How I voted in the local elections

Medford School Board and Rogue Valley Transportation District

I am flattered that people have asked me who I favored in the contested elections for local offices. My votes below come partly from personal observation and knowledge, but also from close consultation with people I consider very knowledgeable and who share my orientation toward local institutions.

My goal is for government to work well. We need schools. We need public transportation. I do not want the boards filled by ideologues wanting to "send a message." I don't want the services "shaken up." I want them to work. My intent is to vote for reasonable, moderate, sensible, public-spirited people.

If readers have a different orientation and goals from mine, they may want to vote differently.

Medford School Board:

Jeff Kinsella

Suzanne Messer

Cynthia Wright

Rogue Valley Transportation District:

(Here I relied solely on the advice of Bill Mansfield, a Medford attorney who has been on the board for many years. Bill shares my view that we want the RVTD to work well and efficiently. ) These are the candidates he recommends in the two contested races:

Don Stone

Jenna Marmon

RVTD Tax Levy

I voted "YES."

I suspect few of my readers use RVTD directly themselves. I do not. I happily voted "yes" anyway because I realize a significant body of people in Southern Oregon do NOT have access to a car and they rely on RVTD. Prosperous, comfortable people may not know many of the users personally, but they are there. They are traveling from home to Rogue Community College or Southern Oregon University. They are traveling to work at the "essential" jobs that we count on if stores are going to be open, if care facilities are going to function, and if agricultural crops are going to be grown and harvested.