After snubbing the League of Women Voters candidate forum and declining a Rob Taylor podcast with Coos County commissioner challengers Drew Farmer and Chris Castleman, incumbent Bob Main chose to attend the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon yesterday. Before providing an account of the Chamber forum I want to share an email exchange I had with Main asking why he chose not to attend the aforementioned forums.

Me: Hello Bob,

            You have declined to attend candidate forums with Castleman and Farmer. Please explain why as many voters would appreciate the opportunity to make informed decisions before casting their votes.

Thanks,

Mary Geddry

In typical Bob fashion he plays dumb with the following response.

Main: Mary,
Which forums are you referring too?

Bob

Robert “Bob” Main
Coos County Commissioner

Regardless, I bit and provided specifics about the forums he declined but obviously any and all forums would be an easy answer for him to explain why he wouldn’t participate.

Me: LOWV and an invitation to participate on Rob Taylor’s podcast.

Mr Slippery demonstrates his gift for obfuscation and avoidance with this reply.

Main: Mary,

The conversations with Rob Taylor and the LOWV’s was a private conversation and I do not feel comfortable sharing the conversations without approval from both.

Bob

Robert “Bob” Main

Coos County Commissioner

Downright weaselly, in my opinion. Knowing he wouldn’t reply I sent the following.

Me: That makes no sense, Bob. I’m not asking for details of any conversation. Why would you choose not to attend these candidate forums?

Rob T did volunteer that you told him you didn’t want to “argue with squirrels.” Is that your opinion of your challengers?

Chris Castleman and his girlfriend Jasmine sat at my table and he does come across as a pleasant young man. Like Commissioner Rod Taylor and, dare I say Main, Castleman’s thought processes are constrained by rigid dogmatic right-wing views and opinions. He has criticized Farmer for his willingness to work with Democrats and Republicans to get things done. Further, he would sacrifice mandated county services like the assessor and public health to fund law enforcement and expand jail beds. While he supports law enforcement he opposes Measure 6-213, the so-called safety levy. Castleman appears to want to fill the gap left by Matt Wilbanks and has recorded his own encounters harassing the houseless. (Sidenote. Unconfirmed reports indicate local militia leader Matt Wilbanks has left the county.)

Despite presiding over the continued decline in county services and funding shortfalls, Main spent most of the forum boasting about past accomplishments and criticizing liberal policies for not allowing the county to be clear-cut. While the county commission is a nonpartisan position, he has been in the habit of bashing liberals and Democrats during his commissioner comments board meetings.

Main’s closing comments demonstrate his contempt for anyone with different opinions and perspectives and his adherence to dogma versus factual analysis.

To me Measure 110 was the worst thing to happen to Oregon for a long, long, long time. Any drug goes, that’s why we have a lot of the problems we have. On August 23, I initiated a resolution calling for the repeal of 110. My fellow two commissioners signed it as well as the Sheriff. 110 was promoted, if you don’t know, by New York based Drug Policy Alliance which received support from member of the board George Soros. He was the one who promoted measure 110 … he also promoted marijuana legalization if you don’t know. 110 is the first liberal drug measure in the nation. Frankly, legalization has been a disaster in my opinion and …. Action by the Oregon legislature has been totally useless.

The Oregon legislature passed a $372 million bill using your money for treatment and shelter but absolutely no money for law enforcement in that bill. The governor kicked those people out of the mental institutions and put them all back on the streets and our communities and didn’t do those people any service at all because they can’t fend for themselves .

 Main, is incapable of looking for sustainable solutions that are within our control and instead expects the Supreme Court or legislative deregulation, or mythical elves or more recently, property owners to come to the rescue. 

Only Farmer demonstrated a willingness to examine and evaluate problems and look for solutions over which we may have some agency. Part of that is his willingness to work with all ideologies.

 

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