News
Courier/Chamber Forum - October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 08, 2008
County hopefuls outline ideas at forum
By Stacy D. Stumbo of the Daily Courier
Taxes, fire protection and an unpredictable financial outlook for Josephine
County beyond 2011 were issues addressed by candidates for
commissioner and treasurer during a political forum Tuesday.
The Daily Courier and the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of
Commerce hosted its first of two general election political forums at the Anne
Basker Auditorium, 604 N.W. Sixth St. in Grants Pass. A near-capacity
crowd attended.
Jon Jordan, the chamber's president and chief executive officer, told
participants, "This is a great way to get to know your candidates ... We all
want to be informed voters."
COMMISSIONERS
Sandi Cassanelli and Harry Mackin, county commissioner candidates for
Position 2, participated in the event. Position 3 candidate Jack Brown
attended, but his opponent, incumbent Dwight Ellis, was absent due to
illness. Treasurer candidates John Harelson and Dale Matthews also
attended.
Cassanelli, a 26-year county resident, said she would not support any tax
increase until there has been a full accounting of the county's finances. She
pointed to recent failures of tax levies to prove that, "Voters are not being
listened to."
Cassanelli said the county's low tax rate - 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed
property value - could serve as an incentive to entice new businesses. She
said a four-year renewal of federal funding that compensates for dwindling
timber receipts will fund the Sheriff's Office until the Bureau of Land
Management's Western Oregon Plan Revision increases harvests and
solves the county's financial problems.
Brown, a mobile auto repair business owner, agreed with Cassanelli.
He said instead of imposing taxes, the county should liquidate unused
property, demand in-lieu-of property tax payments from the federal
government for federal land in the county, and charge royalties to
commercial timber and mining interests.
Brown said it is unfair for the county to ask taxpayers to support stable
funding for the Sheriff's Office until residents have stable incomes
themselves. He also said the county should live up to its obligation, as
outlined in its Home Rule Charter, to provide a library, but maintained that a
nonprofit organization should be responsible for staffing.
Mackin said he support two proposed tax districts to pay for Sheriff's Office
operations, the proposed formation of the Mid-Rogue Rural Fire Protection
District and employing a county manager. A retired insurance agent, Mackin
is also a Vietnam War veteran with a master's degree in business
administration. He said he and Ellis care about the county's future while
Cassanelli and Brown "want to take it back 50 years."
Mackin said experience is what will matter if the county is to survive the
difficult days ahead.
He pointed out some candidates lack of experience and said, "You have to
be able to read a budget ... I'm the one who can do that."
TREASURER
Matthews, who operates Interschool Television (iTV) and a monthly
publication called First Friday, charged that Harelson advocates acceleration
of foreclosures from three years to 30 days. He chided the incumbent for
accusing him of lying about the issue.
Harelson, a certified public accountant who's served as county treasurer
since 1997, acknowledged that in 2005, commissioners considered but did
not approve an ordinance that would "prevent the hazards, detrimental
effects and devaluation of property sold to Josephine County in tax
foreclosure actions when such property is subjected to waste and
abandonment." But, he said the decision was the commissioners' to make,
and the treasurer lacks the legal authority to set policy.
Harelson said that Matthews, who has served as treasurer of two clubs and
iTV, lacks the experience to manage a budget of between $30 million and
$60 million. He said being "the county's banker" is a highly technical job.
He admitted that he accused Matthews of lying, but said he'd vowed that
when he heard an untruth he'd say something about it.
A second forum featuring candidates for city of Grants Pass positions is set
for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Anne Basker.
o o o
County hopefuls outline ideas at forum
By Stacy D. Stumbo of the Daily Courier
Taxes, fire protection and an unpredictable financial outlook for Josephine
County beyond 2011 were issues addressed by candidates for
commissioner and treasurer during a political forum Tuesday.
The Daily Courier and the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of
Commerce hosted its first of two general election political forums at the Anne
Basker Auditorium, 604 N.W. Sixth St. in Grants Pass. A near-capacity
crowd attended.
Jon Jordan, the chamber's president and chief executive officer, told
participants, "This is a great way to get to know your candidates ... We all
want to be informed voters."
COMMISSIONERS
Sandi Cassanelli and Harry Mackin, county commissioner candidates for
Position 2, participated in the event. Position 3 candidate Jack Brown
attended, but his opponent, incumbent Dwight Ellis, was absent due to
illness. Treasurer candidates John Harelson and Dale Matthews also
attended.
Cassanelli, a 26-year county resident, said she would not support any tax
increase until there has been a full accounting of the county's finances. She
pointed to recent failures of tax levies to prove that, "Voters are not being
listened to."
Cassanelli said the county's low tax rate - 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed
property value - could serve as an incentive to entice new businesses. She
said a four-year renewal of federal funding that compensates for dwindling
timber receipts will fund the Sheriff's Office until the Bureau of Land
Management's Western Oregon Plan Revision increases harvests and
solves the county's financial problems.
Brown, a mobile auto repair business owner, agreed with Cassanelli.
He said instead of imposing taxes, the county should liquidate unused
property, demand in-lieu-of property tax payments from the federal
government for federal land in the county, and charge royalties to
commercial timber and mining interests.
Brown said it is unfair for the county to ask taxpayers to support stable
funding for the Sheriff's Office until residents have stable incomes
themselves. He also said the county should live up to its obligation, as
outlined in its Home Rule Charter, to provide a library, but maintained that a
nonprofit organization should be responsible for staffing.
Mackin said he support two proposed tax districts to pay for Sheriff's Office
operations, the proposed formation of the Mid-Rogue Rural Fire Protection
District and employing a county manager. A retired insurance agent, Mackin
is also a Vietnam War veteran with a master's degree in business
administration. He said he and Ellis care about the county's future while
Cassanelli and Brown "want to take it back 50 years."
Mackin said experience is what will matter if the county is to survive the
difficult days ahead.
He pointed out some candidates lack of experience and said, "You have to
be able to read a budget ... I'm the one who can do that."
TREASURER
Matthews, who operates Interschool Television (iTV) and a monthly
publication called First Friday, charged that Harelson advocates acceleration
of foreclosures from three years to 30 days. He chided the incumbent for
accusing him of lying about the issue.
Harelson, a certified public accountant who's served as county treasurer
since 1997, acknowledged that in 2005, commissioners considered but did
not approve an ordinance that would "prevent the hazards, detrimental
effects and devaluation of property sold to Josephine County in tax
foreclosure actions when such property is subjected to waste and
abandonment." But, he said the decision was the commissioners' to make,
and the treasurer lacks the legal authority to set policy.
Harelson said that Matthews, who has served as treasurer of two clubs and
iTV, lacks the experience to manage a budget of between $30 million and
$60 million. He said being "the county's banker" is a highly technical job.
He admitted that he accused Matthews of lying, but said he'd vowed that
when he heard an untruth he'd say something about it.
A second forum featuring candidates for city of Grants Pass positions is set
for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Anne Basker.
o o o