An informed voter hopes to have good information about a candidate’s background and policy positions. Right, left, or center on the political spectrum, voters deserve to know the qualifications, and the institutional goals the candidate has for the office sought.
So what are we to make of a candidate running for 4 distinctly different board positions in Tillamook County? Teah Laviolette will be on the May 16 ballot for board positions for our Transportation, Health, Community College, and Recreation districts. Any one of those would require a lot of time and energy, and hopefully a candidate brings a genuine interest to the job.
Is that possible with 4 different positions? I don’t think so. Is Ms. Laviolette naive? I don’t think so. But I do think she owes Tillamook County voters an explanation of the thinking behind this scattershot strategy.
It’s worth mentioning that in March the NCRD and Transportation District Boards met at the exact same time with important decisions to be made. That’s not workable for one person. Which position would be resigned when the workload is too much?
Ms. Laviolette says she wants transparent and honest discussions. Ok – what’s good for the boards is good for the candidate.
Craig Nern
Neahkahnie
