The Coalition for a Healthy Oregon PAC has contributed $2,000 and $1,000 respectively to Fred Messerle and Melissa Cribbins. According to FollowTheMoney.org the PAC is an institution and a registered lobbyist and has given $1,180,258 from 2004 to 2012 mostly to partisan races for the state legislature. Arnie Roblan has received $30,000 since 2004. Only $5,000 or .42% of contributions have been to non-partisan races so I asked an associate of the PAC, Josh Balloch, why the coalition was supporting these candidates.

Commissioner Fred Messerle and Ms. Melissa Cribbins are two county leaders who are committed to making the Health Transformation a success. They have a deep understanding of the local health care issues and the unique challenges facing providers on the south coast. This kind of expertise is invaluable for helping create a sustainable health care delivery system and improving the overall health of the south coast.

Both of these individuals embrace the goals and objectives of the Coalition for a Healthy Oregon so we have chosen to support them this election.

The Health Transformation is a major overhaul of the Oregon Health Plan and while it is laudable that Cribbins and Messerle are supportive I am unclear how, as commissioners, they would have significant impact on a state initiative at the county level and I have posed the question to Balloch. Additionally, how did the PAC ascertain the “deep knowledge” and full support of these particular candidates? Did the PAC send questionnaires to all the candidates or conduct interviews?

If anyone understands how the outcome of a county commission race might support the goals and objectives of the coalition enough to justify investing $3,000 please help me understand.

The county has become a laboratory for studying the influence of outside money on local politics and November may well demonstrate how a very few can run roughshod over the many, …in the current presidential election, 0.000063 percent of Americans — fewer than 200 of the country’s 310 million residents — have contributed 80 percent of all super-PAC donations.”

Meanwhile, Messerle has receipted another $4,200 towards his goal of becoming a fully paid part time commissioner and centralizing the county power structure.