The Umatilla County commissioner candidates take a seat to answer questions on a number of issues Oct. 6, 2022, during the candidates forum at the Vert Club Room in Pendleton. From left, Susan Bower and Cindy Timmons are racing for Position 1 on the county board, and HollyJo Beers is challenging Commissioner John Shafer for Position 2.

UMATILLA COUNTY — When George Murdock of Pendleton decided not to seek another term on the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners, the flood gates opened for candidates. Out of that field of six who campaigned in the May primary for the Position 1 seat, two emerged to face off for the Nov. 8 election: Susan Bower, of Pendleton, and Cindy Timmons, of Milton-Freewater.

In the Position 2 race, Commission John Shafer faces a challenge from HollyJo Beers, both of Pendleton.

The East Oregonian contacted each candidate and asked them to answer the key questions and to limit the length of their answers to 200 words or less.

1) Ballot Measure 110 is not going away soon, and even if it did, there still would be plenty of people in the county with addiction problems. What is your plan to get more people who need treatment into treatment?

2) The west side of the county is having an economic boom. What should be the county’s role in helping other communities achieve their economic goals? Should the county use enterprise zone agreement money it gets from Amazon and other big companies to help out smaller communities and other parts of the county? Why or why not?

3) What is a county department, program or project that you’re not a fan of, and if you are elected, what will you do to make it better?

4) Candidates have stressed the importance of public safety and how ensuring the safety of the public is the county’s No. 1 priority or function. Given the extreme weather events of the last several years, would it make more sense to put more funds into emergency management and its services than hiring more deputies, for example? Why or why not?

5) This is your last pitch to set yourself off from your competitor. What’s your most compelling argument for why someone should vote for you as county commissioner?

The EO edited answers for readability, style, punctuation, grammar and to keep answers within the word limit of each question.

The East Oregonian is publishing responses online first at eastoregonian.com, and in print starting with Position 1 candidates. Those responses were in the Saturday, Oct. 22, print edition.

The EO is publishing responses online first, starting with Position 1 candidates Thursday, Oct. 20, and then Position 2 candidates online Friday, Oct. 21. The articles also will be print editions of the East Oregonian.

Candidates are in alphabetical order of last names.

HollyJo Beers, retired

Answer 1) I am very concerned about those in our county who have addiction problems. Measure 110 was passed by voters who may not have understood the ramifications of basically legalizing hard drugs without first having the rehabilitation centers in place across the State. In addition, the state of Oregon has been unduly late with processing the money to start building those centers. The cart has come before the horse. Personally, I believe that Measure 110 was not the answer to our drug problems. It enhanced them. The money for rehab centers is coming to the counties slowly and late, but the overdose rates and deaths from overdoses are skyrocketing at an unprecedented number across Oregon. As the numbers of those using drugs have increased, the number of crimes being reported have increased as well. The only solution I see is to take a step back, repeal Measure 110 and take another look at how to acquire more mental health services, prior to allowing rampant drug use and all the misery that entails for users, officials, and citizens alike.

Answer 2) The west end of the county seems to be booming. Hermiston is now larger than Pendleton. I suggest that the enterprise zone agreement money that the county is receiving from Amazon and others should be used to assist our smaller communities as well as the larger cities. Smaller bedroom communities generally shop in the bigger cities of the county. However, each community should be assisted to reach a higher potential for citizens in their respective neighborhoods. The money should be distributed equitably, however, with the larger cities sharing a larger portion. Building up each community is a benefit to all county citizens.

Answer 3) The Veterans Office is the entity I do not believe delivers as much to the community of veterans in Umatilla County as it should. I am not a fan of numerous veterans telling me they are not receiving what they need. Evidently, the Veterans Office here is not adequately providing those who served our country. My proposal would be to team up with the advisory committee member for the director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Chris Waine. Mr. Waine lives in Hermiston and is a veteran himself. He understands what is needed. He has suggested to me that we need the county commissioners to apply for grants. I also recommend that we form a veterans task force comprised of a county commissioner, a city councilor from each of the 12 cities, CAPECO, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and others who provide some benefit to veterans and begin the process of getting veterans the help they need through our local Veterans Office.

Answer 4) It is my opinion that putting more deputies to work is a priority. So many in the county are not being served as they should be by law enforcement, especially in the outlying areas. If we can afford only two deputies per night, those people in the outlying areas are not always being contacted in a timely manner, and sometimes not at all. Some communities have law enforcement agencies, outlying areas do not. Also, when a city such as Athena, who no longer has a law enforcement entity, pays a hefty sum for county sheriff coverage and does not receive it, that is not acceptable. The increase in crime, drugs, homelessness and the knowledge that no one is going to respond is basically a recipe for disaster. We may deal with the weather emergencies when they happen, but citizen’s lives are impacted daily by not having anyone to respond to calls for assistance.

Answer 5) The citizens of Umatilla County should vote for me for county commissioner for many reasons. One of them is that although I may not have served in the capacity of commissioner, I am more than capable of doing the job well. I am educated on current events and what is happening in Oregon. I understand the hardships that we have all suffered in recent years. I am truthful and I am adamant about being available to my constituents, including entities from across the political spectrum. I earned a bachelor’s’ degree with minors in history and criminal justice and graduated with highest honors. I have served the county well in prior years as a deputy clerk for Umatilla County, and for the cities of Umatilla and Pilot Rock as a reserve police officer and a solo qualified officer. I was born and raised in Umatilla County, raised my children and retired here. I am well informed on the Constitution, which all Commissioner’s take an oath to uphold. I will actually uphold my oath. I am involved with a group that assists communities in the county when disasters occur.. I am a published author and owned two small newspapers in the county.

John Shafer, Umatilla County commissionerAnswer 1) Ideally, I would like to see it repealed altogether. However, I know this would take time and because a large investment was made by the state into BM-110, the state would be reluctant to simply repeal it. My proposal would be to leave the intent of BM-110 in place to provide treatment while adding accountability to repeat offenders. My solution would be to leave BM-110 in place as is only for their first offense, which is an E violation and refer them to treatment. For their second violation, there would be court supervised diversion similar to a driving under the influence of intoxicants. Once treatment was completed and verified, supervision would be terminated and their record expunged. On their third offense, it would be the same as second arrest, with the deletion of the diversion, and sentenced directly to supervision and mandated treatment. Given the investment made by the state to support BM-110, no person may be turned away from publicly funded treatment programs for a client’s inability to pay or their Oregon Health Plan status. My plan has escalators built into it and allows for somebody who made a mistake to not be defined by this mistake for the rest of their life.

Answer 2) It is only right and fair to give financial help to the county as a whole, spreading the benefit throughout Umatilla County. In fact, the county was able to give the city of Pendleton $2 million to invest in infrastructure for a new housing development. As more of these dollars become available, we will be able spread those dollars across the county. These funds came from agreements made with big companies. When we defer taxes, we are not only deferring them from the zip code where the property is located, we are deferring tax payments that benefit the entire county.

Answer 3) When I was asked this exact question at a recent candidate’s forum, I said this is like asking a parent which child do you love more? I think each and every department deserves the same level of attention and care as the next. At times, my attention may need to be focused on a particular department to address issues and/or concerns. For example, recently, I have heard some criticism over our Veterans’ Affairs Department at the recent candidate forums. The concerns I personally have heard deal directly with the VA Hospital in Walla Walla. Unfortunately, Umatilla County VA does not have any authority over the hospital. Since the level of care in Walla Walla has been declining, I have been working with our state and federal legislators for increased care to our Veterans. I will continue to ensure that our department heads have the resources they need to provide quality services to Umatilla County.

Answer 4) When a disaster hits Umatilla County, the state sends emergency managers and other teams from across the state to assist our Emergency Management Department. To me, it is a better use of our funds to have more patrol deputies on the road dealing with everyday calls for service. That is why in my first term as your commissioner, we have added three patrol deputies, three transport deputies, a dispatch sergeant and one dispatcher at the request of the sheriff. Public safety is a big concern for the citizens of Umatilla County and for me, so we are always assessing the needs of the sheriff’s office.

Answer 5) It’s been my honor serving as your county commissioner these last four years. I have gained valuable knowledge and have made great connections that will help me in moving the county forward in my second term. One of my goals for the next term is to see an acute psychiatric care facility here in Umatilla County. This would be a place for someone in a mental health crisis to receive treatment locally. This would eliminate the need for a person in crisis to sit in jail or the hospital while waiting for space in a facility outside of our county or state to open up. I have already been working towards getting this accomplished. We are not there yet, but will be before the end of my second term. I have the unique ability to identify a problem, find a solution and see the project to completion. Much like in my first term, I saw the need for better mental health and implemented a new provider. It took many months, but I never gave up. I have a servant’s heart, care deeply for Umatilla County and those who reside here and will always put the needs of Umatilla County first.