A break in the weather allowed a quick walk through Coquille today and plastered in the window of American City Cabinets & Woodworking was a sign insulting at least 90% of the Monday through Friday traffic likely to see it. Accusing county employees represented by unions of being ‘inferior’ and of ‘lying’ is not just impolitic, it is flat out stupid.
Jim Harris, owner of American City is married to the chief deputy assessor, Denise Harris, (a former union member),and has been a staunch supporter of the controversial assessor, Adam Colby, (also a former union member). Harris is known for loudly expressing his opinions and in 2009 opposed the recall of Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean. Stufflebean survived the recall but lost in a crushing reelection bid receiving only 34% of the vote.
Colby’s lawyers have contacted this blog with information about his detractors/employees. Publishing it, (it wasn’t accurate anyway), wouldn’t have helped Colby, in my opinion.
As I have written here before, I think both sides need to steer away from personality and stick to issues. Are the public being well served or not? Are the taxing districts receiving the revenue they are entitled to? Are property owners properly assessed?
The rest of it just makes everyone look bad and this sign, degrading employees AND voters, represents the worst of gnarly street fighting.
Dumb sign. Impolitic? I would be interested to learn of your stated “Colby and his lawyers strategy to denounce public workers”. I believe that the man has been too silent. Every print and electronic media in the area knows that I have been the primary seeker of truth in the matter. Think Caine Mutiny. Think the commissoners, like a sleezeball terrorist, lobbed a grenade (their 29 June letter) into the marketplace hoping to kill at least one, and then they ran and hid from their constituents. They remain hidden ubder their rock.
If you seek good toilet reading, read every word of the 103 page amateurish report that you paid $76,000 for.
If the commissioners will disregard Oregon law that has goverened for 58 years to destroy Colby, they will disregard law to destroy others.
You are about to pay at least $100,000 for special elections. Possibly $150,000. When combined with the Stuffie recall, that’s $200,000 that could be of benefit to the citizens.
Stop the recall insanity.
That sign and a letter to the editor from Barbara Foord convinced me to mark my ballot this evening with a ‘yes’
I agree. I know how I voted.I think either way,Colby is gone.
Hey gmick, have to agree with you… he has probably gained more votes in favor of the recall and simultaneously lost future business. Pretty ugly stuff. Colby and his lawyers strategy to denounce public workers is likely to backfire, in my humble opinion, either next month or, like it did with Stufflebean, at the next election.
Doesn’t seem like Mr. Jim Harris made a very good business move there. I know where I won’t do business.I bet he didn’t complain when his wife was in the Union.I wonder how many Union people have done business with him in the past.Think he might have cut off his nose right there.