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THE TWO MOST DANGEROUS CANDIDATES FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER

 

 

 

By Investigative Reporter
John Taft

April 16, 2004

NewsWithViews.com

 

Special Josephine County Candidate Report
John Taft Investigative Reporter Ed/Op

GRANTS PASS, Oregon -- Two male candidates dressed in fatigues and armed with AK-47's that were hidden in a fiddle case easily leapt onto a front table at the Wilderville candidates' forum on Tuesday night. They both fired their AK-47's, belching steel-jacketed bullets into the ceiling to get the audience's attention. Ominously the black bullet holes spelled, Approve Library Tax. One snarled, "Here are our demands, 1. We want your vote for commissioner. 2. We want you to approve a tax on your home to support the library. If you don't comply with our demands, we're coming back with Sheriff Daniel and DA Clay Johnson, and you know what they did to Nick Gombos, the guy, that aided Speckles the chicken. It could happen to you next!" Then the large candidate standing on the table fired another short burst into the ceiling. "And that's only for openers," he shouts.

Elwood Milktoast is startled from his state of reverie when Candidate James Rossi authoritatively states, "I have documented proof of corruption."

"Wow, I must have been dozing. Those two guys standing on the table looked just like Candidates Dwight Ellis and Jim Raffenburg," he thinks. Elwood slyly looks up at the ceiling just in case. "Nope, no bullet holes there. Yeah, just a dream."

The satirical introduction to this article is Elwood Milktoast's dream. This dream is not to be confused with reality. No one actually stood on the table at the Wilderville commissioners forum and fired AK-47s into the ceiling.

Dwight Ellis Exposed

Is Dwight Ellis dangerous? Although not in the sense that Elwood's dream state depicted him, Ellis is dangerous to the family savings account. Ellis is a proven supporter of taxes on family homes. Ellis supported the last law enforcement levy and voters paid on that one. He's on record as willing to support another property tax to fund public safety. Ellis supported the tax on homes to fund the county parks, but the voters gave him the boot. He's back again supporting a library tax on homes this time.

Talk show host Carl Wilson of KAJO on 2-14-04 asked Dwight Ellis the question, "We have a number of people in our community on fixed incomes and so they are very, very sensitive about having their property taxes increased. Knowing that, how do you approach the future as a county commissioner?"

Ellis, "Well, the property tax issue is ah is ah a huge issue on fixed income and ah it is not my desire to ah tax ah people who own property, tax people on fixed income, tax them so that they lose their homes ah that is ah absolutely a last resort if we are going down the tubes and we have to declare bankruptcy and the state has to ah send troops in here and stuff you know then ah then that's a last resort that we will have to turn to and ask the voters you know if they would be able to pony up some more, some more money." Talk show host Carl Wilson mercifully took him to another subject at this point in time.

Ellis states that it is not his desire to tax people who own property or people on fixed incomes, and yet the man supports every tax that comes along. See the above list. This guy talks out of both sides of his mouth. This is the most ludicrous, convoluted statement I have ever heard from a so-called educated man.

Ellis is also opposed to the present form of government. He stated at last night's forum that he would like to have more than three commissioners. It would reasonably appear that Ellis supported the try by Sheriff Daniel, Jerry Smith, and others to overturn the present form of county government and install a managerial form of government. About 2/3 of the voters gave Daniel and his friends acid indigestion when they turned down that socialist ploy. Previously about 2/3 of the voters kayoed the infamous park tax on homes. Ellis is out of tune with the voters; he's like a sour note on opening night at the Boston Pops.

Raffenburg Gets Godfather's Smooch

Jim Raffenburg has received the smooch of death from the godfather of the sheriff's office, Dave Daniel. Daniel publicly announced that he supports Raffenburg for county commissioner. This highly unusual move for a sheriff to make places Raffenburg under the sheriff's wing. It's a known fact that there is a lot of animosity between Daniel and the present commissioners. Perhaps Daniel feels that if he was able to get his man into office, his political fortunes would change for the better. The present commissioners have put Daniel on a fiscal diet. This the sheriff has resented passionately, and now he would like a good portion of revenge. When Daniel ran for the office of sheriff he stated, "I intend to restore full police services to the residents of Josephine County without askin' the citizens and the residents to pay more money to do it." Sheriff Daniel is a known political meddler, and for his own political reasons he was a prominent supporter of changing to a county manager form of government, which the voters soundly rejected. Daniel is also a big supporter of taxes on family homes. Raffenburg is a reserve deputy in the Josephine County Sheriff's Office and serves at the sheriff's pleasure. This pro Daniel link leaves Raffenburg tarred and feathered (chicken feathers) with Daniel's sins. Raffenburg is another supporter of a property tax on family homes. That and the smooch of death is enough reason to deny Raffenburg your vote.

Good Old Boys Still in Town

Some folks believe the so-called good old boys left town. Well, they're wrong. It seems that when the voters turned down their charter change shenanigans, their new tactic was to run for office and get into the white county courthouse through the respectable front door. Neither Ellis nor Raffenburg are friendly to family home ownership, and both appear to have sterling connections to the good old boys still loitering in the back room dreaming of grandeur on the public payroll.

Those that voted no on the park tax and the county manager change would certainly be consistent in saying no to Ellis, Raffenburg, and a library tax.

� 2004 John Taft - All Rights Reserved

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John Taft former president of Josephine County, OR. Taxpayers Association is presently an investigative reporter for the US-Oregon Observer and NewsWithViews.com. He has had many years of broadcasting, news writing and reporting experience. He also has written a popular conservative newsletter for a taxpayers organization to inform the public on taxing issues. John can be reached at joconewsline@hotmail.com John's Web site: www.Strobezone.homestead.com


 

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"Is Dwight Ellis dangerous? Although not in the sense that Elwood's dream state depicted him, Ellis is dangerous to the family savings account. Ellis is a proven supporter of taxes on family homes."