Oregon’s precarious budgets overshadow all the decisions voters are faced with in the Lane County election, which in this season includes two races for Lane County commissioner’s seats and three minor housekeeping measures that would help administrators organize for these times of necessitated frugality.
Lane County is faced with a budget shortfall of approximately $17 million next year without any new anticipated revenue. This leaves the county with a significantly hindered capacity to provide services, and the campaigns of county commissioner are gearing up to handle a difficult budget. The five-seat Lane Board of County Commissioners will replace two of its members come Nov. 2, leaving the positions open for competition.
Springfield Commissioner Bill Dwyer and West Lane Commissioner Bill Fleenor have both chosen not to run for the position. The Springfield Commissioner race will be contested by Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken and Lane Community College Board member Pat Riggs-Henson, with former County Commissioner Jerry Rust and civil engineer Jay Bozievich competing for the West Lane seat.
Liane Richardson, spokesperson for current West Lane County Commissioner Bill Fleenor, described the three non-controversial measures. Measure 20-174, measure 20-175 and measure 20-176 on this year’s ballot are meant to deal with the county’s anticipated budget cuts, allowing the Lane Board of County Commissioners to reorganize departments to improve efficiency.
“This change simply reflects the fact that over time, there may be a need to further change the county’s structure in order to continue to provide essential services,” Richardson said.
County administrator Jeff Sparks said the geographical designations applied to the commissioners, such as “West Lane” County
Commissioner, are somewhat deceiving, because each commissioner represents one-fifth of a board that votes on decisions that effect the county as a whole.
“They all have equal power once they are sworn in,” Sparks said. “Whatever three of them decide to do is the law of the land around here.”
Voters wield the power to decide who fills two of these seats in less than two weeks, and in all likelihood both races will be close. None of the county commissioner candidates defeated their opponents soundly enough in the May 18 election earlier this year to avoid the Nov. 2 runoff.
Jerry Rust, who served as a county commissioner between 1977 and 1997, hopes to again take a position at the commissioner’s board. Rust said balancing the budget is at the forefront of his priorities for the county, but he isn’t looking elsewhere for help with the budget shortfalls.
“It’s possible that the feds will bestow some money on Lane County, but I think it’s a slim chance,” he said. “I’m looking at trying to take the budget down by attrition, with minimum pain to the public and employees.”
Rust admits there will be pain. His plan for the budget proposes early retirement plans, freezing of open county positions and salary cuts. Rust said he was involved in the county budget-making process that occurred early last summer and criticized his opponent, Jay Bozievich, for his absence at those meetings.
“I’ve been doing the heavy lifting on this budget,” Rust said. “Jay (Bozievich) sent out a press release criticizing the county budget after it had been published, but he wasn’t there. He doesn’t have the mentality to get in there and do this.”
Bozievich, Leiken and Riggs-Henson’s campaigns did not return phone calls by deadline.
[email protected]