Empowering Coos County: Candidate Forum on Taxes, Timber, and True Conservative Values

Written By Chris Castleman

Exciting recap from last night's Coos County Candidate Forum and Conservative Meetup, hosted by the Friends of Coos County Republicans at the grand opening of their new headquarters! It was a packed house of passionate locals coming together to discuss the issues that matter most to our community. 🇺🇸

Our moderator, Marty Kuhrt (frequent guest on the Rob Taylor Report), kept things lively as we heard from two stellar candidates:

  • Brandi Martindale, running for Coos County Commissioner against incumbent John Sweet. She shared her vision for better communication, crime reduction through rehab programs, and protecting private property rights. [https://www.brandiforcoos.com]

  • Rick Coleman, challenging Democrat Rick Osborne for Coos County Commissioner. He focused on boosting public safety funding for the sheriff and jail, reviving the timber industry, and ensuring government sticks to enforcing the Constitution.

Shoutout to Rob Taylor for his update on signature gathering efforts. And big thanks to all the attendees who joined in, including Carol, Sheirll, Diane, Jim, Virginia, Ron, Elmer, Doug, Jeff, Marshall, Glenn, Shelly, Todd, and more. Your questions and energy made it a true community event!

We covered a ton of ground on key conservative priorities:

  • Repealing Burdensome Taxes: The big push is on the upcoming petition to repeal HB 3291, which lets the Oregon Department of Transportation hike taxes and fees (like gas prices) without voter input. It's dropping between Nov 12-15— we need 180,000-200,000 signatures fast to get it on the ballot and stop these hidden costs from hitting hardworking taxpayers!

  • Election Integrity: Both candidates called for ending vote-by-mail to prevent fraud, cleaning up voter rolls, requiring ID at the polls, and bringing back an election commission for transparent, same-day counting. Let's restore trust in our system!

  • Public Safety & Crime: Ideas flowed on funding the sheriff's department, alternative consequences for offenders, inter-jurisdictional partnerships for warrants, and work programs to break cycles of poverty and recidivism.

  • Timber Industry Revival: Discussions on accessing county timber, negotiating with tribes, and overcoming state barriers—though challenges like labor shortages were noted.

  • School Choice: Strong support for empowering parents and letting education dollars follow the student, without overstepping county roles.

  • Government's True Role: Emphasizing limited government that provides essentials like police and fire while upholding individual rights and community involvement.

If you missed it, catch the recording on YouTube or Facebook—technical glitches aside, it was informational and inspiring!

This is just the first of many forums, so stay tuned for more. Volunteer for signature drives (hit up Rob Taylor to help) or swing by the new HQ for Saturday morning coffee chats. And don’t forget to sign up to be a Precinct Committee Person: https://robtaylorreport.com/post/wanted-precinct-committee-people-for-the-coos-county-republican-party

Together, we can fight back and build a stronger Coos County!

NEXT EVENT: Join us (every) Saturday for Coffee & Chat with a Conservative! From 8 AM to 11 AM at our new headquarters (3229 Broadway Ave, Suite H in North Bend). Enjoy free coffee, great conversations, and connect with fellow conservatives on American values and local issues.

#CoosCountyConservatives #RepealHB3291 #ElectionIntegrity #TimberRevival #SchoolChoice #PublicSafetyFirst

Chris Castleman
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