Media and Press
The Source endorses Jamie: Vote Jamie Collins for Deschutes County Commission, Pos. 1
We’re proud to share that The Source has endorsed Jamie for Deschutes County Commission, Position 1. The Source praised Jamie’s 22 years of service in the Coast Guard, his work as a climate scientist, and his comprehensive approach to the challenges facing our county — calling it “more strategic leadership” than what we’ve seen over the past 15 years. The editorial highlighted Jamie’s original research showing that 90% of county land-use decisions under the current Commission involved our wildfire hazard zone — decisions that put families at risk and drive up insurance costs. You can read the full endorsement at bendsource.com and watch the entire interview here on YouTube. The Source, April 7, 2026.
Jamie in the media: Longtime incumbent, credentialed challenger clash in Deschutes County Commissioner Position 1 race
In a comprehensive profile of the race for Position 1, The Source highlights Jamie’s credentials as a Coast Guard veteran and disaster responder, his 2-to-1 fundraising advantage over 15-year incumbent Tony DeBone, and the key issues driving the campaign: housing, water, wildfire preparedness, and the electricity crisis. “My opponent Tony DeBone has failed to plan for these things, he’s failed to lead and he’s failed to take responsibility,” Jamie told the Source. The Source, March 31, 2026.
Jamie in the media: Oregon elections chief weighs in on Deschutes County races, campaign finance and voter reform
In this article in The Source, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read weighs in on his endorsement of Jamie’s campaign, and explains why he decided to endorse us in this once in a generation race for the future of Deschutes County: “Looking at the challenges of a growing community and a growing Commission, I think [Jamie’s] is the sort of outlook and attributes that are really going to be advantageous to people in Deschutes County. I’m excited to be part of his team.” The Source, March 17, 2026.
Jamie in the media: Coast Guard veteran challenges incumbent for Deschutes County Commissioner seat
The Bulletin profiles the Position 1 race between Jamie and 16-year incumbent Tony DeBone. Jamie discusses his 22 years in the Coast Guard, his work leading Oregon’s environmental emergency response across 18 eastern counties, and his priorities for the county: building housing where the infrastructure already exists, ending veteran homelessness, strengthening the electric grid before shortages hit, and engaging directly with insurers as wildfire risk reshapes the market. “This is about making sure our community works for everyone, and that we are planning today for the challenges we know are coming tomorrow,” Jamie tells reporter Michael Kohn. The Bulletin, April 9, 2026.
Voices for Jamie: Get partisanship out of Deschutes County politics
In this guest column for The Bulletin, Longtime Bend resident and registered Independent Erick Petersen makes the case for ending partisanship in Deschutes County government. Petersen highlights Tony DeBone’s votes against senior affordable housing, his record on spot zoning, and what Petersen calls “the most blatant” partisan action: an orchestrated redistricting effort that hundreds of citizens protested as gerrymandering. Erick’s take: “We need a fresh, new voice and leader on the County Commission and we have one in DeBone’s opponent, Jamie Collins.” Guest Column for The Bulletin by Erick Petersen, March 31, 2026.
Jamie in the media: 5 essential issues shaping a crowded Deschutes County election
Jamie featured in this OPB deep dive on our once-in-a-generation election. Reporter Jen Baires explored some of the major issues at stake — and each candidate was asked to provide some answers to questions about our affordability crisis, homelessness crisis, wildfire and other natural disasters, development in the rural county, plans for a new landfill, and the current county commission’s cynical play to create partisan geographic districts for our commission seats moving forward. Jamie’s responses are linked here. OPB, March 26, 2026.
Press release: Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read endorses U.S. Coast Guard veteran Jamie Collins for Deschutes County Commissioner
Secretary Read’s endorsement marks the first time a sitting statewide elected official has endorsed a candidate in a Deschutes County Commission race in recent memory — and Jamie is the only candidate running in any county race this cycle to receive such a distinction. March 17, 2026.
Jamie in the media: South Deschutes County water has a nitrate problem. County Commissioner candidates differ on solutions.
In this independent investigation by The Source, reporter Peter Madsen examines the nitrate contamination crisis affecting 18,000 residents in southern Deschutes County — where a recent DEQ survey found nitrate in 65 of 100 wells, along with arsenic, lead, and pharmaceuticals in the drinking water. Jamie draws on his extensive experience cleaning up toxic contamination — directing response after Hurricane Harvey, leading the 2019 biodiesel spill cleanup in the Columbia River Gorge, and overseeing hazmat incidents across 18 Oregon counties as a DEQ on-scene coordinator — to lay out a concrete plan: immediate filtration for every family at risk, new sewer infrastructure through Senate Bill 1154, and a cost-sharing model so the burden doesn’t fall on the families who can least afford it.
After 15 years in office, Jamie’s opponent points to a rebate program that has reached 150 property owners out of 18,000 affected, a failed $10 million federal grant application, and a groundwater fund with $150,000 in it — a response that doesn’t begin to match the scale of a crisis that has been documented for 44 years. Asked what comes next, Jamie’s opponent tells the reporter: “At some point this will come around again and the County can have a policy discussion.” Jamie argues that South County families have waited long enough for “some point” to arrive. The Source, March 12, 2026.
Op/ed: South County’s poisoned water is a burden for us all
Thousands of families in southern Deschutes County have been living with a public health emergency for over 30 years — their only drinking water source contaminated with nitrate from septic systems at levels so dangerous that pediatricians warn parents not to use well water for infant formula. Jamie argues that decades of studies and meetings have produced no clean water, and that it’s time for political courage and shared sacrifice to finally build the infrastructure these communities need. The cost of cleanup must be borne across Deschutes County and Central Oregon — not by the families who didn’t create the problem and can least afford to fix it. Guest Column for The Bulletin, March 4, 2026.
Jamie in the media: We Black Radio interview at the Lion’s Den barbershop
Jamie joined WBR’s Riccardo Waites for a wide-ranging interview on his weekly show, The Truth Ride. Jamie shared his thoughts on empowerment, economic development, and making the County a place where all voices have a place at the table — not just the voices of high-dollar campaign contributors. The Truth Ride on We Black Radio, November 16, 2025. Riccardo’s interview with Jamie starts at 22:30 on the Mixcloud recording.
Op/ed: Deschutes zoning driving us straight into flames
As wildfires intensify across Central Oregon, Jamie explains how the current County Commission’s practice of “spot zoning” — the piecemeal conversion of protected farm and forest land into luxury housing and destination resorts — is putting first responders and residents at risk. Jamie argues that every zoning decision is a fire decision and calls for leadership that restores responsible, resilient land-use planning to keep Deschutes County livable, sustainable, and insurable for the next generation. Guest Column for The Bulletin, November 4, 2025.
Jamie in the media: A Historic First: Central Oregon’s First BIPOC-Led Candidate Forum
Jamie was humbled to share his vision for the County at a November 6, 2025, forum with local Black and BIPOC business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members. We Black Radio, November 6, 2025.
Press release: Jamie Collins files to run for Deschutes County Commission, Position 1
Press release announcing that Jamie has officially filed as a candidate. October 2, 2025.
Public letter: Public comment to the County’s District Mapping Advisory Committee (DMAC) and County Commission
Jamie’s letter of public comment to the County’s District Mapping Advisory Committee (DMAC), which has been ordered to draw five geographic districts by the County Commission. In my letter, I call for a fair, transparent, and genuinely democratic redistricting process — one that resists political manipulation and gives every resident of our county a real voice. September 21, 2025.
Jamie in the media: Coast Guard veteran launches campaign for Deschutes County commissioner
Central Oregon Daily News coverage of Jamie’s campaign announcement. Central Oregon Daily News, June 25, 2025.
Jamie in the media: Candidate List For Five-Seat Deschutes County Commission Growing
Jamie featured in a story in Bend’s alt-weekly, The Source. The Source, July 30, 2025.
Press release: Jamie Collins announces campaign for Deschutes County Commissioner, Position 1
Press release officially announcing Jamie’s campaign for County Commissioner. June 25, 2025.
Jamie in the media: Candidates gear up for ‘once-in-a-generation’ Deschutes County Commission race in 2026
Jamie featured in a story about the unprecedented level of interest surrounding the race. The Bulletin, June 14, 2025.
Op/ed: Land-sale silver bullets won’t tame the West’s wicked twins
While we’ll need all hands on deck and an array of solutions to tackle our intertwined housing and wildfire crises, Jamie argues that quick-and-dirty Federal land sales to luxury developers will only make both problems worse. Oregon already has a system — our urban growth boundary law — that allows for planned, thoughtful annexation of land to support growth. Guest Column for The Bulletin, June 11, 2025.
Op/ed: Human-caused climate change, fire severity and the heat dome
A call to action that lays out some of the most severe ways climate change is affecting our communities here in the High Desert. Guest Column for The Bulletin, July 2, 2021.