A political advertisement published in the Bandon Western World supporting Fred Messerle reveals a long list of supporters from the business and economic development community ranging from the chamber rats Al Pettit, Jon Barton and Timm Slater to Cal Mukumoto of the tribe’s CEDCO arm and Mrs Bob Main’s employer, Mary Schamehorn, editor of the Myrtle Point Herald and mayor of Bandon, Joe Benetti, Joseph Drew of ORC, Ron Stuntzner, John Knutson, Messerle’s wife Sandy and more. These people may have something to gain by electing Fred Messerle as a commissioner but the rest of us do not.
See a larger version of the ad here. Messerle ad
The list can serve as a “who not to do business with” list. Economic development agencies exist for one purpose and that is to extract money from state and federal coffers and funnel it to select private hands in the name of job creation. The port is superb and the ffunneling part and miserable at creating new jobs. SCDC doesn’t even do a good job or the former much less the latter
That list of supporters could be construed as a back scratch-er watch list if Freds elected and they impose an administrator who cuts deals for services rendered to a favored list of business associates, sort of like the way the port does business with a disposable CEO who cuts secret deals with no bid contracts and non-disclosure agreements. Everyone knows this goes on at the port, its even sanctioned by the governor. So this new model of government efficiency that Fred and Jon will impose would make that form of capitalism very convenient for some of these folks abuse if they so desired, but surely they wouldn’t take advantage of the system if given the opportunity.
The list includes a bunch of do nothings as well as some accopmplished. A few of those names wont help get him elected. The man is a loser. many are chamber members.