Meet Chris Barnett, a Non-Partisan Candidate for Josephine County, OR

Chris Barnett is a GoodParty.org Certified candidate running for the office of County Commissioner, Position 2 in Josephine County, Oregon. On May 21, 2024, Barnett came out on top in a four-way primary election, earning 45.29% of the vote. He is now moving on to compete in the general election on November 5, 2024.

GoodParty.org spoke with Barnett about his campaign, his victory in last month’s primary election, and his goals for his time in office.

Chris Barnett: A Veteran and Entrepreneur for Josephine County

Josephine County’s Board of County Commissioners includes three board members. These board members are elected on a non-partisan basis and serve four-year terms. This year, two of the three positions appeared on the ballot: Position 2 and Position 3.

The Board of County Commissioners is responsible for governing the county. This involves establishing new programs, adopting ordinances, levying taxes, appropriating funds, and more. County commissioners also represent Josephine County on intergovernmental councils and committees.

Barnett said his main goal as county commissioner is to be a good representative for the people of Josephine County.

“I want unity in the community. I want people to have a positive image of their elected officials and feel that their elected officials are actually approachable and are good representatives of them,” Barnett said. “Running for government, you are a liaison between the departments and the citizens. If the citizens have a complaint, they come to me.”

Barnett said that as county commissioner, he will seek to actively address citizens’ concerns — whether they can be addressed at the local level, or whether they need to be brought to the attention of the state legislature.

“We are the people's voice. All elected officials, in my opinion, are working for the people. It’s their constituents that they work for,” Barnett said.

Barnett has been a resident of Grants Pass, Oregon for most of his life, and has both military and entrepreneurial experience. He recently retired from the U.S. Air Force after 31 years of service. Barnett is now a Command Chief in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. He also runs and operates two local businesses, a real estate firm and a photography company.

Outside of work, Barnett volunteers with the local sheriff’s department and appears on a local radio show, which he considers to be another public service.

“My background is service — in the military, and then also as a law enforcement officer, so in the military and as a volunteer. It's all about service,” Barnett said. “My slogan is a salute, because my salute is for you, the people. I'd go into harm's way for anybody just because that's what you're supposed to do.

“I'm in a non-partisan position, so it's not Republican, not Democrat. It's for everybody. I was endorsed by the Republican Party; they were so kind to endorse me, which was awesome. But I'm for everybody. I've been here so long, I just had that passion to serve because I saw my community be kind of not the same as it used to be.”

Addressing Local Issues in Grants Pass, Oregon

Barnett said that two of the main issues he sees that need to be addressed in his community are homelessness and drug abuse.

“We've always had homelessness in America. However, this town is so small. You know, we're only a town of maybe 39,000 people in the Grants Pass seat, and we see a lot of people dying in the parks because of drug use. So it's a substance abuse issue here; it's not really a homeless issue,” Barnett said.

As a volunteer with local law enforcement, Barnett has made an effort to listen to unhoused people’s needs and priorities. He said that as county commissioner, he will strive to connect those in need with the resources available to them.

“It's really sad when you see a small town have so many drug abuse problems. It really makes us think, what did we do wrong?” Barnett said. “I want to help out with that and work with our agencies. As humanity, we just want to help each other. These people have no reason to be sleeping in the tents in the parks when there's so many resources for them to get back on their feet the right way.”

Public safety is another issue close to the heart of Barnett’s campaign. His goal is for everyone in Josephine County to experience the sense of safety they need to thrive.

Encouraging Unity and Civic Engagement

Despite his passion for solving local issues in Grants Pass, Barnett said he initially did not want to run for office.

“I'm always looking for something to help and be excited about. When I found out about running for office, I didn't want to do it. I said, ‘No, I'm not going to do that. No way,’” Barnett said. “Then people were like, ‘Well, if not you, who?’ — which means we need good people in our government. 

“It seems like nowadays good people don't run. They're too busy. They are happy doing what they do. They don't care what goes on in government, but they always complain when something doesn't go their way. They're like, ‘How did that happen?’ I'm like, ‘Well, those elected officials that got in, they made those laws and they made those changes.’”

Barnett emphasized that a key to solving local problems is for more citizens to become engaged in local politics and government. During his campaign, he has been encouraging more people to vote and start paying attention to local government.

“A lot of people just don't want to get into that negativity pool that's associated with politics,” Barnett said. “Well, you know what a politician is? It's a representative of the citizens in government, and we are the government. I tell everybody all the time, ‘Don't think it's between us and them. The government is the people we elect to be our representatives. We are the government. Just like the Constitution says, we are the people. We are all in this together, but we have to govern ourselves or we have chaos.’”

As county commissioner, Barnett hopes to be a true voice for the people.

“I want to be the voice for all. I want to be your voice,” Barnett said. “You have to have a pulse of what the people want. If people come up to me all the time and tell me they want something, I'm going to jot that down and take a mental note, because when I'm over there voting on an issue, I'm the one that's going to say, ‘Look, I disagree because I think people want this,’ or ‘I agree because people want this.’”

Barnett noted that many people feel like their elected representatives are not in touch with their interests. He hopes to disrupt that status quo by providing better representation.

“If the public wants an answer, I think it's our job as elected officials to at least try to reach out and get them an answer,” he said. 

Even before the general election, Barnett is working to listen to the needs of the community and become better-versed in the functioning of county government.

“I'm trying to learn the job ahead of time, so if I get elected, then I'm going to start on day one and not be trying to figure it out and meeting with department heads,” Barnett said. “I'm already seeing people, and I feel like I already know them and am working for them, but I'm not; I'm just an ear for them right now. I listen to them. I let it sink in. I write notes, and then I'm thinking, ‘You know what? Now I know what people really want.’ So on day one, when those conversations come up, they'll be like, ‘Wow, Chris knows what's going on.’ And I think those people can go to bed at night and go, ‘You know what? I trust Chris. I know what he's doing is the best for the interest of me and my family.’”

How You Can Get Involved

As a GoodParty.org Certified candidate, Barnett has pledged to run an independent, people-powered, and anti-corruption campaign for public office. He has also promised to serve his community with integrity and honesty once elected to office.

Are you local to Josephine County, Oregon? Visit Barnett’s campaign website to learn more about his candidacy and explore how you can get involved locally. Then make sure you’re registered to vote, so you can participate in the upcoming general election on November 5, 2024.

You can also get involved by joining GoodParty.org’s nationwide network of volunteers supporting Barnett and other non-partisan candidates. Join our Discord community to see the latest volunteer opportunities, or book a meeting with our team to talk about how you can make your unique mark on the movement.

Want to make an even greater impact? Consider running for local office as an independent or non-partisan candidate in your community — or encourage someone you trust to run for office to represent you. GoodParty.org offers free campaign tools and resources to help independent candidates run, win, and serve their communities.

Barnett is one of hundreds of local candidates across the United States who are using GoodParty.org’s free tools to help them run successful campaigns.

“GoodParty.org has been there for any candidate that wants to run,” Barnett said. “That has been very helpful, especially for me, being brand new to this process. I really appreciate GoodParty.org helping us candidates out, either seasoned or unseasoned. GoodParty.org has something in there that you could use.”

Book a meeting with our team today to talk about how you can launch your local campaign.