THE OCEANSIDER: Commissioner Finalists on the Hot Seat (Link to Forum, Pioneer’s Q&A)

By Jerry Keene, Editor, The Oceansider

A crowd of about 40 residents and an additional number of online viewers attended Thursday‘s County Commissioner candidate forum at the PRI Building in Tillamook. It was the first of two public appearances planned for the six finalists seeking to fill the BOCC seat being vacated a year early by David Yamamoto. A number of county Department heads and other staff also showed up, presumably to take the measure of the group from which their newest leader will be selected. Here is a link to an audio recording of the entire forum:

The 90-minute gathering was marked by self-introductions, congenial exchanges, and thoughtful responses to 10 questions that the candidates were not provided ahead of time.  The questions were drawn from suggestions solicited from the public and posed to the candidates individually by moderator Lisa Phipps of the American Association of University Women. They ranged from frank and basic (“What exactly are the duties of a County Commissioner?”) to slyly hypothetical (“If you run for election at the end of your term, what interest groups do you anticipate would endorse you?”)  In the brief one- to two-minutes allowed for answers, the candidates often referred listeners to more detailed policy statements that all but one had provided to the Tillamook Pioneer for publication earlier in the week.  (EDITOR’S NOTE: The Pioneer received Paul Fournier’s letter of interest and resume today, Sunday Oct. 15th.) To review, click on each candidate’s name below:

The candidates’ only remaining public appearance will take place this Monday, October 16, at 5 p.m. at Tillamook Community College. The county describes the event as a candidate “panel interview” to be conducted by the Commissioners themselves.  Here is a link to the details, including a link to watch the proceeding remotely:  Candidate Panel Interview Information

A number of readers have asked The Oceansider about the “Great ShakeOut” event mentioned in other media and noted on our Community Calendar. It is actually part of a “national earthquake drill” being staged to highlight emergency preparedness (or the lack of it). The intrepid Oceanside Neighborhood Community Preparedness Team has been recruiting volunteers for a modest radio communications and tsunami evacuation exercise for the morning of the event. The Oceansider will devote a Special Edition to the event later this week with information on how Oceansiders might take part.

As the summer season winds down, it is again time to remove and store the lower railings and concrete planks of the Oceanside Centennial Steps beach access to avoid damage by winter storms. Those components were intentionally designed for such removal and will be reinstalled in the spring. The Centennial Steps and accompanying emergency vehicle ramp were installed in 2022 as the result of a community-driven collaboration by the Oceanside Neighborhood Association, Tillamook County Public Works, Oregon State Parks, Tillamook PUD and the Grand Ronde tribes. Hundreds of Oceansiders and annual visitors enjoy this safe beach access, which replaced a hazardous trail that for years had regularly seen beachgoers slip and sustain injuries.