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48 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, October 21, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 17, 2003 Gilmour, Winters seek Rogue River input The town hall meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rogue River Middle School By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Newly elected Jackson County Commissioner Dave Gilmour and Sheriff Mike Winters are making good on campaign promises of more direct community involvement by holding the first in a series of town hall meetings outside Medford. Gilmour and Winters campaigned on the premise that rural areas of Jackson County were being underserved and understaffed. Gilmour says commissioners Sue Kupillas and Jack Walker, as well as County Administrator Sue Slack, and a county planning representative will attend to get citizen input. It’s scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rogue River Middle School. Gilmour says the meeting will be open to any topic. "We’re not going to try and jam any preconceived agendas down anyone’s throat," says Gilmour. "We just want to hear people’s concerns and their suggestions about how people would like to see things change." Winters also said he wants to hear what residents have to say. "I said in the campaign this is the citizens’ sheriff department and no one else’s," he said. "If people have constructive criticism, we want to hear it." Shayne Maxwell, recent state legislative candidate and a longtime real estate agent, said she is glad the commissioners are coming to Rogue River. She has several concerns she’d like to see addressed. With zoning and land-use laws at the top of her list, Maxwell says she sees people with land they cannot do anything with because of what she says are restrictive land-use laws. "I want to see more local control, not state control," she said. "They sit up in Salem and make decisions about what we can and cannot do with our land." The permit process is another issue she’d like to see revised. "It is an arduous, expensive and prohibitive process for people to develop or improve their own land," she said. "It can get so frustrating that some people just end up taking matters into their own hands, such as installing a septic system in the middle of the night. "But then no one is enforcing violations. It seems to me the cart is before the horse." If this meeting generates enough turnout and input, Gilmour and Winters said they will have more town hall meetings in other communities, including Ruch, Applegate and Shady Cove. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times