Public safety levy shot down in flames
by county’s voters
“A dark day” in Josephine County history is how county commission Chairman Jim Raffenburg describes the overwhelming defeat of a public safety levy in the Tuesday, May 15 special election.
Voters were asked if they favored a three-year levy that would have resulted in $42.6 million for the sheriff’s office, D.A.’s office and related offices.
Without the levy, and with the loss of federal O&C funds, there will be no patrol deputies, Sheriff Gil Gilbertson stated earlier.
Raffenburg announced that as of Wednesday, May 16, termination slips would be sent to 126 county employees. The three major sections and their losses: sheriff’s office, 42 employees; Juvenile Justice, 28; and D.A.’s office, 11. The layoffs will be effective as of May 31. “The days ahead will be filled with challenges that will surprise a great many people,” said Raffenburg.
During the past few weeks commissioners had discussed the possibility of pursuing a similar levy in September. However, Raffenburg said that if the “No” vote reached more than 60 percent, “I don’t think it would be wise” to make such a request.
County officials and members of the Citizens For Safe Communities (CFSC) political action committee gathered Tuesday night in Wild River Brew Pub in Grants Pass to await election results. D.A. Stephen Campbell initially said that he was “hopeful,” but well aware of what lies ahead for his office.
“If it goes down,” he said prior to the apparent defeat, “we’ll all have very difficult decisions to make over the next few months.”
While some at the pub seemed detached from election night, as they watched a basketball game on TV, it was a completely different scene for the election watch. County commission Vice Chairman Dave Toler and Nerissa Armstrong, president of CFSC, had been dispatched to retrieve unofficial results from the county clerk’s office.
At 8:30 p.m. Toler came in with Armstrong close behind. His announcement was mixed. The county had met the required 50 percent turnout; however, with 25 percent of the votes counted, 41 percent had voted in favor of the levy and 59 percent against.
The group applauded achieving the turnout threshold, but concessions of defeat soon followed. “This is a dark day for Josephine County,” said Raffenburg, “but the people have spoken.” Toler said, “I’m proud of county citizens for coming out for this vote.”
By 9 p.m., Wild River had pretty well cleared out. Herb Carter, chairman of the Josephine County Republican Central Committee, was among those present as things wound down. “From my standpoint I thank all the Republicans who voted for it though it goes against our grain to support additional taxation,” he said.
A few blocks away, there was an eerie silence at the county courthouse as election workers counted ballots behind closed doors. As of 9:17 p.m., 39.56 percent of votes favored the levy, and 61.44 voted “No.”
Approximately 72 percent of the total ballots had been counted.
-Scott Jorgensen
