Smith second candidate for Curry County Commission

GOLD BEACH – David Brock Smith, a Port Orford city councilor and president of the Port Orford and North Curry County Chamber of Commerce, has filed as a candidate for the Curry County Board of Commissioners in the May 18 primary election.

Smith, 33, on Wednesday filed papers for Commission Position No. 1, currently held by Georgia Nowlin. Nowlin has announced she will not seek re-election.

Smith is the second candidate to file for that position. David Itzen of Brookings filed earlier.

“Curry County is one of the most beautiful places to live. We need to do everything we can to promote it and make jobs,” Smith said. “I talked to (former commissioner) Lucie La Bonté about running four years ago. Georgia Nowlin put her hat in. She’s done a great job. It’s time for me to throw my hat in to see what I can do for the citizens of Curry County.”

Smith said his family has roots in Curry County.

“My grandfather was a logger. He owned a couple of logging companies in Port Orford in the ’50s and ’60s, retiring in the ’60s,” Smith said. “He built the Port and Starboard Restaurant. My parents were high school sweethearts, graduated in ’63. My dad retired after 27 years and moved the family here in 1990 and bought the restaurant from my grandpa.”

Smith went to Southwestern Oregon Community College, then to Southern Oregon University.

“I lived in Medford and Ashland for years, where they have some good restaurants. I worked in some of the best restaurants. I’m well rounded as a restaurateur. I came back and took over the family business in November 2001, and I immediately got involved with the community,” Smith said.

“I’ve been on the Law Enforcement Blue Ribbon Committee. That was a long, tough road. I worry to see we won’t have a (law enforcement tax) levy in May. I would like to see something come out of committee, but I agree with the commissioners – with the economic time now, it isn’t an option,” Smith said.

The Blue Ribbon Committee had originally recommended Curry County approve a permanent law enforcement tax district to fund the Sheriff’s Department, Juvenile Department and District Attorney’s Office. Now, there’s talk of approving a limited tax levy for law enforcement.

“I like the five-year levy. In Port Orford we passed a police tax levy. After failing in November 2008, we put it back on in May and passed it 66 percent in favor. But the five-year tax levy is just a Band-Aid. We’ve got to find sustainable funding for the Juvenile Department, Sheriff and DA to have the protection the citizens need,” Smith said.

“We hope the O&C funds will be there. With the Obama administration, it’s always a possibility,” Smith said of the federal funds the county has received in the past to make up for the nontaxable federal property that makes up a majority of Curry County.

“I’m pretty sure all the funds we received in the O&C funds go directly to the Sheriff’s Office, DA and Juvenile Department,” Smith said.

“We’ve got great things going in Brookings, with the new college. It will be a wonderful asset. I was at the Business Conference and they’re doing great things with that,” Smith said.

“Great things have happened at the north end of the county. The Governor’s Office mandated marine reserves. There’s the Port Orford community-based effort for marine reserves. I’m on the team for the pilot project here, the business portions,” Smith said.

“We had a meeting last Monday. It’s really doing wonderful things here. Some of ODFW (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife) people there were commenting that not only the state and country were watching what we are doing, the world is watching what we’re doing,” Smith said.

“Port Orford has logging, fishing, tourism, sustainable fishing – 35 percent of our population is supported by fishing dollars,” he said.

“I just now started going through the county budget. The county needs to find ways to trim the fat. I’m not prepared to make a decision where that can come from,” Smith said. “I’m chairman of the Budget Committee for the City of Port Orford. We’ve had some innovative ways here. I’ll dive into that and make suggestions to the commissioners this year.”

Smith said he didn’t run for the Chamber of Commerce board.

“I was elected by write-in, then the board elected me president. I have been president ever since,” he said.

“The different communities should be working together for a common goal – to promote the county as a destination, not only for people to come visit, dine, view the attractions and support business, but also for people to live,” Smith said.

“People come here to visit and in a few years, they decide they want to live here, in Gold Beach and Brookings as well. It’s a beautiful community that offers so much for everyone,” Smith said.

“There are going to be some tough decisions that need to happen in the county for the next few years,” he said. “I’m willing and able to make those decisions and will work tirelessly to do so.”

The County Commission is a nonpartisan election for the first time this year. If one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the May 18 election, that candidate will become a commissioner next January. If there is no clear majority, the run-off election will be held in the November General Election.

The filing deadline for the election is March 9.