Taylor inches ahead in commissioner's race
Nov. 15—The race for Coos County commissioner, position 3, remains too close to call, but challenger Rod Taylor has taken the lead after votes turned in by Election Day were counted.
In the tally released by the Coos County clerk's office Wednesday, Taylor has received 14,142 votes, or 50.15%, to 13,982 votes for incumbent Melissa Cribbins. Cribbins has received 49.58% of the vote. There were 77 write-in votes in the race as well.
The outcome mirrors the results of the May primary, where Cribbins opened a big lead on Election Day, and Taylor gained ground as the later votes were counted.
Under state law, the final tally will not be released until Wednesday. The law gives the clerk's office seven day to count ballots that were postmarked by Election Day. According to a schedule released by the clerk's office, no more results will be released before the final unofficial tally Wednesday.
Cribbins, who has held the commissioner's seat for 10 years, is hoping to be elected to a third full-term in office. During the campaign, she claimed her experience in government and ability to work well with other elected officials made her the right choice.
Taylor, a private businessman from Bandon, campaigned by saying Coos County needs to stand up to state and federal mandates that he says pull the county down.
While Taylor said he is pleased to have the lead, he said it is too close to claim victory. He explained there are still 800 ballots outstanding that could be received and counted, so until the final results are announced, he is going to wait.
"It's never appropriate for any candidate to claim victory when they have not conclusively won," Taylor said. "I was not happy when it happened in the primary to my detriment, and I will not do it here."
Taylor said during the campaign, his first run for any political office, he enjoyed meeting the voters and hearing their concerns. But he said he was disappointed with some of the harsh claims made by those who opposed his effort, most who have never met him.
"The campaign has been a lot of work, it's been a lot of stress," Taylor said. "It's been a growing opportunity for my wife and me, and we are looking forward to whatever God's plan is for us."
While the election results show Taylor could win, he said win or lose, his campaign made a difference.
"Even if I didn't win, we still see that as a major swing and a sign we should not take the foot off the gas," he said.
Despite pulling ahead in the vote count, Taylor said he still has major concerns with election integrity in Coos County. If he becomes a commissioner in January, he hopes to look more into the entire process to make it transparent and accessible.
Ultimately, he said, he would like to present a home rule charter to voters, one that would change the election process in Coos County away from the state's mail-in process to one where the vast majority of voters cast ballots in person, on election day and show an ID to do so.
