County commission candidates emphasize cost of living, habitat conservation plan at election forum

Candidates for District 2 on the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners weighed in on a range of issues at an election forum Tuesday night at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, from the cost of living and vacation rentals to the state’s habitat conservation plan.

The forum — moderated by former Astoria Mayor Arline LaMear and presented by the American Association of University Women’s Astoria Branch, The Astorian and Coast Community Radio — comes just over a month from the May 21 election.

Election 2024

Tessa Scheller, a retired certified registered nurse anesthetist who has lived in the county for more than 40 years, and Anthony Huacuja, a registered nurse who has lived in the county for almost a decade, are campaigning in District 2, which covers Gearhart, Clatsop Plains and portions of Seaside and Warrenton. Commissioner John Toyooka chose not to run for reelection, creating an open seat.

At the forum, affordability was a focal point.

“Ultimately, I want to be representative of the working class here,” Huacuja said. “I feel that we need to build a place that we can continue to work, live and raise a family here. And I don’t want to have policies and influences from outside sources. I want to keep that local to Clatsop County.”

Scheller said she wants to level the playing field for families.

Tessa Scheller

Tessa Scheller is a retired certified registered nurse anesthetist.

“The way I like to think about things here is the clean, cold rainfall is the source of all of our wealth,” Scheller said, noting the county’s trees and fisheries. “The middle-class dream, however, of homeownership is becoming impossible for some to imagine, and too many of our children and working families are seeing no chance to do. We see our wealth leave as our kids go away to better jobs and more affordable places to live.”

Anthony Huacuja

Anthony Huacuja is a registered nurse.

Habitat conservation plan

Huacuja believes the habitat conservation plan ties in with many of the affordability issues he’s hoping to tackle. The plan, which was narrowly approved by the Oregon Board of Forestry in March and has yet to go into effect, designates protected habitat areas across roughly 640,000 acres of state forests and could reduce Clatsop County timber revenue by up to 35% — the highest reduction of any county in the state.

Huacuja said he anticipates the plan to have far-reaching impacts on local services like public safety and education, which have traditionally relied on timber revenue. He also fears that timber job losses could compound existing challenges around the cost of living and child care. When asked how he would work to mitigate financial impacts moving forward, he said he felt the plan should first be reevaluated.

“I fundamentally think that the HCP needs to be looked at again,” Huacuja said, “and we need to evaluate its appropriateness for Clatsop County and advocate for us, as a small timber community, and see what those impacts look like and not necessarily defer to other extra income and other sources of money to offset the HCP.”

He added that he’s doubtful job diversification would be an effective mitigation strategy.

“I’ve been a nurse since 2010, and if you told me my hospital was closing, I wouldn’t go take up bartending. I would relocate and find another hospital to go work for,” Huacuja said. “I love what I do, and I have a feeling that the people that would be affected by the HCP specifically love what they do too, and they’re good at it.”

Scheller has said she supports the habitat conservation plan. She advocated for working through the plan’s financial impacts rather than fighting the plan itself. She mentioned raising taxes for corporations as one potential solution.

“The plan is going to impact us, so we’ve got to be tight with budgets,” she said. “Well, guess what — it’s always a balanced budget, because it’s required. I’ve got 42 years of small government experience passing balanced budgets every time. We can do this, we can squeeze where we need to, and we can find other ways to raise and bring revenues to the county.”

Scheller spent 30 years as a board member and chair of the Skipanon Water Control District. She has also served on the Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District and the Clatsop Community College Board. Huacuja said he also has experience working with budgets, including on the Warrenton-Hammond School District budget committee, where he is serving in his second year.

Vacation rentals

In recent years, county commissioners have discussed placing caps on vacation rentals in unincorporated areas.

Scheller said she views short-term rentals as commercial enterprises. As such, she feels they should be limited in residential neighborhoods. She supports a cap.

“I believe we really need to be prioritizing the working families and the young people that we want to stay here and have a chance to be here,” Scheller said. “And I think short-term rentals do some offsetting of those available homes — if those homes are off to a commercial enterprise, they’re not available.”

Huacuja, who operates a short-term rental himself, said he can see the issue from multiple perspectives. While he’s sensitive to neighborhood concerns and wants to ensure housing availability, he also acknowledged that short-term rentals can help property owners offset daily expenses and keep up with the cost of living.

“I see both sides of the fence,” Huacuja said. “In all honesty, it is a love-hate relationship. It’s a balance — a finite balance — that’s required to be able to advocate for our community, but also thrive in a community that cost of living has increased dramatically.”