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By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune October 18. 2014 12:01AM Commissioner's race: Ankerberg touts financial expertise Curt Ankerberg Curt Ankerberg said he would use his financial expertise and fight corruption if elected. A certified public accountant and Libertarian candidate, Ankerberg said the board's primary purpose is the planning, formation and implementation of the county budget. "Commissioners make the budget and manage and spend your tax dollars," he said. "The commissioners' job is financial. I have far more financial experience than any of my opponents." He said he has 30 years of experience in accounting and has advised thousands of businesses, both large and small. Ankerberg claimed Medford and the county are rife with corruption. He pointed to the recent formation of a Jackson County library district as an example. In 2013, county officials predicted smaller library branches would close in 2014 and the main Medford branch would close in 2015 because of a lack of money for library operations. That prompted library supporters to put a library district on the May ballot this year. Before the May election, county officials said the county would, in fact, have enough money to fund library operations for the 2014-2105 fiscal year. Despite that news, a majority of voters still approved higher property taxes and a new library district. Ankerberg said county officials told "a blatant lie" when they initially said they didn't have enough money to fund library operations as well as agricultural extension services. Voters also approved extension service funding. "The county lied to the taxpayers saying, 'We don't have money for the libraries.' They had the money. They lied to the public because they wanted the library and extension center off the county budget. That freed up money for the county to spend in other ways," he said. Ankerberg said there is a local "good ol' boys" network among government officials, business leaders and the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. He said he opposes government spending to help finance downtown buildings and plazas. "The good ol' boys expect corporate welfare from the county," Ankerberg said. He said the county should not provide any funding for a public/private partnership to build a Medford convention center. He said business leaders want a convention center so they can build more hotels. "It won't create high-paying jobs. It makes the rich richer off the backs of the poor. It's crony capitalism," Ankerberg said. Ankerberg said he supports a statewide measure to legalize recreational marijuana. He said only adults should have access to the drug. He said marijuana should be treated the same as alcohol and taxed, licensed and regulated. "The war on drugs has been a failure. The drug issue hasn't been solved," Ankerberg said. "We spend a large amount of money and resources fighting it when we should fight violent crimes like rape, robbery, assault and battery. Smoking marijuana is a victimless crime." CURT ANKERBERGTown: MedfordAge: 61Occupation: Certified public accountantEducation: Bachelor's degree in businesses administration and accountingPrior government experience: Volunteer Medford School District algebra tutor http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141018/NEWS/141019650 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->