Raffenburg lauded for ‘standing up for the people’
From our weekly issue dated March 5, 2008
An explanation of who is paying for Commissioner Jim Raffenburg’s investigative lobbying trip to Washington, D.C. for county funds arose during the Josephine County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday morning, Feb. 27.
Held in Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass, approximately 20 persons attended. Raffenburg was challenged and chastised by a Grants Pass resident, Rycke Brown. She said that because Raffenburg plans to use money withheld from his salary by the county, that he did not take the pay cut he promised during his campaign for office.
Therefore, said Brown, “He has called himself a big, fat liar.”
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Raffenburg is this week attending a legislative meeting of the National Association of Counties (NAACO) in the U.S. capital to help ensure that the county’s financial interests are protected. While there he also intends to lobby on behalf of the county and others which are under the Oregon & California Railroad (Safety Net funding) Act. Without the funding, Josephine County faces a lack of some $12 million per year for operations.
Raffenburg explained Wednesday, and in an earlier statement, that he discovered after taking office that under Oregon law he could not take a pay cut.
“That left me with a moral dilemma,” he said. What he worked out was for the county to “hold 10 percent of (his) wages in the county treasury. This was the only way possible for me to keep my campaign promise.
“My intention was to let the money build up and take a lump sum payout when I left office. I would then donate that money either back to county government or to local organizations that benefit our youth or elderly.
“I have never planned, nor will I ever use this money for personal benefit.”
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He then explained that because of “a pattern of poor financial decisions by my fellow commissioners which has damaged my faith in their judgment, I no longer wish to leave my back wages to the county treasury.
“I believe,” he continued, “that there is no higher or better use for this money, at this time, than to use it to protect the financial interest of the people of Josephine County. That is why I decided to receive those wages now, instead of later when I leave office.
“After taxes, after this trip (to the NAACO conference) is paid for, I anticipate there will be approximately $5,000 remaining, which I will now donate to community organizations.”
Raffenburg was applauded by several in the audience for his “standing up for the people” intentions.
During a previous meeting commission Chairman Dave Toler and Commissioner Dwight Ellis voted against the county paying for the trip to Washington, D.C.
In connection with the county policy regarding travel, a demand was made for Toler to explain comments he made during a recent radio interview. The demand was posed by Paul Walter, of NewsWithViews.com.
Walter said that Toler’s statement about the policy being “a matter of interpretation” made him “sound like Bill Clinton.”
“So how is Raffenburg wrong?” said Walter. “If it’s a matter of interpretation, how is it wrong?”
“It was a bad decision,” said Toler.
“So you are saying,” replied Walter, “that he is wrong and you are right?”
There was no response, and the meeting continued.
