A bid by former Josephine County Commissioner Andreas Blech for a seat on the Grants Pass Historical Buildings and Sites Commission has placed an extensive collection of public records before city officials, documenting downtown property interests, a financial relationship with the commission chairman, an earlier state ethics investigation and a unanimous recommendation from commission members that Blech not be appointed.
The records span years of property transactions and government proceedings, but several events converged during 2026 as Blech moved from appearing before the HBSC as the owner of regulated historic property to seeking authority as a member of the same commission. In June, Blech received approval for alterations he had already completed on a downtown historic building. The commission chairman who participated in that decision acknowledged during the hearing that he was Blech’s tenant. Two months later, when Blech sought appointment to the commission, that chairman cited the same financial relationship and recused himself.
Blech owns multiple properties within Grants Pass’ historic district, including 220/224 SW Sixth Street, 128 SW H Street and 122 SW H Street. The HBSC reviews alterations, construction and demolition involving designated historic properties, placing portions of Blech’s real-estate holdings within the jurisdiction of the commission he seeks to join.
On June 11, the HBSC considered a Type III historic review involving replacement awnings at Blech’s 220/224 SW Sixth Street property. The awnings had already been installed before the required review occurred.
“My bad for doing it before getting approval,” Blech told commissioners.
The HBSC approved the completed project 4-0 with a paint-related condition. Chairman Ward Warren participated after publicly disclosing that he had an existing financial relationship with Blech.
“I am a tenant of Mr. Blech’s … I pay a fixed amount of rent monthly,” Warren said.
Warren remained in the proceeding, discussed Blech’s application, made the motion for approval and voted in favor. He said his participation was necessary because only four commissioners were present and that without four voting members the commission would not have a quorum.
City records from a March 2015 HBSC meeting show four commissioners present when one abstained and three voted affirmatively on a motion that passed. City staff indicated at that meeting that the commission could act because the required quorum was present. The 2015 proceeding involved approval of minutes rather than a Type III land-use decision, leaving the precise voting requirement applicable to Blech’s 2026 proceeding unresolved.
When Blech returned to the HBSC on Aug. 27 seeking appointment to the commission, Warren handled the landlord-tenant relationship differently.
“I rent property from Andreas in downtown … because of a potential or a possible perceived conflict of interest I will be recusing myself from this discussion,” Warren said.
With Warren recused, Commissioners Danielle Glarum, Nathan Miller and Sam Marsh considered Blech’s application.
During his interview, Blech openly identified his financial interest in downtown property as part of his reason for seeking the position.
“Partly for selfish reasons because I am a landlord downtown,” Blech said.
“I want to make sure that this commission is made up of representatives that have a financial interest like I do in downtown Grants Pass.”
Blech also criticized portions of the historic-property regulatory process, telling commissioners, “No specific code comes to mind except for all of them. They’re all overbearing.” He also acknowledged that regulations are necessary and indicated he could vote against applications that failed to comply with city requirements.
Commissioners additionally questioned Blech’s application, which listed his experience as Josephine County Airports Advisory Board chairman and participation on the Charter Review Commission but omitted his more recent service as a Josephine County commissioner and chairman of the Board of Commissioners.
Blech was appointed to the county commission in July 2024 following Commissioner Dan DeYoung’s resignation. He was appointed to another vacant position in January 2025 following John West’s recall and was subsequently selected as board chairman. Blech resigned in December 2025 after sufficient petition signatures were verified to require a recall election.
No requirement identified in the reviewed records mandates that an HBSC applicant disclose every previous public position, and the omission has not been established as a filing violation. The omission was raised by a commissioner during the HBSC’s deliberations.
The three participating commissioners ultimately voted 3-0 not to recommend Blech for appointment.
Blech’s application also follows a 2026 Oregon Government Ethics Commission investigation concerning his property interests at the Grants Pass Airport while he served as county commissioner. Investigators documented seven Blech-owned hangars and determined that airport improvements could potentially increase their value, creating a potential conflict of interest.
Investigators concluded that Blech had sufficiently disclosed his airport tenancy and did not find a prohibited-use-of-office violation involving the airport financing and runway matter. A separate portion of the investigation concluded that qualifying airport-property interests should have been reported on Blech’s 2025 Statement of Economic Interest and recommended preliminary findings under ORS 244.060(4). Those preliminary findings were not a final adjudicated ethics determination.
Another property relationship involves Grants Pass City Council President Rob Pell. Andreas and Carole Blech own the historic property at 128 SW H Street, where Sunshine Natural Foods operates. Public business records identify Pell as the longtime owner of Sunshine Natural Foods.
The records establish that Pell’s business operates from Blech-owned property but do not establish the leaseholder, rental amount or whether Pell personally pays rent to Blech. City Council holds the authority to make HBSC appointments.
The appointment now rests with the Grants Pass City Council, which will decide whether to appoint Blech despite the HBSC’s unanimous 3-0 recommendation against his selection. The decision comes with his downtown property interests, the commission’s recent review of his own historic property, Warren’s disclosed financial relationship with Blech and the previous state ethics investigation all established in the public record.