1 The process was flawed from the beginning

Tony and Patti stacked the deck from the start with a seven-person committee having four Republicans and three Democrats, ensuring a Republican majority on all decisions.

The committee’s work was contentious, with loud and public disagreements on almost everything. The final plan was approved along party lines.

2. The districts are blatant gerrymandering.  

Splitting Bend in half, and then taking pie shaped pieces out the rest of the county ensures there will be three “Republican” districts and two “Democratic” ones, even though County elections are supposed to be non-partisan

Further, the proposal to have people vote only on the commissioner in their district is further evidence of manipulation, since the “Republican” districts will elect Republicans and vice-vera. That way Tony and his fellow republicans will regain control of the County, as they have for decades, despite the fact that they are no longer in the majority. 

3. Lame duck commissioners shouldn’t decide 

With Patti stepping away and Tony losing his election, pushing this through now disenfranchises the incoming commission.  Tony and Patti know the new will not agree, so they’re trying to ram it through now.

This is consistent with the approach he and Patti have taken to their jobs for years – putting their own personal and political interests ahead of the interests of the voters they serve.

Let’s wait until we have the five-person Commission that voters opted for, and leave the decision to them.

4. The map is unconstitutional – Oregon law requires that districts be drawn based on census population data, not voter registrations, which is what the committee used to design the districts. Lawsuits on the constitutionality could cost County (the voters) more than $250,000

5. This undermines the democratic process. 

Voters have spoken.  They want to elect five commissioners, not one and they want the commissioners to be elected “at large”.

And they want to see change in the Commission -- but not this kind.

The voters are supposed to choose who they want to vote for, but not the politicians are going to tell us who they are allowed to vote for. The real change we need is new people with fresh ideas and respect for the democratic process.

6. Many issues the Commission deals with have implications for the entire County.  If Commissioners are elected by District, they may make decisions favorable to their districts that are detrimental to others.

7. Districts divide us.  In this era of profound political division we don’t need a plan that would divide us further.  We need, instead, a unified Commission that acts for the people, not for politics.