December 29, 2023 – Office of Commissioner Herman Baertschiger, Jr.: Response to November polling on Josephine County and the Josephine County Board of Commissioners by Nelson Research located in Salem
JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. — A recent poll by the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors conducted by Nelson Research. https://rvar.realtor/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Poll-Results.pdf
First, some information about Nelson Research which conveniently sounds like Nielsen Corporation, a nationwide polling company. It is owned by Public Affairs Counsel Inc., a lobby group in Salem Oregon. Public Affairs Counsel Inc is owned by J L Wilson, son of former Oregon State Representative and longtime radio station owner Carl Wilson.
Lobbyists don’t have constituents; they have clients which they represent in turn for large sums of money. Their jobs are to educate and persuade elected officials on matters that are favorable to their clients and may not be favorable to the constituents of the elected officials. Lobbyists don’t work for the people; they work for their clients and receive large sums of money for their work.
Now on to the poll:
Question one; asks is county on the right track or the wrong track; 48% respond Wrong Track. I agree with this as this is also consistent with other state and national polls.
Governor Kotek approval rating at 45%, lowest among all governors. (Oregon Live, July 2023)
Is Oregon on the wrong track? 45% respond; on the Wrong Track. Poll shows 54% feel like they are left behind. (KOIN)
US Congress approval rating as of Nov. 23; 15% approved of their performance. (Gallup)
How is Congress doing their Job? 75% of the people polled disapprove. (Gallup)
President Biden ends 2023 with a 39% approval rating. (Gallup)
Other interesting data on the poll is that 40% of the people who were polled don’t even know who the Josephine County Board of Commissioners are. I don’t know if it is fair to say that this poll represents the county at large since 78.5% of the people polled were from the City of Grants Pass. Looking at past voting data, the numbers show voters in the rural county are not always consistent with the voters in the urban parts of the County. What it does show me is that folks are not happy with government generally. They are not happy locally, at the State level and as well as the national level.
As a Commissioner I understand why people are unhappy. I am also unhappy with the policies we must live with here in Josephine County. With the legalization of marijuana, Josephine has been transformed into a living hell for some folks. From the grow sites that havoc their neighborhoods to the crimes on humanity and a consistent overload placed on our Sherriff’s Office. Measure 110, in which legalized hard drugs, has created an atmosphere of homelessness, despair and death. Statewide land use planning brings frustration to our property owners. The mismanagement of our federal lands, which make up 70% of the acres in Josephine County. The summers are filled with smoke from forest fires that are let to burn, and people are in fear during the summer months.
Yes, I do understand why people are upset. As Commissioner it is frustrating to deal with the policies placed upon us. With limited resources I will continue to do what I can to protect the citizens and their property rights to the best of my ability.
Herman E. Baertschiger Jr.
Chair, Josephine County Board of Commissioners
For comments or questions contact Commissioner Baertschiger directly at 541-660-4459 or hbaertschiger@josephinecounty.gov
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