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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2016)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • may 4, 2016 District 23: Candidates sound off at debate continued from Page 1A She added people should keep in mind that farmers are competing in a regional, na- tional and global scale. That makes cost increases like sick leave and higher wages a competitive disadvantage. “They can’t adjust rates and stay competitive,” she said. “We have to protect our farmers by keeping legisla- tion like that from happen- ing.” Nearman said local farm- ers don’t need more regula- tion — and he believes more is coming on pesticides — because of the unique rela- tionships they have with each other. “This is a culture where they talk to each other and they work things out by themselves,” he said. “That’s a great thing.” He added he’s trying to keep property taxes low and protect small businesses from higher labor costs. “Small businesses don’t really need that much from government,” Nearman said. “They just need to be left alone and they will flour- ish on their own.” As to the minimum wage, Jones and Nearman don’t see that issue in the same light either. They both op- pose it, but now that it has passed, Nearman isn’t cer- tain legal challenges to it or efforts to repeal it will be successful. He added even if one of those strategies worked, the issue would return with a ballot measure eventually, probably seeking $15 per hour across the board. “There’s not much we can do from the state legisla- ture,” he said. Nearman found a silver lining in what he considers a bad policy, noting that gov- ernment employees will now be more expensive so there will be fewer of them. Jones hopes to see a change in the balance of the legislature and would be the first in line to repeal the bill. “That would be my choice,” she said. “Get rid of it. It hurts everybody and I’m sorry that this went through. I’m sorry that we have leaders that see this as a solution to anything.” Jones and Nearman both are strong advocates for ed- ucation reform, but come from different perspectives. Nearman believes school choice benefits families and holds schools accountable. “That’s the best thing that we can do to give parents and students the ability to put their kids in whatever school they want,” he said. Jones likes school choice, but doesn’t see that alone improving Oregon low grad- uation rates, which rank near the bottom nationally. She prefers having students take fewer assessments and Beth Jones Age: 39. Hometown: Dallas. Position sought: State representative of House District 23. Employment: Founder and Di- rector of Bambi- nos, non- profit. Educa- tion: Cor- ban Uni- versity; Bachelor Jones of Science in psychol- ogy/family studies. Prior government serv- ice: • Dallas City Council: 2011-2014, including the following committees: Budget, Economic Develop- ment, Public Safety, Public allowing teachers more free- dom in selecting curriculum. “Let the teachers do what Works, Administration, Building and Grounds, Urban renewal. • Polk County Commis- sion for Children and Fami- lies Board member: 2011/12. • Oregon Army national Guard Family readiness Group leader: 2011/12, 2014/15. • Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee: 2015-present. • Senate District 12 vol- unteer during the 2015/16 legislative sessions. campaign website: www.BethJonesHD23.com. Campaign phone: 503- 508-6043. Source: Beth Jones. Mike Nearman Position sought: State representative of House District 23. Employment: State repre- they were trained to do,” she said. “It will make them more excited about teaching. It will sentative; software engineer. Prior govern- ment ex- perience: State rep- resenta- tive; Cen- t r a l School District Nearman B u d g e t Committee. campaign website: http://www.nearman4ore- gon.org/. Source: Oregon Primary Election Voters’ Pamphlet. Editor’s note: Nearman did not return an election ques- tionnaire by deadline. The questionnaire was sent via email to his campaign website twice, on April 27 and Sunday and two messages were left at his legislative office requesting its return. make the kids more excited about learning and the grad- uation rate will be higher.” Wheeler, Taylor vie for Polk County commissioner By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — In- cumbent Polk County Com- missioner Jennifer Wheeler believes she has more work to do in the office she has held for five years. Her opponent, Terrence Taylor, said she’s made mis- takes in office and would like to use decades of experi- ence in private industry to correct them. Voters will choose which direction they prefer when they vote for Polk County Commissioner Position No. 1 in the May primary. Recently the county has started a number of initia- tives to help people with mental health issues avoid being ensnared in the crimi- nal justice system, assist people experiencing home- Jennifer Wheeler Age: 62. Hometown: Independence. Position sought: Polk County Board of Commissioners, position no. 1. District boundaries: Polk County (coun- ty-wide office). Education: Central High School; bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Oregon State College (now WOU). Occupation: Polk County Commissioner. Prior government ex- Wheeler perience: Polk County Commissioner, appointed in 2011 to the present. campaign website: www.jenniferwheel- erforcommissioner.com. campaign phone: 503-838-3678. lessness and youth who are in the juvenile justice sys- tem. “If you can take one per- son and keep that one per- PUBLIC NOTICE The West Valley Housing Authority (WVHA) is hereby inviting the public to review and/or provide comment on our Public Housing Annual Plan and Capital Fund Plans. Copies of the proposed plans will be available for review as of May 4, 2016 and can be obtained from our website at www.wvpha.org or any of the WVHA's offices (main office address listed below). Comments will be received up through the public comment re- view hearing to take place on June 20, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at 204 SW Walnut Ave., Dallas, OR 97338. Written comments on the plan may be mailed to the attention of Executive Director, West Valley Housing Authority, 204 SW Walnut Ave., Dallas, OR 97338 or emailed to wvpha@wvpha.org. The meeting location is wheel-chair accessible. Call (503) 623- 8387 during business hours if other accommodations are re- quired. (May 4, 2016) terrence taylor Age: 65. Hometown: West Salem. Position sought: Position no. 1. District boundaries: Polk County. Education: Computer science ECPI, a Cal- ifornia trade school; Bach- elor of Science in busi- ness management from Concordia University. Prior government ex- perience: ran for House District 20 and served on the Stockton School Dis- trict Board. Occupation: computer taylor software developer; proj- ect manager for programs for national and international companies in technology and bio-medical industries. campaign website: taylor4polk.com. campaign phone: 971-208-8856. son from cycling through the criminal justice system and get that person the help they need, it’s a win-win,” Wheeler said. “The person is produc- tive and the criminal justice system saves money because they are not dealing with be- havioral health issues.” Wheeler, who is involved in each of those initiatives, is hopeful those programs will have a positive impact on the people and agencies in- volved. A county veterans’ service officer is on the way, too, given formal budget ap- proval in June. Furniture Upholstery All types: for homes, offices, equip- ment. Also, repairs, RV cushions, slipcovers, High Quality since 1966 Stephen Winters Sewing 503-838-4999 or 503-375-9266 Emmy Joseph 440 E. St • Independence, OR 97351 www.winterssewing.com Serving Polk County 16yrs She wants to stick around to see those program through. “They are just getting started and I’m not done yet,” she said. “I want to see where those things go.” Taylor said decisions the Board of Commissioners have made will have the op- posite effect on the county. The biggest mistake in his opinion was allowing mari- juana production and sales without sending a ban pro- posal to the voters. He said Polk County voted 52.5 percent against legaliz- ing marijuana. The commis- sioners should have heeded that fact before implement- ing Measure 91 — the bill le- galizing marijuana — in the unincorporated areas of the county, he said. Wheeler, along with Com- missioner Craig Pope, voted to move forward, while Commission Mike Ainsworth opposed it. “I think that putting com- mercial growing facilities in the county is a huge mis- take,” Taylor said, adding dispensary sales being al- lowed in Grand Ronde also was a mistake. “I don’t be- lieve that she’s made a deci- sion that is helpful for Polk County on this issue.” Taylor said he’s read dis- heartening reports from Colorado, which has had legal marijuana for two years, and fears Polk County may be headed in that direc- tion. He said that hampers an- other effort he believes is necessary to bring economic development to the county: branding. He said the county needs to find its identity, preferably a family friendly one, and use it to market itself. “We need to have a family friendly and taxpayer friend- ly county in order to attract additional companies to come here,” he said. “Com- panies aren’t going to move here if it isn’t family friend- ly.” Wheeler said economic development depends on the county providing basic services and infrastructure and establishing productive partnerships with cities and organizations. She said busi- nesses looking to move to Polk County will check out the public safety system, school systems, and basic infrastructure. She said the county has one of the best maintained road systems in the state, and law enforcement has been bolstered by a levy for public safety. For more about Wheeler and Taylor’s views on eco- nomic development and dealing with the impending Public Employees Retire- ment System rate hikes in 2017, see the May 11 edition of the I-O. 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