posted in Campaign08 | 0 Comments
posted in Campaign08 | 0 Comments
posted in Campaign08 | 0 Comments
Only two incumbents, Mayor Len Holzinger and City Councilor Jack Patterson, are seeking re-election in this year’s race for Grants Pass City Council. With the retirements of Donna Jean Wendle, Jeff Hyde and Jocelyn Richardson, three of the city’s four wards have open seats. Each ward elects one of two council positions every two years to a four-year term, so that half are up for election in every even-numbered year.
Unlike in some cities in the region that have trouble attracting candidates for what can be a demanding and thankless job, there are a dozen seekers here for a total of five positions including that of Mayor. Some are relatively new to the scene; others have been visible and outspoken critics of city government for quite a while. Here’s a review of who’s vying for what.
Incumbent Len Holzinger is seeking a third term in office. A retired studio photographer, Holzinger says he is running for re-election as Mayor to continue protecting and defending the rights of Grants Pass citizens. He says eight years in the office of Mayor have given him experience, knowledge and the ability to be able to make the tough calls. He calls for strict adherence to, and also an update of, the city’s charter. Holzinger lines up with council candidates Rob Pell, Richard Michelon, Ward Warren and Mark Townes in prioritizing the people’s will over that of city staff in council decision-making.
Challenger Ed Bowers says he is “totally independent and pro-active.” He believes in growth and creating a business-friendly environment at City Hall. For example, he would reduce fees to compete better with other cities. Bowers and his loyal wife Jan have been actively campaigning for weeks at the Grower’s Market, greeting shoppers. He’s also got an aggressive signage program around town.
The third challenger for Mayor is former City Councilor Mike Murphy. Murphy was well liked by his peers and constituents during his previous term on the council, which he gave up when the dissonance began a few years back. Recently retired from his job as teacher and print media advisor at Grants Pass High School, Murphy is ready to tackle the now even more divided city council with renewed energy and determination. Murphy says, “Instead of facilitating a smooth group process and emphasizing the value of compromise and consensus, the mayor is actively driving wedges between factions and different points of view. The council is made up of good people who sincerely want to do what is right by the community, but they do not understand how to work as a group. They don’t know how to fight fair, agree to disagree, or value compromise and cooperation. That expectation and a tone of respect for the process need to be set by the mayor. It is also the mayor’s job to listen and communicate a vision for the future that is as clear and inclusive as possible.”
Roy Lindsay, a retired computer specialist and budget manager, has thrown himself into local public and nonprofit activities for many years. He’s been Chair of the Sheriff’s Advisory Council, President of the Symphony, and a member of the JoCo Long Term Funding Task Force. He is ready to tackle a term on the council, emphasizing he believes in honesty, integrity and respect in guiding decisions.
Opponent Rob Pell, owner of Sunshine Natural Foods, has been an outspoken critic of the city in recent years. He and fellow hopefuls Warren and Michelon believe that trust between the public and City Hall has been broken. Pell asserts that city staff has “demonstrated ethical breaches and lapses” as well as falling into “bureaucratic paralysis that destroys voter/taxpayer confidence.” Pell calls for mandatory annual performance audits of all city operations, something which is estimated to cost a half million dollars.
Jack Patterson, an executive with Qwest Communications, is also running for a third term on the council. He says passing the public safety levies is a top priority. We were unable to reach Patterson to interview for this article.
Challenger Mark Townes would like to see the City Council take a stronger leadership role in running city services, and believes city government should be more transparent. In today’s financial climate, he says, we should also be more fiscally responsible. Townes is dubious about both public safety levies – county jail operations and city patrols and fire. He says the former should have been offset by county payments money should it arrive, and the city’s public safety levy should have remained level instead of increasing.
Ron Schutz is a retired Department of Transportation supervisor who’s also had facilitator training, which he feels makes him qualified to take on peers in the city council. He says there’s too much fighting and not enough focus on city business. He’s also a critic of the city’s large parcel acquisitions and the “Taj Mahal” fire stations.
Richard Michelon believes that as a retired CPA and 6-year budget committee member, he could be helpful in setting goals for the budget in open meetings. He wants to examine fee structures and address escalating growth in the city’s budget. He is against the city’s public safety levy, though he favors the Sheriff’s District 1 levy to support the jail.
Gary Berlant works as a Public Defender and like Murphy, is a former council member. He served for 8 years on the city planning commission followed by a 4-year term on the council, and is now back on the planning commission. He thinks he can “help the council get back to a productive, positive, enjoyable working body, that acts with the best interests of the whole community in mind.” He attributes the poor communication between council and staff to the openly conflicting directives coming from disparate voices on the council. He thinks a lot of the problems could be solved if the council spoke as one voice.
Andy Margeson’s campaign theme is “We deserve better.’ He holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy with a concentration in economics from Princeton University and is currently a business consultant. Margeson has been active in local parks development as a member of Grants Pass Rotary and a volunteer on various committees. He says he’s appalled by the dysfunctionality among council members, staff and the public. Margeson wants to promote more open-mindedness and end divisiveness, emphasizing good decorum, respect for others’ opinions and a willingness to accept the outcomes of voting in a democratic process.
Ward Warren, owner of Blue Moon Antiques on Sixth Street, has been a long-time downtown activist who takes credit for many of the better aspects of recent downtown development, such as the Back to the Fifties celebration and the smooth handling of the Sixth/Seventh Street resurfacing projects. He’s also a highly vocal critic of City Hall. Says Warren, “I don’t believe that city officials are listening to the people. Instead, I believe we have a city staff-driven system whereby they run the show and they aren’t even elected, therefore not accountable. City officials need to respect the right of the citizens to vote on major projects like the River District Plan. They also need to tighten the belt of city government instead of continually squeezing the people.”
A recently formed citizen’s group calling itself Positive Community Action has endorsed Murphy, Lindsay, Patterson, Margeson and Berlant. PCA is led by civic activists Fred Borngasser, Bill Thorp and Barbara Bean, among others. -Julie Rubenstein
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http://www.co.josephine.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=771 SUMMARY REPORT GENERAL ELECTION UNOFFICIAL RESULTS RUN DATE:11/06/08 NOVEMBER 4, 2008 RUN TIME:05:00 PM JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON VOTES PERCENT PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 42) . . . . . 42 100.00 REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL . . . . . 52,616 BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL. . . . . . . 42,275 VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL . . . . . . 80.35 United States President and VP Vote for 1 Ralph Nader (PCE). . . . . . . . 490 1.17 Cynthia McKinney (GRN) . . . . . . 134 .32 John McCain (REP). . . . . . . . 22,926 54.69 Bob Barr (LIB). . . . . . . . . 234 .56 Chuck Baldwin (CON) . . . . . . . 378 .90 Barack Obama (DEM) . . . . . . . 17,338 41.36 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 422 1.01 Total . . . . . . . . . 41,922 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 57 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 296 United States Senator Vote for 1 Gordon H Smith (REP). . . . . . . 22,747 56.35 Jeff Merkley (DEM) . . . . . . . 14,098 34.93 Dave Brownlow (CON) . . . . . . . 3,397 8.42 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 124 .31 Total . . . . . . . . . 40,366 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 31 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 1,878 Representative, Congress 2nd Dist. 2ND DISTRICT Vote for 1 Richard D Hake (CON). . . . . . . 607 2.28 Tristin Mock (GRN) . . . . . . . 725 2.73 Greg Walden (REP). . . . . . . . 18,935 71.21 Noah Lemas (DEM) . . . . . . . . 6,253 23.52 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 69 .26 Total . . . . . . . . . 26,589 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 12 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 1,646 Representative, Congress 4th Dist. 4TH DISTRICT Vote for 1 Jaynee Germond (CON). . . . . . . 2,817 23.41 Mike Beilstein (GRN). . . . . . . 780 6.48 Peter A DeFazio (DEM) . . . . . . 8,335 69.26 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 103 .86 Total . . . . . . . . . 12,035 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 3 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 1,990 Secretary of State Vote for 1 Kate Brown (DEM) . . . . . . . . 15,573 39.85 Seth Alan Woolley (GRN). . . . . . 1,367 3.50 Rick Dancer (REP). . . . . . . . 22,070 56.48 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 69 .18 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,079 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 23 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 3,173 State Treasurer Vote for 1 Allen Alley (REP). . . . . . . . 21,103 55.49 Michael Marsh (CON) . . . . . . . 2,109 5.55 Ben Westlund (DEM) . . . . . . . 14,743 38.77 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 74 .19 Total . . . . . . . . . 38,029 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 18 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4,228 Attorney General Vote for 1 John R Kroger (DEM) . . . . . . . 20,847 60.77 J Ashlee Albies (WRK) . . . . . . 4,824 14.06 Walter F (Walt) Brown (GRN) . . . . 2,369 6.91 James E Leuenberger (CON) . . . . . 6,129 17.87 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 133 .39 Total . . . . . . . . . 34,302 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 29 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 7,944 State Senator, 1st District Vote for 1 Jeff Kruse (REP) . . . . . . . . 484 62.94 Eldon Rollins (DEM) . . . . . . . 281 36.54 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 4 .52 Total . . . . . . . . . 769 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 105 State Senator, 2nd District Vote for 1 Richard Koopmans (DEM) . . . . . . 11,621 31.79 Jason A Atkinson (REP) . . . . . . 24,764 67.75 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 169 .46 Total . . . . . . . . . 36,554 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 13 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4,834 State Representative, 2nd District Vote for 1 Harry McDermott (DEM) . . . . . . 335 43.85 Tim J Freeman (REP) . . . . . . . 427 55.89 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 2 .26 Total . . . . . . . . . 764 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 110 State Representative, 3rd District Vote for 1 Ron Maurer (REP) . . . . . . . . 16,948 61.31 Julie Rubenstein (DEM) . . . . . . 10,624 38.43 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 71 .26 Total . . . . . . . . . 27,643 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 7 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 3,619 State Representative, 4th District Vote for 1 Dennis Richardson (REP). . . . . . 5,976 70.94 Keith Wangle (IND) . . . . . . . 2,393 28.41 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 55 .65 Total . . . . . . . . . 8,424 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 4 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 1,704 Comm. of the Bureau of Labor and Ind. Vote for 1 Pavel Goberman. . . . . . . . . 5,046 21.97 Brad Avakian . . . . . . . . . 13,921 60.62 Mark Welyczko . . . . . . . . . 3,589 15.63 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 409 1.78 Total . . . . . . . . . 22,965 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 14 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 19,296 Judge of the Supreme Court, Pos. 7 Vote for 1 Martha L Walters . . . . . . . . 22,354 97.89 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 483 2.11 Total . . . . . . . . . 22,837 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 8 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 19,430 Judge of the Court of Appeals, Pos. 4 Vote for 1 Timothy J Sercombe . . . . . . . 21,020 98.07 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 413 1.93 Total . . . . . . . . . 21,433 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 20,840 County Commissioner, Pos. 2 Vote for 1 Harry Mackin . . . . . . . . . 16,481 47.91 Sandi Cassanelli . . . . . . . . 17,748 51.59 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 173 .50 Total . . . . . . . . . 34,402 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 30 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 7,843 County Commissioner, Pos. 3 Vote for 1 Dwight F Ellis. . . . . . . . . 17,642 51.44 Jack A (Auto Doc) Brown, Jr . . . . 16,460 47.99 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 196 .57 Total . . . . . . . . . 34,298 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 18 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 7,959 County Clerk & Recorder Vote for 1 Art Harvey . . . . . . . . . . 25,793 98.60 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 365 1.40 Total . . . . . . . . . 26,158 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 4 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 16,113 County Treasurer Vote for 1 John Harelson . . . . . . . . . 19,137 59.56 Dale Matthews . . . . . . . . . 12,827 39.92 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 167 .52 Total . . . . . . . . . 32,131 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 23 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 10,121 Mayor GRANTS PASS Vote for 1 Len Holzinger . . . . . . . . . 4,312 33.85 Mike Murphy. . . . . . . . . . 5,903 46.35 Ed Bowers . . . . . . . . . . 2,476 19.44 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 46 .36 Total . . . . . . . . . 12,737 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 9 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,290 City Council, Ward 1 GRANTS PASS Vote for 1 Roy Lindsay. . . . . . . . . . 4,314 38.45 Robert Pell. . . . . . . . . . 6,853 61.08 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 52 .46 Total . . . . . . . . . 11,219 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 5 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 3,812 City Council, Ward 2 GRANTS PASS Vote for 1 Mark Townes. . . . . . . . . . 7,311 71.82 Jack C Patterson, Jr. . . . . . . 2,807 27.57 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 62 .61 Total . . . . . . . . . 10,180 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 5 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4,851 City Council, Ward 3 GRANTS PASS Vote for 1 Ronald F Schutz . . . . . . . . 1,804 16.77 Richard Michelon . . . . . . . . 4,878 45.36 Gary A Berlant. . . . . . . . . 4,020 37.38 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 53 .49 Total . . . . . . . . . 10,755 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 5 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4,276 City Council, Ward 4 GRANTS PASS Vote for 1 Andy Margeson . . . . . . . . . 5,139 47.51 Ward Warren. . . . . . . . . . 5,632 52.07 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 46 .43 Total . . . . . . . . . 10,817 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 4 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4,215 Mayor CAVE JUNCTION Vote for 1 Donald G Moore. . . . . . . . . 458 83.42 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 91 16.58 Total . . . . . . . . . 549 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 175 City Council, Pos. 2 CAVE JUNCTION Vote for 1 Margaret Miller . . . . . . . . 453 96.79 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 15 3.21 Total . . . . . . . . . 468 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 1 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 257 City Council, Pos. 3 CAVE JUNCTION Vote for 1 Trisha Y Arias. . . . . . . . . 445 95.49 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 21 4.51 Total . . . . . . . . . 466 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 1 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 259 City Council, Pos. 4 CAVE JUNCTION Vote for 1 Carl B Jacobson, Jr . . . . . . . 434 94.55 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 25 5.45 Total . . . . . . . . . 459 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 1 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 266 Director, Zone 1 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 Wayne Mcky . . . . . . . . . . 18,564 98.32 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 317 1.68 Total . . . . . . . . . 18,881 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 7 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 18,478 Director, Zone 2 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 NO CANDIDATE FILED . . . . . . . 0 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 1,640 100.00 Total . . . . . . . . . 1,640 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 35,726 Director, Zone 3 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 Alan J Cook. . . . . . . . . . 17,579 98.53 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 262 1.47 Total . . . . . . . . . 17,841 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 19,523 Director, Zone 4 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 NO CANDIDATE FILED . . . . . . . 0 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 1,467 100.00 Total . . . . . . . . . 1,467 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 35,899 Director, Zone 5 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 Richard A Lewman . . . . . . . . 17,298 98.53 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 258 1.47 Total . . . . . . . . . 17,556 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 7 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 19,803 Director, At Large 1 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 Connie E Young. . . . . . . . . 17,344 98.55 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 256 1.45 Total . . . . . . . . . 17,600 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 19,764 Director, At Large 2 Josephine County Soil & Water Vote for 1 Robbin Reynolds . . . . . . . . 16,768 98.58 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 241 1.42 Total . . . . . . . . . 17,009 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 20,355 Director, Zone 1 Illinois Valley Soil & Water Vote for 1 Carl M Summers. . . . . . . . . 2,679 97.35 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 73 2.65 Total . . . . . . . . . 2,752 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,155 Director, Zone 4 Illinois Valley Soil & Water Vote for 1 Romain Cooper . . . . . . . . . 2,645 97.03 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 81 2.97 Total . . . . . . . . . 2,726 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,181 Director, Zone 5 Illinois Valley Soil & Water Vote for 1 Clayton Fincher . . . . . . . . 2,477 97.18 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 72 2.82 Total . . . . . . . . . 2,549 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 1 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,359 Director, At Large 1 Illinois Valley Soil & Water Vote for 1 Joseph D Krauss . . . . . . . . 1,802 52.29 Gordon Lyford . . . . . . . . . 1,603 46.52 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 41 1.19 Total . . . . . . . . . 3,446 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 1 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 1,462 Director, Pos. 1 MID ROGUE FIRE Vote for 1 Barbara L Gonzalez . . . . . . . 2,214 17.43 Lorraine Walter . . . . . . . . 3,429 26.99 Brett L Fillis. . . . . . . . . 6,930 54.55 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 132 1.04 Total . . . . . . . . . 12,705 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 18 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 7,707 Director, Pos. 2 MID ROGUE FIRE Vote for 1 Chuck Miller . . . . . . . . . 7,249 58.94 Paul Walter. . . . . . . . . . 4,912 39.94 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 137 1.11 Total . . . . . . . . . 12,298 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 6 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 8,126 Director, Pos. 3 MID ROGUE FIRE Vote for 1 Ward Ockenden . . . . . . . . . 3,153 26.26 Brian Robinson. . . . . . . . . 8,715 72.58 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 139 1.16 Total . . . . . . . . . 12,007 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 8 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 8,415 Director, Pos. 4 MID ROGUE FIRE Vote for 1 Jack H Swift . . . . . . . . . 8,131 84.68 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 1,471 15.32 Total . . . . . . . . . 9,602 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 9 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 10,819 Director, Pos. 5 MID ROGUE FIRE Vote for 1 Margaret Goodwin . . . . . . . . 5,083 43.62 Randy Benetti . . . . . . . . . 6,445 55.31 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 125 1.07 Total . . . . . . . . . 11,653 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 8 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 8,769 STATE # 54 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,442 69.89 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,392 30.11 Total . . . . . . . . . 37,834 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 44 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4,397 STATE # 55 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,941 75.27 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,178 24.73 Total . . . . . . . . . 37,119 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 28 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 5,128 STATE # 56 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,546 47.30 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,660 52.70 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,206 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 47 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 3,022 STATE # 57 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,806 55.32 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,609 44.68 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,415 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 98 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,762 STATE # 58 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,707 52.16 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,989 47.84 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,696 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 49 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,530 STATE # 59 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,497 42.26 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,537 57.74 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,034 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 21 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 3,220 STATE # 60 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,077 45.23 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,886 54.77 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,963 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 30 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,282 STATE # 61 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,453 56.37 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,377 43.63 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,830 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 24 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,421 STATE # 62 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,785 52.49 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,814 47.51 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,599 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 26 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,650 STATE # 63 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,955 60.61 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,565 39.39 Total . . . . . . . . . 39,520 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 30 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,725 STATE # 64 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,108 59.56 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,687 40.44 Total . . . . . . . . . 38,795 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 46 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 3,434 STATE # 65 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,170 30.21 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,807 69.79 Total . . . . . . . . . 36,977 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 24 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 5,274 17-23 MID ROGUE FIRE DIST. Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,427 47.45 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,332 52.55 Total . . . . . . . . . 17,759 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 19 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,652 17-25 LAW ENFORCEMENT, DIST. # 1 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,713 39.58 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,464 60.42 Total . . . . . . . . . 37,177 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 44 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 5,054 17-26 LAW ENFORCEMENT, DIST. # 2 Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,244 33.97 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,024 66.03 Total . . . . . . . . . 24,268 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 26 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 2,945 17-21 ILLINOIS VALLEY R.F.P.D. Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,304 29.57 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,106 70.43 Total . . . . . . . . . 4,410 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 2 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 329 17-24 WOLF CREEK R.F.P.D. Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 45.49 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 54.51 Total . . . . . . . . . 266 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 8 17-22 GRANTS PASS PUBLIC SAFETY Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,827 49.35 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,006 50.65 Total . . . . . . . . . 13,833 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 13 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 1,190 15-90 APPLEGATE R.F.P.D. Vote for 1 Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 76.61 No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 23.39 Total . . . . . . . . . 372 Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0 Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 25
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Grants Pass citizens receiving their voter pamphlets in October will see not only the usual array of state initiatives, but also two different public safety levies. One asks you to pay for City police and fire, the other to pay your proportionate share of what it costs the County to arraign, prosecute & house criminals. It may prove confusing if you don’t start figuring it out until it’s time to fill out your ballot, so here is a rundown on what the two are about.
Measure 17-22 is the local option levy that must be renewed by city voters every four years. The cost per $1,000 of assessed value is currently $1.49. The current levy expires June 30, 2009; the new one would take effect July 1. This year’s levy request increases the rate to $1.89. According to the city’s Public Safety Chief Joe Henner, the increase would cost the average household an extra $52 per year. It pays for city police patrols, equipment and investigations, and for city fire services. In its first year the levy would generate about $4.5 million.
Henner notes that for the first time, both public safety functions will soon be housed under the same roofs, in two new locations. Both the Redwood Public Safety Station on Leonard Road next to Redwood Elementary and the Parkway Public Safety Station at the Parkway Bridge will be nearing completion as voters begin casting their ballots next month. He points out that the Parkway station is costing $196 per square foot and Redwood comes in at $221, compared to $297 and $355 for similar recent projects in Medford and Ashland.
“Yes/Police/Fire” signs have become familiar icons around town, suggesting popular support for continuing the levy. There are detractors, some from surprising quarters. One Redwood Avenue merchant who always votes Democratic says he’s not supporting the levy because city patrols and investigations have never deterred or apprehended any of the regular burglars who break into his shop every year. Council candidate Richard Michelon is also critical, saying that the public safety levy promotion that “all property taxes go to public safety” is not quite true. He claims that over a million $$ is for administration costs, which have increased 17% over last year. Another Council candidate, Andy Margeson, says “City voters have usually been supportive of the Public Safety Department and attitudes reported in the City’s most recent survey were generally positive, so I am optimistic.” He says he has no feel for what will happen to the County public safety levies, “but we all know the history.”
Measure 17-25, popularly known as the Sheriff’s District 1 Levy, Sheriff’s District 1, would encompass the entire county, including people in the City of Grants Pass. Its tax rate of 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value would fund adult jail operations, civil process service, court security, emergency management coordination, the search and rescue coordinator, the records division, dispatch and communications staff and administration. The tax on a property assessed at $130,000 would equate to about $129 a year. The tax would bring in about $5.4 million in its first year.
Measure 17-26 would create Sheriff’s District 2, which would fund the cost of Sheriff’s patrols in the county. As city residents have their own police, they are not being asked to participate in District 2 funding; this measure will appear the on ballots of county residents only.
City residents have never been asked until now to pay for County prosecutions. However, these are dire times for the County with the loss of O&C funding. The Sheriff’s Advisory Committee looked at the number of criminals moving through the courts and jails, and recognized that with the highest concentration of population in the county, Grants Pass was generating much of the traffic through the county justice system. The failure of past public safety levies for the Sheriff’s office taught a hard lesson that county residents are either unable or unwilling to fund Sheriff operations at full strength.
Boosters of the two-district system that’s being proposed are hopeful that city residents will support the notion of paying for the cost of those services that they already receive from the Sheriff’s department, and that are essential to the orderly operations of keeping the peace within the city. The city and the county have long had a mutual aid agreement that allows one department to back up the other in certain situations, and the other services included within the District 1 proposal like Search and Rescue are as important to city residents as they are to those within the county.
Some city watchers worry that the decision to raise the amount of the renewing city public safety levy while building two “fancy” new fire stations, at the same time that city residents are being asked to help pay for county sheriff operations, will be a deal-killer for both. There’s also still a lot of disgruntlement over the city’s handling of the River District Plan, leaving officials vulnerable to accusations that their ambitions for city development have outstripped residents’ willingness to pay for further improvements. Ongoing discord among city council members is another problem, as it tends to make voters distrust leaders who can’t get along with each other, and to reject tax increases when asked. Whether these factors will be decisive come election day remains anybody’s guess. -Julie Rubenstein
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POSITIVE COMMUNITY ACTION (PCA) is a group of concerned citizens who have joined together to form a political action committee. PCA Directors include: Barbara Bean, Fred Borngasser, John Chmelir, Jill Gleysteen, Robert Hamlyn, and Bill Thorp.
Our mission statement follows:
MISSION STATEMENT
Positive Community Action is a group of dedicated citizens organized to support issues and elect candidates to the Grants Pass City Council and Josephine County Board of Commissioners. Endorsed candidates will pledge to work hard on the tough issues facing our local governments in a collaborative manner without personal agendas and always in the best interests of all responsible citizens of our community.
Positive Community Action endorses the following candidates:
Mayor of Grants Pass Mike Murphy
Councilor Southwest Andrew Margeson
Councilor Southeast Gary Berlant
Councilor Northwest Roy Lindsay
Councilor Northeast Jack Patterson
Josephine County Commissioner Dwight Ellis
Josephine County Commissioner Harry Mackin
Josephine County Treasurer John Harrelson
We are soliciting donations to be used on behalf of the endorsed candidates and other issues. All donations are reported to the State, however only individuals donating more that $100 to a single candidate are identified to the public on the State website. At the same time each individual making a donation may deduct up to $50 of their donation ($100 for a couple filing jointly) from their Oregon State Tax bill.
We are not allowed to accept direction as to specific candidates so we will use the funds where we feel they will provide the greatest benefit in our discretion.
Donations are being accepted by:
Fred Borngasser
Treasurer, Positive Community Action
840 NE Piedmont
Grants Pass OR 97526-3595
541-474-4447(H)
541-218-8506(C)
fredborngasser@gmail.com
Thank You for your consideration.
John D. Chmelir
Director, Positive Community Action
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Dear Friends,
We are entering the thick of campaign season. Ballots will be mailed out one month from today, and you will hear the drumbeat of various candidates getting louder as each day goes by.
So as no to get lost in all the clamor of a presidential election, I’d like your help keeping my fresh face and name before the voters of this county. Everyone on the list here is someone I’ve worked with at one time or another, usually in a volunteer capacity for some mission we shared. As past compatriots, I ask you to please reflect on what impressed you about me or what I did for the organization we worked with.
I’ve given hours and hours, years and years to some of these causes. I’m asking now for a little help and visibility-building from you, my friends and fellow champions. Please, take a minute to write a letter to the editor of the Daily Courier today in support of my candidacy for State Representative, District 3.To jog your memory (or to learn what else I’ve done), here’s a BRIEF summary:
Employment History
Senator Wyden’s Field Representative (5 years)
Legislative aide for a California congressman, in DC
Legal advisor & advocate,CaliforniaWine Institute (I have a law degree)
Executive Director, North Bay Council (corporate-sponsored public affairs group)
Interim Executive Director, RCC Foundation
Officer on the boards of:
AAUW & its Charitable Fund
Three Rivers Schools Foundation
Southern Oregon Impact Theatre
One Eleven Evelyn Center for the Arts
GPHS Band Boosters
I also did the initial organizing and 501(c)(3) incorporation work for the Charitable Fund, TRSF, One Eleven and the Band Boosters.
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