All five candidates for two County Commissioner positions participated in an online Candidate Forum yesterday (April 27), which was sponsored by the Oceanside Neighborhood Association and The Oceansider. The moderator (your friendly editor) posed each candidate a specially tailored question based on their individual campaign materials, public statements and personal background. Their opponent(s) were then each offered time to comment or respond. The result was a lively and telling discussion, with some news thrown in.
Readers can access and view the entire forum by scrolling down to the link we provided below. We have also provided the candidates’ campaign email addresses for readers to address questions to the candidates directly. Here are a few highlights of yesterday‘s forum:
Position No. 1: Bruce Lovelin, Erin Skaar (incumbent), Jeff Spink
1. Ad skirmish. At our invitation, Skaar responded to Lovelin’s recent ad suggesting she is treating the county as her own “private nonprofit” organization because of her focus on affordable housing and social services projects. Skaar called out assertedly false statements in the ad and defended her housing initiatives as effective, good for the economy and almost entirely funded by grants or fees (not general tax revenues). In response, Lovelin backtracked on the personal tone of the ad (“I am a fan of Erin’s”) but adhered to his general view that a broader focus is needed (the county is “bigger than that”). The ad is on Lovelin’s website. Click here.to view a letter-to-the-editor rebuttal.
2. STR “shift.” Lovelin made some news when he initially denied that he opposes implementation of the new short-term rental ordinance that takes effect this year. (Lovelin served on the county advisory committee that crafted the new ordinance.) When reminded that this contradicted the position he conveyed to the Headlight Herald in a candidate interview earlier this year, Lovelin said that he was really more opposed to the “caps” imposed on STR licenses but did not really want to “reopen” the debate on the new STR operating restrictions. In response, Skaar wryly expressed relief at the “shift” in Lovelin’s position since taking what she described as contrary positions during the STR committee deliberations and public hearings before the Commissioners.
3. Piling on Community Development Department. Both Jeff Spink and Lovelin (and indeed all four of the candidates for both positions, except Skaar) targeted the county Community Development Department (and its Director Sarah Absher) in their remarks, citing complicated building approval standards, lengthy permit processing times and an overextended staff. Besides seeking grants for new technology, however, none of the candidates offered specific solutions or suggested they would increase the department’s funding for additional staff.
4. Oceanside Roads. Skaar made some news of her own during closing remarks by announcing that Tillamook County Public Works intends to “grind” existing surfaces and to re-pave both Maxwell Mountain Road and Tillamook Avenue in Oceanside this year. While Public Works Director Chris Laity has publicly cited the need for such improvements for years, he has never been quite so definite about when it might be scheduled. (The Oceansider will follow up with DIrector Laity on this.)
5. Trees. The candidates’ comments on the State Board of Forestry’s Habitat Conservation Plan (“HCP”) to reduce timber harvests (and county revenues) in coming decades were predictably gloomy. Most of them characterized the HCP as something firmly in place and advocated a pivot to diversifying the county’s economy. In contrast, Jeff Spink urged formation of a “coalition” of affected counties and communities for organized “pushback.” He argued that it was untenable to subject forest harvests to a “70-year plan” when it was impossible to predict events even 5 years into the future.
While their race is not as hotly contested, Fournier and Jones offered decidedly colorful reviews of the county and its present leadership during their comments.
1. “A stagnant stall.” Darcy Jones, a developer, vowed to reform building approval operations at Community Development, where he said he has been “treated as some kind of dog and even invited to leave.” He described delays in processing permits as a “big stagnant stall” and a “holdup for the entire county.”
2. “A playground for the commissioners.” Paul Fournier was blunt in his criticism of the budget process, describing it as a “secret” behind-the-door process that is a “playground for the commissioners” where others are “left in the dark.”
To view a recording of the entire forum, click here:
Bruce Lovelin: brucelovelinoregon@gmail.com
Darcy Jones: darcy_r_jones@hotmail.com (no website)
Erin Skaar: voteerinskaar@outlook.com
Paul Fournier: voteforpaul2024@gmail.com
Jeff Spink: thinkspink2024@gmail.com
May 6 Oceanside Community Club Monthly Potluck
Oceanside Community Hall – 6 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Fisheries Biologist Robert Bradley
Oregon Fish & Wildlife Department
And that’s the view from Oceanside!
jerrykeene@oceansidernews.com
www.oceansidernews.com
