Commissioners changes could undermine integrity of system

I am a citizen of Jackson County following local governance for over 30 years. I am opposed to the recent proposals aimed at altering the election and compensation processes for county commissioners.

These initiatives, seemingly driven solely by political agendas, threaten to undermine the integrity of our community’s representation and accountability.

Our current electoral system for commissioners has stood the test of time, ensuring that diverse voices are heard and represented in our government. Any changes to this system risk diluting the voices of our citizens and may disrupt the effective governance that our county has enjoyed for years.

Under the proposals, two commissioners could meet and deliberate on issues, which will dilute the transparency we currently have with three commissioners. Transparency is not just a buzzword; it’s the cornerstone of our democracy. We must not allow decisions affecting our community to be made behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny.

The proposed alterations to commissioners’ compensation are smoke and mirrors. There are other costs related to these proposals (additional personnel costs, office space costs, support personnel, additional travel costs, etc.).

By diluting commissioners’ compensation, the door will be opened to lower qualified individuals. Our focus should be on attracting candidates with the expertise and dedication needed to oversee our county’s affairs, not on political posturing.

I implore my fellow residents to stand against these initiatives and defend the integrity of our local governance system.

Larry Dickson / Phoenix

Overturning Measure 110 only serves to blame crisis victims

A recent letter to the editor stated that Measure 110 needs to be overturned to “restore order” in the face of the drug crisis that is rampant in Southern Oregon.

It’s easy, from the comfort of a normal life, to blame the victims of this crisis and lose sight of their humanity and what they have likely gone through to reach the deplorable conditions that led to their downfall.

Do we now have a policy of refusing to treat the medically ill and punishing people who are sick? To say that drug addiction and homelessness is a result of “a lack of responsibility” indicates a complete lack of understanding, not to mention human empathy.

We need to recognize that these people are where they are because of such circumstances as isolation, economics and mental health issues. Then develop an overall rehabilitation plan that has worked elsewhere.

Our society is becoming increasingly lost because we have stopped seeing other people as human beings, and this crisis is one of the many symptoms. We must look at the humanity of these people and their reasons for being where they are, such as isolation, economics and mental health issues.

If Measure 110 were amended to include coordinated services and sufficient resources and funding, as well as requiring government follow through which assured they were effectively implemented, I think we’d find that it would work far better than imagined. Not to mention restoring a measure of our dwindling humanity.

John Rose / Ashland

Misconceptions about ballot measures on commissioners

I would disagree with several points made by letter-writer Joanne Wilcox on Jackson County For All’s proposed ballot measures.

We propose that commissioner salaries be $75,000 rather than the present $121,000- $143,000. That would put them in the “middle of the pack” of Oregon commissioner salaries, rather than at the top.

Is it fair that Oregon’s governor, who makes $95,000 / year and has far more responsibility, makes less than our commissioners?

Instead of automatically getting cost of living raises and bonuses for length of service, we propose that future salaries be indexed to the average salaries of Jackson County voters.

That way, if the commissioners do a fantastic job in economic development, and average salaries go up, their salaries would increase also. That would be fair an acceptable to most voters.

“Nonpartisan” does not mean that candidates do not hold strong opinions. All of our Mayors, City Council members, members of school and special district boards, Sheriff, and County Clerk are nonpartisan. They all represent their varied constituencies well.

It is likely that elected officials in Ashland are predominantly registered Democrats and in Central Point are registered Republicans.

That being said, removing the partisan label allows a moderate candidate of either party and an unaffiliated candidate a chance to serve communities where party labels may be a barrier.

Registered Republican Alan DeBoer served admirably as Ashland’s mayor. Registered Democrats Alan Bates and Sue Kupillas started their political careers on the Eagle Point school board. All enriched their communities by their service.

David Gilmour / Central Point

Finances, legislation drives physicians away from valley

It appears our valley has a serious problem with medical care. We see that Asante had to reduce staff by 3% due to challenging financial conditions.

In your article about the Medford City Council providing the Southern Oregon Alliance of Physicians and Providers with a $23,000 grant to assist with recruitment of primary care physicians, Brent Kell is quoted as saying “the pay schedule is not that great here.”

The article points out that “Oregon has one of the lowest Medicare reimbursement rates in the nation.” This is not good. Add this to 2013 Oregon House bill 2902 which requires insurance companies to reimburse visits to health care assistants at the same rate as a doctor, and you create a strong motivation for health care organizations to move from hiring MDs to hiring lower cost nurse practitioners to replace them.

And this is exactly what is happening. Medical doctors are retiring early and or moving out of state, and it is getting quite difficult to find a primary physician who is accepting new patients.

It is not that our valley is an unattractive place to live, it is a beautiful location. It is the legislation and financial disincentives that are keeping doctors away.

Jay O’Neill / Eagle Point