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Josephine County chooses third commissioner to fill very new board

Inside a courtroom, a man on the left is wearing a white dress shirt and tie, and holding his right hand up. He is standing next to a judge in black robes on the right, reading from a piece of paper.
Josephine County
Andreas Blech (left), getting sworn in as the interim Josephine County Commissioner by Judge Robert S. Bain on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

This move finalizes the makeup of an inexperienced board in the wake of controversy over previous commissioners.

Andreas Blech was chosen Tuesday in a 2-0 vote to fill the seat vacated by John West, who was ousted in a recall election in December.

Blech recently served as interim commissioner after Dan DeYoung stepped down in July when he was found to have violated the county’s sexual harassment policy.

"Commissioner Blech is probably the most neutral person to come in with some experience already from the last board," Commissioner Chris Barnett said in an interview. "He’s been around here a long time and comes in with kind of a fresh start."

Blech is the only commissioner with any experience on that board, as both Barnett and the third commissioner, Ron Smith, were just elected in November.

Blech beat out 15 other applicants for the position, including recent Commissioner Herman Baertschiger. He said he had planned to retire and chose not to run for re-election in November, but then applied for this seat to ensure "continuity" on the board.

Commissioners Smith and Barnett interviewed both Blech and Baertschiger Tuesday morning before making their decision.

"I feel that part of the problem is a baggage situation, what prior baggage the person has," Commissioner Smith said. "There were certain people that applied for the job that I thought the baggage would be a hindrance and their history might be a hindrance to their serving in the office. And that's kind of influenced my decision making a little bit."

In his interview, Blech said he would like to focus on spreading correct information in the county through its public information officer.

"I believe that that position needs to be used to disseminate the information as to what’s happening in the county, both the good and the not-so-good. I think that’s something that has been, in the past, underutilized," he said.

He said he will also prioritize public safety funding.

According to a press release from the county, Blech is a former small-business owner with experience in aerospace manufacturing, agribusiness and land development.

He was sworn in on Tuesday afternoon, and his term runs through the end of 2026.

Now the new board must move forward with pressing county issues.

Barnett said Tuesday he would like to work on the budget, "build up more positivity in our county for our commission" and "keep the truth out there. There's a lot of misinformation."

Commissioners also recently gave the Grants Pass Library 30 days notice to terminate its lease agreement with the county in an effort to negotiate a new lease agreement.

"Nobody's being evicted, and there is no notice to vacate," Barnett said Tuesday. "We would like to discuss some building repairs that need to be talked about according to their current lease. And that's what we're trying to do, is talk about those repairs."

Jane Vaughan is a regional reporter for Jefferson Public Radio. Jane began her journalism career as a reporter for a community newspaper in Portland, Maine. She's been a producer at New Hampshire Public Radio and worked on WNYC's On The Media.