A8 News wallowa.com Wallowa County Commissioner Dan DeBoie John Hillock Diane Daggett October 10, 2018 Wallowa County Treasurer Cliff Walters Carolyn Doherty Goebel-Burns Velda Bales Wallowa County Chieftain Circuit Court Judge Mona K. Williams Wes Williams Local candidates make their pitch to voters By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain A crowd of nearly 50 people packed the conference room at the Outlaw Restaurant in Joseph last Wednesday to hear campaign state- ments and to ask questions of candi- dates for county commissioner, cir- cuit court judge and county treasurer. Candidates came prepared to address the sensitivity of the Joseph- area crowd, following months of con- troversy over Commissioner Todd Nash’s rush to push through a new transient lodging tax that affected the area. Wallowa County Commissioner candidates Commissioner candidates Diane Daggett, John Hillock and Dan DeBoie all pledged open communica- tion and respect for all economic sec- tors in the county if elected commis- sioner. Candidate Cliff Walters, the least experienced of the group, kept his comments neutral and stated that he was known for doing what he said he would do. The complexity of the issues fac- ing the county and the necessity of developing partnerships between public and private groups was key to candidates. “I believe the underpinning of our rural character is our ag and forest lands and the economy they gener- ate,” said Daggett. “Don’t misunder- stand me, all of our economic sec- tors are important to the health of our community.” Businessman John Hillock had already begun researching grant opportunities for the county. “I’ve thought for years that Wal- lowa County was lacking somebody that was going out and was look- ing for grant opportunities or other opportunities,” he said. “My history shows I’ve brought — I said about a million dollars to the community in (energy) grants and incentive dol- lars, my son says more like $2 mil- lion. We’ve done our share of bring- ing money into the community ... I think I can bring that expertise to the county and get some of that done.” DeBoie, a former commissioner, reminded the crowd of the financial realities facing Wallowa County and the power of the community. “Wallowa County people are gen- erous, they know what they want, they know what they’re buying and as a commissioner it’s part of what it is to find out what the people want and go hard to get it,” he said. The candidates also understood the tenuous nature of Wallowa Coun- ty’s funding stream and the impor- tance of working with legislators “higher up the chain” to secure finan- cial support for counties with lots of publicly-owned lands. “I’d like to see the county con- tinue to fight and encourage our fed- eral government to invest in commu- nities that are public-land based,” said Daggett. DeBoie emphasized the impor- tance of “keeping our forest receipts ... that feed the road department and the school, we’re going to work with our elected officials higher up the chain to make sure we don’t lose those. If we lose some of that stuff we’re going to be in deep trouble.” County treasurer candidates Not even Treasurer candidates Velda Bales, Carolyn Doherty and Ginger Goebel-Burns were free of sharp questions. One ques- tion quizzed the candidates on who they served — the people or county government — and another asked if they saw their position as a check on the powers of commissioners. All said they served the people, often highlighting the portions of their work experience that showed both their depth in the community and their ability to serve the public. Goebel-Burns pointed out that she has always worked for commis- sioners in her position with the road department. But as an elected offi- cial she said it would be a case of working with, not working for the commissioners, and following the laws that regulate the treasurer’s office. As to the question of their being a “check on the powers of the com- mission,” all candidates rejected the notion that it was within their job description to keep the commission- ers in check. “I’m not going to say to the commissioners, now wait a min- ute, I don’t think you should be giv- ing transient lodging tax money to Alpenfest,” said Goebel-Burns. Doherty said that while the trea- surer’s top priority was serving the people of the community, keeping commissioners “in check” was not the job of treasurers. “(Commission- ers) know their positions, duties and ordinances,” she said. Bales interpreted the question as one about the importance of working closely with all of the other officials, but agreed that the community was the treasurer’s boss. “You have to keep that in mind and ... follow all of the regula- tions required through the treasurers office,” she said. Circuit Court Judge Both candidates for circuit court judge — Wes Williams and Mona K. Williams — have extensive expe- rience. Both candidates felt their experience in family court is valu- able for judgeship, as is their experi- ence in both civil and criminal cases. Former Wallowa County District Attorney Mona K. Williams is cur- rently a Wallowa Circuit Court judge. She emphasized her dedication to fairness, victim’s rights, defendant’s rights, and protection of the people of Wallowa County. That experience put her in good stead as a judge, she said. “Although judges don’t get to make decisions about what cases are brought, who gets charged ... I do have the obligation to follow the constitution ... and to do justice,” she said. Wes Williams is an attorney with experience before both the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court. He has represented victims of both criminal and civil crime and represented families and juveniles, arguing one case pro bono for six years all the way to the Ore- gon Supreme Court where his client prevailed. His criminal defense experience is primarily in defending individuals squaring off against the government, banks and insurance firms, he said. “My reason I’m running for judge is primarily because I believe we need a judge who will protect con- stitutional rights,” he said. “That has been the focus of my practice for 22 years. I also believe we need a judge that has a broad experience in the law, both in civil court and in crim- inal court.” Wallowa County residents who missed the nearly three hour forum have another chance to learn about the candidates in depth by attending the candidate forum set for Wednes- day, Oct. 10, 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Clover- leaf Hall in Enterprise. Those invited include candidates for Oregon gov- ernor, U.S. House of Representative candidates, as well as local candi- dates for circuit court judge, county commissioner, county treasurer and Enterprise City Council. BARGAINS MONTH ® BARGAINS OF OF THE THE MONTH While supplies While supplies last. last. YOUR CHOICE 4.99 20 lb. Wild Bird Food L 501 272 1 7 lb. Songbird Premium Food L 501 314 F6 M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Sale Ends 10/31/18 a County Friends of N w o l l a W RA Annual BANQUET FUNDRAISER SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2018 DOORS OPEN AT 4PM CLOVERLEAF HALL IN ENTERPRISE, OR • Silent Auction • Live Auction • Special Drawings For more information call Doug Batten at 541-426-4639 or Douglas Wickre at 541-398-8867 www.friendsofNRA.org q HAPPY TRAILS q Eventually JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE SEMI-RETIREMENT OF Cheryl Jenkins CHERYL PLANS TO EMBARK ON A FEW NEW ADVENTURES LIKE: IGNORING THE PHONE TO SIP HER COFFEE A LITTLE LONGER. DAYDREAMING ABOUT HER OFFICIAL RETIREMENT DATE. MARVELING ON HOW THE BRAIN STILL WORKS AND NOT ON BRAINWORKS. GOING OUT TO LUNCH / NOT COMING BACK. JOY RIDING IN JENNIFER’S SPARKLY TRUCK ETC. ETC. ETC. DROP BY AND CELEBRATE WITH US! d ...an mber Friday, October 12th 2018 t A mee e Chieftain’s 9:00 am - Noon (Th r) NE W rdinato oo Office C WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN 209 NW FIRST ST., ENTERPRISE OREGON