Coos Bay city councilor Kevin Stufflebean has announced his candidacy for Coos County Commissioner.

So far, Stufflebean, a resident of Coos Bay who is employed by the Oregon Department of Human Services, is set to square off in the May primary against current Coos County Commissioner Gordon Ross and challenger Timm Slater, a former North Bend mayor who announced his candidacy in January.

Stufflebean believes he would complement the current county board, joining a team that he said already is knowledgeable in natural resource and economic development issues.

Stufflebean said if he were elected, he would add another dimension to the board's makeup by spearheading the human and social services aspects of county government.

“I work in the community every day. I see our families every day,” he said.

“I know the real demographics of our community.”

At DHS, as the community development coordinator for Coos and Curry counties, Stufflebean serves as the liaison between the department and local elected officials. He said he hopes what he does at his job - building community partnerships on a variety of fronts - will resonate with voters.

He said he has been involved in many initiatives as a public servant, including efforts at helping the area's poor residents find better forms of transportation, establishing charitable services that distribute food, clothing and gifts, as well as working on drug and alcohol prevention for area youth.

One of his main issues for this election would be “bridging the gap between work force development and the community,” he said.

He said he's seen the side effects of an economy challenged by poverty, underemployment and unemployment. Whether it's the disproportionate number of school children on a free- and reduced-lunch program, or domestic violence, Stufflebean said he has seen it.

He said he already has a firm handle on how to navigate complex and confusing state bureaucracies.

He said he could also bring a fresh perspective to county government because he has children in the Coos Bay school system, and, as a result, “understands what the day-to-day average family is facing in our community every day.”

He wants to help find ways for low income residents to have more affordable housing choices and to enhance their job skills.

“Our local people need to be employed, to move up in order to afford the basic needs,” he said.

One way to help lift people out of the cycle of poverty he said is through tax breaks, he said. He wants to help spread the word that not enough of the county's poor are taking advantage of the earned income credit - a tax break that almost all low to moderate income parents are eligible to receive, yet last year alone, more than $4 million went unclaimed in the county.

Stufflebean, 39, got involved in politics after he saw his boyhood neighborhood begin to deteriorate. He grew up in the Empire area of Coos Bay during the 1970s. He served in the U.S. Navy for much of the 1980s and has worked at DHS for the last six years.

Stufflebean has been a city councilor since 1996, serving as chairman of the Urban Renewal Agency for the last six years.

He said if he wins in the county primary, he will not seek re-election this fall as a city councilman. If he loses, he said, he has not made up his mind if he would run as a councilman again.

While he describes his passions as focusing on youth and human services, he also is interested in tourism, citizen involvement, emergency preparedness, forests, parks and roads.

“These are exciting times and the county has seen a lot positive change in our economy,” he said. “Things are happening in our county. We are ready to blossom.”