Charter change proposals in both Josephine County and Jackson County face well-funded opposition.
Opponents' ads and signs are everywhere. Their arguments are over-the-top crazy.
The two counties' charter update proposals share a common feature: The opponents predict catastrophe if the proposals pass. The supposed effects of the measures are out of all proportion to reality. The Jackson County changes are modest and incremental. They keep intact the governing structure of a strong administrator paired with an at-large policy-making body that hires and supervises that administrator. The proposals make the policy-making body a little larger and a little less partisan. The opposition ads claim Jackson County is somehow importing Portland. Opponents assert that adding two commissioners somehow requires a major remodel of the courthouse, therefore costing lots more money. And going from three to five commissioners, and paying them half as much, is somehow "Big Government."
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| Jackson County opposition sign |
The Josephine County measures face a similar tactic of claims of doom. Lynda Demsher was the founding member of Josephine County's charter-change group, the Citizens for Responsible Government. She lives in Grants Pass. Before becoming a high school teacher she worked in Northern California as a journalist.
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| Demsher |
Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) is still at it in Grants Pass in spite of a force of opposition trying hard to convince voters that Measure 17-116, the proposed Josephine County charter revision, is a sneaky plot by Democrats to take over Southern Oregon and turn it into Multnomah County. This opposition, basically from an extremist group within the Josephine County Republican Party, has also spent thousands of dollars trying to convince voters that Measure 17-116 will grab their guns, stifle free speech and religion, take away parental rights, allow people to run around naked, tax them to their toenails, seize their assets, allow animals to be neglected and end maintenance on the library’s toilets. Of course, none of this is true.
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| Opposition ad |
CRG is being hammered for daring to propose expanding the board of commissioners from three full-time to five part-time members with a stipend. The savings in salaries and benefits would be used to hire a county manager. Apparently this is seen as sacrilegious by the JCGOP, which warns that approving Measure 17-116 will bring down the wrath of God. They also believe county commissioners cannot run from districts, as the charter revision proposes, because then they would be called district commissioners, not county commissioners. Actually only four would run from districts. One would have the privilege of cluttering up the entire county with campaign signs.
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| Voters Pamphlet comment |
Josephine County Commission Chair John West must really want to keep his salary and benefits because he’s spent thousands of dollars on negative ads in conjunction with the Josephine County GOP and has helped finance $6,800 worth of voter pamphlet statements against Measure 17-116. His ethics have been questioned concerning this but the State of Oregon tends to let what happens in Josephine County stay in Josephine County. State officials have been warned: If you visit here and mention Measure 17-116 around West, you’d better stand back because he snorts and paws the ground like a bull with a red cape in front of him.
All this is designed to wear Measure 17-116 campaigners down but it isn’t working. They have been raising money, designing ads, distributing signs, holding town halls and meet-and-greets throughout the county, cheerfully sitting at informational tables near outdoor vegetable markets, post offices and Taylor’s in Cave Junction; holding neighborhood coffees, phone banking and canvassing with door hangers. They plan to hold a rally May 11 at noon on the courthouse steps in Grants Pass. CRG’s network of supporters has increased exponentially and events have brought out more positive than negative views of Measure 17-116 across the county.
It is hard to know at this point whether Measure 17-116 will succeed, but it has accomplished something already. Far more people in Josephine County are tuned into their county government and are concerned about its future. In addition, CRG, a non-partisan, grass-roots group of Republican, Democratic, non-affiliated and Independent voters , has demonstrated divisiveness can be conquered by working together for a shared cause. So will collapsing together with a tall one after May 21.
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2 comments:
It's no surprise the GOP won't willingly surrender one of their soapboxes by allowing the county commissioner positions to become non-partisan. If they were, the best candidate might get the job instead of a party hack. Of course, candidates could still make their affiliation with the GOP clear in the voters pamphlet simply by including in their candidate statement the assurance that they prefer banning books, not assault weapons.
I hope the Jackson County for All folks answer the Anti Restructuring ads decrying Big Government are pointing out that the current "small government" is trying to add at least one more layer of County Government with their proposed Taxing District to pay for a new too small Animal Shelter, to be partially administered by a new hire employee to coordinate the Volunteers large banned from the shelter a couple of years ago. This new hire will receive approximately $92,000 a year plus certain benefits to do a job running the volunteer force which before the County Administrators interference replaced the equivalent of 11 salaries employees.
It's also worth noting that the biggest contributors to the anti Restructuring move consists largely if businesses and Individuals with frequent business in front of the Board of Commissioners.
My personal take is the Republican Party's biggest concern is to keep suppression of voting availability as much as possible, because they know a very significant percentage of NAV voters do not support their tactics. Perhaps if Republicans offered more programs and ideas for Good Governance , more people might return to their Party, and help regain a majority at the State level.
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