CAMPAIGN - Election Recap

DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER RACE RECAP

     I'm posting this entry for the benefit of any reporters or perusing journalists who may be interested in viewing my thoughts about the 2014 May primary.

STAGE 3 CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND RECOVERY

      After being diagnosed with stage three cancer on August 1, 2012, I was greatly relieved to be through all of my treatments and on the road to recovery as a "cancer survivor," when my chemotherapy treatments ended in January, 2014. I threw my hat into the ring for Douglas County Commissioner, not only because I believed that I would be an excellent commissioner, but also because it would force me to be out in public again.    
     So, with only the money in hand donated to me by ardent supporters, I filed for office and hit the campaign trail. For the first time in two years, I was "forced" to put on a dress jacket and tie. For the first time in two years, I was "forced" to attend social functions and be seen in public. For the first time in two years, I was "forced" to think on my feet and give speeches and respond to challenging questions.
     During the short two months of campaigning, my strategy worked.  I was feeling great physically, and looking forward to re-entering the workforce: either as Douglas County Commissioner or resuming my job as a high school teacher. Win or lose, the campaign was helping me re-gain my self-confidence.
     Nobody can possibly know the stress that I endured while I was at the News-Review editorial board meeting, as I sat scrunched between the other candidates, wearing my dress jacket and tie, just hoping that I wouldn't have to use the restroom during the two-hour long session...or do anything else that might give away my recent role as a cancer survivor. But nothing happened, and it encouraged me to get out more in public.

STAGE 4 CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE

     Then came Tuesday, May 13, 2014, the day that changed my world. A routine CT scan in Roseburg revealed a mass in my pelvis. After whisking me away by ambulance for a three-day stay at Riverbend hospital in Springfield, my Roseburg oncologist revealed to me THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION, Monday, May 19th....that I had stage 4 cancer. The mass currently can not be removed, and so chemotherapy is currently the only treatment option.

     Now I feel as if all my efforts at running for Douglas County Commissioner have been in vain...not because I lost the election...but now because I'm now back to "square one," where I'll be fatigued from chemotherapy treatments, and where I'll have to make adjustments to my wardrobe again to wear a chemo pump and two kidney drains in public. And, because it's stage 4 cancer, it's likely that I'll never fully recover back to normal....the best that I may be able to hope for is to keep the status quo in the next few years.

ELECTION SUMMARY

     And so, in case any journalists are still reading this blog, here is my "reaction" to the 2014 Douglas County Commissioner's race. I'm disappointed that, according to the preliminary 8:00 p.m. election returns, one candidate has more than 52 percent of the vote. Which means (please excuse the sentence fragment) there will be no run-off between the top two candidates in the November election, if the frontrunner continues to hold a 50+ percent lead.

     Douglas County voters deserve a race between two candidates, because the issues are better defined, and the voters get to know better the backgrounds and personalities of two individuals...which helps them make a better choice on whom to vote for. In a seven-person race, the voters don't really know much about any of the candidates (because the campaign donations are more difficult to obtain when there's a plethora of candidates) and so voters end up casting their ballot for the candidate who spends the most money on name recognition (i.e., signs, newspaper advertisements, website ads., radio ads., etc.).

     On the positive side, I'm glad to see as many candidates as there were in the race. In case any Douglas County voters think that it's strange to have seven candidates in an open race with no incumbent, they should look south to Josephine County....where nine candidates are running tonight for one Josephine County Commissioner position, including the one-term incumbent.

     There are several things that probably worked against my receiving more votes in this race. Even though nobody ever said anything about it, I think that my recent bout with cancer (which in hindsight is now a new bout with cancer) kept some people from voting for me. Also, my not being included in the Voters' Pamphlet, due to my not realizing the fee had doubled from $300 to $600, also cost me some votes.

VINDICATED AT LAST! AND ON ELECTION DAY!

     One final note. I was considering running for Douglas County Commissioner as I was ending my chemotherapy treatments, and I said as much in my blog. Thanks to a diligent News-Review reporter who scrutinized this blog, my potential candidacy was front page news on the News-Review when I received a misdemeanor driving citation in Medford.

     The newspaper said something to the effect that Monte Muirhead was "still considering running for commissioner, despite the driving infraction in Medford." First of all, I was eventually declared INNOCENT of that driving infraction. But the newspaper made it appear as if the charge in and of itself, was reason for me NOT to run for commissioner. I felt compelled to run in order to vindicate myself. If I did not run for commissioner, then I would always have this cloud hanging over my head, as if my deciding not to run was because I had something to hide.

      Well, I did run for commissioner despite the negative innuendo on the newspaper's front page, and there is a certain poetic justice in the fact that my driving charge was DISMISSED on election day! Just to clarify: the Medford City Attorney dismissed the charge against me, so there will be no fine, no trial, and nothing on my driving record. I am innocent! It's just a shame that I had that dark cloud hanging over me during the past two months. At least one letter to the editor writer from Myrtle Creek said the driving citation was reason enough for voters not to vote for me for Douglas County Commissioner.

     How strange that nobody publicly questioned voting for a candidate (the one who so far has received 52 percent of the vote in tonight's election) who attended a topless bar while out-of-state on a government business trip paid for by taxpayers. It's okay to vote for a candidate who spends their time on the job attending topless bars, but it's not okay to vote for a candidate who received a traffic citation that was ultimately thrown out of court? (at least according to the letter writer from Myrtle Creek)

      Douglas County, which I thought had a conservative voter base, is certainly an unusual place to live.

    

    

Medford Charge Dismissed!

  RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT CITATION THROWN OUT OF COURT

     It's election day and not all is bad news. Today, the Medford City Attorney DISMISSED a reckless endangerment charge filed against me last February.
     Disgruntled North Medford High School science teacher Erin Federline apparently didn't like the fact that I drove around her human blockade at the cafeteria entrance of the school. So, Federline got four of her picket friends to sign a complaint against me, alleging reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. There were no police officers, security officers, or third-party witnesses present at the time of the incident...but for some unknown reason, Medford Police went along with Federline's complaint and slapped me with a $2,000 citation for reckless endangerment.
      I'm happy to see that the courts saw this for the politically-motivated, trumped-up charge that it was, and threw the case out of court. No trial, no fine, I'm vindicated!
      I'm still baffled as to how people who illegally block a public road can walk away with no citation, but a substitute teacher who has to drive on the sidewalk in order to get to work, suddenly becomes the villain..??..
    

CAMPAIGN - KQEN Interview Monday

     This may be my last campaign entry before the election, unless some monumental issue comes up that I need to address. And rest assured, I will resume my campaign updates later this year, if I am one of the top two contenders who advances to the November election.

*   I am scheduled to be interviewed on KQEN AM 1240 radio, Roseburg, next Monday, May 12th, at 12:30-1:00p.m. Broadcaster Kyle Bailey and myself will talk about this year's commissioner's race. I always look forward to broadcast interviews, because they allow my personal side be shared with the listener, as opposed to the stark, unemotional, black-and-white comments that appear in newsprint.
     I've had countless people tell me that I am the best speaker when compared to all of the candidates who appear at the candidate forums. No kidding. Including some prominent Democrats who support other candidates! Unfortunately, so few people attend candidate forums, that very few voters are exposed to the "real me," by hearing me speak in person.

*   Talk about surreal campaigns. I received a flyer in the mail today from Pat Boone, who is "endorsing" one of the candidates for Douglas County Commissioner. Actually, the flyer was from the candidate's campaign. The flyer didn't mention any specific accomplishments or issues facing Douglas County, but instead referred to vague references of needing patriotic candidates with spiritual values. One can't argue with that. I'm sure Pat Boone would be able to say the same thing about all seven commissioner candidates, had he actually taken the time to familiarize himself with the race.

*    An interesting article in today's Roseburg News-Review about the finances of the current commissioner's race. The highest-spending candidate (the one whom Pat Boone endorses) has spent about $92,000 so far. The other candidates have spent in the range of $9,000, $6,000, $4,000, and the two lowest-spending candidates (including myself) are spending less than $750 each. I knew going into this race that it would be that way, considering that several people offered to pay my initial filing expenses.
     I always try and look at the bright side of uneven races like this: In every race that I've ever run in, I've always received more votes for the dollars that I've spent. In other words, each vote cast for me has been less expensive, fewer cents, than each vote cast for the other candidates.
    
*   On a personal note...for those who are still reading this blog entry: Some GREAT news out of Medford may be on the horizon within the next week. I can't say anything more about it, but for those who are aware of my personal life during the past few months, you will undoubtedly pick up on what I'm referring to. The news is the best of all possible worlds, and it will be nice for me to move on to other challenges.