A recent business survey presented through the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce painted a revealing picture of how many local businesses viewed county government during one of the most politically turbulent periods in recent Josephine County history. While several county departments earned strong support from respondents, the Josephine County Board of Commissioners finished dead last among every service and agency included in the survey.
The study, conducted by Long Research Consultants, LLC, surveyed 77 businesses from throughout Josephine County and asked participants to rate county and community services as “Very Good,” “Good,” “Fair/Poor,” or “N/A.” The final chart showed a county government sharply divided in the eyes of the business community, where frontline services often received respectable approval while political leadership absorbed the harshest criticism.
At the top of the rankings sat the Josephine County Fairgrounds, which drew some of the strongest positive responses in the survey. Disposal and recycling services also performed well, alongside fire protection services, the Josephine County Clerk’s Office, county parks, and the Assessor’s Office. Those departments consistently received higher “Good” and “Very Good” ratings, suggesting that many businesses viewed day-to-day county operations far differently than the political body overseeing them.
Even departments that landed in the middle of the rankings reflected a more balanced public perception than the commissioners themselves. Public transportation services, public works, treasury and tax services, emergency preparedness, legal counsel, public health, and county planning all received mixed reactions, but none approached the level of dissatisfaction attached to the Board of Commissioners.
Then came the final line on the chart. (Please see survey below)
The Board of County Commissioners not only ranked last overall, but by a margin difficult to ignore. Roughly 69 percent of surveyed businesses rated the Board as “Fair/Poor,” while only a small percentage selected either “Good” or “Very Good.” No other agency or department in the survey came close to matching that level of negative sentiment.
The results arrive against the backdrop of years of political infighting, public controversy, recalls, budget disputes, administrative turnover, and growing frustration surrounding county leadership. Importantly, the survey reflected business opinions gathered during the tenure of the county’s previous board structure, which included recently recalled commissioners. Since the survey was conducted, two newly appointed commissioners have entered office, and no updated survey has yet been released measuring whether business confidence has shifted under the county’s new political makeup.
That distinction matters.
The survey was not a referendum on the newly appointed commissioners now serving Josephine County. Instead, it serves as a numerical snapshot of how portions of the local business community viewed the county’s former leadership during a period marked by political instability and constant public conflict.
What makes the survey especially notable is the contrast it revealed between county leadership and many county employees themselves. Businesses responding to the survey appeared willing to give credit to departments they believed were functioning effectively, even while expressing deep dissatisfaction with the board directing county policy and governance.
That separation between operations and politics became one of the clearest takeaways from the data.
The Fairgrounds, parks, fire services, and clerk’s office all demonstrated that county services were still capable of earning public trust and positive feedback despite the increasingly tense political climate surrounding county government. Meanwhile, the commissioners’ results suggested many businesses felt disconnected from the county’s broader leadership direction.
Although the survey does not explain why respondents selected their answers, the timing alone speaks volumes. During the period covered by the survey, Josephine County government faced repeated controversies involving transparency disputes, public records issues, internal political battles, economic concerns, staffing conflicts, and public criticism that frequently spilled beyond commission chambers and into the wider community.
Business confidence surveys in smaller counties often carry more weight than simple customer satisfaction polls. In communities like Josephine County, where county decisions directly affect permitting, development, commerce, infrastructure, and investment, the opinions of local businesses can become an early warning sign for broader public frustration.
Whether the county’s newly reshaped Board of Commissioners can repair that confidence remains unanswered. What is clear, however, is that the survey presented by Long Research Consultants, LLC delivered one unmistakable message from a portion of Josephine County’s business community: many respondents believed county leadership had fallen badly out of step with the people doing business in the county they govern.
