Grants Pass Now

OCCUPATION:Homemaker.

OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND:Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, Laboratory Technician; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Assistant Survey Technician; Exxon Company, Merchant Marine; Rogue Community College, Community Education Crafts Instructor; Community Access Producer, Videographer.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:Florida Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology).

GOVERNMENTAL EXPERIENCE:Josephine County Election Board.

In Recent Elections,

VOTERS SAID “NO” TO NEW TAXES

Gone are the days when the people of Josephine County will vote for property tax increases, special levies, taxing districts or a sales tax. What voters know, and elected officials have yet to learn, is

JOSEPHINE COUNTY CAN NOT BE TAXED INTO PROSPERITY!

Instead of trying to squeeze every last dime out of the citizenry, we need a government that spends dramatically less money and lives within a budget.

Of major concern is the lack of accountability for money that’s already being collected. (Just try getting a detailed itemization of expenditures from a department.) This lack of full, public, fiscal disclosure is responsible for much of the county’s mismanagement of funds.

Couple that with poor decisions made by the Board of Commissioners (caving to the union’s strike, “giving away” the Dimmick property, approving pay raises, etc.) and it’s little wonder why the electorate doesn’t trust government.

Now is the time for those in the courthouse to cut back salaries, benefits, vacation and sick time. (A reduction of the employees’s work week, with managers picking up the slack, has also been suggested.) We cannot continue to support elected officials and County employees to a standard of living which far exceeds that of the local citizenry.

Finally, the establishment of a County Manager, not subject to the election process, would be a huge disaster. (Just look at the city’s mess under their administrative system.) We don’t need a new government structure. We need people of integrity elected to the positions we already have.

If you agree, vote Cassanelli for Commissioner.