>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Union County voters are fortunate to have five good candidates vying for the one open county commissioner seat being vacated by Colleen MacLeod. After much discussion, the Observer editorial board recommends voters choose Mark Davidson in the Republican race and Jim Mollerstrom in the Democratic race.

The editorial board believes Davidson will work better with the other commissioners, and because of less friction, will get more accomplished. And in these times of uncertain federal timber receipts, a logjam in decision making could be harmful to the county. Davidson’s fiscal conservatism should pay dividends as the county figures the best path into an uncertain future.

Davidson has a proven track record. He has been a La Grande city councilor and served on the La Grande Planning Commission, the La Grande Budget Committee, the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee, the Union County Economic Development Corp. and the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority Board.

Davidson played an instrumental role in getting the new La Grande fire station built without plunging the municipality into debt, and has played important parts in helping get new industrial parks established in Elgin and La Grande. As many candidates before him have, he has expressed his commitment to bringing family wage jobs to the county so that the county no longer has to export its most precious resource, its children and grandchildren. Davidson should get a chance to continue his work to fill these industrial parks and expand Union County’s economic base for sustainable, orderly growth.

The editorial board believes Mollerstrom deserves the nod in the Democratic primary. Mollerstrom has a long record of community and volunteer experience. His lengthy resume of intelligent community involvement includes the La Grande School Board, the La Grande Education Association Board of Directors and the Union County Juvenile Crime Prevention Committee among many, many others.

His emphasis on consensus, coalition building and communication should serve the county well, and his support of education as a cornerstone to economic growth is well placed.

Mollerstrom is well known as a doer with a family and community orientation. His knowledge of leadership training and team building as well as his grant writing knowledge in accessing state and federal funding resources will be an important asset as the county aims to stabilize road department and sheriff’s department budgets in the wake of possible reduced federal funding.

The Observer editorial board believes the dedication and commitment of Davidson and Mollerstrom to community service and their wide ranging experience make them excellent choices to be the next Union County commissioner.