Pacific City Sun, December 4, 2020

Looking to the Future

Victors share their plans for the future at Pacific City-Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commmerce year-end meeting

By TIM HIRSCH

Newly elected and recently reelected local and regional politicians shared their hopes and goals for the future at a Pacific City-Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commerce online forum on Dec. 1.

The noon event featured the likes of incoming Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar and Tillamook County Sheriff-Elect Josh Brown as well as Rep. David Gomberg (10th District), who won reelection this November, and Oregon Senator-Elect Dick Anderson (5th District) who came away victorious in this fall’s election versus Melissa Cribbins in the bid to replace retiring Sen. Arnie Roblan.

Brown, who narrowly defeated challenger Gordon McCraw in official results, 7,724-7,449, said that he is excited to put his experience patrolling South Tillamook County to good use in his new role.

“I’m excited for a lot of the positive change that’s coming to South County,” he said. “The one thing that’s been heavily talked about, specifically in Pacific City, is parking, the fees that are going to be associated with it and you know what those fees are going to be used to pay for and you know a couple extra deputies is on the board as far as what that funding may be used for. So, we could be looking at more deputies because staffing is definitely an issue within the Sheriff’s Office. We have become a very large tourist destination, and, so, public safety (efforts) need to be increased.”

He also pointed to his positive attitude as a key ability he will lean on in his new administrative role.

“I like to consider myself a positive person trying to look at the brightside of everything, and I want to keep doing that. I want to make sure that law enforcement officers in Tillamook County feel comfortable, feel trusted, (and) to really give them a family atmosphere within the office. When they feel trusted, when they’re given the tools they need to succeed and do their job, you, in turn, get better service (from them) for the entire community.”

Brown also addressed the difficulty of 2020 in terms of the effects of COVID, of a difficult campaign and of the hostility existing towards law enforcement.

“I don’t think anybody can disagree that times have been very, very tough for law enforcement in general — not only here or in Oregon but across the nation,” he said. “There’s a lot of movements to defund the police, there’s a lot of people that are not happy with the police right now. You throw in COVID and all the restrictions and it just makes being a cop really tough right now. Navigating through that is one of my big goals, and making sure that we remain positive.”

For her part, Skaar said she will leverage her considerable nonprofit experience when she takes over for retiring Commissioner Bill Baertlein this January.

“I do have a long career in nonprofit management — I’m in my 27th year of that industry, which I think has set me up very well to be a county commissioner,” she said. “The county government is, of course, our largest nonprofit in the county. A lot of the aspects of running the county are very similar to what I’ve done at CARE. So, I will be using my skills in community outreach, my skills in facilitation and bringing different groups of people to hear what’s important to them, and using my skills in financial management. The county certainly in this next year is goingto be looking at how has COVID impacted our budget, how has it impacted the state budget, which trickles down to us.”

Skaar also addressed a portion of the roles she’s looking forward to embracing.

“Commissioner Baertlein has spent a lo of time working with our social service agencies, our human service department (and) really looking at what are the key needs for the people of our communities," she said. " He has really led out there on housing and one of the things I'm really excited to do is continue that work. There are a couple of exciting pieces that are being played out right now that have come from the (Tillamook County) Housing Commission, of which I am currently a member, that are going to come before the Board of Commissioners before the end of the year. We recently did pass a property tax abatement, which will help with housing development, and there is another project afoot to come up with a short-term rental operator fee that will help with supporting actual housing development."

She also shared her interest in helping to expand Tillamook County’s capacity for childcare services.

“We’ll be pulling together a childcare commission to work on expanding our childcare capacity in Tillamook County so that we can support a good, strong workforce,” Skaar added. “I look forward to the opportunity to serve in the county, and I look forward to working with all of you. I hope you’ll reach out to me and let me know what things you see that the county commissioners ought to have our hands in.”

Representing South Tillamook County in Salem will be Gomberg and Anderson, each of whom also shared their thoughts as the legislature prepares for the new year.

Anderson said that as the first republican senator representing the coast in decades, he would bring a fresh perspective.

“As I campaigned, you may have heard me talk about balance, trying to bring balance to the legislature,” he said. “We failed in that regard. The senate chamber didn’t make a change. It’s 12 republicans, and 18 democrats. We weren’t able to break that hold on the supermajority. My job will be really, I hope, to bring a different voice as a republican senator to that chamber because nothing is going to get done to benefit us all unless we have good honest discussion. That will be my challenge in this long session — to build relationships, (to) bring a perspective of coastal needs (and) senate district needs We need to bring a perspective from rural, and, specifically, the coastal communities. That will be my job.”

On the other side of the aisle, Gomberg said that though the Coastal Caucus is now flipped — there will be five republicans and two democrats instead of vice versa as it has been previously — he doesn’t anticipate big changes. “I don’t expect that’s going to make a huge difference because in the Coastal Caucus, the coast has always been more important than party,” he said. “I think we’ve provided an excellent example of how we can all work together to support our districts and our region more so than our caucus or our party or other parts of the state. I’m looking forward to working with everybody as we move forward.”

Gomberg also addressed a number of challenges facing the legislature — challenges that include COVID, financial hardships for businesses and workers, and the state’s budget. As an example, he pointed to recent moves that have sent money to other parts of the state when the coast is hurting just as much — if not more.

“We have more small businesses that are threatened here,” he said. “We have more restaurants per capita, and we certainly have the highest unemployment in the state right here along the central coast. We’re frequently being asked to commit money to worthwhile and important projects: helping with health care, helping with retirement, helping with victims of domestic and sexual violence, helping our small businesses. But, too often, more money (is) going someplace else than is coming here.

“Let me tell you that’s a hell of a choice. It’s a hell of a choice to say: ‘Do I help people even though I’m helping more people some place else than I am in my backyard?’”

And while applauding Gov. Kate Brown’s recent move away from a one-size fits all approach for COVID-19 restrictions to one based on county-by-county metrics, he said issues remain — issues mostly revolving around little to no notice for changes in rules, regulations and guidelines.

“Our small businesses are being asked once again to make immediate changes with little notice, and business can’t continue to operate that way,” he explained. “A restaurant can’t buy food today and then find out that they’re closed tomorrow or that their capacity has been reduced. So, I’m really quite frustrated with the ongoing changes and the challenges that they present for our small businesses.”

At the behest of moderator Doug Olson, each candidate at the forum finished the event by offering an abbreviated summary of their thoughts and goals.

“I’m thrilled to death (and) excited, still, to be elected,” Anderson said. “A key element is communication with all parts of the senate district. I’m going to rely on you folks as much as you rely on me to give me feedback and a real sense of on the ground things that are happening.”

And Gomberg repeated what is perhaps 2020’s most often used phrase.

“The phrase that ‘We’re all in it together’ has gotten a little bit overused perhaps this year, but it’s fundamentally true and always has been at the coast,” he said. “I look around this group, and I see people who work for the Chamber, people who work for the PUD, people that work in industry groups like the realtors, (people) helping backpacks for kids and the food banks and so many other groups and organization around the coast, (and they’re) all making a difference.”

As for Skaar, she closed her thoughts with a promise to work with the community.

“I didn’t come into this position with a huge agenda of things I was going to change in this community,” she said. “My agenda is your agenda. I’m here to serve. I really look forward to working with all of you. I look forward to continuing to attend meetings like these so I can hear what’s happening in your communities so that I can do what you need from me.”

Brown, too, pointed to the importance of community.

“Tillamook County is my home,” he said. “It’s been my family’s home for generations. I have a lot of care for the well being of this community. The sheriff’s office is a second family to me. Family is one of the most important things, and the sheriff’s office and the people within it are my family. All of my reasons, I believe, are from my heart and they are true. I will always do what’s best for the sheriff’s office and for the community.”

For more information about the Pacific City-Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commerce, visit pcnvchamber.org.