Where Do You Go When You Lose Your Job at the Mill?
In Douglas County, that question has an uncomfortable answer: nowhere.
For generations, mill work has been the backbone of our local economy. Running heavy equipment, maintaining industrial machinery, managing large-scale production—these are real, technical, hard-earned skills. But when a mill job disappears, there is no second local industry ready to absorb that workforce. No parallel manufacturing sector. No industrial employer is waiting to say, “we need exactly what you know how to do.”
That lack of choice is not accidental.
Douglas County has been structured around a single dominant industry, and the people in power have worked to keep it that way. Incumbent commissioners, including Tim Freeman, routinely accept substantial campaign contributions from timber interests. In return, there is little incentive to welcome competing industries into the county—industries that would give workers leverage, mobility, and options.
When workers have no alternatives, employers don’t have to compete.
They don’t have to offer truly livable wages.
They don’t have to provide strong benefits.
They don’t have to innovate or modernize.
Because if you leave (or are laid off), where else are you going to go?
This is the quiet crisis facing Douglas County. It’s not that timber work lacks value or history; it’s that depending on a single industry leaves workers exposed. One downturn, one mill closure, one corporate decision made hundreds of miles away—and families are left scrambling in a county with no industrial safety net.
That is why economic diversification is not an abstract policy idea. It is a worker protection strategy.
We should be investing in additional manufacturing, renewable energy, and other industrial sectors that directly transfer the skills already present in our workforce. Mechanical aptitude. Equipment operation. Electrical and maintenance expertise. Process control. These are assets—and they should be usable across multiple employers, not locked to a single industry.
When workers have options, wages rise.
When employers must compete, benefits improve.
When an economy is diverse, communities become resilient.
Douglas County deserves more than a one-industry future. We deserve an economy that rewards skill, encourages innovation, and gives working families real choices—today and for generations to come.
Diversify Douglas County’s Economy by Building Shovel-Ready Sites
Douglas County doesn’t lack potential. What we lack—too often—is readiness.
When a manufacturing firm, logistics operator, wood-products innovator, food processor, or clean-tech supplier starts looking for a new home, they’re not searching for a community with “great ideas.” They’re searching for a site where they can break ground fast, connect to utilities, hire locally, and start producing. If we want family-wage employers to choose Douglas County, we need to compete on the one factor that consistently decides deals: how quickly a site can be developed.
That’s why one of the most practical ways to diversify our economy is also one of the least flashy: investing in core infrastructure to create shovel-ready industrial sites.
What “shovel-ready” actually means (and why it matters)
Oregon already has a clear definition of what modern employers expect. The State’s Certified Shovel Ready Program is designed around the idea that sites should be “market-ready” and available for development within 180 days or less.
That 180-day timeline isn’t a random benchmark. It reflects a reality of site selection. Companies increasingly operate on tight schedules, and the communities that win are the ones that have already done the hard work: zoning, due diligence, infrastructure planning, and pre-development engineering.
Business Oregon also describes an industrial site certification approach that “captures and identifies a path to development within 90 days.” The message is simple: speed and certainty attract investment.
The bottleneck is infrastructure, and we can fix it
Across Oregon, local jurisdictions repeatedly report the same obstacle: they have land, but they can’t afford the infrastructure to prepare it—roads, water, sewer, and electrical service.
That’s the heart of the issue for Douglas County, too. It’s not enough to point to an empty parcel and say, “We’ve got space.” If that space requires years of utility extensions, unclear permitting, or costly unknowns (wetlands, environmental conditions, off-site transportation improvements), many employers will move on before we even get a meeting.
Shovel-ready investment is how we turn “available land” into competitive land.
A practical plan: make readiness a countywide priority
If we’re serious about diversifying our economy, we should treat site readiness like we treat public safety: something we plan for before we need it.
Here’s what that looks like in real terms:
1) Pick priority sites and fully fund the “last mile” infrastructure
Water, sewer, stormwater, access roads, and utility capacity are often the deal-breakers. The goal should be a short list of priority sites where we intentionally close those gaps first.
2) Do the due diligence up front—so businesses don’t inherit surprises
A shovel-ready site is not just pipes and pavement. It’s clarity: known conditions, defined development steps, and reduced uncertainty.
3) Partner aggressively to bring in outside dollars
Oregon has tools designed specifically for this. For example, the state’s Regionally Significant Industrial Sites (RSIS) program reimburses approved site improvement expenditures using a share of state income tax generated by new jobs on those sites (with statewide reimbursements capped annually). This is exactly the kind of model rural counties can use to tackle big, upfront costs without putting everything on local ratepayers.
4) Treat “site readiness” as an economic development utility
Just like we maintain roads and water systems for residents, we should maintain a pipeline of job-ready locations for employers. Businesses don’t wait for us to catch up. If we want stability, we have to stay prepared.
This is what economic diversification looks like on the ground
Douglas County’s own industrial development framework explicitly defines “economic diversification” as expanding “many and varied” employment opportunities so that a decline in one sector doesn’t destabilize the whole county—and it calls for cooperation to share resources to make that happen.
Investing in shovel-ready sites is how we make that definition real.
It doesn’t abandon our existing industries. It strengthens them by bringing in complementary employers: secondary wood products, advanced manufacturing, cold chain logistics for agriculture, small-to-mid scale fabrication, value-added processing, and the kinds of suppliers that keep money circulating locally.
The bottom line
If we want better jobs, we have to build the conditions that make “yes” easy for employers, and that starts with infrastructure.
A shovel-ready strategy is not a slogan. It’s a measurable commitment: sites prepared, utilities extended, timelines shortened, and risk reduced. And when we do it right, we send a clear signal to the market:
Douglas County is open for business—and we’re ready to build.
Why Douglas County’s Future Depends on Diversifying Our Economy.
If you’ve lived in Douglas County for any length of time, you know how deeply rooted the timber and forest industries are in our history. Generations of families have built their lives around these jobs. The values, the work ethic, the pride — they’re a core part of who we are.
And let me be clear: the forest sector is still important, and it’s not going anywhere.
But if we want Douglas County to thrive in the decades ahead, we need to face a simple truth:
our economy can no longer survive on a single industry. Not anymore.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The forest sector makes up only 13.2% of total employment in Douglas County.
(Source: Douglas Timber Operators, Economy & Employment Data)Statewide figures show that wood products manufacturing still accounts for a meaningful share of Oregon’s manufacturing economy, including here at home.
(Source: Willamette Week, April 2025)Across rural Oregon, forest-sector jobs represent about 6% of total employment, compared to only 2% in metro counties.
(Source: Oregon Employment Department, 2023)
These numbers confirm what many of us already know:
Timber still matters.
Timber still puts food on the table for many families.
Timber is part of our identity.
But it also shows something else:
87% of Douglas County jobs are already outside the forest sector.
And yet, we haven’t built a strong, balanced economy to sustain those other sectors — or the families that rely on them.
Why Dependence on a Single Industry Holds Us Back
Relying too heavily on one industry makes our county vulnerable to:
Market downturns
Federal timber-policy changes
Mill closures
Automation
Wildfire impacts
Supply-chain disruptions
When those swings hit, our families feel it. Our schools feel it. Our businesses feel it. Our county budget feels it.
A thriving community doesn’t happen by accident — it requires broad opportunities, good-paying jobs across multiple fields, and a plan for long-term stability.
Our Kids Deserve More Options than “Move Away to Succeed”
Too many young people leave Douglas County because they can’t find the careers they want here. They love this place, but they don’t see a future that matches their skills, passions, or goals.
That has to change.
A healthy economy should offer:
Trades jobs
Tech jobs
Healthcare jobs
Manufacturing jobs
Creative and cultural jobs
Renewable energy jobs
Business and entrepreneurship opportunities
We shouldn’t lose our next generation simply because we refused to build a wider foundation for them.
Diversification Doesn’t Replace Timber — It Strengthens It
This isn’t about turning our backs on the forest sector. It’s about making sure the families who depend on timber have a stronger, more resilient community to live in.
By expanding our economy, we:
Increase local wages
Stabilize the county budget
Support small businesses
Keep young families here
Improve public services
Attract new industries that complement our existing strengths
A diverse economy doesn’t weaken the forest sector.
It protects it by ensuring that when the industry faces challenges — as it has many times — our entire county doesn’t suffer.
Douglas County Has Incredible Potential
We have:
Abundant natural beauty
Affordable land
Strong rural values
A workforce that knows how to get things done
A location perfect for industry, logistics, recreation, and innovation
What we’ve been missing is leadership with the honesty, courage, and vision to take the next step.
It’s Time to Build a Stronger Future
Douglas County deserves an economy that works for everyone — not just people in one sector, not just people with connections, not just people who happen to benefit from the “good ole boy” system that has kept us stagnant.
Diversifying our economy is not optional.
It’s not political.
It’s not controversial.
It’s common sense and it’s long overdue.
Our past is rooted in the forest.
Our future belongs to every person who calls Douglas County home.
And together, we can build an economy that gives our community strength, stability, and opportunity for generations to come.
It’s Time to Talk Honestly About Corruption in Douglas County
People all across Douglas County can feel it — something isn’t right in our county government. Budgets keep sliding deeper into deficit, public services are shrinking, and yet a handful of county leaders seem to have no problem taking care of themselves.
Folks around here are hardworking and straightforward. When something doesn’t add up, we notice. And lately, a lot isn’t adding up.
What the Reporting Shows — and Yes, It’s About Douglas County
In 2020, The Oregonian/OregonLive published an investigation showing exactly how Douglas County Commisioners spent federal safety-net money — funds meant to support essential services and vulnerable communities.
What did the county spend that money on?
Flight upgrades
Banquet dinners
A paid meeting with a conspiracy theorist
(Source: The Oregonian/OregonLive, Jan. 2020 )
This wasn’t extra money lying around. It was supposed to help the people who live here.
And this isn’t the first time Douglas County leadership has been in the spotlight for questionable decisions. One of our current commissioners, Tim Freeman, made statewide news in 2012 for an incident involving a topless bar — a moment that raised serious questions about judgment and professionalism among our elected officials.
(Source: The Oregonian/OregonLive, Aug. 2012)
This is the pattern: money mismanaged, decisions made in poor judgment, and a lack of accountability when the public deserves better.
Why This Matters for All of Us
When county leadership wastes money or hides how it’s being spent, the impacts are real:
Libraries lose funding.
Small businesses struggle without support.
County workers lose jobs.
Roads, parks, and services fall behind.
Young families move away because opportunity dries up.
Douglas County’s problems aren’t caused by its people. They’re caused by leadership that hasn’t respected taxpayer dollars or planned responsibly for the future.
What Has to Change
We need a county government that:
Is transparent with every dollar
Stops rewarding insiders
Cuts waste instead of cutting essential services
Accepts responsibility for years of mismanagement
Fights for stable jobs and long-term economic growth
These aren’t extreme ideas — they’re basic expectations for public service.
A County Worth Fighting For
Douglas County is one of the most beautiful places in Oregon, filled with hardworking people who deserve a government as honest and resilient as they are. The corruption and mismanagement we’ve seen aren’t just embarrassing — they’re holding us back.
If we want a stronger future for our kids, our businesses, and our community, we must demand accountability. We must insist on leadership that respects the people, not the perks.
Douglas County is worth fighting for — and it’s time we all expect better from the people elected to lead it.
Why I am running.
Douglas County is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It’s a place defined not just by mountains, rivers, and forests—but by the strength and generosity of the people who call it home. This is where I live, work, and build community. This is where my friends are raising their families. This is where I plan to spend the rest of my life.
And because of that, I can no longer stand by and watch the opportunities of this county slip through our fingers.
For years, we have watched mismanagement, poor planning, and a lack of accountability create budget deficits that grow larger each cycle. We’ve seen critical services defunded while waste goes unchecked. We’ve watched a “good old boy” political culture take root—where self-interest is rewarded and everyday residents are left to shoulder the consequences.
I believe Douglas County deserves better than that.
I am running for County Commissioner because I know what this county is capable of when its leadership is honest, transparent, and committed to real solutions. My entire life—whether in construction, business management, or public service—has been about solving problems, getting things done, and making sure people have what they need to succeed.
When I learned our libraries had been defunded, I didn’t wait for someone else to step in. I volunteered my time, took on the role of president, and worked with partners across the region to bring in more than four times the previous resources—at no cost to taxpayers. Today, those dollars support youth programs, tech and science education, senior services, community events, and opportunities that didn’t exist before. That is what happens when leadership is driven by community, not personal gain.
This county has enormous potential. We have natural resources that must be protected and managed responsibly. We have small businesses that are the backbone of our local economy. We have talented workers, creative young people, and families who want stability and a future right here at home.
But to unlock that future, we need leadership willing to do the hard work:
• Stabilize the budget through responsible management and innovation
• Create good jobs by supporting local businesses and attracting new industries
• Expand opportunities so our young people can stay and thrive here
• Bring transparency, integrity, and accountability back to county government
• Protect our natural beauty while building a stronger, more resilient economy
I am running because I believe in Douglas County. I believe in its people. And I believe that with honest leadership and a community-first approach, we can build a county that works for everyone—not just a select few.
This isn’t about political ambition. This is about service. It’s about stepping up when the place you love needs you. It’s about making sure future generations have opportunities right here at home.
That’s why I’m running—and I’m ready to get to work.