Meet the Candidates: Justesen, Lauterbach vye for Wasco County Commission Seat

By Tom Peterson 

Voters must pick a new Wasco County Commissioner Position #2 as Steve Kramer has decided to retire after he finishes his term in December 2024.

And they need to get this selection right at the Nov. 5 General Election.

Voter ballots were mailed on Wednesday, Oct. 16. 

The County is in the midst of an expanding budget with millions of additional Google dollars coming in the form of Gap payments - fees paid instead of property taxes that are not designated for anything.

County Commissioners, ultimately, will make the call on how to best use or save this money. 

Good decisions now will pay dividends to all of us in the future through a stronger economy, better services or even lower taxes. 

So who wants the job?

In the May Primary, four candidates vied for the open seat including Darcy Long and John McElheran, but it was Jeff Justesen and Brian Lauterbach who won the day. 

They received the majority of votes forcing a runoff this fall. 

Justesen received 1,878 votes or 29.7% and Lauterbach was 200 behind at 1,678 with 26.56 percent. 

With 44 percent of the vote unaccounted for in this general election, it could prove a tight race. 

Despite that, Laurterbach and Justesen remain friendly, keeping their rhetoric above the fray for this nonpartisan position - even sharing a car ride once to a candidate forum. Word has it, the two will share a dinner together a day after the election. 

What a breath of fresh air amidst the national discourse. 

County Commissioners are paid for their service with an annual salary of around $50,000. They oversee county activities, shape policy, approve budgets, and ensure that county operations such as planning, public works, and code enforcement are running smoothly. They hear citizen concerns while ensuring that federal and state requirements are fulfilled.

Good Commissioners maintain communication with their constituents, study the issues, visit sites, and prepare before meetings that are held twice a month on Wednesdays.

Character and work ethic are crucial.  

Jeff Justesen, 60, Lives just outside The Dalles City Limits 

Wasco County Commissioner Position #2

About Jeff
Justesen was born and raised in Grass Valley in Sherman County where his father, Ed helped farmers as a co-op employee and believed in service to his community. Jeff followed in his father’s footsteps. He moved to The Dalles in 1999 after attending college at Linn-Benton Community College and Willamette University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. 

He worked with the Wasco County Juvenile Department from 1980 to 2003. In his first decade, he was a Juvenile Court Counselor, and he served as the Juvenile Detention Manager from 1990 through 2003. Justesen became the NORCOR Jail Executive Director and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2022. 

Jeff is married to Dawn Sallee-Justesen who works for Mt. Hood Community College. The couple have one daughter. Their son passed away two years ago.

CCCNews: What are your thoughts on the Hospital building on the Kramer Field site? Do they need a new hospital?

While I like the idea of it being centrally located, I've also heard some concerns, some places have about the location of a hospital that close to a railroad track.

To be honest, you know, I don't know if that's a genuine concern or not, but that's something I've heard, so I'd like to learn a little more about it. I'd also like to learn a little more about what kind of space the hospital has where they're at now. I know you can't just tear down an existing hospital and build a new one because you have to continue services while you're doing it, but I want to see what kind of land and space they might have up in the general area they're in. So while I will be open to options for a hospital relocation, I certainly like to explore all the options that they would have prior to making a strong opinion on it. 

CCCNews: Do you generally agree we are due for a new hospital?

Yeah, I would absolutely agree that we're due for a new hospital, I mean without being an expert on the facility.

The hospital (Adventist Health) they're kind of backing off and reviewing, you know, from what kind of the plans there were before, I believe. Editor’s Note - prior to being sold to Adventist, Mid-Columbia Medical Center was advancing plans, including architectural renderings, of building a new hospital on the Kramer Field site. 

CCCNews: Do you have any opinions one way or the other about whether Kramer Field should be maintained as a central location for sports and kids.

So 10 or 12 years ago, I was President of the Little League board for several years and there was talk at that point about utilizing some of the county property, where the county owns the space and Kramer there, and where the county sheds are, and up in that area for building a youth center, it was a big push for a long time. And then they discussed revamping the fields.

And putting some multi-use fields, some sport-specific things, a couple of baseball fields, the little LEAP fields and some soccer fields in there. 

And I know that at that time the architect's plans showed the space was pretty tight there. And while I like the idea that it's fairly centrally located, I also wouldn't want to see that be the final decision, just the central location be the final decision to put something there and not build the necessary complex to accommodate all the users that we need… I'd hate to see us squeeze something in there and not have it be a great facility. I don't want to see the money spent on something that's not adequate.

Justesen also pointed out that the central location of Kramer Field is not a determining factor in keeping it for sports fields. Most kids are driven to Kramer Field, noting kids that walk or ride their bikes were “very few.”

CCCNews: What do you think about the county’s purchase of 154 acres in West The Dalles and the prospect of building a sports complex?

I've heard a few things thrown around and again… you hear RV park, you hear sports complex. I haven't toured the property yet. I've seen kind of aerial pictures. I understand that part of it's on a hillside so it's not necessarily without a lot of excavation, it's not necessarily feasible to use the entire property for something that needs a flat surface, but there may be opportunities.

… I've heard maybe a small music venue kind of thing or multi-use facility where you can bring in some music events from time to time. I think it's a good opportunity, I think, you know, the county’s diversified some. I know some people may feel that the county shouldn’t be in the land-owning business but there's a lot of opportunity there… where things can be to create revenue for the businesses in town

A proper sports complex, especially early in the spring, could attract a lot of softball tournaments or little league tournaments, adult softball tournaments, and potentially some soccer events that bring people to the area who are eating at restaurants and staying in motels or staying at the RV park and create some revenue.

CCCNEWS: You think it has a good chance of being a good revenue generator for the community if used in that way?

Yeah, if done correctly… I think there is some real potential. 

Having been involved with youth sports for well over 30 years, and longer than that in the region… If, for example, if there was a sports complex there, and if a new high school is sited at the Whatonka Campus there was some proximity there that maybe some of the sports events wouldn't take up the space where the footprint of the Whatonka campus is and they'd be near enough that they could be utilized by the school as well and wouldn't need quite as much space for the sports on that campus. Again, that's just picturing in my mind and ballparking it... just thinking what it would look like if those things happened.

CCCNews: How should Millions in Google Payments to the County which can be used for anything be spent?

I understand that people have been waiting to see the benefits of Google for a long time… but there's also an idea out there that some of that money could potentially be put away… 10 or 12 years down the road there could be money that could come in perpetually forever in theory. I think that's a legacy that the county could create.

That would benefit a lot of entities down the road… there's things that have to be spent, don't get me wrong, there's infrastructure needs.

But if we spend a little here and a little there, and it's just gone down the road. But if we put it away we could potentially have that funding to work on those things year in and year out.

There's plenty of stuff to spend it on right now but it's also an opportunity that we may or may not have again in our lifetimes to save some of that money for the future.

So that’s just my thought… I have a lot more to learn about it, and I would certainly be open to hearing other suggestions, but from what I've heard now, that's where I would lean.

CCCNews: Do we need a new High School in The Dalles? What should the county’s role be in the School District’s push for a new high school?

I'm of the opinion we need a new high school… after I retired from NORCOR I got a restricted teaching license to substitute and I get some substitute teaching at the high school.

And it's my opinion that the facility needs replaced. I mean, I think the population has just outgrown the school that they have… kids are scattered… industrial arts, welding shop it's up at the college, so there's busing issues to get them up there

I do believe the county has a role. I don't think the county's role is just to give the school district

money to potentially cover some of the cost of the bond. I think that would be fairly minimal. I think the impact is like I talked about earlier, potentially saying, "Okay, we have the.

Base and the ability for a lot of reasons to put in a sports complex close to the new school and this is just an example that may or may not happen. But put that in and allow the school to access it. Not having to build that may reduce the cost to the school therefore the county is it's something that benefits both the county and the school… 

And then, of course, there's always, you know, land use issues and zoning issues that the county can, you know, kind of help the school district navigate.

I think there is a role for the county that, again, is something other than just saying, well, here's some money to go toward the school.

CCCNews: School District 21 is looking to get a bond for a new High school on the November 2025 ballot, what could the county do to help?

Everybody needs to hear the same information. It is important and I think that's, you know, potentially a role for county leadership to help bring that together...

Brian Lauterbach, 65, Lives just outside The Dalles City Limits 

About Brian

Lauterbach is currently a commercial and residential real estate agent with Windermere. He was born and raised in The Dalles and graduated The Dalles High School in 1979. He immediately enlisted in the National Guard and then went to work for Les Schwab, spending six years at  the Dalles store before moving onto other stores in the Pacific Northwest in a management capacity. 

In total, Lauterbach spent 17 years with Schwab ending up in Auburn, Wash. in a management position. 

He and his late wife, a former Forest Service Crew Leader with a penchant for animals had fallen in love with Whitefish Montana while the couple were on a vacation. That spurred them to buy a tire store and rename it  Big Mountain Tire in Whitefish. 

During his time in that community, he served on both the hospital and school boards. The father of two daughters lost his first wife, Mary Ellen Gaige, who was also born and raised in The Dalles in 2006.  

In 2008, Lauterbach returned to The Dalles after friend Mike Woodside, helped bring Brian and his current wife, Michelle, together. Between the two, they have four daughters and one son.

CCCNews: What are your thoughts on the Hospital building on the Kramer Field site? Do they need a new hospital?

Well, yeah.

I was on the hospital foundation here for a lot of years. We talked about doing a new venture… a new tower on the original building, but that was before the new CEO (Dennis Knox who set up the sale of MCMC to Adventist Health).

You know, they're (Adventist)  getting their feet on the ground with what they have, you know, with that hospital. But I also want to, you know, just discuss too, I was also on that hospital foundation board in Whitefish Montana and in 2007, we built a new hospital.

… at that time we did an internal study on having first responders and hospitals too close to our mainline train tracks and highways. If there was a toxic spill on the tracks or you know a truck turned over in the highway and it took out your first responders and our hospital staff right downtown?

So (in Whitefish) we ended up building the new hospital and eventually the fire and the police stations too, about a mile from the tracks. We decided to move them away from anything that could happen that would take out our first responders.

I think they need to build new (in The Dalles), but I still believe that it is currently in a great location that has extra land, and I would support them staying where they're at.

CCCNews: What do you think about the county’s purchase of 154 acres in West The Dalles and the prospect of building a sports complex?  

The property is located in the scenic area, which has its own challenges…

I actually think you know that it (sports complex) wouldn't be a bad location in proximity to, perhaps, a new high school… that location and the potential high school location of being the old Wahtonka Campus would be a good marriage.

But you know with all the commercial land that’s been bought up by Google, we don't have land to bring in a larger retailer of any size… another complex maybe like Cascades Square or another grocery store…

If we were able to move the sports complex out there, it would definitely free up some large chunks of commercial property (Kramer Field) to be able to develop, you know, and I think that's a good thing because we currently are out of good large commercial spaces. We currently don't have access to land that we can offer businesses.

CCCNews: How should Millions in Google Payments to the County which can be used for anything be spent?

Maupin I think is working on their potable water system and so is Shaniko and so is Pine Hollow.

There's a lot of projects out there that could be helped by giving some grant money or

something to help…

Yeah, I like the idea of trying to get our infrastructure in order.

Housings a big thing…

Yeah, is that a county issue? 

It can be just encouragement, I think, to what's available through some Oregon initiatives, you know, that would help people.

To help people buy their first home or help them to pay for rent…

You know my understanding is there's a lot of a lot of vouchers available in our area but there's no housing you know people lose their (housing) vouchers because they expire right because they can't find anything. So we need to encourage housing in those areas.

But where are the builders or developers going to build those apartments or build the type of housing that the vouchers can be used for?

We need to encourage developers somehow to build some of those, I think we're starting to see some of that

Interest in the area, but, yeah We really don't, again, we're shy on big chunks of land to put apartment complexes, you know. Yeah, we talked about big chunks of property for retail. But we also need some chunks of land that are available to, you know, a 200-door apartment complex too.

CCCNews: Do we need a new High School in The Dalles? What should the county’s role in the School District’s push for a new high school?

I think we can all agree that we need new schools. I grew up here, and like I

said, I graduated in 1979. That school was old then.

As they take it back out for bond, I think we will need to find ways to get community buy-in and involvement of every age spectrum.

I want to back up a little bit, I was on a school board in Whitefish for two terms. And we got a new school built and another one re-modeled.

As schools get in some of this new money coming in, you know the Google money, I think it would be a greater thing to do if they spent it on a strategic marketing plan, you know, and maybe even go so far as to hire an architect to create, you know, a community storyboard to really get it in the public eye more I think. It's hard to get people to come out and be a part of these meetings… I found when we were running to get a new school built in Whitefish, we created these storyboards and we put them in every bank in town, we put them in grocery stores too.

People had to walk by them and actually see these storyboards and have a vision of that school and what it looked like, and it kind of gave some meat to you know what it could be, instead of just having a bond… And I'm not bashing anything. I just think there are fresh ways to maybe look at putting it in front of the people that are going to be footing the tax budget.