EDITOR’S NOTE: The South County Candidate’s forum got off to a rocky start when several candidates indicated that they were not invited, but planned to attend. Then there was some concern about this “public” forum organized by Tillamook County’s “Constitutional Values Committee” when there was a call to “limit” those in attendance to only South County voters. Our own correspondent Romy Carver was also initially barred from entry by organizer April Bailey, but was allowed entry, and here is her report.
By Romy Carver, for the Tillamook County Pioneer
The Nestucca Rural Fire Station was host to a standing-room-only crowd on Friday evening, April 11th with about 130 people in attendance, for the South County Candidate Forum, sponsored by the Tillamook Constitutional Values Committee. South County candidates for local water, sanitation, and school boards, as well as Tillamook Bay Community College and Tillamook County Transportation District, were in attendance to introduce themselves and answer questions.
The event got off to a slightly late start, due to the size of the crowd and the need for additional chairs, and went until after 9pm, with a lively discussion of a variety of issues. Organizer April Bailey opened the event with the Pledge of Allegiance and moderator Michael Blankenship cited a prayer.
Representing the Hebo Joint Water/Sanitary Board were Lonnie Moeller, Randy Haltiner, Carey Wundram, and Sherry Hartford. Pacific City Water Board was represented by LuAnn Anderson. Cloverdale Sanitary District was represented by Fred Bassett. Neskowin Sanitary Authority was represented by Jeff Walton. Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District was represented by Anne Price, who led the crowd in a round of applause for firefighters.
The Tillamook Bay Community College board candidate in attendance was Jim Heffernan, who is running against Suzanne Weber. David McCall and Jim Heffernan are both running for the same seat on the Tillamook County Transportation Board. McCall explained some of the cuts in service due to understaffing, and the need to transport dialysis patients until the new dialysis center opens.
All eight candidates on the ballot for the Nestucca Valley School District Board were present at the Forum:
Position #1: Irene Barajas, Sherry Hartford, and Troy Trute
Position #2: Seth Belsey, Kayla Cole
Position #4: Greg Woods (unopposed)
Position #5: Marty Wisehart, Jason Hagan
Common themes of the evening were book banning, fiscal responsibility, transparency, communication, and student achievement. The audience also expressed concerns about changes in policy and funding on the federal level. Hagan described it as “a scary thought,” and Wisehart mentioned that Oregon has joined 12 other states to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. This statement drew loud applause. Hartford said that “if you want to keep federal funding you have to follow federal guidelines.” Belsey stated that the district “has faced budgetary challenges in the past,” while Barajas stated that the funding would look different, and the district would continue to follow state guidelines. Trute emphasized the importance of having “competent people” in charge.
Three of the eight candidates unequivocally opposed book bans.
All of the candidates who attended received applause from the crowd and thanks for their service. Ballots will be mailed April 30th, and the deadline to turn in ballots for this election is Tuesday, May 20 at 8pm.
