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--> --> Five commish's a great idea Contrary to Ric Holt's claims in the Sept. 28 Tidings story, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners can be increased from three to five very easily, without any increase in cost. The Washington County Board of Commissioners has been overseeing a county with over twice the population and over three times the valuation of Jackson County for nearly 20 years with four of the five commissioners paid half-time. Not only should there be more than three Jackson County commissioners representing a population approaching 200,000 and controlling a county budget of over $200 million, but with a quorum of two it's virtually impossible for the commission to abide by the open meetings law. "A quorum of two won't do!" As to district representation, Lane County LWV observer Emily Schue says "Districts have worked for us. Before Lane used that system, the three commissioners were all from Eugene or Springfield, with no rural representation." And the county administrator reports, "My experience as county administrator with Lane County is that the district representation works well. It does create a voice for the different regions of the county ..." Let's improve county representation by increasing the number of commissioners from three to five, by making four of the five other than full-time political occupations, and by enabling applicants to campaign in only one quarter of the county. That's the structure of the board of commissioners in Washington County. As Dick Schouten, lawyer and part-time Washington County Commissioner says, "I believe district commissioners and one at-large chair has worked well for us here in this county." Hal Cloer, Secretary of LWVA Ashland Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing