What dominates media headlines these days when it comes to social or political issues? Data centers, affordable housing, healthcare accessibility and affordability, immigration, education, etc.
All of these are probably most of the main, important underlying issues currently at hand in our city, in the state, and in the country. While the big picture is usually the most important, sometimes the small picture needs to be fixed first.
The League of Women Voters of Corvallis has a link, a link with 19 videos of Corvallis City Council candidates. You can find it here.
(Photo: Corvallis City Council Candidates Forum/The Corvallis Inquirer/August 12, 2026)
If you go through each and every video, transcribe them, and take the total verbiage and topics discussed, roughly 11.6% of the total candidate speaking time was devoted to the City’s budget deficit problem. This data is marginally skewed by the questions asked, but the budget deficit could have played a part in every answer.
We’re not stupid, and you’re not stupid. Populist vote farming is a thing. It’s when a candidate aligns their policies with the perceived desires and anxieties of the majority of the public. It is something to be aware of. It is a tactic to gain the most votes in order to win. It plays a part in most elections.
So, of course, a lot of candidates running for any office, are going to use these practices. Yes, our candidates do support the main underlying issues at hand, believe in them, and will fight for them. They are not simply farming votes through populist opinion.
But 11.6% says something. It says the candidates do shy away from the most important immediate issue at hand for us as a city, as a microclimate of our lives, what will affect the majority of us the most, in terms of our town… and that is the budget deficit.
Income taxes may need to be implemented in order to cover it. Those will affect you. Cuts to important parts of our social structure may need to be made to cover it. Those will affect you. Decisions on new city infrastructure may need to be made in order to keep the deficit in line. Those will affect you as well.
Let’s reiterate it: the social and political issues that dominate media headlines are important to us. And, in all fairness, it’s great that new candidates are speaking about those things. But if we don’t solve the main microeconomic issues at hand, then we won’t have the resources, monetarily and politically, to work on those larger macro issues.
New candidates need to speak up more about their takes on the budget deficit, because our current City Council has taken note.
At the meeting on September 22, they made it clear that these issues are not entirely theirs to decide, but will also fall to the next Council, its new members, and the changes that come with them.
Councilor Tony Cadena argued that the City needs to be clear about that uncertainty, particularly with so much discussion already circulating in the community.
“There’s a lot of discussion and commentary in the community and on social media, which I think is generating a lot of confusion and unnecessary angst,” Cadena said, emphasizing that the Council had reached no final decision in how to educate the public about the deficit.
And Cadena was among those looking toward the Council that will take office after this election.
“I think we should just continue to discuss this further about what we can do and hand off the best possible plan,” Cadena said, including decisions about how the City addresses the budget gap.
Not everyone was comfortable drawing a line around what the current Council should or shouldn’t decide. Councilor Charlyn Ellis objected to language suggesting the current Council would categorically leave the decision to its successors.
Councilor Jan Napack also resisted shutting the door on action by the current Council. Her concern was that postponement could mean spending substantial time bringing a new group of councilors up to speed on years of work already done.
“It’s going to take another two years for us to educate the community and the new councilors to revisit all that was done in the past three to four years about facilities,” Napack said.
And that brings this right back to those candidate videos and the transcripts we analyzed. The deficit is most likely going to be a problem for the next council. It is a problem they will inherit.
Whoever occupies those seats will be confronted with versions of the same choices now sitting before the current council: raise additional revenue, reduce services, reconsider the scale or timing of facility investments, or construct some combination of all three.
When it comes to voting, the next city council doesn’t get to start with a blank sheet of paper. It gets the bill. That 11.6% doesn’t tell us whether candidates understand the problem. It doesn’t tell us whether they know how to solve the problem, understand the finances and balance sheets, or know what will ultimately be best for the community.
Do you support the income tax? Do you support cutting city services? Do you support a blend of both? In the near future, you will have to decide.
Affordable housing matters. Homelessness matters. Transportation matters. Climate policy matters. Public safety matters. All of those larger conversations matter. But the financial implications of the budget deficit also matter. And it’s a timely matter.
It’s easy to avoid. And not taking a side, or not having a firm opinion on the deficit, might not lose you votes. And you don’t want to lose votes in an election. Either way, there are decisions you’re going to have to make. Once elected.
Just let us know how you feel about it now. While we still have a voice.
This article was written by Jesse Grant, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
More recent stories:
→ Donate
We’ll still keep it ad-free and paywall-free even if you don’t. 100% of donations go to expanding local reporting, giving back to community causes, and minor operating expenses. Read more about our values and mission here.
Do you have a story for The Inquirer? Email: editor@corvallisnow.com
I’m firmly opposed to taxes. Firmly. Period.
Taxes pay for important city services, but I question the need for some extravagant chrome plated glass and concrete cube the City Manager would like to house his executive desk where he can paruse his investment paid for from has fat six figure salary - I'm talking about over-the-top plans for the new City Hall. I also question the Corvallis Public School systems top heavy administration cutting teachers and closing schools while asking for more money.