Opinion

Danielle Bethell for Marion County commisoner

Danielle Bethell of Keizer is the best choice for election to an open seat on the Marion County Board of Commissioners.

Her opponent in the partisan race is Democrat Ashley Carson Cottingham. Cottingham has a strong background in government, in both Oregon and Washington, DC. She has led large groups of people. She has worked and voluneered in a variety of social service positions which put her in front of seniors, children and families who need a helping hand. 

Bethell, executive director of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce was elected to the Salem-Keizer School Board in 2019. Her volunteer work runs the gamut from being a major player in the turf project at Gurnee Flesher Field at McNary High School. When help is needed in Keizer Danielle can be found front and center.

She, along with many other Keizerites, were among the first volunteers to show up at the Oregon State Fairgrounds to help assist the hunderds of people and animals evacuated from the wildfires in the Santiam Canyon.

On the school board, Danielle Bethell is no shrinking violet—she asks questions and is very much a part of discussions. 

Both candidates have school-age children. Working mothers know all too well that multi-tasking is the key to getting things done. That checks that box for both Bethell and Cottingham.

In our view Daneille Bethell is a better fit for the Marion County Board of Commisioners. Both candidates have impressive backgrounds and experiences, it is Bethell who has showed up when it counts and where she is needed. Her life, especially as a child when she experienced homelessness, will make her empathetic to people who rely on county services. 

As she has said, her life and her work life have prepared her for a role as commissioner. 

– —LAZ