A REAL OPPORTUNITY IN CROOK COUNTY!

A REAL OPPORTUNITY!
published in the Central Oregonian, 10/30/2012

In response to the Tuesday, October 16, Central Oregonian editorial blurb about the judge's race,  I'd like to stress that the editor has never interviewed me; he has never attended any forums in which I've participated; he has appeared at no County Court meetings over the last five months, at least none I've attended since I was asked to run after the May primary.  Yet Vance Tong pretends to know what motivated me to run for Crook County Judge. How many newspapers across the country do endorsements without a candidate interview?

Vance called me an "opportunist."  It is an opportunity, yes, to implement my ideas as well as some of those of the incumbent's two primary challengers, Brad Bartlett and Craig Brookhart, both of whom support me.  It's an opportunity to really do some good for this county and to change "business as usual." Communication with county residents has been virtually non-existent on a scale large enough to be effective. 

Where has this editor been for the last four years?  Apparently the 66% of voters who chose someone else in the May primary saw something that the newspaper editor did not.  Where has he been involved? What voters has he contacted to test the climate of this election? My support at this time comes from many prominent Crook County residents:  Republicans, Patriots, Independents, and Democrats.

So I ask again, why no candidate interview? 

Walt Wagner
Powell Butte