To the editor:
15neighborhoods is full-on behind Claire Hall for re-election to Position 2 on the Lincoln County board of commissioners. Read her statement on short-term rentals at https://www.voteclairehall.com/short-term-rentals
Yes, Hall voted to license short-term rentals throughout unincorporated Lincoln County, including residential zones in 2016 but advocated a one-year review by the sheriff’s business licensing office that managed the new program. In February 2018 the sheriff reported no “strikes,” and that all was well.
County commissioners do not oversee the sheriff’s office. They could not foresee that the sheriff would keep the short-term business licensing program so understaffed it could not inspect rentals before licensing or investigate complaints.
We watched the surprise on the commissioners’ faces when the sheriff’s licensing staff told them in late 2019 that the sheriff had never issued a “strike,” notwithstanding the complaint or number of complaints. Once informed, they increased the resources to the sheriff but could never control their use.
We are certain Claire Hall will take heat, and a lot of it, from this industry for her statement on short-term rentals. Meredith Lodging spent $200,000 against our ballot measure to phase them out in residential areas. Someone even hacked our website and set up websites having purchased domain names similar to ours to divert campaign donations. Look for out-of-state donors to her competitors. This could be an expensive campaign.
Claire Hall is local, collaborative, data-driven and solution-oriented. Let’s get her elected in the May primary by 50 percent +1, so there is no need for a runoff in November. Claire Hall has earned our respect and vote.
— Monica Kirk/15 neighborhoods steering committee
No snark or put downs. But, truth be told, Hall hasn’t done much. She sits on committees and talks a lot but never really does anything. Hall’s message is like the wind.
I notice that five people are running for Lincoln County commissioner. I have been examining all of them and think Claire Hall’s experience exceeds every single one of them. If she still wants the job, I say we give it to her (Vote Claire Hall). She has actually brought millions of dollars to Lincoln County for the higher good. She has been appointed to numerous county and state organizations and is or has been chair on almost all of them. She has used her seats in these organizations and committees to advocate for lil old Lincoln County and stood in front of the Oregon Legislature to request, and in some cases, demand taxpayer dollars work for the people of this county and other rural counties.
Someone said Claire “never really does anything.” Well, that is someone who hasn’t done their research. I went to her campaign website first. There is a lot of information there. But not everything she has done is there. It is a good place to start though. I also went to Oregon State Government website and looked around. And, I have been watching the news and just what is happening and being said, locally.
To the point of the letter by 15neighborhoods, what I have learned is that Commissioner Hall is not a politician. She is here to serve the people of Lincoln County. She will not take a stance on anything unless she knows it is the right stance to take for the good of the people she serves. And she is willing to take the heat. For the record, she isn’t shutting down short-term rentals, just willing to put the regulations that the people of the county voted for, in place. She cannot single handedly make any laws or regulations. That is not the job of a commissioner.
Personally, I think it’s time for some new blood on the board of commissioners. The current composition has stagnated, and county residents are paying the price. Rents are through the roof, small businesses are struggling to keep pace with ever inflating wages, and our commissioners continue to kick the can on problems that grow inversely to the action being taken to address those problems.
It’s interesting to me that the very organization who claims to be so adamantly opposed to short term rentals is backing the very person who has the most responsibility for the current state of the issue. I don’t know much about any of the other candidates, but I know for a fact that none of them were in a position to prevent the problem. Hall and her colleagues did nothing, for years, as the problem grew around us. It’s great that she supported the ballot measure, but that ballot measure was overturned and ended up costing the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. At the end of that we’re still in the same pickle. So was her support really all that valuable?
I also think it’s great that Hall represents Lincoln County on many boards and committees, the coast needs more representation statewide, but at the end of the day that’s not having any effect on our quality of life. I’ve lived here in Lincoln City for 13 years, and during that time, the cost of living has only increased while issues such as homelessness continue to get more serious. My neighbors have watched their kids and grandkids move away because they can’t afford it here, and I’m left wondering why.
My real question though is what will Hall do her in next four years that she hasn’t done in the previous four, or the previous 20? I know our bench isn’t very deep, but I think we can do better.
Mr. Graham, I think you are misplacing the blame of the STR situation on to Claire. I don’t think you intend to do that, but I don’t think you understand the role of County Commissioner. That seems to happen a lot around here in Lincoln County. People think the Board of Commissioners have more legislative power than they do. In my opinion, Claire Hall is probably the best bet that Lincoln County has of getting necessary funding to continue the growth and recovery of our community (from Echo Mountain Fire and COVID pandemic). She has done a lot. And she is in the middle of doing a lot. Hope you go to tomorrow nights League of Women Voters Forum. You can also learn more about Claire here: http://www.voteclairehall.com.
Personally, I think it’s time for some new blood on the board of commissioners. I don’t know much about the other candidates, but what will Hall do her in next four years that she hasn’t done in the previous four, or the previous 20? It’s a rhetorical question, but an important one to ask yourself before you vote.