No Free Passes for Friends

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | September 27, 2026
Contact: WE NEED STEVE, PAC | 971-312-9972 | steve@weneedsteve.com

Hammerson: "In Douglas County, the rules should be the same for everybody."

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Steve Hammerson, candidate for Douglas County Commissioner Position 3, today called for a public, searchable record of every county fee waiver, contract exception, and special arrangement.

In 2019, the county let the Hanna family dump roughly $50,000 worth of demolition debris from the old Windmill Inn at the county landfill for free. That same year, the City of Myrtle Creek asked for a waiver on about $717 in fees for its community cleanup and was told no.

"A well-connected family got a $50,000 break, and a small town cleaning up its own streets got the bill," said Hammerson. "That's not how you run a county. That's how you run a club."

Hammerson pledged that as commissioner he will:

• Post every fee waiver and contract exception online within 30 days

• Recuse himself from any decision involving a donor to his campaign

• Refuse gifts, favors, or special treatment of any kind