Democrats square off in county board race

John W. Boyle of LaPine will face Dennis J. Landwehr of Bend in the Democratic primary for Position #3 on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners.

Landwehr is an engineer who works on energy research projects. He served on the Deschutes County Solid Waste committee for eight years.

Landwehr said the top priority for Deschutes County, the fastest-growing county in

Oregon, is managing growth. "We have to find ways to make growth pay for itself."

Aware of certain state restrictions on systems development charges, Landwehr believes that finding a way to make development pick up a larger portion of the public cost of development is possible.

Boyle, who ran in the last election for Position #1, also believes growth and sprawl make up the top issue.

"I would make a motion for a moratorium on big-box developments (large stores, such as Costco, K-Mart and Target) and subdividing farm land," said Boyle.

Boyle acknowledged that as a county commissioner he would have little direct effect on development in the City of Bend, but believes he could "speak out" against it.

Landwehr said a second priority for him would be frugal management. His experience on the solid waste committee makes him question whether county money is always spent as effectively as it could be.

"While taxes are set by the voters, and our libraries may soon have their own tax base and the sheriff already does, the way funds are managed is within the ability of county commissioners. There may be large savings to be had," said Landwehr.

When asked where he would save money, and how much, Boyle retorted "I am not into numbersI am not going to waste my time talking figures. I am going to talk philosophy. If people like how things are going, they can vote for the incumbent. If not, they can vote for me."