Students at Central Oregon Community College in 2022.

We are not suggesting you close your eyes and pick one, but we are pretty sure you could not go wrong with any of the candidates running for the Central Oregon Community College board.

We recommend Jim Porter and Erin Merz. This race has zones, so you only get to vote for a candidate that represents your zone.

No matter who wins we don’t expect a big change in course at COCC. Candidates were complimentary of the current board and school leadership.

It was not easy to pick among the five candidates running for the Zone 6 seat. We pick Porter. He is the former Bend Police chief and he was excellent in that role. He worked in law enforcement all across Central Oregon. He was a student at COCC and later an instructor there. Since he retired as police chief, he has been active in trying to provide housing for the houseless. Current board members endorsed him. We expect he would make a fine addition to the COCC board.

Merz slightly edges out her opponent Diane Berry for the Zone 5 seat. Both have impressive credentials. Both would complement the board. Deschutes Democrats endorsed Berry. We think it is more relevant that current board members endorsed Merz. This is not a partisan position.

Our recommendation: Vote for Porter and Merz.

Erin Foote Morgan is also running unopposed for Zone 7.