Jim Doherty knocked it out of the park at the Morrow County candidate forum. What he has done for this county in the last three years came to light. With four years on the county budget committee and one as chair, he knows the business of the county starts with a budget, but ends somewhere on the last trail of the OHV park.

As he stated, “there is no one focal point.” You can’t do this job with numbers alone.

Jim knows people. He’s open and honest. He will stand with you, behind you or in front of you if need be. Jim has no agenda, has no special interest groups as donors and will represent the whole county. He knows that the economy of the county is vital. Jim negotiated a windfall contract with Next Era Energy, one of the largest clean energy businesses in the world. But he would like to see our small rural business community prosper as well.

With a production ag degree, he knows the necessity of protecting and enhancing our farmland and driving our economy around our No. 1 resource. One that is sustainable. Just as important as the businesses are to our county, so are its people and their communities. Jim was compelled and not afraid to stand in opposition to the condemnation of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church property. He is as strong as he is compassionate. Willing to represent all.

It’s no small feat to be elected president of the Association of Oregon Counties. Thirty-six counties strong, it represents the entire state of Oregon and elected Jim Doherty as its leader. Some have questioned his time in Salem and D.C., but his leverage and association at the state level helped deliver a much-needed COVID-19 rapid test kit to the Heppner hospital, only one of three sent to rural Oregon.

This man gets it done.

Reelect Jim Doherty county commissioner — a vision for today … a voice for tomorrow.

Justin Hoeft

Heppner

Letters deadline

The East Oregonian will not run candidate endorsement letters of more than 400 words.

The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.

We run the letters on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by noon Wednesday, April 22. You can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, 97801.

We will publish our last letters on Saturday, April 25. Any letters received after the deadline will not run. Election Day is May 19.