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ELECTION 2016 Commissioner candidates trade barbs in Mail Tribune forum Challstrom, Strosser and Thomas take jabs at Breidenthal, who defends travel, record By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Apr. 25, 2016 @ 6:15 pm Updated Apr 25, 2016 at 6:18 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Apr. 25, 2016 @ 6:15 pm Updated Apr 25, 2016 at 6:18 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Incumbent Jackson County Commissioner Doug Breidenthal pointed to his three-plus years of experience while fellow candidates took occasional potshots at his record during a candidate forum hosted by the Mail Tribune Monday. In front of an audience of about 100, Breidenthal tackled several issues raised by two Republican challengers, Gordon Challstrom and Bob Strosser, and Democrat Jeff Thomas, who is running unopposed in the May 17 primary. Challstrom is a general contractor, while Strosser is a retired policeman and current real estate agent who served on the Medford City Council. Thomas is the general manager at the Connecting Point computer store and is chairman of the Medford School Board. Breidenthal has come under scrutiny for his extensive travel after racking up more than $73,000 in expenses in three years and missing more than 30 meetings in 2015. "Representation doesn't just happen here in Jackson County, it means you're in Salem and that means you're in (Washington) D.C.," he said. "That travel is important to do." He said his travel was not out of line with past commissioners and much of his expenses were covered by a state association, not local taxpayers. Initial reports showed the county had paid about $44,000 of the $73,000. He also said the travel had put him in a better position to deal with state and federal officials. Challstrom said coordinating with government agencies can be done locally without extensive travel. He said he could drive to Salem more quickly than flying and added the money spent on travel could have instead gone to projects the county currently can't fund. Thomas said a commissioner's role shouldn't be about regional or national policy making, but rather about dealing directly with issues at the local level. Strosser said cost and benefit has to be weighed when using public funds. "What are we bringing back?" he said. "If you can't validate that, you don't go." Thomas and Strosser said the travel question raises a broader issue, the size of the Board of Commissioners. Thomas said if elected, he would propose a charter change expanding the board to five commissioners, with the current commissioners' salaries divided five ways, to provide better representation. Strosser noted that with a three-person board, two commissioners can't meet to discuss matters without violating public meetings laws. The county commissioners have come under fire in recent months after the state Legislature deemed marijuana to be a commercial farm crop. The county prohibits commercial agriculture on properties zoned rural residential, which means a significant number of existing medical marijuana growers would be violating land-use law. Strosser said the county needs to be careful in opening rural residential land to commercial marijuana grows, unless it was prepared to also allow other operations. "You just can't allow marijuana and then discriminate against other types of commercial uses," he said. Breidenthal said the Legislature's intent was to allow marijuana cultivation in rural residential areas, as is the case in other parts of Oregon. But that, he said, conflicted with the county's existing regulations. "It has to be fair, adequate and equal across the board for everybody," Breidenthal said. Challstrom said the broader issue was about property rights and that county commissioners should fight for everyone's property rights. Thomas said the county should move to correct the discrepancy and not limit people from using their land for small commercial agricultural operations. The candidates were uniformly supportive of the county putting a ballot measure before voters to decide funding of the Southern Oregon Historical Society, rather than force the group to gather signatures to qualify a measure. Breidenthal said the county has rebuilt its "rainy-day" fund during his tenure, but Strosser noted that the county's financial good fortune is due in part to it no longer funding the library system or the Oregon State University Extension Service. After the county said it would drop funding for those services, voters approved levies to help keep them operating. Challstrom said resource management is critical in areas where there is fire danger. He said areas such as Butte Falls, Shady Cove and Rogue River should be afforded the same opportunity that Ashland received in its watershed thinning project. "We need to manage our resources, or we're going to lose whole communities," he said. Thomas several times addressed the need to create an environment that's attractive to business. He said that includes dealing with sticky issues such as mental health services, homelessness and affordable housing. "We've built a lot of facilities but less in services," Strosser said in agreement. In response to a question about federal monuments, Challstrom said Alaska and Wyoming have passed legislation to limit monuments to 5,000 acres. "With the current make-up of the Legislature in Salem, we've got not much of a chance of getting that done," he said. "They view Oregon as a tourist stop and I view it as a flyover, because we certainly can't work out there in those woods." Thomas countered that monuments are an economic asset that attracts business. "If you don't have those types of opportunities available for families, I don't think you're going to get businesses to come to Jackson County," he said. "Everything should be viewed through the lens of, 'If you're going to bring business here, what things do they want to have? And I think those are things they will want to have." Strosser drew a laugh when he said the first thing he would do when faced with dealing with the federal government on such issues would be to say a prayer. He said he would work to ensure that access to monument lands is protected and that they are not closed off to the public. Breidenthal said there should be no new monuments in a county where more than 50 percent of the land is already federally controlled. —Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted Apr. 25, 2016 @ 6:15 pm Updated Apr 25, 2016 at 6:18 PM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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