Candidates for the Deschutes County Commission appeared together for the first time Tuesday evening at a forum that gave way to heated debate and pointed remarks.

Two commission seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 8 general election. Current commissioner and businessman Tony DeBone, a Republican, is competing against paramedic, nurse and Democratic candidate Oliver Tatom for Position 1.

DeBone has served on the commission since 2010. Tatom was previously elected to the boards of Central Oregon Community College and the Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District No. 2, but this is his first run at a seat on the three-member County Commission.

Incumbent commissioner and accountant Patti Adair, a Republican, faces former pastor and founder of grassroots effort Pandemic Partners Morgan Schmidt, a Democrat, for Position 2. Adair was elected to the commission in 2018. This is Schmidt’s first time running for public office.

Both Tatom and Schmidt previously told The Bulletin the catalysts for their campaigns were commission meetings during which, they said, DeBone and Adair inadequately and inappropriately responded to pandemic-related public health concerns.

The Bend Chamber of Commerce-hosted candidate forum Tuesday was moderated by Gerry O’Brien, editor of The Bulletin. The event included pre-written questions for the candidates on workforce and affordable housing efforts, solutions for Central Oregon’s child care desert, job creation and economic development and transportation and infrastructure innovation. Audience questions followed, broaching topics of houselessness, diversity and inclusion, water use, public safety and ideal traits in a commissioner.

Opening statements saw the current commissioners listing accomplishments from their tenures, such as the construction of Veterans’ Village tiny home housing project, the opening of the Deschutes County Stabilization Center and efficiently managing a large county budget.

During her opening remarks, Schmidt indirectly called out her opponent, Adair, for promoting “extreme political ideas” and “conspiracy theories” referring to Adair’s association with a pastor who endorses QAnon — a discredited ideological movement derived from an online network of conspiracy theories — and her retweet of an Oregon radio talk show host calling into question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election results.

The Democratic candidates were highly critical of their Republican counterparts’ stances and actions on the commission throughout entirety of the forum.

When discussing Central Oregon as a child care desert, “with only one in three families able to find care for their preschool children,” the question read, Adair lauded her action as a commissioner allocating $6.6 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds and over $8 million of state funds toward child care investment.

Schmidt said the current commission did not provide enough support after allocating those funds and said Adair was “taking credit for community successes.”

“It is a desert, but I do believe we have made a difference,” Adair said.

The child care question, which was addressed to the only two female candidates, drew criticism from Tatom who said, “This is not just an issue that affects women.”

Tatom used over half of his time on a subsequent question about economic development and job retention to respond with solutions for Central Oregon’s child care desert. He said a holistic approach is needed to address the crisis.

Answering the question on economic development, Tatom also said Deschutes County does not have enough housing to shelter enough workers to encourage a prosperous economy. DeBone said Tatom was too focused on the “doom and gloom.”

DeBone said Central Oregonians ought to grapple with the changes of the past two decades and find new innovations that can positively impact Deschutes County’s future economy. To encourage motivation and profit, DeBone said, “Government should be stepping back letting it happen.”

The forum indicated a stark divide on many policy and social issues, including addressing houselessness, water scarcity and diversity and inclusion. The Democratic candidates accused the current Republican commissioners of inequitable treatment among county staff, and Adair and DeBone were forced to repeatedly defend their track records.

Adair said she and the commission greatly improved transportation infrastructure throughout the county by expanding parking around Smith Rock State Park, maintaining county roads and addressing safety concerns near Harper Bridge in Sunriver. Adair and DeBone repeatedly emphasized the positive impacts from their time on the commission, like the joint homelessness task force that allows city and county staff to collaborate in providing for those who are unhoused in Central Oregon.

Adair and Schmidt are scheduled to appear at a forum hosted by Bend Rotary Club later this month.

The Bend Chamber’s next candidate forum is set to host the contenders for state House districts 53 and 54, at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14. Doors open at 5 p.m., according to the chamber website. Democrat Emerson Levy, an attorney, and Republican Michael Sipe, a businessman, are running for the District 53 seat while Democrat Jason Kropf, the incumbent and an attorney, and Republican Judy Trego, a nonprofit director, are running for District 54.

The Chamber also plans to host a forum for Bend City Council and mayoral candidates on Sept. 19.