The two candidates for Curry County commissioner disagree over how to spend the county’s limited revenue, with sheriff’s office funding at the center of the debate.
But incumbent Lynn Coker and challenger Jeremy Dumire agree on another major issue: Both oppose a potential nickel mine near Gold Beach.
The two are competing for Position 1 on the three-member Curry County Board of Commissioners. The League of Women Voters of Curry County held candidate forums last week in Port Orford, Brookings and Gold Beach.
Dumire, a former Curry County sheriff’s deputy and emergency manager, has made public safety the centerpiece of his campaign. At the Port Orford forum, he accused the current board of spending too much on administration instead of rebuilding the sheriff’s office.
“This board of commissioners has failed the citizens of Curry County in not prioritizing spending on public safety, instead spending on bureaucrats and bureaucracies that we, the people, did not ask for,” Dumire said.
The sheriff’s office took major cuts before Coker joined the commission. Facing a $3.8 million deficit in 2024, commissioners cut spending, eliminating 10 patrol deputy positions and several other positions in the sheriff’s office.
Coker joined the commission in May 2025, after commissioners appointed him to fill the seat vacated by Brad Alcorn.
Coker said the county is still recovering financially and must balance law enforcement funding against other demands on limited county revenue. Coker identified homelessness, housing, substance-use prevention, and forest management as other concerns the county needs to address.
He defended the county’s decision to combine administrative roles but said the arrangement should remain temporary.
“The current structure has been very efficient and very effective, but it is time-bound,” Coker said. “There’s absolutely nothing in my heart or in my head that justifies making that a permanent arrangement.”
Tourism as a revenue source
Both candidates pointed to tourism as a way to generate more county revenue without raising property taxes, but they offered different approaches.
Dumire said the county should expand its park system to bring in more camping and RV fees. He proposed using lodging tax revenue to develop additional recreational sites.
Coker said the county should focus on developing the Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach. He called the property a “diamond in the rough” and said investing in aging underground infrastructure could help the county get more economic value from the site.
Both oppose Red Flat nickel mining
The candidates agreed when they were asked about potential nickel mining in Curry County.
Both said they oppose development of Homeland Nickel’s Red Flat project in the mountains near Gold Beach.
The Canadian company holds about 2,000 acres of mining claims on federal land and is exploring a large deposit of nickel-rich laterite. Homeland recently signed an agreement with U.S. refiner Westwin Elements to purchase nickel concentrate from Red Flat if the project reaches production.
Dumire said he is concerned mining could damage Hunter Creek and other nearby waterways and harm fish habitat.
“We need to protect our natural resources,” he said.
Coker described potential nickel mining as an “existential crisis” for Curry County. He said opposing the project could prove more complicated than the county’s campaign against offshore wind development because Homeland holds federal mining claims at Red Flat.
“We have owners of rights on that property," Coker said. "We have to figure out how to stall their efforts and wait them out.”
He said Curry County should work with neighboring counties and tribal governments to oppose the project.
Voters will decide who holds Position 1 in Oregon’s general election on Nov. 3.
