Deschutes sheriff candidates William Bailey, Kent Vander Kamp to square off in first forum Monday evening in Sunriver
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The two candidates who are seeking to become the next Deschutes County sheriff, Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp, will participate in their first candidate forum of the election season next Monday evening in Sunriver, organizers announced Tuesday.
The event is scheduled from 5:30-7 p.m. Monday at the Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center (SHARC). Voters are encouraged to attend in person or watch live online.
The forum is being produced by the Central Oregon Open Programming Media Group (COOPMG), a program of Connect Central Oregon.
Considered one of the regional “battleground” races, the office sheriff is a non-partisan, schedule-year term potentially facing voters in the May 21 primary election. But if they are the only two candidates to file by the March 12 filing deadline, election rules state the contest moves to the November general Election.
Vander Kamp announced in October that he would seek to succeed Sheriff Shane Nelson, months after Nelson announced his retirement and decision not to seek another term, while endorsing Bailey for the position.
The sheriff's office purchase of five golf carts and an industrial slushie machine became an early campaign issue, as KBND reported Tuesday. Vander Kamp has been critical of the purchases, calling them an example of runaway spending. Bailey this week called the golf carts a reasonable investment for deputies' use in security at the Redmond fairgrounds, as well as other events, while the slushie machine is used at community events and to reward student achievement.
More information on the forum, from organizers:
The forum is being hosted by Sunriver Republicans and will be facilitated in a non-partisan forum format by Jim Fister, a community advocate and co-founder of Connect Central Oregon. Included will be brief remarks from the candidates, along with questions from local leaders and the community.
To submit questions to the pool, email: decision@connectcentraloregon.org.
The forum 5:30-7 p.m. forum will be followed by an opportunity to meet and mingle with the candidates and other community members. The doors open at 5 p.m.
Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center
57250 Overlook Rd
Sunriver, OR 97707
To watch live:
5:30pm-7:00pm
https://www.youtube.com/@connectcentraloregon
Connect Central Oregon (CCO) serves the Central Oregon community by engaging in volunteerism, mentorship, innovation, and partnerships to foster community involvement and support future leaders in personal and professional development. Learn more at connectcentraloregon.org.
^ Connect Central Oregon identifies battleground races in part with criteria from Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia:Battlegrounds.
