Mark Jones is ahead of Chad Hansen for the election of Position 2 on the Josephine County Board of Commissioners.
Jones had 55% of the vote as of Tuesday night while Hansen had 44%.
For Position 1, Colene Martin was far ahead of John West. Martin had 58% of the vote and West had 40%.
Commissioner candidates competed in a packed primary earlier this year. Eight candidates vied for Position 2 while six faced off for Position 1. They debated a range of issues affecting the rural region, from housing policy to government spending to public safety.
Candidates also spoke of bringing stability to the board. In the last two years, three commissioners have faced recalls.
Hansen is a lifelong Josephine County resident who worked in mining, logging and workforce housing.
Jones is a retired firefighter and member of Josephine County’s Rural Planning Commission and Housing and Community Development Council.
Hansen and Jones disagreed on housing policy, with Jones wanting more units in rural areas. Hansen, meanwhile, said he’d prefer to keep urban development in Grants Pass.
They also disagreed over whether to renew a levy funding the jail and juvenile justice program. Jones supported the renewal while Hansen said the wording of the measure was too vague.
Martin was appointed to Position 2 in February and is a former head of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce.
She said she has worked to fix damage done by prior boards. That includes rehiring essential county workers.
West was recalled in 2024. He said cutting spending and lowering taxes were his priority.
