Caleb Sampson believes experience on the Union County Chamber of Commerce board would serve him well

Editor’s note: This is the seventh of nine stories on the candidates vying for Position 3 on the Union County Board of Commissioners.

LA GRANDE — Caleb Sampson is seeking election as a Union County Commissioner because of his care for the community.

Sampson said that ever since he was a teenager he wanted to live in Union County. He jumped on the opportunity to move to the county and ultimately raised his family in La Grande.

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“I just love this area and want to help it prosper,” he said. “I just want to help keep it being the best place to live.”

Sampson is one of nine candidates vying for Position 3 on the Union County Board of Commissioners. The candidates are seeking to succeed Donna Beverage who is completing her eighth year as commissioner and cannot run for reelection because of term limits Union County voters approved several years ago.

Sampson, who is a member of the Union County Chamber of Commerce board and was previously the chair, believes that this experience would serve him well if elected commissioner.

“Having ran businesses and worked for businesses in this community, I understand that keeping our money local is one of the biggest things we can do to help us have a strong community,” he said.

Sampson said that while it can often be easier to shop online, it is important to shop locally. A stronger local economy means higher paying jobs, he added, which help keep young professionals in the county.

The candidate thinks that the current commissioners have done a good job supporting organizations like the chamber and La Grande Main Street Downtown. However, if elected, he would like to look for more ways to help existing businesses, as well as attract new businesses to Union County.

“I want to see a prosperous business community,” Sampson said.

Top issues

Issues he would focus on as a county commissioner include housing, public safety and mental health. He recognizes that each of these issues are difficult to address.

“When you start looking at housing, it’s really tough because this isn’t a new problem. And it’s not a rural Oregon problem or a Union County problem. It’s a nationwide problem,” Sampson said.

Given that the lack of housing isn’t an issue limited to Union County, Sampson wants to look at what other communities are doing and see if any of those ideas could work here.

“I do not have the answer, but I’ll continue to search for it,” he said.

Sampson believes that the issues of public safety and mental health are intertwined. He said that it’s important to support our local law enforcement agencies and ensure they have the tools necessary to address public safety issues, especially the distribution and use of illicit drugs. However, he recognizes that just locking people up isn’t the solution. There also needs to be treatment options available within the county.

“The state as a whole is working toward a good avenue for treatment,” Sampson said.

The candidate would like to see more mental health professionals and treatment options available for those in need. Sampson said that being able to attract and retain these professionals in Union County comes back to housing, as well as paying a living wage.

Greater Idaho

Sampson sees the Great Idaho movement as a form of protest to make the voices of Eastern Oregon heard. He added that the movement also helps make sure that people are still thinking about and talking about Eastern Oregon.

He said Ballot Measure 31-101 which Union County voters approved in 2020 and requires the Union County Board of Commissioners to meet three times a year to discuss the Greater Idaho movement, provides a good opportunity to revisit the issue and keep it fresh in people’s minds.

While it would ultimately take an act of Congress, Sampson said that “if the people get behind it and I’m commissioner, I will support it because I feel I would need to.”

If elected, Sampson would want to review the county’s budget. While he thinks that the current budget is in a great spot and that everyone who currently works on the budget is a “rock star,” Sampson wants to look at where the funds are going and if any money should be going elsewhere.

“We need to be out there hustling for the funds that we can. If it’s available and there’s a way for us to get it, we need to be trying to get more money for the county. And that’s not raising taxes, I mean like trying to get grants or federal money that comes into the state — make sure it is doled out to Eastern Oregon as well.”