The "worst commissioner in Jackson County history"...

...is Jeff Golden. That would be me.
I got the title Monday night from Jack Walker, the 16-year incumbent in the Commissioner seat we want to win. "I signed the recall petition when he was Commissioner," Jack said. He was referring to a 1989 recall attempt mounted by elements of the timber industry, when the listing of the Spotted Owl flattened the timber economy. What enflamed Jack and some others was my position that it was time to switch gears, to offer timber workers training in other skills, to re-tool mills so that they could process smaller logs, to strengthen other economic sectors. I then worked with others in the region on economic strategies that weren't dependent on high-level timber harvests. Today, twenty years later, and after 16 years with Commissioner Walker at the helm, we haven't made nearly as much progress building a healthy modern economy as we all expected.
If you want to hear more details about the old days, feel free to contact me at golden4jaxco@gmail.com. But those are the old days . Revving up old feuds, as Jack wants to do, is a perfect way to distract attention from the huge challenges we're facing right now, reflected in waves of people losing their homes, unable to find jobs (and therefore unable to be customers of other businesses), struggling to go to college, wondering if their retirement is possible. Huge issues. Today's issues. That's what candidates who deserve your consideration have to talk about. That's where I'll be focusing, not with magic answers-- I don't think there are any-- but with the most practical and promising ideas I can find, which means listening carefully to anyone who wants to play a positive role.

I pledge to do whatever I can to help keep our eye on the ball.

Here's more on our campaign.