Colene's Priorities for Josephine County
Every decision I make as your commissioner comes back to one question: is this good for Josephine County? These are the issues I believe deserve our most urgent attention, and how I'm approaching them.
Restoring Trust
& Stability
The dysfunction Josephine County has experienced in recent years has been real, and its costs have been real too. Conflict in the boardroom, erosion of public trust, and a county government that too often made headlines for the wrong reasons left residents frustrated and our community stuck. That's not where we need to be, and it's not where we're headed.
Since being appointed in February, I've been working alongside my fellow commissioners to build a functional, productive board focused on results. I bring a calm, collaborative leadership style to that work because I believe that how we govern matters as much as what we decide. Meetings should be orderly. Decisions should be thoughtful. And the focus should always be on serving the public, not scoring points.
Josephine County is finally moving in the right direction. I'm committed to making sure it stays that way, because our community has already paid the price for what happens when leadership breaks down.
Ensuring Fiscal Responsibility
For too long, Josephine County has operated without a long-term financial plan. One-year budgets, reactive decision-making, and a lack of transparency have left taxpayers in the dark and essential services perpetually at risk. That has to change.
Taxpayers deserve accountability, not surprises. I believe in no new tax burdens without voter approval, and I don't believe in back-room deals or short-term fixes that create long-term problems. My focus is on the budget in front of us: responsible, transparent, and built around what our county can actually sustain. I'm advocating for longer-range planning, including two-year budget cycles with supplemental budgets throughout the term, so we can make smarter decisions and stop lurching from one fiscal year to the next.
Essential services come first. Everything else follows from there. And every financial decision will be made in the open and explained clearly to the people it affects. That's not just good governance. It's the only kind I'm willing to practice.
Prioritizing
Public Safety
We have lived through what happens when public safety funding collapses. We've seen reduced patrols, deputies pulled from schools, and neighborhoods left without reliable law enforcement response. I've spent years working to make sure we never go back there, supporting levies and fighting to rebuild the infrastructure our community depends on.
We've made real progress, and I'm committed to protecting it. Our Sheriff's Office is stronger, our schools have deputies, and our community is safer than it was a decade ago. Those gains didn't come easily and they won't maintain themselves. Public safety is written into our county charter because it is the most basic responsibility of any community, and supporting our Sheriff's Office, our deputies, and our jail will always be among my top priorities.
Strengthening Economic Development
Josephine County has real economic potential that too often goes unrealized. Regulatory uncertainty, a lack of collaboration between county and city governments, and an inconsistent business environment have made it harder than it should be for local businesses, farmers, and job creators to put down roots and grow here. That has a direct impact on the quality of life for every resident in this county.
I've spent my entire career working to strengthen this community's economic foundation, from owning a local business to serving as CEO of the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. I understand what businesses need to thrive here, and I understand the barriers that get in the way. Supporting local businesses, agriculture, and job creation isn't a side issue for me, it's something I've been doing for decades.
As commissioner, my focus is on creating the regulatory clarity and collaborative partnerships that allow our local economy to grow responsibly, in a way that respects our rural character, protects property rights, and creates real opportunity for the people who live and work here. A stronger local economy means more resources for essential services, less strain on taxpayers, and a county that our children and grandchildren will actually want to stay in.
Bringing Transparency & Accountability
Too many residents have felt ignored by their county government. Decisions made without explanation, concerns raised and never followed up on, and a culture that treated public trust as an afterthought rather than a foundation. That experience is still fresh for a lot of people in this county, and rebuilding that trust is going to take more than words.
Every resident deserves to be heard, not just the ones who agree with me. I believe in accessible meetings, clear communication, and following through when concerns are raised. It means listening first, without walking into a conversation with my conclusions already made. And it means treating every resident, every staff member, and every colleague with dignity and respect, regardless of whether we see things the same way.
Transparency isn't a feature of good government. It's the foundation. That's how I lead, and it's the standard I hold myself to every day.