The Jackson County Courthouse in Medford, Ore., March 1, 2024.
Erik Neumann / JPR
The nonpartisan group Jackson County For All of Us is requesting that the Oregon secretary of state investigate county leadership.
Jackson County for All of Us has proposed three ballot measures aimed at changing the structure of the County Board of Commissioners. The group wants to change the commissioner positions from being partisan to nonpartisan, increase the number of commissioners from three to five, and reduce their salaries. These three measures will appear on Oregon’s primary ballot in May.
One of the leaders of Jackson County For All Of Us, Denise Krause, previously ran for the board as a Democrat. The current three commissioners are Republicans.
The group claims that Jackson County leadership, including the current commissioners, county administrator and county counsel, has been one-sided in its discussions of these measures, among other claims.
By state law, public employees are not allowed to promote or oppose an initiative. However, by the same statute, that does not include elected officials.
The group claims that County Administrator Danny Jordan was factually inaccurate and hostile when he made a presentation to commissioners on Feb. 15. During the presentation, Jordan said the measures would cost the county a minimum of about $200,000 and potentially up to $700,000. He showed a predicted budget of how some costs would increase, including health insurance and office materials.
“You can take some things out of there, but you can’t take it all out, and there will be a cost increase. It will not be cost neutral, even if everything passes the way that it’s proposed,” he said.
“This was not a good faith effort to put objective and accurate information in the hands of the public,” reads Jackson County For All of Us’s request to the secretary of state. “A legitimate presentation of valid budget estimates would have included the range of potential scenarios. Instead, Jordan stacked the deck against the JCFA Measures.”
Jordan, meanwhile, said in the meeting that his job is to manage the county’s budget.
“I believe my presentation to have been ‘no-sided,’” Jordan said in an emailed statement Monday. “It was factually accurate as to my knowledge, experience and expertise having prepared the County budget now for nearly 20 years, and/or having prepared budgets in Jackson and other counties totaling a combined over 30 years.”
Krause and the commissioners did not respond to a request for comment.
Both the county leadership and Jackson County For All of Us have accused the other of misinformation and lack of transparency.
During the Feb. 15 meeting, Commissioner Colleen Roberts said, “There may be a time when five [commissioners] may be appropriate, but I think the other counties that have five are a lot larger than Jackson County, even though we’ve grown and we’re growing.”
Chair Rick Dyer appeared to oppose the measures, saying, “For what’s being proposed here, five commissioners, nonpartisan and reducing the pay, I’m gonna say, what do you get for that? Well, you get, I believe, less effective, less transparent, certainly more expensive government.”
In a letter sent Thursday, Jackson County Senior Assistant Counsel Madison Simmons wrote, “Mr. Jordan’s review and report served only to provide information to the Commissioners, County employees, and the public regarding the possible effects of passage of the Petitions introduced by JCFA. Therefore, I conclude that the County, the Commissioners, Mr. Jordan, and any other named or unnamed employees of Jackson County have not violated [state statutes.]”
The secretary of state is reviewing the group’s request to see if an investigation is needed.