9A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOBER 24, 2018
CANDIDATES from A1
new homes.
Th e topic of homes rang-
ing from aff ordable housing
and homeless were also ad-
dressed during the forum
with the legislative commit-
tee craft ing questions con-
cerning both. When asked
how they plan to combat
homelessness,
Williams
called it a “humanitarian cri-
sis” and said it was a priori-
ty for the county. “We need
public/private partnerships,”
he said, noting the construc-
tion of the Corey Commons
in Cottage Grove for low-in-
come renters. “Go back and
talk to those folks who were
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concerned (about low-in-
come neighbors) they have
no concerns now.”
Buch said a lack of hous-
ing pushed people who were
living paycheck-to-paycheck
from making rent onto the
streets. “Th e work-
ing poor can’t aff ord
rent,” she said. “It’s not
only the morally right
thing to do (address-
ing
homelessness)
but fi scally right,” she
noted the “frequent
fl yers” who routinely
use expensive county
resources and services
to alleviate symptoms
generated by being
homeless.
On the issue of
roads, Buch said that
aft er knocking on
10,000 doors around
the county and living in un-
incorporated Lane Coun-
ty, she had learned about
the process of road main-
tenance. She said she had
met retired road workers
who told her they felt roads
were improperly identifi ed
for maintenance and in one
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instance, by the time a work-
er had rounded back to a
road he initially completed
maintenance work on three
years prior, it was in need of
repair. “It’s good to have the
funding but it’s also good to
liams referred to nearby
communities that had taxed
themselves to provide police
services.
“Where I live, I rely solely
on the sheriff and volunteer
emergency patrols,” Buch
munity founded on timber
would want to move away
from it,” Williams replied.
He said he believed there
were still opportunities in
timber and he also believed
an increase in the harvest
of public land was
coming due to new
federal policies.
Speaking
on
health care, Buch
said it was import-
ant to promote
small clinics in ru-
ral areas.
“Sometimes peo-
ple won’t go until
they call an ambu-
lance, one of our
most expensive ser-
vices,” she said. “In
Oakridge they have
a part time clinic
but no dentist, no
optometrist, they have to
travel a long way,” she said.
She went on to call for more
nurses in schools and mobile
clinics citing the availability
of federal and private fund-
ing.
Williams said service was
limited in rural areas and
said having public/private
partnerships would help
mitigate the problem.
Both candidates said they
were against the recent pay
raise the commission voted
on to give themselves and
neither candidate would
support a sales tax.
Th e Nov. 6 general election
will decide the winner of the
East Lane County Commis-
sion seat aft er no candidate
running in the May primary
managed to get more than
50 percent of the vote.
“To create housing, to create jobs, to
create economic development several
things need to exist. One is we need
to be able to partner with diff erent
people and businesses.”
— Candidate Gary Williams
make sure we’re identifying
the right roads at the right
time.”
Williams cited the infra-
structure package passed by
the most recent legislative
session at the state level that
gave funds to counties to im-
prove infrastructure. He said
repairs would continue with
the state funds.
Th e candidates also
touched on capacity-relat-
ed releases from the Lane
County jail. Voters recent-
ly passed a levy allowing
for an expansion of bed
capacity in the facility—a
levy Williams co-chaired.
However, the legislative
committee contended that
the county is still operating
with a shortage of depu-
ties. Both candidates noted
that more deputies would
require more money. Wil-
said. “It really comes down
to an honest conversation
with ourselves on what we’re
willing to pay for and how.”
Audience
questions
ranged from climate change
to transportation. Candi-
dates were asked how they
planned to move Lane
County away from a tim-
ber-based economy.
Buch said she didn’t think
it was practical to move com-
pletely away from the indus-
try but noted that economic
diversity would expand the
tax base and that she would
focus on helping communi-
ties utilize their resources to
broaden their local business-
es. She noted an opportunity
in Cottage Grove would be
the community’s agriculture
business that oft en shipped
to Portland.
“I’m puzzled why a com-
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Pharmacies
In
Honor
of All
Veterans
The Cottage Grove Sentinel is preparing to publish its
“Salute to Vets” a special section devoted to all military veterans
who are Cottage Grove-area residents or have a connection to this
area.
If you are interested in sharing your military story in the annual
Veterans Day publication, or in updating information that we have
published previously, please complete the form below and submit
it to the Cottage Grove Sentinel. Service photographs are also
welcome.
Submit forms and photos (preferably) by e-mail to cgnews@
cgsentinel.com; or by mail to Cottage Grove Sentinel, Attn: Caitlyn
May, PO Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424; or drop forms off at
the Cottage Grove Sentinel, 116 N. 6th Street, Cottage Grove.
Please be sure that all materials are carefully labeled with your
name and phone number. ALL FORMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 31, 2018.
Thank you for participating in this project to remember and
honor our veterans.
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Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
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Branch of Service: _________________________________________________________________
100 Gateway Blvd. • 942-9107
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