Eight candidates have filed for elective offices in Coos County and three government entities will ask voters to approve tax levies at the May 21 Primary election.
County Commissioner Robert “Bob” Main has filed for reelection to his position, County Commissioner Position 1. He has two challengers in the May Primary election, Chris Castleman and Drew Farmer. The term is four years, beginning in January 2025.
Castleman, according to his website, favors regaining local control and rejecting “destructive liberal policies.” He frequently attends meetings of the county commissioners.
Farmer, a Coos Bay resident most of his life, has been on the Coos Bay City Council since 2016. His term expires in November, according to the city’s website. He also attends the commissioners’ meetings.
Coos County Assessor Steve Jansen is not seeking re-election. Two candidates, Jason E. Corbus of Coquille, a residential real estate appraiser for Coos County, and Jeff Etzel, a commercial-industrial real estate appraiser for Coos County, have filed to succeed him. The four-year term begins next January.
County Treasurer Megan Simms also has filed for re-election. She has no opposition.
And District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, who has held the position since 2008, is not seeking re-election to the state-funded office. His chief deputy, Jody A. Newby of Bandon, has filed to succeed him. She is a former deputy prosecutor in Cowlitz County, WA, who earned her bachelor’s degree at Willamette University in Salem and her professional degree at Seattle University.
Coos County will be asking voters to approve a five-year local option levy to fund public safety. If voters approve the measure, the county would assess 98 cents per $1,000 of property value beginning in fiscal 2024-25. According to the measure summary the county filed, the levy would raise more than $5.7 million in the first year, and more in subsequent years, to increase the capacity of the Coos County Jail to 147 adult beds, which is 49 more than its current 98-bed capacity. Sheriff Gabriel “Gabe” Fabrizio said the jail’s capacity should be doubled to 98 beds by the time the primary election occurs.
The proposed levy also would allow the district attorney’s office to hire two more prosecutors to increase the office’s ability to prosecute more criminal cases. Frasier has told county commissioners the office is backlogged about 1,400 cases.
Proceeds from the levy would be placed in a restricted special revenue fund and would be reviewed annually by an external auditor, the ballot summary states. The special levy would expire after five years unless voters reapprove it.
Also on the primary ballot will be a measure filed by the Coquille School District, asking voters to approve general obligation bonds “to construct and improve” school facilities. The ballot question asks if the district may issue $14.555 million in general obligation bonds to finance school improvements. The measure summary states the district has been awarded a $6 million state grant that would be available only if voters approve the bond measure, which would cost an estimated $1.41 per $1,000 of property value.
Planned improvements include upgrades at Coquille Junior/Senior High School, Coquille Valley Elementary and Lincoln School of Early Learning. At the junior/senior high, the improvements would include seismic upgrades, renovating the 1948 classroom wing, securing the office vestibule and lower floor, remodeling the multipurpose room and securing access and modernizing classrooms.
At Coquille Valley Elementary, the bonds would pay for securing a vestibule entrance, improving and updating the office and replacing/updating the boilers, heating ductwork, electrical distribution, plumbing, piping and fixtures. At Lincoln, the planned upgrades include replacing/upgrading the heating-cooling system and electrical distribution, adding a secure vestibule entrance, replacing the fire alarm system and adding fire sprinklers, replacing and updating plumbing, piping and fixtures, and creating better access for the disabled with an elevator.
The Myrtle Point Health District is asking voters to approve a five-year levy to maintain and improve ambulance operations. If approved, the levy would raise nearly $146,000 the first year and more in subsequent years. It would cost taxpayers an estimated $30 cents per $1,000 of property value.
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