By TED TAYLOR
CENTRAL OREGON DAILY NEWS
We know one thing for certain heading into the Deschutes County Commissioners Position 2 race in November: Phil will win.
Phil Chang was winning a decisive Democratic primary race on Tuesday and will square off against incumbent Republican Phil Henderson.
Chang, a former staffer for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, received more than 84% of the votes. He was well ahead of Greg Bryant, a retired Vietnam Vet and volunteer with the Bend Transportation Advisory Committee.
Henderson, who was elected in 2016, ran unopposed in the primary.
His seat was the only seat up for grabs this year. The three county commissioners serve four-year terms and oversee county-wide policies.
Tony DeBone and Patti Adair hold the other two seats.
Chang has been a Central Oregonian for 16 years and is an employee of the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Chang said Tuesday night the COVID crisis has shined a light on the importance of county government and its widespread role in keeping the community safe and the economy rolling.
But over the next few months, other issues will return to the forefront.
“My message when I started this campaign is that Deschutes County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation and we need to grow well by improving housing affordability, reducing traffic congestion, catch up with infrastructure and preserve open space and habitat,” he said. “I think those are the issues Deschutes County voters care about.”
Henderson has not yet returned a call for comment.
You can see how the two stack up against each other on the issues from their Deschutes County Voters’ Pamphlet entries below:
