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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022 | theworldlink.com |

Cribbins, Taylor share views at forum By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World The two candidates running for Coos County commissioner recently faced off in a debate, with Rod Taylor and Melissa Cribbins making one last plea to voters. In the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Coos County, the candidates agreed on many issues while having differing views on several.

The forum opened with the two candidates describing themselves before taking questions from the moderator and the audience. "It's my honor to be your Coos County commissioner," Cribbins said. "I grew up in Coquille, right across the street from the courthouse. I never thought about working in the courthouse. But when I returned back with my husband and my children, I started to think about what the future of Coos County was. I wanted the future of

Coos County to be better than what it was. When I became Coos County commissioner, I started implementing some of those ideas. One of the things I have worked on is building a stronger economy in our county. We don't ever want to be in the position again where if one industry goes down, Coos County goes down." Taylor also took time to introduce himself, saying he was running because he wants to ensure his children and grandchildren can thrive in the

Rod Taylor, Coos County Commissioner, Position 3

What made you interested in running for this position? I decided to run based on a failure of leadership on the part of the current commission which has led to: 1. A runaway state government being allowed to run

roughshod over our property rights, our right to keep and bear arms, our freedom of employment and medical care, and our equal protection under the law to engage in commerce. 2. Destruction of our once-legendary salmon

and steelhead runs, due to ODF&W policies and the outlawing of hatch boxes. 3. BLM preclusions on logging on the Coos Bay Wagon Road lands, which by law should be harvested at sustainable-yield levels and the proceeds paid to Coos County, per the CBWR Act of 1939. 4. Rampant homelessness and crime, and the unchallenged standing of the disastrous Measure 110 (legalizing meth, heroin, and other drugs) which was passed by 5 counties, to the detriment of the other 31 counties. 5. Widespread opinion among the people of Coos County that it is time for a new direction of leadership, to stand against the continuation of state and federal trespasses into our individual liberties and rights. 6. Concern over problems with our elections, as detailed Please see TAYLOR, Page A10

county. "I have lived in Bandon for 19 years," Taylor said. "When I moved to Coos County, it was not a particularly prosperous place. I'm really concerned for their futures. I'm concerned for what is ahead of them in terms of housing availability and income opportunity. I see some gaps, where we could make changes in Coos County. We have a number of things we can change to be one of the most prosperous counties in the state,

which we should be by accident, but we're not. I hope what you hear from me are ideas that are fresh, that are innovative, that come from my problem-solver mind." The two then took a series of questions. What are the duties of a commissioner? What aspects are you most looking forward to? Please see FORUM, Page A10

Melissa Cribbins, Coos County Commissioner, Position 3

What made you interested in running for this position? I am running for re-election as Coos County Commissioner because I am a firm believer in Coos County and its citizens. I grew up in Coquille, just across the street from the courthouse. I graduated from Coquille High School, then went on to become an attorney before I returned back to take care of my father, a veteran with health issues. When my husband and I returned to the area, we agreed that we wanted to put down roots and invest in our community. We opened a small business. We enrolled our kids in schools, and we committed to making Coos County a better place. Coos County has made a lot of progress in the last 10 years. When I first took office, Coos County was on the State of Oregon’s watch list for counties that were close to bankruptcy. In the

last ten years, we have turned it around. Coos County is on stable financial footing. We have identified other sources of funding, including a public safety fee from Bandon Dunes. We have moved departments out of the general fund and made them

self-supporting, including Parks and Solid Waste. Coos County has the longest stable Board of Commissioners in the State of Oregon. We do not necessarily agree politically, but we Please see CRIBBINS, Page A10

Volunteers remove invasive plants at Mingus Park By DAVID RUPKALVIS For The World

In many parts of the world, English ivy is known as a beautiful plant that quickly spreads, sometimes even covering entire buildings. In Coos Bay, it’s an invasive plant that crowds out native plants. Despite its natural appeal, ivy simply isn’t good to have in the Bay Area. The same can be said for blackberries, which grow quickly and offer delicious fruit. But they don’t belong here. Last weekend, the Coos Watershed Association decided to do something about the spread of ivy and blackberries at Mingus Park, hosting a cleanup effort to remove the invasive species. Ed Cope, the plants program

manager with the watershed association, put out the word and asked for volunteers to help remove the invasive plants on a hillside overlooking the parking lot at the Mingus Pool. With close to two dozen volunteers, the group attacked the plants, working to remove them from the hillside so native plants could be put in their place. “The species I selected are not as much of a ground cover,” Cope said. “It doesn’t spread quickly so much, but it gets three to four feet tall. Being that this is a pretty visible area, I chose species that is a word, are beautiful. They have colorful flowers or berries. I’m trying to improve the visual diet, rather than blackberries.” Cope said the English ivy that

covered the hillside was first introduced to the United States on the East Coast as an ornamental plant. The blackberries were first introduced on the West Coast as a berry crop. Both made their way to Coos Bay as residents brought them in and planted them. Since they spread quickly and easily, the are difficult to keep at bay. As Cope pulled the ivy out, her held up a piece of the plant, explaining any part of it can grow roots and continue to spread. “If there’s a single fragment, it will grow,” Cope said. “Even a small fragment is capable, over time, of turning into a huge batch like this.” The ivy growing at Mingus Park was likely decades old, with some Please see MINGUS, Page A3

Photos by David Rupkalvis/For The World

Ed Cope, the plants program manager with the Coos Watershed Association, leads a volunteer effort to remove English ivy and blackberries from Mingus Park.

Governor candidate Betsy Johnson touts loyalty to Oregonians By BREEANA LAUGHLIN For The World

Betsy Johnson traveled the state to meet with Oregonians where they live and work during her All of Oregon Tour, stopping in 10 cities in 48 hours along the way. Johnson made a visit to Gold Beach on Tuesday, Oct. 25 during that tour for a meet and greet at First Chapter Coffee. Johnson said she has visited every county in Oregon during her campaign. “We are doing this the hard way. We are running unaffiliated,” Johnson told the crowd during her campaign stop on the South Coast. While Johnson recognizes the challenges that come with running as an unaffiliated candidate, she said it is also her strength. Johnson touts herself as an independent leader loyal only to the people of Oregon. She believes only the people – not a broken political system – can rescue the state. Johnson served in the Oregon House and Senate for more than 20 years, retiring as Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee last year to run for governor. Prior to that, Johnson graduated from law school, owned an aviation business that flew helicopters,

and managed the Aeronautics Division of the State Department of Transportation. “I loved being in the legislature and taking care of constituents, but in December I decided if I was serious about running for Governor I couldn’t take care of my district the way I always have and I needed to resign. So I have been running flat out since January,” she said. The unaffiliated governor candidate has a history with both sides of the political spectrum. “I started out as an R and the Rs got a little too kooky on some stuff for me. So I left the R's and went to the D's and a Republican friend of mine in the Senate used to call me a ‘BFD’ and I gasped until he told me it stood for business-friendly democrat,” Johnson said. “That’s how I represented my district. I was pro-choice, pro-cop, pro-business, pro-accountability and voted very consistently with the district to improve the economy,” Johnson said. The majority of Betsy Johnson’s campaign stop on Oct. 25 consisted of a question and answer period by rural Oregonians. Johnson fielded questions ranging from how to get grants and funding, to education, gun rights and global nuclear threats.

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“I’m very supportive of a lot of choice in education. I think our education system is letting our kids down badly. All you have to see is Kate Brown’s two years of locking kids out of school to see what it’s done. We are getting those academic scores back now from the kids who were locked down and their scores are awful. We have yet to measure their social, emotional and mental health deterioration but I am going to submit it was probably substantial. But we have been on a downward spiral for a long time,” Johnson said. “I think parents and grandparents are sick of paying as much as they pay and getting a product that is not very good. Tina Kotek and Kate Brown – not on my vote, I voted no – passed a bill that just lowered our standards. I will ask for higher standards and accountability as to how our money is spent with measurable standards for how we are doing,” she said. Johnson was asked how to talk to people about guns “without making them afraid they are going to lose something?” “My thinking on the subject has evolved. But I will start by saying I am a responsible Please see JOHNSON, Page A2

Photos by Breeana Laughlin

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