According to The World the chairman of the CCAP (Coos County Alliance for Progress) political action committee thinks Fred Messerle lost because rural south county voters are too dumb to understand complex issues and were confused.
Jon Barton, a director of Coos County Alliance for Progress, a group that was financially supporting Messerle, said Main ran a strong campaign.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I do hope that Bob approaches the next four years with an open mind and a slightly more progressive attitude about things.”
He believed Messerle lost votes, particularly in South Coos County, due to public misunderstanding over several issues.
He said a proposal to hire an administrator, supported by Messerle, became overly politicized. People also incorrectly linked a conservation project that Messerle was spearheading with a tentative proposal by the federal government to expand the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.
Reading that, one has to wonder if Barton is the author behind some of the paper’s more offensive editorials, but it’s his political blindness that’s most interesting. The PAC(K) board and its contributors are closely associated with some very unpopular and unsavory dealings, one which put an 85 year old pilot company out of business. CCAP contributed $5,000 to Hillsboro senator, Bruce Starr after he carried the controversial towboat bill that ultimately gave another PAC(K) board member and towboat competitor, John Knutson a monopoly. Barton fails to realize that Messerle’s association with the PAC(K) and his close ties with personalities like himself and Knutson didn’t confuse voters at all, it repelled them.
Finally, Messerle and the PAC(K) had The World, The Western World and the Myrtle Point Herald at their disposal to educate befuddled south county voters so if voter confusion had anything to do with Messerle’s loss then Barton and company have no one to blame but themselves.
The real reason is not confusion at all, south county voters were simply disgusted by all the money and the lack of substance and the hard sell and the foul dirty smell of political favors.
The walrus will still control the county board with two new folks who did not want to be full time 24/7 commissioners and who the people will be watching closely to assure that they meet the published job description of a commissioner. Please, show the advertisers of the World garbage can liner your disgust. Show PAC members frozen spaghetti Benetti and others who tried to buy the county that there are other merchants deserving of your money.
On the other hand, those “two new folks” were duly elected by democratic majorities. Do you not respect or love democracy? Or do you dispute the process? Or do you think the voters were ill-informed, ignorant, misguided, or wrong? Don’t you think their votes count for something?
In reality, this election was very much a mixed decision. There are no mandates or clear directives. Seems like that means the elected ones should do their level best to do the best thing for our county. Questioning their motives is foolhardy. Let the proof be in the pudding.
The big carpet baggers can easily buy a little wheeler-dealer like Phred.
A man like Bob is more problematic, thinks he really has a responsibility to be open and fair in his public position.
Most country people appreciate that, but we get distracted and the next thing you know, we vote for the guy with the most signs and hoopla.
Thats what they hoped for, and it almost happened.
What personal gain? What Ethics Commission?