Charleston resident Alan Taylor has filed for election to the Coos County Board of Commissioners, guaranteeing that there will be a Democratic primary in May.

Taylor, 42, ran for a position on the Board of Commissioners in 2002 but lost the Democratic primary to then-incumbent Pete DeMain.

"In that primary, I came within 170 votes of beating an incumbent," he said of his return to political candidacy. "I have a strong desire to succeed in public service."

This May, he will face Bandon Mayor Joe Whitsett, who filed in February as a Democrat a little more than a year after having been elected to his municipal position.

Taylor, a machinist who has worked for Conrad Forest Products in Hauser for the past 15 years, has had two years to listen to voters discuss issues that he wants to address and has prepared a ready list of things to consider.

Among them, Taylor said he wants to re-explore the unification of the county's two emergency dispatch centers, which operate in Coquille and Coos Bay. There has, in the past, been resistance to merging the two centers.

Taylor said it's time to again consider whether money could be save by avoiding duplicating services.

He said he also wants to see the Coos County jail expand its offers to other counties to house inmates as a way to generate additional revenue.

"If we have the buildings and we can provide the service, let's offer that to other counties," he said.

In addition, Taylor said he wants the county to consider turning over management of the Coos County Animal Shelter to a private nonprofit group and develop a part-time position to help keep county roadways free of litter.

In 2002, Taylor said he ran because he saw a Board of Commissioners that implemented divisive actions and segmented the county's population.

Taylor said little has changed to improve the situation.

While praising some of the commissioners' actions, including those of Republican John Griffith - the incumbent he may face in the November election - Taylor said the board remains too divisive.

Since 2002, Taylor said he has continued his public involvement, improved his expertise in local issues and become more well rounded. In the past, he has served as a budget committee member for the Charleston Sanitary District - in the 1980s - and was a volunteer for the Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon.

He is a board member of the Charleston Rural Fire Protection District, as well as with the Barview Area Charleston Area Park Association.

He is the Democratic Party Precinct Committee Person and an alternate state party delegate. He also volunteers with the Channel 14 public access channel.

A native of Coos County, Taylor said he cares for the community and will continue to put his name in the running when election time comes.

"I'm a native of Coos County. I'm not going anywhere," he said. "I'm going to be around in 2006, 2008 and 2010."

Currently, though, Taylor is eyeing May 2004 and the reasons why he chose to become a candidate again.

"If you voted for me before, I need your help again," he said. "If you voted for Pete before, give me a try."