Well, another Tuesday, and another meeting of the Benton County Commissioners. The agenda included reports from the district water master, and local economic development officials. Also on the agenda were updates on solid waste, body cameras, homelessness and funding requests from outside agencies. That sounds like a pretty full and weighty agenda, eh? Chock full of honest to goodness government business and community development and so forth and so on.
Anyone care to guess how many County Commissioner candidates were there? Let me give you a minute to think about that before answering.
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By now hopefully you're not surprised to hear that, once again, I was not only the only candidate there, I was the only member of the public there. The only other non-county employee there was (the previously mentioned) Bennett Hall from the Gazette-Times. Heck, not even all the County Commissioners even made it. Anne Schuster was absent.
So, as I was sitting there, listening intently, taking notes, I had a whole series of questions come to mind - questions I cannot answer. First and foremost: When these sitting Commissioners, who have all endorsed other candidates, see me sitting there, and don't see "their" candidates even bothering to show up, what do they think about that? Does it bother them? Disappoint them? Worry them? Do they even register that "something's missing" at all?
Flipping that perspective around, I have to wonder what the other candidates are playing at. Why aren't they there? And by that I mean, why don't they ever seem to be there? One of them is not working and is on disability. One of them boasts of having "retired at 40." One of them doesn't have a paying job at all. And another one of them is self-employed, and thus could probably flex their schedule to make a meeting or two. But they don't. None of them do. Why not? In my world, part of running for office is knowing the office, observing the people holding those seats, etc. It just seems bizarre and taking a lot for granted to not even show up for the occasional meeting.
Per the issues covered at the meeting today, and that come up at the campaign forums...Everybody likes to talk about "economic development" for all of Benton County, right? It's almost a mantra: "And I will focus on economic development for all of Benton County!" Well, maybe...
But if you'd been at the meeting today, you might have had that notion essentially and extensively undercut by what is really going on. Is it really helping "all of Benton County" to have one of the areas of focus be working to improve things in downtown Corvallis? Does it really broaden things out much to also focus on the urban renewal plan for south Corvallis? Is it really something to boast about "for all of Benton County" that just 38% of your economic development activity took place outside of Corvallis? Do the people doing the boasting realize that 38% is much less than half?
Again, these are questions I cannot answer. But so much of the talk about economic development "for all of Benton County" starts to seem like a lie when you look at what really goes on. Corvallis continues to get a huge portion of local "economic development" efforts, even though you could say that one of the last things Corvallis currently needs is economic development. Economic equality? Yes! Economic justice? You bet! More economic resources diverted to Corvallis? Not so much, folks.
Think about it: If these people in charge were really intent on creating economic development for the whole county, they would have left the damned museum where it was and, if they had to build a new one, build it in Philomath as well. But no. The museum - and all those dollars - went to...Corvallis.
So, please, at the end of the day, remember two things. One is that for most of the people doing the talking about economic development for Benton County, it's just that - talk. Look closely at what they're actually doing before you believe it. But also please be advised that I do, and will, represent the best interests of all of Benton County, and won't just continue the ingrained habit of sending anything and everything to Corvallis exclusively. I am running to represent the people of Benton County, and will do so in a thoughtful, informed and honest manner. And fair. And balanced. You should pardon the expression.
Anyone care to guess how many County Commissioner candidates were there? Let me give you a minute to think about that before answering.
*
*
*
By now hopefully you're not surprised to hear that, once again, I was not only the only candidate there, I was the only member of the public there. The only other non-county employee there was (the previously mentioned) Bennett Hall from the Gazette-Times. Heck, not even all the County Commissioners even made it. Anne Schuster was absent.
So, as I was sitting there, listening intently, taking notes, I had a whole series of questions come to mind - questions I cannot answer. First and foremost: When these sitting Commissioners, who have all endorsed other candidates, see me sitting there, and don't see "their" candidates even bothering to show up, what do they think about that? Does it bother them? Disappoint them? Worry them? Do they even register that "something's missing" at all?
Flipping that perspective around, I have to wonder what the other candidates are playing at. Why aren't they there? And by that I mean, why don't they ever seem to be there? One of them is not working and is on disability. One of them boasts of having "retired at 40." One of them doesn't have a paying job at all. And another one of them is self-employed, and thus could probably flex their schedule to make a meeting or two. But they don't. None of them do. Why not? In my world, part of running for office is knowing the office, observing the people holding those seats, etc. It just seems bizarre and taking a lot for granted to not even show up for the occasional meeting.
Per the issues covered at the meeting today, and that come up at the campaign forums...Everybody likes to talk about "economic development" for all of Benton County, right? It's almost a mantra: "And I will focus on economic development for all of Benton County!" Well, maybe...
But if you'd been at the meeting today, you might have had that notion essentially and extensively undercut by what is really going on. Is it really helping "all of Benton County" to have one of the areas of focus be working to improve things in downtown Corvallis? Does it really broaden things out much to also focus on the urban renewal plan for south Corvallis? Is it really something to boast about "for all of Benton County" that just 38% of your economic development activity took place outside of Corvallis? Do the people doing the boasting realize that 38% is much less than half?
Again, these are questions I cannot answer. But so much of the talk about economic development "for all of Benton County" starts to seem like a lie when you look at what really goes on. Corvallis continues to get a huge portion of local "economic development" efforts, even though you could say that one of the last things Corvallis currently needs is economic development. Economic equality? Yes! Economic justice? You bet! More economic resources diverted to Corvallis? Not so much, folks.
Think about it: If these people in charge were really intent on creating economic development for the whole county, they would have left the damned museum where it was and, if they had to build a new one, build it in Philomath as well. But no. The museum - and all those dollars - went to...Corvallis.
So, please, at the end of the day, remember two things. One is that for most of the people doing the talking about economic development for Benton County, it's just that - talk. Look closely at what they're actually doing before you believe it. But also please be advised that I do, and will, represent the best interests of all of Benton County, and won't just continue the ingrained habit of sending anything and everything to Corvallis exclusively. I am running to represent the people of Benton County, and will do so in a thoughtful, informed and honest manner. And fair. And balanced. You should pardon the expression.
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