who would report to a three commissioner advisory board, part of whose duties will be to deal directly with departmental services.

Some of my previous accomplishments:

• Held regular meetings in JoCo’s outlying areas;

• Worked with the Sheriff and citizens in creating substations for fast response;

• Resolved Wolf Creek’s disorderly citizen problems;

• Made operating Grants Pass Airport profitable;

• Changed the Commissioner’s meeting rules to allow open discussions on non-agenda items (previously denied);

• Assisted Merlin’s efforts to complete Paradise Ranch Resort (pro-golf course which will bring money and jobs into the county);

• Aided in completing the County Jail;

• Consolidated the management of departments resulting in a reduction of managers and lower budget, which increased substantially after I left office;

• Presided over County timber auctions, bringing in over $1 million a year

Elect FRANK IVERSONFor a county government that works for you!

EDUCATION

Doctor of Laws, Rutgers University

PhD Coursework, University of Hawaii

Human Relations Coursework, Cornell & Guam Universities

Police Academy Graduate (With Honors), Guam

WORK EXPERIENCE

U.S. Navy Seabees, WW II

National Park Ranger, Arizona Memorial

Human Resources Director

Labor Consultant, Professional Mediator

President, Alliance Trade Company, Inc. (Anaheim, CA)

Owner/Operator of Yakatori House, most popular restaurant

& affiliated Hotel on Guam

Executive Vice President of Retail Merchants of Hawaii

Director of Personnel for Azabu’s Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, Hawaii

Director of the Guam Service Program, Hawaii Employers Council

Taught Graduate and Under Graduate-level university courses, Hawaii & Guam

(Business Law, Human Relations, Labor Relations, Motivation, Mediation, etc.)

Taught adult classes, Los Angeles, CA (Supervision)

Taught Collective Bargaining at Central Michigan Graduate Extension

Principal, Oregon Mediation & Arbitration Service, Grants Pass, OR

CIVIC POSITIONS

U.S. Commissioner for Johnston Island

Appointed by Governor of Guam to the Territorial

Advisory Commission for Vocational Education

Police Reserve Officer, Guam

Appointed to the Guam Board of Education

Appointed to the Manpower Commission, Guam

Chairman, Advisory Council on Technical & Adult Education

Member, USO Board of Directors

Member, Hospital Advisory Board

Elected Commissioner, Josephine County, Oregon (1999-2003)

Children’s Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Josephine County, OR

Elected Library Director, Josephine County, OR (2006; 94% of the vote)

[Separate Library Measure failed]

OTHER

Employer of severely disabled high school students, Hawaii

Participant in the 1993 52^nd Anniversary of the USS Arizona Memorial

Accepted to Strathmore’s Who’s Who, New York, 1997

Negotiated settlement in favor of Clovercrest Market, Grants Pass (Pro Bono)

Member of Concerned Fathers Against Crime (CFAC)

FRANK M. IVERSON, JD

CANDIDATE FOR COMMISSIONER

STRATEGIC ISSUES FACING JOSEPHINE COUNTY

For the long-term success of Josephine County,

- THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MUST RESTORE THE PUBLIC’S CONFIDENCE IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT.

Commissioners must:

- Improve their communication with the public. (e.g., the Commissioners have appeared passive during the last few months while Congress and the President threaten to take away $12 to $15 million in federal funding. The public expects much more from them in response to this threat than has been shown.)

- Convince the public they can manage revenues responsibly.

- THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MUST MOVE AWAY FROM BEING DEPARTMENT MANAGERS TO BECOMING POLICY SETTERS AND STRATEGIC PLANNERS.

- Presently, Josephine County Commissioners cannot focus on countywide policy because they are burdened by day-to-day supervision best left to a professional manager.

- PUBLIC ACCESS TO COMMISSIONERS MUST BE IMPROVED.

- The weekly “big-money” decisions of the Commissioners—approval of contracts, etc.—must be removed from their weekly consent calendar and instead should be considered as separate items open to public comment.

- Commissioners should reach out and keep the public informed as well as listen to what the public expects of them. Regular neighborhood meetings would be a good start.

- SECURE COUNTY FUNDING MUST BE RESTORED.

- A new sales tax and expanded logging are needed to generate more revenue. The Commissioners must be more aggressive than they are now about putting Josephine County on a solid financial footing. The days of federal “safety net” funding are almost history.