When Commissioner Bell first ran for office, I was among those who supported her, giving her the benefit of the doubt despite her limited experience. Her willingness to meet with me personally over coffee to discuss the issues won my vote. Unfortunately, once in office, her leadership style changed—and not for the better. I believe we must judge our leaders by their actions, not their rhetoric or virtue signaling. Over her eight years in office, Commissioner Bell has grown increasingly out of touch with the very people and cottage industries our county depends upon.
As a South County resident, I have consistently participated in written public testimony and requested meetings, only to be ignored for years. The only time I received a response was during Commissioner Bell’s reelection campaign—a clear indication that constituent concerns take a back seat to political ambition. After we finally met and scheduled a follow-up phone call, she was recovering from the flu, so I offered to wait. I sent her several possible dates in May to reschedule, but never heard back, which made it clear that engaging with constituents was not a priority for her.
Commissioner Bell has not been accessible or genuinely concerned with addressing the worries of those who disagree with her. Despite her claims of being an active listener, my experience has shown otherwise: she tunes out during uncomfortable conversations, practicing passive rather than engaged listening.
Her handling of the COVID-19 crisis further deepened my concerns. Commissioner Bell positioned herself as a “health authority,” yet her decisions—mandating business closures, enforcing mask requirements without legal standing, and compelling county employees to take an experimental vaccine—were not grounded in advocacy for medical freedom or meaningful debate. These mandates left many community members, including the Hispanic community, feeling unheard and disregarded. She ignored scientific studies that raised legitimate concerns, painted dissenters as uncaring, and fueled a climate of fear and virtue signaling. Her decisions had a profound impact on local businesses some that were shut down and others that were never able to recover.
The damage from these policies is undeniable. Children, young adults, the elderly and all of her constituents now face lasting consequences, from chronic health issues, loss of life following vaccination to irreversible setbacks in education. Requiring children as young as two to wear masks, often outdoors and during sports, defied common sense and basic compassion. People cited with criminal trespassing for not wearing a mask. When questioned about the impact of her decisions, Commissioner Bell deferred responsibility to unnamed “experts” instead of reviewing the evidence herself.
This pattern of deferring to so-called experts extends beyond public health. When over 400 parents raised concerns about inappropriate books in our library, she dismissed them or redirected them to the library director. As liaison to the library, she refused to review materials herself which she did when we met. Parents who followed proper procedures found their concerns ignored, with one even receiving a flippant and inappropriate response from the director that he didn’t find any of the books “erotic” or did they excite him “sexually.” As a former special education professional, I know firsthand the dangers of grooming and abuse; it is deeply troubling to see basic standards of decency disregarded in the name of literary freedom.
Fiscal responsibility is another area where Commissioner Bell falls short. The county’s centralization plan has led to ballooning costs, increased debt, and proposing higher fees and taxes, all while essential infrastructure suffers. She supported a 30% increase in county debt and took a retroactive pay raise, while simultaneously reducing the hours of the elected treasurer—a move that undermines checks and balances. There was no public hearing. Meanwhile, questions about the resignation of the former treasurer and the management of taxpayer money remain unanswered. She supports a new TPUD fee to generate new revenue that will be passed onto customers who are already struggling.
Major investments, such as the $2 million BLM building purchase and the need for another $6 million in funding, come as our roads, bridges, and infrastructure deteriorate. Declining timber revenues, lawsuits, and a depleted revenue stabilization fund spell trouble ahead. Using up our general rainy day fund which amounts to about 1 million. 600,000 for a new roof to the courthouse. Rising employee costs for healthcare, life insurance, PERS and step increases. Commissioner Bell has repeatedly failed to mediate between environmental and economic interests, deferring to state and federal authorities instead of advocating for our county by not dropping the ball.
Emergency preparedness is another area of concern. In Pacific City, evacuation plans are woefully inadequate. Despite repeated warnings and suggestions from residents, there has been little progress. It is a death trap. Few evacuation routes will be accessible in the event of a major earthquake. No siren and only 20 minutes to evacuate as we continue to attract more tourists. Our new treatment plant is built on tsunami-prone land, and logistics for disaster aftermath have not been thoroughly addressed. The “experts” did not heed our concerns. Once again, the community’s voice is missing from the decision-making process.
In 2015, my husband and I and a small group of local residents collaborated with Oregon Coast Alliance to oppose the construction of an oversized treatment plant in Pacific City. Instead, we advocated for a smaller facility, largely due to years of DEQ violations that had resulted in polluting the Nestucca River. It was long overdue to replace our aging treatment plant. During this process, we discovered that ratepayers were unfairly subsidizing developers, such as Mary Jones and Jeff Schoens.
The law is very clear that no one should pay more or any less than anyone else, but the former PCJWSA board told us they make more money charging the homeowners and ignored/dismissed the ORS law we cited. Doug Olsen chimed in that if we subsidize developers he was in support of that even at the expense of the community ratepayers-many who were struggling financially. These developers benefited from the additional plant capacity, intended for their future projects, while ratepayers bore the financial burden. Additionally, the brewery waste from their operations caused damage to our pipes, yet there was inadequate compensation to offset these costs.
We also uncovered serious infrastructure issues, including deteriorating asbestos pipes along the river and in other locations. Alarmingly, it took six months to obtain this information due to a persistent lack of transparency, further highlighting the need for accountability and open communication within our community.
Public safety and affordable housing are further examples of issues where leadership is lacking. Who is going to pay for the increased capacity needed for this development in Beaver? What criteria will be used to decide who lives there and the other affordable housing developments? How does the community feel about it? For instance, have there been hearings in Beaver? There is no clear plan for how new housing projects will impact—and possibly overburden—existing infrastructure.
Our county is committed to providing compassionate and comprehensive social services, including support for the unhoused, individuals struggling with addiction, and those in need of mental health care. However, there are growing concerns about the impact these services may have on our community, particularly regarding homelessness, crime, and strained emergency resources.
We must ask: Who are we bringing into our county with our robust support systems? While our intention is to offer help to those in need, it is important to acknowledge that expanded services can attract individuals from neighboring regions, some of whom may face significant challenges such as addiction, lack of housing, untreated mental illness and who have criminal records. This influx can overwhelm our local resources, stretching emergency services, law enforcement, and shelters beyond capacity. This reality underscores the need for a balanced approach that combines compassionate care with data-driven public safety strategies. Our goal should be to build a safer, healthier, and more resilient community—one that offers hope and assistance to those in need while protecting the well-being and security of all residents.
Perhaps most telling is Commissioner Bell’s absence from a candidate forum/debate in South County on May 8th at the Nestucca Valley K-8 gym at 6:30; when offered four possible dates and accommodations, she claimed prior commitments and never suggested alternatives. This sends a clear message to constituents: their concerns are not a priority.
Commissioner Bell’s tenure has been defined by inaccessibility, crisis mismanagement, fiscal irresponsibility, and a failure to listen to the community. Her recent explanation of how she has championed economic development speaks volumes about her virtue signaling. She claims sole credit for actions such as her public testimony regarding crabbing regulations imposed by outside environmentalists, as well as other initiatives she lists as fostering economic growth. Yet, questions remain unanswered. Who is the Korean company she plans to meet? There is no public information available—are they connected to the military industrial complex? At the same time, how many dairy farms have been forced out of business due to burdensome state and federal regulations?
Consider the organic farm off Hwy 22, which was shut down for not having a commercial well—a water rights issue. This farm provided healthy food to the community, something Commissioner Bell claims to care about in her discussions of food scarcity. What is really happening to family farms and ranchers, who now face increased restrictions and regulations threatening their livelihoods, all in the name of the state’s zero carbon agenda? Drones are reportedly being used to find violators. Has Commissioner Bell actively lobbied against these measures?
The same lack of support is felt by other cottage industries. There is a noticeable lack of humility in her article in the Tillamook County Pioneer, and the damage caused during COVID can never be undone.
Our county deserves leaders who act with common sense, integrity, and a genuine commitment to serving all constituents. This election, we will be voting for Jeff Spink—because our community deserves better.
Robin and Walter Kostrikin
Pacific City