The weird "NO" campaign.

     "Peter, my friends who do business with the county oppose the ballot measures because they are afraid voters may elect someone who will challenge Danny Jordan. Heaven forbid that."
     Local businessman, whose company contributed to the PAC paying for ads opposing changes to the county charter.

The local Republican Party is against the charter update measures. They like the status quo. After all, all three current commissioners are Republicans. They allied with companies that do business with the county to fund the opposition campaign. 

The "NO" campaign mostly avoids addressing the merits of the measures. Instead, the campaign presents an uneasy message of doom if the measures pass. The photo below is not a blurry photo of a sign. It is an in-focus photo of a sign with a blurry image of someone drawn from the horror movie "Night of the Living Dead." 

Republicans want to keep a partisan label. In recent countywide elections the bright red rural areas of the county, already blossoming with "Trump won" signs, outvoted purple Medford and blue Ashland. Currently the county has a 54-46 Republican registration tilt. 

Much of the money for the "NO" campaign comes from companies with established business relationships with the county. The current commissioners back County Administrator Danny Jordan. Leaders from well-connected businesses were asked to give, so they gave. Any smart business person would try to please a large customer. It's just simple business.

Rogue Valley Times, April 24, 2024

There is widespread belief among people who follow local government that Jordan is the county's alpha-male decision-maker. He dominates a room. He manages the information commissioners receive and the options they consider. People comfortable with the status quo say commissioners take direction from a smart and reasonable guy -- what's wrong with that? They might do really stupid things if he weren't there. 

Others disagree and worry about the status quo. They consider the commissioners Jordan's lapdogs in a closed loop of mutual protection. Commissioners give Jordan fulsome praise, along with a big salary and benefits, and a severance package of three years at full pay if they dismiss him. In return, he protects incumbents by coming up with implausibly high costs for remodels of offices and meeting rooms if the county goes from three to five commissioners.

The measures themselves aren't the issue. The real agenda is defense of the status quo. The measures themselves have appeal. In normal circumstances, Republicans would be first to complain about overpaid commissioners. They would decry "big government politicians" getting paid $150,000 to do what state senators do for $33,000, and local mayors and city council members do for free. Most people are tired of partisan division. A five-person governing body wouldn't be out of scale, given that most city councils have eight members. So the opposition to the measures needed to deflect. It created straw-man arguments to attack.

I am voting yes on all three measures. I don't think it will help Democrats much. In fact, I think it's more likely to result in electing five Republicans, not three. Let the people vote. We will find out.

I would rather commissioners run as nonpartisan. I know from experience that county issues aren't partisan. 

I think salary creep has gotten out of hand. Commissioners should have voluntarily put a stop to it with pay cuts (as we did back in 1982) but since this group isn't taking the hint, the public needs to step in. 

I have been on enough boards over the years to fear group-think. I welcome more diversity and genuine debate and disagreement within a board. Five commissioners may bring more pushback and hard questioning of staff recommendations and more perspective from a wider group of citizens. The county would be better for it.

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