Few differences between Deschutes county commissioner candidates Alan Unger, a Democrat, and Tom Greene, a Republican, emerged today in a debate sponsored by a Central Oregon Community College government class.
Both are vying for the one seat up for grabs in this November’s election.
Former Oregon state representative Judy Steigler’s local and state government class invited the community to the debate today at COCC.
Unger, who is a current county commissioner, and Greene, who is a current Bend City Councilor, answered questions from a student moderator for just under an hour.
Both candidates said Deschutes County needs job growth but protections for our “way of life.” Both agreed the county needs to be financially conservative, but also spend money to spur economic development.
In one of his few distinguishing comments, Greene said he would like to see jobs created through more logging in Deschutes County forests.
Unger, who currently leads a task force helping to manage forests in Deschutes County, said it’s important to protect forestlands and get more water back into the river.
The candidates had few specific plans for initiatives they would champion and neither spoke clearly about their vision for the future of Deschutes County.
Come on, guys! Tell us why you’re the one we need!
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2012.
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