grants pass climate sign

Josephine County voters by a 2-1 margin on Tuesday rejected changes to county government that would have expanded its Board of Commissioners to five members and limited pay by making the positions part-time, according to primary election returns as of 9 a.m. Wednesday.

The proposed replacement of the county charter would have limited annual pay for commissioners to $27,826, down from at least $95,770, and would have mandated the hiring of a county manager. The proposal also would have led to the election of commissioners by district.

“It was a big change,” said Dorothy Yetter, treasurer of Citizens for Responsible Government, the group pushing the proposal. “Possibly, it’s changes that have to be made slower. People weren’t ready for that much change.”

The proposal was defeated 14,008 votes to 7,012, 66.6% to 33.4%.

It was similar to two charter amendments defeated Tuesday in Jackson County that would have made the commissioner position nonpartisan and increased board membership to five, up from the current three. A third proposal actually was approved in Jackson County to limit commissioner pay to $75,000, down from as much as $150,010 currently, but it might never go into effect because the proposal was tied to the amendment that would have increased the number of commissioners. Jackson County currently has a county administrator.

Citizens for Responsible Government will now reassess how to move forward, according to Yetter, a former chairwoman of the Josephine County Democratic Party and former member of a commissioner-appointed committee that studied the Josephine County charter.

“We’re going to continue to exist,” she said. “We’re going to decide what our next goal is going to be. We’re about governance, better governance.”

Jane Slama, a co-petitioner for the charter change, echoed those words.

“I think there is momentum in this county for constructive change,” she said. “We were hoping for at least a closer race.”

“We ran a good campaign.”

In other Josephine County election results:

• Voters defeated a proposed five-year tax levy to fund the county’s animal shelter and animal control operations. The vote was 12,462 to 8,515, 59% to 41%.

• Voters defeated a bond proposal to pay for safety, security and new roofs in the Three Rivers School District. The vote was 8,905 to 4,177, 68% to 32%.

• For commissioner, real estate brokers Chris Barnett and Colene Martin will face off in the Nov. 5 general election, while Pat Fahey will face Ron Smith for a second seat.

Barnett is a KAJO/KLDR radio host. Martin is a former CEO of the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. Barnett received 44.7% of the vote while Martin received 24.7%.

Fahey is retired from operating Southern Oregon Sanitation while Smith lists his occupation as “electronic sign industry,” according to the county voters’ pamphlet. Fahey received 39.7% of the vote while Smith received 25.9%.

Current commissioners Herman Baertschiger Jr. and Dan DeYoung chose not to seek reelection.

• For state senator in the 2nd District, Noah Robinson will face Tracy Thompson. Robinson, a Republican, is the son of current state Sen. Art Robinson and lists himself as a scientist. Noah Robinson beat Christine Goodwin, who is a current state representative and former Douglas County commissioner. Thompson, a Democrat, filed no voters’ pamphlet statement.

• For state representative in the 3rd District, landscaper Mark Seligman, a Democrat, will face real estate broker Dwayne Yunker, a Republican. Seligman took 60% of the vote while Yunker was unopposed.

• For state representative in the 4th District, Alex Skarlatos, a Republican, ran unopposed. He is a development director with the Freedom Foundation. No Democrat ran.

• District Attorney Joshua Eastman ran unopposed and was reelected with 98% of the vote.