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October 21. 2014 12:01AM Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House We endorsed Corey Falls for Jackson County sheriff in the primary, when he received more votes than incumbent Sheriff Mike Winters. Winters has since withdrawn from the race, but his name still appears on the ballot, and although he has pledged to work with Falls to hand over the department, he said he would continue in office if voters re-elected him. Voters who think it's time for a change in the Sheriff's Office should not skip that race thinking it's been decided. There are three lopsided contests for Southern Oregon House seats, two because strong incumbents are seeking re-election and one because of a huge disparity in party registration. Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, one of the top leaders in the House, is co-chairman of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee. He is a seasoned lawmaker and a good representative of his district, which is dominated by Ashland voters. His challenger, Nick Card, 25 is bright and capable, but notes his only governmental experience is being a taxpayer. He needs a little more seasoning before taking on a veteran like Buckley. District 5 voters should stay with Buckley. Rep. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, is an attorney first elected to the House in 2010. He rose quickly through the ranks, and was elected minority leader in 2012. He does a good job of representing the sprawling 55th District, which stretches from north of Prineville to the California border and takes in northeastern Jackson County to the outskirts of Medford. His challenger, Democrat Richard Phay, a retired teacher from Prineville, has not run a strong campaign and stands little chance in the heavily Republican district. We recommend District 55 voters re-elect McLane. Frank Brannen, a Libertarian from Shady Cove, also appears on the ballot.  In District 4, longtime Rep. Dennis Richardson's run for governor has created an open seat. GOP nominee Duane Stark, a pastor from Grants Pass, has the edge because the district is overwhelmingly Republican. He touts his strong conservative credentials, and worked as legislative assistant to Richardson, who has endorsed him. Democrat Darlene Taylor, 68, a retired research analyst from Central Point, faces an uphill battle in the conservative district, and it won't help that she apparently did not file any information for the state voter's pamphlet. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141021/OPINION/141029960 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->