Now, after a bit of a hiatus, it’s time to resume blogging. It’s an election year, So I have turned my eye towards some of the local races, starting with the race for Yamhill County Commissioner position 2
This is a bit stressful, and I have some misgivings about it, because the political tone is increasingly rancorous I am probably going to get grief no matter what I write. My goal is to help people stay informed and present information in as unbiased and logical way as I can. To be fair, I am going to “steel man” each candidate.
Today, April 6, 2024, there was a candidate forum at the McMinnville Civic Center. It speaks to the high level of civic engagement in the county that the room was packed on a rainy Saturday at 10 a.m. The event was moderated by Todd Butterfield. The format consisted candidate introductions, nine questions, and a closing statement from each candidate. There are three candidates in the race, all were invited, but only two showed up to the event: Lindsay Berschauer and Bubba David King.
The questions ranged across a variety of issues, including land use, economic development, drug policy, mental health, and housing affordability. Instead of providing a written summary of the questions and answers, I am going to give my global impressions of each candidate based on my observations at this event and the themes that each emphasized in their answers. Because there was a degree of overlap between the two candidates, I will finish with a comparison/contrast, and conclusion.
Lindsay Berschauer
Lindsay first ran for -and won- her seat in the May 2020 election. She currently serves as the District 6 Chair, which represents regional interests for Marion, Polk, and Yamhill county to the state. She is married and has three children who variously attend Chemeketa, McMinnville High, and Newberg High. She and her husband, Michael, a 5th generation farmer, are small business owners in the agriculture sector. Prior to being County Commissioner, she served on the county’s budget advisory committee as well as the Newberg Fire District. She is endorsed by Sheriff Sam Elliot, as well as former commissioner Dennis Goecks and Representative Anna Scharf.
Before today, I had never met her in person or heard her speak. I found her to be a polished public speaker, to have a good grasp of the details of the issues facing the county, and a clear philosophy that guides her decisions.
A few themes emerged from Lindsay’s answers.
She believes in civil liberties. This was most clearly demonstrated in her answer regarding future pandemic preparedness for a hypothetical Disease X. She repeatedly emphasized the economic and social consequences of the state imposed lockdowns and mandates during COVID and stated she would always err on the side of civil liberties.
She supports private property rights. She alluded to the controversy over the Yamhelis Westsider Trail as an example of government overreach as it related to land use policy. She also highlighted her commitment to protecting agriculture in the county with a policy of crop neutrality, in particular that she would not seek to impose time, manner, and place restrictions on crops, even when that required her to set aside her personal opinions, such as for cannabis crops and psilocybin.
Her answers reveal a small government and pro-business mindset. In addressing the issue of housing affordability and land use, she cited the importance of reducing the amount of SDC fees, expanding the UGB to increase supply of developable land, the merits of PPP (such as with Hampton), and the need for more industrial land in general.
Lindsay’s grasp of the details of various issues facing the country was most clearly demonstrated in her answers to the county’s response to recently passed HB 4002 (reversing M110). She identified the return of criminal sanctions as the hook to get people into the addiction treatment system. She recounted the long history of diversion programs in Yamhill county, that the county has the oldest drug court in the state, and the legislative intent behind HB 4002. Acknowledging the complexity and legislative intent of HB 4002, she envisions utilizing the $500,000 funding for the county from HB 4002 to create a “court navigator” to help people avail themselves of treatment options in the new law to avoid jail. Aware of the lack of local treatment facilities, she believes that a local, or at least regional, facility is an important goal.
Bubba David King
Bubba, whose real name is David, is a farmer. He is a first generation farmer, and fell in love with the profession about 15 years ago. His wife is a 5th generation farmer. They have 2 children, aged 11 and 9, who attend Ewan Young school. Bubba was a stay at home father for 8 years and has been involved civically as the President of Newberg’s Chamber of Commerce, the SDC committee, and the Urban Renewal Committee. Bubba attends city council and county commissioner meetings as often as his schedule allows.
I have met Bubba on a few occasions before today. On those occasions he was as he was today: a man of few words, focused on co-operation, and inclined toward practical solutions. What you see is what you get.
Bubba has at least some belief in individual autonomy, stating, in response to the question about a county response to Disease X, that Americans make their own choices.
Respecting drug policy, Bubba's sees the county as a funding conduit, and he wants to identify which programs to fund and otherwise have the county get out of the way. He beleives that addressing poverty and addiction are general social responsibilities and that effective solutions to them require more than just government.
He has a track record of working to reduce SDC fees in Newberg to get daycare built in that city. That effort involved at least some co-operation with Lindsay. He generally sees the value of reducing SDC fees to aid in development.
He currently works in Dr. Phillip’s (Newberg’s school superintendent) cabinet. He encouraged people to refrain from partisan or tribal criticisms of either the superintendent or the new board. During the pandemic he set up a small farm school for 9 children and hired a teacher to teach them.
In terms of specifics, he acknowledges the county’s structural deficit and also is aware of the county's infrastructure deficit.
Comparison/Contrast
Overall, the two candidates appeared to agree on more than they disagreed on. They both understand the structural budget issues facing the county. They both have substantially the same views and approach on HB 4002. They both have the fundamentally the same approach to housing affordability.
Moreover, both have a history of community involvement. There is a trend to ascribe the worst motivations to political opponents, but all I see are two people who are interested in serving their community.
Bubba leveled three direct criticisms at Lindsay. The first was the termination of the contract with SED, the second was Lindsay’s refusal to accept certain state grants, and the third was interference in city politics. Lindsay’s response to the first was to justify the action because the county was receiving no value for the $14,000/mo expense because all of SED’s efforts were directed toward Marion County. Lindsay’s response to the second was that she would not accept grant money without a purpose and there must be a structure in which it can be used to address a specific need. Lindsay’s response to the third was that the county should have a unified economic policy where various governments are not working at cross purposes to each other.
Conclusion
Ultimately, in the ordinary course, the difference between the two is mostly stylistic. The question is what will happen in the extraordinary course, when black swan events arise.
With Bubba, you’re going to get someone who emphasizes pragmatic co-operation. The risk with that is that, in the absence of a clear philosophy, the ends to which such pragmatic cooperation will be put cannot be predicted in advance.
With Lindsay, you’re going to get someone who moves from first principles of civil liberty, small government, and property rights, to a policy response and who is prepared to accept the slings and arrows that might follow from her adherence to first principles. The risk with that approach is it increases political friction and any costs that come in the form of litigation, or recalls, or other like actions.
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