rogue reporter

Thanks to I Love Grants Pass Web site, here is a link to a great discussion. Way to go, Jack Greenburg!
Dicsussion

At the last Grants Pass City Council meeting some very good decisions were made– and it was a record short meeting!

But seriously, the Grants Pass City Council was right to vote yes to require the city budget to keep a 30 percent reserve rather than spending the entire budget down at the end of the fiscal year. Any good business operates with at least 165 days cash on hand, a government should not be any different.

This has some obvious advantages, but there are some more subtle ones. For example, the city will not have to borrow money at the end of the year to tide over the budget. This could save a ton of dollars in interest, etc.

This decision will be good for the city.

Hats off to Dr. Heather Kahn and Karen Hoskins, PA, for setting up a new primary care practice, Rogue Medicine. As reported in the Grants Pass Daily Courier on February 24, this new service is desperately needed. “We live in an under-served community where many practices are closed to new patients,” said Hoskins.

And she is right. We talk about the need to improve infrastructure in Grants Pass, but our healthcare infrastructure gets little attention. While the emergency department at Three Rivers Community Hospital swells with patients who do not have access to primary care, these two healthcare providers are a welcome addition to the the area.

As your city councilor, I will work to improve access to healthcare in Grants Pass.

A Grants Pass City Council video voters guide was recently made by Margaret Goodwin for Americans for Prosperity, an independent group of conservative Americans in Grants Pass. Thanks guys!

Here is a link to my video (and everyone’s):

Grant Walker City Council Campaign Video

If you would like to know more about AFP, try this link: http://www.fightbackoregon.com/
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As reported in the Grants Pass Daily Courier, some groups in town have endorsed certain candidates. The Courier also stated in an editorial that the endorsements smack of “bloc” thinking, and could lead to the same problems we had with the last City Council. In other words, vote your own way and don’t let some group decide for you.

Endorsements are attempts to stack the City Council with blocks of votes. Don’t let that happen to your city. Vote your own mind and conscience.

One group, Citizens for Open and Honest Government (CFOHG) decided to endorse candidates without ever contacting any of the candidates. That seems odd. When asked by the Courier who CFOHG members were, the only other member of CFOHG Holzinger would identify was Bob Anderson, “I don’t have permission to publish other names at this time,” she said to the Courier.

Does that sound open and honest?

The GP and Josephine Chamber sent out a questionnaire to all candidates and published them on its Web site and made endorsements based on the answers. Again, they did not talk to every candidate.

My answers to those questions are on this Web site.

My ideas and values are clearly expressed on this Web site. I believe if you compare my point of view with the others, you will vote for me.

Here is the link to the TV-10 story on the voters’ guide: VOTERS GUIDE.

In a recent article about urgent care clinics in the Grants Pass Daily Courier, Dr. Lyle Jackson is quoted. The paper states, “Both Grants Pass Clinic’s urgent care and Valley Immediate Care have something in common, Jackson notes: ‘They’re “a reflection that we don’t have enough doctors in this community. There is an overall doctor shortage here.’”

And isn’t that the truth!

We know we have a large retirement community developing in Grants Pass and also an even larger younger, uninsured population. They need doctors who will see them in Grants Pass.

Our City Council must take actions that will encourage family practice physicians to move to this area and stay. We can work though our tourism bureau, Rogue Community College, local hospital, and medical clinics to recruit good doctors and keep them here. “It’s the Climate,” will bring them here, access to healthcare will help keep them here.

My campaign is about open communication and transparency. A well-informed voter makes the right vote, and I believe a well-informed community will make the right decisions.

There is no voters’ pamphlet for this election. There are very good reasons, both financially and in terms of time, that the city chose not to have a pamphlet. But, looking back, I think we can all agree that there should have been one.

Now Jim Rafferty, a Selma resident, has decided to create a voters guide out of his own pocket.

Good for him.

Engaged citizens make for good government. Some candidates may be concerned about the multiple choice questionnaire he has sent to all candidates. The questions do imply a little bias, but at least he is trying to get info out there. I also understand he is revising it.

Once that voters’ guide is available online, I will link to it from this site, meanwhile, here is the questionnaire, decide for yourself what you think of it:

(By the way, my answers are: 1- a, b; 2- a; 3- (for mayor, a, for city manager, none, as he cannot veto the council); 4- b; 5- c, with a caveat (I would not call it a travesty, but there should have been a pamphlet).

From: Josephine County Citizens Candidate Forum

Please respond by 2/15/10

541-471-4941 Jim e-mail hwdplus@wmni.net

NOTE: www.j3cf.com will be up and running by 2/18/10 or sooner. You can have a 250 word bio with picture and your web site link. Each candidate will have your own page. Please e-mail the information to me at the above address in time for us to build your page. Again at no cost to you.

For Grants Pass City Council Candidate’s questions:

1) What is your position on future City government funding?

a) I would make do with current funds

b) I would look for alternative revenue

c) I would raise fees

d) I would recommend higher taxes

e) Did Not Answer

2) If elected, I pledge to adhere to my oath of office unconditionally.

a) I do

b) I will not

c) I’ll think about it

d) Depends on the subject

e) Did Not Answer

3) What will you do if the City Manager or Mayor over-rides the Council?

a) I would object

b) I would respect their decision

c) I would listen to the citizens, then decide

d) I would resign

e) Did Not Answer

4) Who does the City Manager report to?

a) the legal council

b) the city council

c) the citizens

d) the mayor

e) Did Not Answer

5) How do you feel about not having a voter’s pamphlet for this election?

a) the City staff made the right decision

b) we all must save money where we can

c) it’s a travesty, voters have the right to election information

d) no opinion

e) Did Not Answer

At the city council forum each candidate weighed in on what should be done with the Grants Pass Urband Growth Boundary and where and how the city should grow. Everyone pretty much agreed that the southwest area was the logical place for growth; flat and easy to expand.

I do agree witht that to a point, but we need to develop Grants Pass with a mix of small businesses and larger production-oriented business as well as quality residential areas. After talking with local residents and businessmen, as well as people at Southern Oregon Regional Development Corportion (www.soredi.org), I have a different view.

Rather than expanding the southwest, there is still a lot of room for fill-in development, both residential and commercial. The area bounded by 199, Redwood Highway, and Dowell Road is a good example. Some aging commercial property there could be greatly revitalized.

However, as fill-in, the acreage available in southwest is mostly smaller, under 5 acres, and traffic patterns are not good. This is fine for small residential subdivisions and business offices, etc., and we could develop this part of town into a lovely, small-footprint residential and commercial mix. But for larger businesses to develop or move into Grants Pass, we will need much larger chunks of land.

To do this, the best choice, in my opinion, is North Valley, which would require working with the County. But if we want Grants Pass to grow in terms of larger business, this is what needs to be done.

What do you think?

Please leave your comments.

Last night was the first of two public forums for city council candidates. A lot of great questions were asked, and it was clear from the answers given by the candidates that Grants Pass will have a devoted city council no matter who gets elected.

One question that came up was regarding walkways and paths along the river. I must confess I did not understand the question. I thought the question was about improving riverfront in the existing Grants Pass parks along the river. Yes, I would be in favor of that, as great parks are a key to making a city attractive and usable by the citizens and desirable for people and business thinking about moving here.

But I see now the underlying question was property rights. At the heart of the question, do I believe in the concept of eminent domain. Property owner rights always come first. The only time a city, county, state or federal government should be able to claim eminent domain for the appropriation of private property is when public safety or need is so great that it must be done.

Walkways and bike paths do not qualify for that.

The city may buy property that the landowner wishes to sell for the purpose of creating a riverfront area for the public. But again, listening is the key. We must talk to the citizens, gather as much information and opinion as possible, and make a decision that best suits all involved.

Eminent domain is an abused concept in many places, and long-time homeowners have been forced out off their property to build shopping malls or condominium development that benefit just the real estate developers. That is wrong. Property rights are essential the the founding principles of this county and should not be violated, ever.