Landowner states his case with county
Source: The Register-Guard, by Matt Cooper
November 27, 2007
The word that pushed Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson over the edge was “extort.”
Jim Gillette, owner of about 400 acres of rural land just south of Eugene, had used the word repeatedly to describe county efforts to collect tens of thousands of dollars in fines for Gillette’s violation of county land use rules.
Week in, week out, for four months straight, Gillette had shown up at virtually every county board meeting.
And week in, week out, for four months straight, he had used his three minutes — the time allotted each visitor to address the board — to rip the county’s handling of his situation.
By July 11, Sorenson, generally of reserved demeanor during his 10 years on the board, had heard enough. The exchange between the two men that morning was surprising:
“You guys did extort that money from me,” Gillette said, standing to leave.
Sorenson, seated at the other end of the long table, began, “I do not agree with you that we extorted any money from you.” Then he let loose.
“We do not extort money from anybody,” Sorenson said, glaring at Gillette.
Then Sorenson raised his voice: “And I’m quite frankly sick of you coming in here and saying we extort money from people” — at this point Gillette started yelling, and Sorenson grew even louder — “SO DON’T SAY THAT!” Sorenson shouted, slamming his fist on the table. “DON’T COME INTO OUR MEETINGS AND SAY THAT!”
Gillette, an imposing figure at 6-foot-5, pointed at Sorenson and roared, “You’re one of the guilty ones, and what are you going to do about it? Why don’t you try to be honest?”
Then, just like that, it was over. “Thanks,” Gillette said, “and I’ll see you next week.”
And see them he has.
Gillette, a 68-year-old former Eugene firefighter, has criticized the county’s land use enforcement on his property at virtually every weekly board meeting for the past eight months — that’s at least 20 meetings, all told.
Whether Gillette is helping his case is anybody’s guess. He said he won’t stop until the county justifies the fines against him.
“As long as there’s a chance I can get some justice,” Gillette said, “I’ll keep coming back.”
When it comes to land use, there’s never a shortage of property owners unhappy with the county.
But Gillette has made a name for himself through sheer stubbornness: He has clashed repeatedly with the county for more than a decade, becoming what one official called the county’s single longest-running land use concern in recent memory.
Gillette’s persistent testimony at county board meetings this year has raised him to a new level.
Officials joke that they could scarcely hold the public-comment period without him.
A generally calm but bullheaded man prone to an occasional expletive, Gillette owns 400 to 500 acres of farm and forest land south of Lorane Highway near Chambers Street.
His dream is seeing it converted one day into a private park with trails for hikers, bikers, paintball enthusiasts and off-road vehicles.
His reality is something else, entirely.
Gillette has been cited repeatedly by the county since 1995 for land use violations ranging from housing people in unapproved structures to holding illegal paintball tournaments.
He has housed people illegally in as many as a dozen RVs and buses, and at times has charged rent, the county said. In 2003, he allowed the National Guard to use his land — in violation of county rules — for firearms training, the county said.
The county has formally cited Gillette five times in 10 years, asking for corrections and threatening fines and foreclosure. Earlier this year, Gillette paid $16,000 in fines to avoid losing at least 150 acres to foreclosure, and he owes another $32,000, the county said.
Gillette dismisses most of the violations. He said he’s addressed legitimate concerns, and he argues that the county hasn’t proven many of the alleged violations — although county officials say the infractions are well documented.
Gillette believes the county is being sicced on him by neighbors who don’t like his idea for the recreational park.
One resident, Jerry Strand, said his neighborhood’s frustration with Gillette goes back years. Gillette has repeatedly allowed illegal activities that pose a fire hazard and detract from the quality of life for others, Strand said.
Strand said he hopes that commissioners don’t waver in the face of Gillette’s criticisms during board meetings.
“We feel they have been too lenient on him,” Strand said. “We really are fearful out here that he is going to end up getting past some of these (land use restrictions) because they are tired of hearing from him.”
Gillette appears to have satisfied at least some county concerns. A recent inspection showed none of the problems that a hearings official identified last year, county attorney Marc Kardell said.
But there’s still the matter of the fines: $32,000 that the county wants from Gillette, and $16,000 that Gillette paid this year to avoid foreclosure.
Gillette said he objects to both because they’re rooted in the county’s bias against him. That’s why he has used the e-word at board meetings, he said, despite the potential for the kind of reaction it drew from Sorenson in July.
Sorenson said he can’t remember the last time he got that angry in the public arena. But he sees himself as a defender of the right to air grievances, so he said he’ll continue to hear Gillette out — regardless of what Gillette says.
“It really taxes me to the limit. It taxes me to the limit,” Sorenson said, chuckling. “But I’m still going to listen to that guy. If we cut him off, if we stop someone from saying something we don’t want to hear, that’s a bad precedent.”
Perhaps the fireworks are over. Neither man will apologize for the blow-up, but neither appears to be holding a grudge.
In fact, Gillette said that despite his concerns he hopes to work with the commissioners. He even floated the idea that part of his land could be used for a new county fairgrounds. “I basically think (the commissioners) are decent people,” Gillette said. “I don’t think they realize how some of the people who work for the county are so unfair and biased.”
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