Tillamook County operates as a general law county in the state of Oregon, which requires three elected commissioners that have very broad legislative and fiscal powers. Under this kind of county governance, the county commissioners are required to both manage the county bureaucracy and enact local laws and ordinances. Given their broad authority, and number of constituents living directly under their rule, due to a lack of municipal (city) governments, elected county commissioners should embody the spirit of the freedom framed in the U.S. founding documents and the Oregon Bill of Rights. Currently, Jeff Spink and 8-year incumbent, Mary Faith Bell, are running for the office of county commissioner. Jeff Spink has made it clear he believes in the freedom of self-government that has made our country the freest and prosperous nation in world history. But Bell, through her record of governance, displays an alternative to constitutional governance: A devouring mother government that believes she alone can keep her child-like constituents safe from moral depravity, infectious disease, and crushing free capitalism. She has displayed these qualities through authoritarian rule, outsourced thinking, and ever increasing dependence on government.
Authoritarianism. America was never intended to depend on the authoritarianism displayed by Bell. This has been well documented in the public sphere through her willingness to close public offices and private businesses twice during COVID and the resulting personal mandates on employees and constituents, her advocacy for a “small” (micro) county-wide business license, her insistence in sitting as chair of four (or more) county advisory committees, her role in diminishing the elected treasurer position to ineffectiveness, her overt manner of controlling public meetings, and her refusal to hold public officers accountable. What has been repeatedly displayed by Bell is that dissent in unacceptable. If she cannot silence voices of dissent, which has she has tried to numerous times during public meetings, then she will attempt to shame dissenting voices. She called the opponents of “her” Tillamook Bay College Board “angry right-wing extremists” because they supported merit over DEI in the Nestucca Valley Chamber Spring Candidate Forum of 2023. In the same forum she informed the public that Christians who were systematically graded based on viewpoint discrimination at TBCC should attend Christian college, not the public community college, which she also serves as chair.
Unfortunately, Bell does not limit her authoritarianism to policy and public meetings, but also insists on giving numerous morality and health lectures to the public. She spent an immeasurable amount of time on public radio and during public meetings fearmongering about COVID, and advertising for the experimental COVID shot. This continued for years and included her advocacy for individuals to get their COVID and flu shots together during the holidays of 2022. She made a public statement still found on the county website, urging constituents to “Say No to Racism,” based on two comments reported to her, otherwise known as hearsay(https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/bocc/page/say-no-racism) . Two incidents of alleged racist comments rise to the need for a county commissioner to make a public statement, but multiple victims suffering abuse from the failed District Attorney, and her deputy attorneys, only requires her to “look forward to working with the DA’s office to address concerns identified in the report”? (DA Olson Investigation Report–https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/investigation-finds-lack-of-competency-concern-for-victims-in-da-s-office/article_63bdfa00-c7e9-41fb-aae8-a5dba880e491.html?utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawR22bNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEemTLJOSeeTVyJf3-uFqGKfthLvB0qXcbB-hERUrOyWZSC1gVCw5KKuiBD3qU_aem_MDgem8PQrsuJrb8T5B3d5Q). Bell even lectured the public for their rejection of hateful and bigoted statements by failed school board and suicide prevention advocate, Amanda Ferrat, as “hateful and bigoted.” Bell seems to apply DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) for her those she supports Finally, Bell refused to consider a complaint of filed against library director, Don Allgeier, for responding in writing to a concern about an inappropriate children’s book that, “None of the illustrations in the book seem erotic to me nor did I find that they cause sexual excitement.” In essence, Bell communicates that county employees and fellow travelers to her ideology are above reproach, but all else unruly and immoral children.

“None of the illustrations in the book seem erotic to me nor did I find that they cause sexual excitement.

Don Allgeier, Tillamook County Library Director

Outsourcing thinking to “experts.” It seems that when Bell’s authority is challenged by dissent she cites “experts.” Who are the experts? Anyone from Oregon Health Authority to legal counsel to her hired department heads. While everyone should consider sound advice from those knowledgeable in their field, no one should ever trade their common sense for alleged expert advice. One logical fallacy that comes to play with outsourcing one’s thinking to experts is that the reasoning becomes circular. In spring of 2020, when all the world decided to shutdown for a virus of 99% survival rate, Bell followed suit, simultaneously declaring on the county website that the commissioners “were THE county health authority,” but refusing to respond to concerns about health, economic and individual freedoms by claiming she was “not the expert.”
The danger of having a county commissioner willing to outsource their thinking while illegally, and unconstitutionally, limiting their constituents rights and freedoms, is immeasurable and is displayed in every area of governance. For example, the number and amount of fees based on department requests, just for building in Tillamook County has raised 30-100% in the last 4 years. In fact, the county is now operating under a nearly automatic 4% annual fee increase, which does not include adding new fees, or fines, in all pertinent departments, such as building and environmental health.
In similar manner has been Bell’s response to the Tillamook County residents’ numerous attempts to request her oversight of the inappropriate books that have replaced classic literature and non-fiction books in the children’s section of the library. Not only did hundreds of citizens’ request that these ideologically grooming, in both sexuality and anti-Americanism, be moved out of the reach of children, but many have also emailed Bell with their concerns. Bell cannot claim she has not seen these books, as I have presented them to her at both a library board meeting and a commissioner meeting in 2024. After over 3 years of advocacy, this was Bell’s response at the Spring 2026 AAUW Candidate Forum on this issue, that requested for parent oversight on these books, “We have a library advisory board [commissioner appointed]. . .the library director is very accessible . . .I believe that the policy we put in the place for book selection to be the responsibility of the library director is appropriate because book selection should not be a political issue. Book selection should not be up to the commissioners it should be up to the library professionals who know what they are doing and they have, there are countrywide standards for best practices for libraries.” Translation: The library director is the expert, and knows better than parents what is acceptable for children.

Government dependency. The result of all of the above is an increasing reliance on the citizens of government dependency. This is problematic in the limitation of government to enforce their version of moral virtue and economic needs to their residence: The first being impossible if it is not first within the people and the second by reality of limited resources. While it is government’s mandate to pursue justice for the innocent, based on law and the justice system, government morality rests on the morality of the people. No county commissioner can be such an eminent moral being as to bequeath their citizens with moral virtue and enforce it. Any attempt at the this would turn into totalitarianism: Think, say, and do what we say or else. The second issue with Bell’s leadership on this issue, is up to half of her constituents do not agree with her moral judgments, such as government mandated experimental medical treatments (COVID), snitching on your neighbor for selling their excess in eggs (Ordinance #88), public whining about occasional tourist misbehavior to the county versus rental home owners (STR Hotline), barrier-free housing for homeless drug addicts in Tillamook proper, reducing another elected officials position of influence (treasurer), or common sense censorship of library materials for children. No matter how many times Bell claims to follow the teachings of Christ, her refusal to promote freedom, truth, and justice, insults this testimony and the moral standards of others.
However, nearly as terrible as the people depending on the government for morality is that idea that people depend on the government for financial stability. One issue is easily illustrated in that the county had to take over $1 million from the stabilization fund to fully fund the county this last year. Increasing the constituents’ dependency of government will only accelerate county budget issues. Furthermore, Bell’s promotion of private-public enterprise versus free economic principles is well-evidenced. Bell has recently stated that one of our highest paid county departments heads, Sarah Absher of Community Development is writing the grant for the Beaver Library/Housing project allegedly sponsored by private developers. Yet, it appears that the if a new private home has an estimated cost of $250,000 it will cost $1700 just to have an initial evaluation. https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community_development/page/85379/2023_fee_schedule.pdf Perhaps, the county would not need to venture into co-signing loans for low-income housing if the building fees and policies were equitably applied to individual private home builders and multi-home investors?

The pro-freedom alternative. Contrarily, Jeff Spink has a decades of experience in the private sector as a business owner, local sales manager, and former race care driver. He knows how to handle crushing blows and angry customers, overcoming hardships and resolving disputes. He knows how to manage personnel in a way that is respectful and effective. During his campaign, I spent some time in his booth at the Home and Garden show. I witnessed him engage with many different types of people, including a woman angry at “Republicans.” Jeff listened patiently to her complaints without interrupting. He allowed me to ask her clarifying questions, and then asked her about her life experiences. Then without apologizing for his own political values he explained his philosophy of government. This woman came to his booth frustrated and left thanking both of us for allowing her to vent her frustrations.

Essentially, Jeff has the opposite governing philosophy of Bell, with the exception that he cares about people. The difference is his cares comes with respect for individual freedom and responsibility, versus the top-down authoritative rule practiced by Bell: Spink believes in our Constitutional Republic, not a new technocratic rule by alleged experts.

May 19th is the last day Tillamook County citizens have the opportunity to choose a candidate that’s supports individual and economic freedom, Jeff Spink, and a candidate who appears to suffer from what C.S. Lewis described as the tyranny of “moral busybodies” when stating, “Of all tyrannies, the tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. . .those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” Vote for freedom, vote for Jeff Spink!

Author’s note: I originally published this without the two paragraphs before the final, in my haste to appeal to the voters the last few days of the election. Those paragraphs were added the following day based on my on convictions and unsolicited advice of others. Just keeping it honest!