Josephine County commissioners have faced recalls, resignations and lawsuits over the last few years. A crowded primary showed plenty of people thought they could run the county better. That candidate pool has been cut in half for the general election, with the final four candidates competing for two positions on the board. Voters will choose two commissioners in the Nov. 3 election.
Chad Hansen and Mark Jones are competing for Position 2, while appointed Commissioner Colene Martin faces former Commissioner John West, whom voters recalled in 2024, for Position 1. The races offer voters different approaches to housing development, public safety funding and county spending.
Position 1
John West and Colene Martin say they want to “right-size” county government. But they disagree about what that should mean.
West previously served on the board before voters recalled him in 2024. He said current commissioners, including Martin, who was appointed to the board earlier this year, are moving the county in the wrong direction.
“This board is pushing more taxes, more regulation,” West said. “They're growing government.
They say they're not, but they are.”
Martin, former chief operating officer of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce, said commissioners have had to rehire essential workers the previous board fired.
“The past administration cut the solid waste department completely. They cut the building code department,” Martin said. “They let go [of] key employees, key supervisors, key department heads that were essential to government.”
Martin and West also disagreed on the budget situation of the county.
“I would get the budget balanced immediately, because if they don't address it today, next year during budget season will be too late,” West said. “They will lay off at least half, if not all, the people that they're hiring now.”
Martin said the budget is balanced. The board passed a $198 million budget this year, with $147 million in appropriations.
Josephine County has struggled for years with declining timber revenue amid logging bans. But Martin said the situation is not dire.
“We are facing some constraints in our budget, but we are not facing a fiscal cliff,” she said.
Position 2
Hansen and Jones both say they’d bring a collaborative spirit to county government. They think voters would appreciate the stability.
Hansen is a lifelong Josephine County resident. He’s worked in mining and logging, and he’s the president of Home Bridging GP, a workforce housing organization. He said colleagues know him as a leader with a listening ear.
“They're going to say, ‘Hey, Chad's a doer. He's a go-getter. He has a great attitude. He pushes hard, expects results but loves us through it,’” Hansen said.
Jones is a retired firefighter. He’s a member of Josephine County’s Rural Planning Commission and Housing and Community Development Council.
“In all the committees and the boards that I've been on, we've left our labels at the door,” Jones said. “We sit down, and we solve problems.”
Despite their shared focus on results and collaboration, Hansen and Jones disagree on how to address the county’s housing needs.
Homelessness has been a chronic issue in the county, most visible in Grants Pass, where city officials have struggled to provide adequate shelter space.
Jones said he’d like to see more housing development in rural areas. He blamed Oregon Senate Bill 100, a 50-year-old state law passed to prevent urban sprawl, for restricting housing.
“I'd like to see something restored to where we can actually build those communities back up and create more housing out in those areas, allow people to put in some more businesses,” Jones said. “So that they don't have to drive all the way into Grants Pass to get a few groceries.”
Hansen, meanwhile, said that state law exists for a reason. Rural towns lack the infrastructure, he said, to support higher-density housing.
“Rural areas are for farming, timber harvesting, not for commerce,” Hansen said. “Let urban stay urban and rural stay rural.”
Both candidates said they support law enforcement. But they disagree on Measure 17-129, which would renew a levy funding the county jail and juvenile justice program. Jones supports the tax, describing it as a renewal of a vital funding mechanism for the county.
“In 2012, 2014, there was pretty much no sheriff's department at all in Josephine County. So it's great to see it restored,” Jones said. “It’s very expensive to do that.”
Hansen opposes the measure, saying the wording is too vague. The five-year levy reneweal would maintain the tax rate of 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Hansen said it’s unclear how much will go to the jail and to juvenile justice.
“My first question is how much to each one, and that hasn't been designated yet,” he said. “I don't really like that.”
Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, November 3, or returned to a drop box by 8 p.m. Jackson County has a list of drop box locations on its website.
