Letter: Drew Farmer will help move Coos County forward

I’m a committed voter living in Coos County for nearly 50 years. I want to be well-informed about the candidates and issues before I vote. I watched the recorded League of Women Voters’ Candidate Forum, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9pBpPjwWN8 to hear what the candidates for Coos County Commissioner had to say. Drew Farmer stood out as knowledgeable, intelligent, and caring; Chris Castleman stumbled ignorantly through most questions; and 15-year incumbent, Bob Main, had declined to participate.

I read Bob Main’s statement in the Voters’ Pamphlet for our Oregon Primary Election. He’s hoping to be re-elected Coos County Commissioner for a fifth term(!). He, like Drew Farmer, has been a Coos County resident most of his life, but that’s apparently where the similarities end.

Of course, Main is right that we need more jobs in Coos County, but his ideas for job creation and economic prosperity seem extremely limited. He states: “The O&C Board is going to the Supreme Court of the United States to change back how the O&C forest is managed, which will return thousands of jobs to our small communities in Oregon.”.

What Main doesn’t seem to understand is that the 1937 O&C Act was based on the state of the forest lands and thinking at that time. Obviously, conditions in our forests are drastically different than they were in 1937. Going “back” cannot be the answer. Anyway, we now know that the conservative majority Supreme Court, that he counted on to restore Coos County jobs, denied the petition to hear that case.

Drew Farmer, on the other hand, is forward-thinking. We need viable ideas for creating good jobs and a thriving economy, and so much more, that will benefit us all. I had an opportunity to meet him and was impressed. I also read about his extensive government and management experience in the April 26 issue of The World. He’s well-informed and has an understanding of many local, state, and federal issues.

I encourage Coos County citizens to vote for Drew Farmer to replace the long-term incumbent, and bring fresh ideas to improve the lives of our county residents.

Donna Leveridge-Campbell

Bandon