Editorial

Randy Gordon for county commissioner

Randy Gordon is the clear choice for the position of Deschutes County Commissioner.

The La Pine resident's insistence on planning, goal-setting and moving the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners from acting as a managerial body to its true role as a policy-setting body bodes well for a county government that has too often lately found itself reacting to crises instead of moving toward the future.

We wholeheartedly support Gordon's desire to create a more "transparent" county government. Such simple changes as scheduling meetings in the evening so that citizens can attend and participate will go far in making county government more responsive.

And we agree that the county needs to engage in competitive, open bidding on all contracts.

Gordon's law enforcement background and collaborative style make him the best hope of developing an appropriate permanent funding system for the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and putting him in the chair will end the destructive feud that has long simmered between Sheriff Les Stiles and Commissioner Mike Daly.

Randy Gordon has earned his stripes as a public servant on the La Pine School Board, on the Deschutes County Commission on Children and Families and he has been consistent in presenting his vision for the modernization of Deschutes County government.

He deserves a shot at bringing his vision to reality.