Scott Stuart, center, holds a Confederate flag while dressed in a Confederate general’s costume on a People’s Rights organization float at Redmond’s 2021 Fourth of July parade.

Scott Stuart dressed up in 2021 in a Confederate uniform and waved a Confederate flag on a float in Redmond’s Fourth of July Parade.

Nobody should be defined by one moment in a life. But that has got to be on people’s minds as they size him up in his race to unseat Tony DeBone as a Deschutes County commissioner.

Stuart told us the flag was a prop on a float about a moment in the nation’s history. His relative was Jeb Stuart, a cavalry general in the army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee. He pointed out there were more flags of Old Glory on the float than the one Confederate flag. There was a sign on the float that read: United We Stand. He said people should not read into it more than it being a prop and a historical float. But he knew people would. He knows people do. Does that make him your candidate in the May Republican primary? Or is it a reason to question his judgment about actions on the public stage?

We endorse DeBone in the May Republican primary. The winner will take on Democrat Oliver Tatom in the November election.

DeBone came to Deschutes County after working in technology — as a contractor in Hawaii for the Air Force and in biotech in the Seattle area — before moving to La Pine. He was first elected to the commission in 2010. Those years of government experience matter. It does take a while for anyone elected to the position to learn about all the county does and juggle those priorities. It’s much more experience than Stuart has in government.

Experience and incumbency are irrelevant if DeBone had shifted from one foolish decision to the next. We don’t always agree with him. And the way he and Commissioner Phil Chang clash on some issues can be a case study in how bickering between public officials does little to advance debate.

DeBone brings up important policy considerations. While others may preach with breathless enthusiasm the possible benefits of new county programs, it’s DeBone asking again and again what needs to be asked about short-term and long-term costs. He wants metrics in place to measure success. For instance, when commissioners and Bend city councilors were trying to sort out how to work together on homelessness, we don’t think for a second all the other elected officials would ignore costs. DeBone did help drive that discussion to ensure costs and metrics were discussed.

Stuart was born and raised in Oregon. He runs an insurance company that focuses on providing insurance to Christian organizations. When we spoke with him, he didn’t name specific votes where he would have voted differently than DeBone on county issues. His point was he would have done more.

For instance, he would have done more to fight state mask mandates, challenging them. He would do more to enforce law violations against people experiencing homelessness. He floated the idea of the sheriff establishing posses to help enforce laws, though to be clear he framed it more along the lines of neighborhood watch than armed groups.

Waving a Confederate flag in a parade does not fit our vision of someone who should represent Deschutes County. It gives the wrong impression, no matter what impression Stuart says was intended.

Voting for Stuart would be like Republicans in Deschutes County sending a message they would be OK with waving a Confederate flag right along with him. Vote for DeBone.