It’s election time – a Primary Election with several important positions being decided. Here’s the Tillamook County Pioneer”s “Questions for the Candidates.” This provides our communities with our expanded election coverage and an introduction to the candidates with an unbiased view to compare the candidates side-by-side on important issues. All candidates were provided with the same questions; the questions were provided by a wide variety of Tillamook County residents. If you have other “questions for the candidates” – please forward them to editor@tillamookcountypioneer.net.
Oregon State Senator, 16th District – Republican candidates – There are 3 candidates for the Republican party candidate: Courtney Bangs, Tripp Dietrich and Frank Mansfield
Courtney Bangs
Q1. Elevator speech – who you are, why you’re running, and why people should vote for you
I’m Courtney Bangs, and I’m running for State Senate in District 16 because rural Oregon needs a senator who will actually listen and show up.
I’m 46 years old, and I’ve lived in Senate District 16 for nearly two decades. We live on our sixth-generation family farm in Knappa.
Most of my career has been spent as an educator. Whether I’ve been teaching agriculture, dance, working in general education, or serving as a substitute teacher like I do now, I’ve dedicated a big part of my life to preparing the next generation. I also currently serve as a Clatsop County Commissioner, and I sit on several boards and committees focused on forests, conservation, economic development, and our county fair. I am also proud to be the Chair of Northwest Senior and Disability Services and a past President of the Clatsop County chapter of Oregon Women in Timber.
As Commissioner, I’ve worked hard to protect our working forests, reduce the red tape in building housing, improve rural infrastructure, support our local law enforcement, and keep government accountable to the people it serves.
The biggest challenge we face in District 16 is the growing overreach from state government into our lives and livelihoods. We’ve seen it in the gradual restrictions on sustainable forest management, in the loss of local control over our schools and communities, in rules that limit our law enforcement, and in state funding tied to mandates that don’t reflect our values. No one understands our communities better than the people who live and work here. If elected to the Senate, I’ll work every day to return more decision-making power to the local level, where it belongs.
Q2. What are the top 5 issues affecting Tillamook County?
1) Aging dikes and levees and the FEMA Biological Opinion (BiOp). Many of our dikes and levees are over a century old and are no longer accredited by FEMA as flood mitigation. That puts homes, farms, and the little industrial land the coast has left on the 100-year flood map, drives up flood insurance, and blocks the kind of economic development coastal families need.
2) Overreach from Salem and the $4.3 billion transportation tax. One-size-fits-all policies written in Portland and Salem keep landing on coastal and rural communities without regard for how we actually live and work, and the new $4.3 billion transportation tax will hit commuting workers the hardest.
3) Working lands and local jobs. Timber, dairy, fishing, and farming are the backbone of Tillamook County, and they’re under constant pressure from rules written by people who don’t depend on these jobs.
4) The cost of living, housing, and child care. Young families can’t find affordable homes or reliable child care, which drives workers away and hurts local employers too. This then impacts our local tax base, causing a downward economic spiral. The primary reason housing, goods, and services cost much more in Oregon than other states is state policy. Period.
5) Public safety, schools, and rural services. Deputies, teachers, roads, and broadband are stretched thin, and rural communities keep getting shortchanged on the basics.
Q3. How do you propose to solve these issues?
On dikes and levees: I’ll keep working with the Army Corps of Engineers, our federal delegation, and local partners to get these systems studied, accredited, and upgraded. That’s how we get off outdated 100-year flood maps, bring down flood insurance for coastal families, and free up the industrial land the coast needs to grow. This is the long-haul, county-level advocacy I’ve already been doing in Clatsop, and I’ll carry it to the Senate for Tillamook too.
On overreach and the transportation tax: I’ll read the bills, the long ones included, and say no when Salem tries to force rural Oregon into a Portland-shaped box. As a commissioner I refused to sign onto a 170-page ODOT bill that was dropped on us days before a vote. That’s the standard I’ll bring to the Senate. I strongly oppose the $4.3 billion transportation tax, I’m encouraging everyone to vote NO on it in May, and I’ll push for budgets that prioritize roads, bridges, and public safety over pet projects.
On working lands: I’ll defend our timber industry, fishermen, farmers, dairies, and ranchers, push back on rules that treat rural jobs as expendable, and make sure resource-dependent counties have a seat at the table.
On housing and child care: I’ll cut red tape that blocks new housing, support local-control solutions, and build on the work I started with the Clatsop County Child Care Grant Committee so providers can actually open and stay open.
On public safety and rural services: I’ll back law enforcement with the funding and respect they deserve, fight for our share of existing state dollars for roads and schools, and keep building the broadband and infrastructure progress we’ve started on the coast.
Q4. What are the best things about Tillamook County?
The communities and the working coast. Tillamook County has that rare combination of stunning coastline, productive dairies and forests, hardworking fishermen, and neighbors who still show up for each other. You can start the morning checking on cattle or nets, spend the afternoon with kids at a school event, and end the day watching the sun drop into the Pacific. The work ethic is real, the heritage is real, and the community is tight in a way that’s getting harder to find almost anywhere else in the country. The cherry on top? Our fantastic State Senator, Suzanne Weber, who has been a fixture of Tillamook County for decades, and I am so honored to have her endorsement in my campaign!
Q5. What are your guiding morals?
My Christian faith, my family, and the values I was raised with on our family farm. Honesty, hard work, personal responsibility, and service to your neighbors. I try to treat every person I meet with respect, keep my word, and remember that the people I represent are the boss, not the other way around.
Q6. How do you plan to rebuild trust in government?
The old-fashioned way: show up, tell the truth, and do what you said you’d do. That means holding town halls in every corner of the district, being reachable when people have questions, voting the way I said I would, and explaining my reasoning when a decision is hard. It also means real accountability for spending. Oregonians are tired of watching billions go out the door with nothing to show for it. I’ve tried to model that as a Clatsop County Commissioner, and I’ll carry the same standard to Salem.
Q7. How will you make a difference as an elected official?
By being prepared, persistent, and willing to work with anyone who genuinely wants to help the coast. I read the bills, even the 170-page ones nobody else wants to open. I build coalitions, whether that’s with other legislators, local mayors, school boards, tribes, or small business owners. And I focus on wins people can actually feel, like expanding Spectrum broadband to underserved areas and standing up the Child Care Grant Committee. Small, concrete wins add up to real change.
Q8. How will you work across the aisle to get things done?
I already do. On the Clatsop County Commission I’ve worked with Democrats, independents, tribal leaders, and federal partners to get things done for the North Coast. The Spectrum broadband expansion is a good example. That took Senator Weber on the Republican side and Congresswoman Bonamici on the Democratic side, plus local officials, all pulling in the same direction. I’m not interested in partisan theater. I’m interested in results for District 16, and that means picking up the phone and working the problem with anyone who will help solve it.
Q9. What are your three favorite books?
The Bible, first and always. That allows me two more, which is perfect: the first two Hunger Games books. No further comment.
Q10. What are your hobbies and interests?
Life on the farm with my family, time outdoors on the coast and in the woods, and anything involving my kids and their activities. I grew up dancing and still love it, and I love being around agriculture, livestock, and the people who keep our rural traditions alive.
Q11. Share a significant moment in your life
Coming home. After Oregon State, I had a two year adventure at my first teaching job in southeastern Montana, filled with sunny late spring days of brandings, and snowy winters trying to keep the plants in the FFA greenhouse alive. I chose to come back to Oregon and marry my husband and live on the family farm his ancestors started in Knappa six generations ago. Making that choice, to raise my kids on the same land their grandparents worked, and to serve the community, is the decision that has defined everything since. It’s why I ran for county commissioner, it’s why I’m running for Senate, and it’s the lens I bring to every vote.
Q12. Please compose a Haiku about Spring
Calves bleat in green fields,
sheets of rain to sudden sun,
the coast wakes then smiles.
Tripp Dietrich Tillamook Pioneer 
Tripp Dietrich
- Why should we vote for you? Give us your 2 minute “elevator speech.”
My family has been part of the community in Tillamook County for generations. I am tired of seeing my community’s way of life, its culture, its businesses, and its very future attacked by policies and legislation from people who have no respect for our rural community. From farms to restaurants, the major stakeholders in the community and the small businesses owners all tell me the same thing; THEY are tired of the same ineffective representation they have had in Salem. I AM NOT A POLITICIAN. I’m a successful entrepreneur, developer, and I employ hundreds of Oregonians. I am compelled to give back to my community and use my specific set of skills to protect our rural communities. Most importantly, my family’s good standing in this state for eight generations is something I will not tarnish, so when I say that I will fight for my community’s interests and not waiver, that is a guarantee.
- What are the top 5 most important issues facing Tillamook County?
Government Overreach – State and federal regulations are increasingly burdening our farms, small businesses, and families with mandates that ignore the realities of rural life.
FEMA & Disaster Preparedness – Tillamook County faces real flood and disaster risks, yet FEMA’s bureaucratic processes leave residents and property owners frustrated, underserved, and financially exposed.
Public Works & Infrastructure – Our roads, bridges, water systems, and coastal infrastructure are aging and underfunded, threatening both daily life and economic opportunity.
Division in the Community – Outside political forces are driving wedges between neighbors who have far more in common than they realize, weakening the unity that has always been Tillamook County’s greatest strength.
Housing – A lack of affordable housing is pushing out working families, making it harder to attract and retain the workforce our businesses and community depend on.
- How would you solve these issues?
Government Overreach: I will work in Salem to audit and roll back regulations that disproportionately impact rural communities. I’ll push for rural impact assessments on any new legislation so that lawmakers understand the real-world consequences of their decisions before they vote.
FEMA: I will leverage my connections and negotiating experience to advocate for streamlined FEMA processes that actually work for rural counties. I’ll push for dedicated state-level support to help residents navigate claims and cut through the bureaucracy that has left too many people without the help they were promised.
Public Works & Infrastructure: I will fight for our fair share of state and federal infrastructure funding. Tillamook County pays into the system — it’s time we get a return on that investment. I’ll prioritize shovel-ready projects that protect property, improve safety, and support commerce.
Division in the Community: Leadership starts at home. I’ll hold town halls, listen sessions, and community events that bring people together around shared values rather than manufactured conflict. I’ll call out divisive outside influences for what they are and consistently model the kind of respectful, solutions-focused dialogue our community deserves.
Housing: I’ll work to reduce the regulatory barriers and permitting delays that make building in Oregon unnecessarily expensive. I’ll also explore public-private partnerships and incentives for workforce housing development, drawing on my background as a developer to find practical, community-appropriate solutions.
- Tell us what the best things are about Tillamook County.
The community. From the multi-generational family farms and businesses to the new generations in school. When people are going through tough times, the community comes together to help. We are a tough people that don’t complain, we get to work, because hard work is part of our culture.
- We are experiencing the erosion of morals and trust in our society. What are your guiding morals?
Outside influences have made it so many in the community have lost their way from the core values people of my generation were raised on. Respect for your neighbors and law enforcement, love of god and country, and an aspiration for a good family life. Outside influences are benefiting from driving a division in our community. But I have faith in our young generations that they recognize the manipulative forces and are not swayed by them.
- Why should citizens trust you, and how would you rebuild trust in government?
My word has eight generations in Oregon of good standing, and I will not be the one to tarnish it for my future generations. One thing I hear over and over again from our community is that the only time they hear from their elected officials is around election time. I’m accessible and present in the community and will continue to be after being elected.
- How do you think you can make a difference?
I understand the problems affecting our community, and I see the ones on the horizon. I have proven my skills in the private sector and believe that a change in leadership with skills that I have gained over years of hard work will make the difference the voters have been looking for. I will fight for my neighbors by calling on all my skills and connections to bring new and innovative approaches that defend and reduce regulations on our community and its businesses.
- Speaking of differences, government and politics are more divided than ever, how will you work across the aisle, with others that have differing views?
Let me be clear — I’m going to Salem to fight for Tillamook County, not to make friends with the majority party that has run this state into the ground. That said, effective representation isn’t about grandstanding, it’s about winning. I’ve sat across the table from tough negotiators in high-stakes deals and I know that you don’t get results by refusing to engage. I’ll work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who is willing to do right by rural Oregon. But I won’t compromise on the core issues that sent me there — protecting our farms, our businesses, our families, and our way of life from a Portland-driven agenda that has never given a second thought to communities like ours. The difference between me and the politicians who came before me is that I actually know how to negotiate from a position of strength. I understand what the other side wants, I know where they’re vulnerable, and I’ll use every tool available to deliver real wins for the people of Tillamook County. Compromise is possible — but not at the expense of the community I was sent to represent.
- What are your three favorite books?
Kitchen Confidential
Freakonomics
The Old Man and the Sea
- What are your hobbies and interests?
I love to cook. I went through the Le Cordon Bleu program when I wasn’t working during my summers in high school. Later, I cooked as a profession while attending college. I’ve seen the world and there is no better place for produce than the area we live in. As a chef, I feel blessed to be able to get everything I cook from the source.
I also love to fish. I started up the Rockaway Beach Fishing Club that has two boats on charter row in Garibaldi. My very first fishing trips were out of Garibaldi, and I look forward to bringing my children out of there in the future.
- Tell us about a significant time in your life and how it impacted your life.
A long time ago I went to midnight mass on Christmas eve as I usually do. On the way home the roads were icy, I lost control of my car and it wrapped around a tree on the driver side door. It all happened so quick, but I lost conscious briefly and came to outside the car. It is hard to understand how I survived with minimal injuries, or even how I could have got out of the car. One thing is for sure, God was with me and I realize he has a greater plan for me. I carry the scars from that incident on my left forehead and am reminded every time I look in the mirror that I’m beholden to make this world a better place.
12. Haiku
Dr. Frank Mansfield
- Why should we vote for you? Give us your 2 minute “elevator speech” – about 250 to 300 words.
It is time to bring the government back to the people and serve the people, not special interests’ groups. The past years have shown that the status quo has not worked. We can’t keep electing the same people who have brought Oregon to the tipping point and expect them to solve the problems they created. It is time to elect a State Senator that will serve the people and not the system. To bring hope and Prosperity back to Oregon.
I ascribe to the actor James Gardner’s idea; “We should tell the system to go to hell and keep working anyway”. If the system is broken it needs to be fixed. I’m not chasing power or prestige, and I will not be anyone’s pawn. I will chase minimum taxes, fairness, truth, dignity for all, and total complete transparency.
I will never let those in power strip away your rights without a fight, because sometimes all it takes is one person to stand their ground to change everything. If you believe in standing up for your rights and making sure your voice is heard, please support my campaign so I can work to protect our local businesses and our working families. Also to bring hope back. (Ref: A Elite Stories YouTube Video)
My 40+ year background in government and aerospace gives me a credible edge. I’m running on substance, not just politics.
- What are the top 5 most important issues facing Senate District 16 & the State?
- Abuse of power
- Real Agency Oversite
- Fiscal Responsibility & Reduce Taxes
- Transparency
- Education
- How would you solve these issues?
- Abuse of power
- Eliminating or significantly modifying the Emergency clause
- Lying to the public should be punished by removal from office.
- Real Agency Oversite
- Reining in and providing for real oversite for the 100+ state agencies, especially focusing on ODOT DEQ, FWD and Forestry Department at first.
- Agencies to be limited to recommending policy, fees and fines to based on studies and facts instead of political agendas and special interests.
- Board members to be voted in by the people.
- Fiscal Responsibility & Reduce Taxes
- It is critical to establish long-term fiscal responsibility and clear transparent management of our taxes. State services are vital to all of us, whether for emergency responders, roads, public safety, and many other necessities. Ensuring transparency and good stewardship for each dollar is essential to restoring and maintaining trust in our state government and needed services.
- Reduce Taxes
- Work on rescinding and/or modifying a large portion of the tax bills and burdensome rules and fees passed in the last few sessions. All new taxes, tax increases, and fees to be voted in by a majority of the registered voters.
- Transparency
- Freedom of information online and in real time.
- Every taxpayer to have Realtime read only access to the financial system and the property management system. The taxpayer should not need to request data and then be forced to pay a ridiculous price for it.
- Every meeting held in state facilities to be online in Realtime and recorded so the taxpayer can watch and listen as their convenience.
- All calls, including mobiles, of elected representatives and state workers while in state facilities need to be recorded and available online to the taxpayer.
- All calls related to state business to be recorded and available online to the taxpayer.
- Education
- Push an initiative to add to the state constitution the right for school choice and remove DEI and gender ideology from the schools
- Tell us what the best things are about Tillamook County.
- The People
- Farming
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Quality of life
- We are experiencing the erosion of morals and trust in our society. What are your guiding morals?
- Respectful
- . Respect is earned, not given
- . Respect others
- Honest
- . I will not knowingly lie or break the trust of the people. Sometimes erroneous information will be passed on to me deliberately for some overt goal such as ruining my reputation.
- . I will learn who is trustworthy and supports the people in Salem.
- . There is right and wrong, no grey area.
- Integrity
- Courage
- Loyalty
- Work Ethic
- Responsible
- Transparent
- Cooperative
- . Doesn’t mean capitulation.
- Fair
- . Treat everyone equally and justly.
- . Treat others as you wish to be treated and don’t judge a book by it’s cover
- . Actions speak louder than words.
- . To be mindful of the needs of the people not the system
- Respectful
- Why should citizens trust you, and how would you rebuild trust in government?
- I like the phrase “Trust but Verify”.
- I’m not a politician or a silver tongue.
- I’m not running for glory or prestige; I’m running for the people.
- This is not a career move.
- I am not perfect, but I will acknowledge my mistakes and try to correct them and deal with the consequences. I will learn from my mistakes.
- I am not all knowing, so I depend on input from the people, organizations and companies to provide information, suggested solutions, and to identify unintended consequences from the possible course of actions so I can make informed decisions that are best for the people, the district and the state.
- How do you think you can make a difference?
- First, I will learn who is trustworthy and who supports the people. This includes elected and staff.
- I have an outside perspective. Sometimes individuals that been embedded in issues and positions for a long time don’t know how to look at different ways to solve problems or think outside the norm. This is were an outside perspective is beneficial.
- Speaking of differences, government and politics are more divided than ever, how will you work across the aisle, with others that have differing views?
- I have a unique skill set that I have been called on to utilize many times in my career. It is my superpower, and it entails getting people to work together on a project—people that don’t necessarily feel they should be team players—but for the good of the project we all must work together to make sure the project is successful. I would like to think I am hired to utilize my engineering skills, but it is because of my engineering skills that my superpower is able to be successful. This process will work for state issues.
- What are your three favorite books?
- Scriptures
- Asimov’s “Foot Fall”
- “When Worlds Collide”
- What are your hobbies and interests?
- Hunting
- Flying
- Hiking
- Tell us about a significant time in your life and how it impacted your life.
- Marring my Wife Linda Crandell
- Please write a haiku about Spring. (Haiku originated in Japan in the sixteenth century, but now is popular all over the world. Haiku poems are short, and traditionally total 17 syllables in length. They are written in three lines with a “five syllable, seven syllable, five syllable” form.)
- Not my field of expertise
Any additional comments?