Mike Daly: "Why I Lost"

In his wanderings around town Thursday The Eye ran into (soon to be former) Deschutes County Commissioner Mike Daly, who offered some thoughts on why he lost to Democrat Alan Unger on Election Day.

One big reason, he said, was that Deschutes Democrats blew the county's Republicans out of the water when it came to signing up new voters: "The Democrats registered 5,000 new voters [this year] while the number of Republican registered voters actually dropped."

"The demographics around here are really changing," he added. (The Eye suspects the powerful appeal of Barack Obama and the total lack of appeal of the Republican brand this year also played into it.)

Another reason for his loss, Daly said, was resistance in the LaPine area to the county's plan to require septic system upgrades to keep nitrates out of the local groundwater. "They hate all of us down there," he said - meaning himself and fellow Commissioners Dennis Luke and Tammy Melton. Unfortunately for him, Daly was the only one running this year.

Daly, 66, was first elected to the commission in 2000. He said he has no further political ambitions and is looking forward to kicking back in retirement. "I think it's about time," he said.