Local Voting

Here's the final installment of my voting thoughts, covering county and city issues. Previous posts covered state ballot measures and federal and state candidates.

Candidates:

Washington County Sheriff

Rob Gordon is running unopposed. Normally I don't cast a vote in unopposed races, but I like this guy.

Washington County PUD Directors

I'm voting against the PUD. But just in case, with six candidates for five positions, I'm taking the opportunity to vote for all but the one I dislike most. Only three submitted statements, but I can already spot the worst. Steve Geiger's statement reads like a socialist. He's the one I'm voting against.

City of Hillsboro Mayor

I don't care. The current mayor is proud of slowing Hillsboro's growth, but the challenger doesn't give me any reason at all to vote for him. News about the candidates doesn't help me decide, either. I'm voting for challenger Imbrie because he sounds slightly less anti-growth than incumbent Hughes.

City of Hillsboro Council (1B)

Andrews. She sounds pro-business and fiscally tight. (Did anyone else think the photograph of her opponent, Ahrendt, was unreasonably good? She's gorgeous! But that's not enough to get my vote.)

City of Hillsboro Council (3B)

O'Donnell. Only because her challenger Cummings used the phrase "promoting jobs that pay a living wage," which is an anticapitalist tell. Amusingly, he didn't proofread his statement: his educational background section says he has a "BS or BA in (whatever)" [sic]!

Measures:

34-83 (Washington County) RENEW OF LOCAL OPTION LEVY FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMUNITY SAFETY

This one tugs at me. Almost everything financed by this levy goes toward services I consider legitimate functions of government. However, I worry that the fungibility of budgets are such that passing this levy would only leave that much more money available to spend on things I consider illegitimate functions of government. It's difficult to bring myself to vote in favor, because that would in principle be an advocacy of theft, which I abhor. I want government financing to be voluntary, and I would gladly chip in my approximately $75 dollars annually. But I don't want to force my neighbors to pay — I don't have that authority, ethically. I wish this could be financed in a manner similar to how private lighthouses were. I decided not to cast a vote for or against this measure. I won't complain, whichever way it turns out.

34-101 (Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District) PERMANENT RATE LIMIT TO RESTORE AND IMPROVE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNTYWIDE

As environmentalism goes, this is pretty far toward the benign end. They try to use incentives instead of regulations. The tax they're asking for is cheap but permanent. I'm voting against this because I don't consider conservation a legitimate function of government. I wonder if the activities of the District could be carried out privately, instead of through a government body?

34-95 (Washington County People's Utility District) AUTHORIZES THE FORMATION OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY PEOPLE'S UTLITY DISTRICT

Socialism. Eminent domain. Ick. No.

34-96 (Washington County People's Utility District) AUTHORIZES PROPERTY TAX LEVY, IF WASHINGTON COUNTY PUD IS FORMED

See above, ick, no.

34-81 (Hillsboro School District 1J) LOCAL OPTION TAX TO RESTORE SOME STAFF AND DISTRICT PROGRAMS

No. Education should not be financed by theft. Education should be privatized. It works in India today, it worked here before the public school movement, and it would work here again.

34-90 (City of Hillsboro) CITY OF HILLSBORO NEW MAIN PUBLIC LIBRARY

No. Libraries should not be financed by theft.