Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Michael Spasaro believes he has the experience to bring leadership to Linn County on issues ranging from education funding and local control, prioritizing the county budget by making tough choices instead of raising taxes and creating an environment where local business can thrive and expand, creating more jobs and opportunities.
“I have seen many communities change, most for the worse,” Spasaro said. “Linn County is changing and needs someone with my experience to ensure we change only for the better. When Commissioner Wooten announced that he would not seek re-election, I felt compelled to step up to serve the community I love so much.
“I’ve lived an incredible life,” Spasaro said. “I’m blessed. I need to give back.”
He is also concerned about the future, he said, and “I believe as a county commissioner, I can make a difference.”
Spasaro has some 30 years working in law enforcement, eight years in local law enforcement and 22 years as a federal agent, some of that stationed overseas; and he spent three years serving in the military.
Spasaro said two words are important to him: “why” and “no.”
One thing he always asks is “Why?” he said. “I’m not afraid to say no.”
Part of the job is to “stick up for the people you represent,” he said, although if he is personally opposed to something, he’ll say so. Still, he’ll work with a program that might be the best solution to a problem even if he isn’t crazy about it.
Personal ideology changes over time, Spasaro said, as people read, sit in classrooms and learn. “That’s why I believe a leader must have different experiences,”
A diverse background plays a big role in affecting beliefs and ideas, he said. That’s what he would bring to the Board of Commissioners. He was stationed in Istanbul, Turkey, 12 million people in a city built for 500,000.
“I’ve seen changes, some for the better, some for the worse,” he said, and now Linn County is changing.
He recalls serving on a Lebanon School District site council in the 1990s and hearing that the overall population of schools would decline; but his children’s school has grown. The county is growing, with the addition of Lowe’s Distribution Center and new residences springing up across the county.
The economy is going through a sluggish time right now, he said, but he expects it to thrive and expand.
The county has been generally moving in the right direction, he said. “I think it is. Cliff Wooten did an excellent job. I believe I can fill his shoes.”
He has watched how Lane County has handled growth, he said. “I don’t want that in Linn County, but I want to preserve what we have.”
He certainly wants to see Linn County grow, attracting businesses. His goal is to “make it appealing,” he said. “To be honest, you have to get out there and sell the county. You have to attract them here.
“I want my kids when they grow up here to have a choice.”
They can choose to stay in Linn County, he said, but they need jobs.
As a commissioner, he said, he will work with local chambers and similar organizations to sell Linn County and attract businesses.
“I’m a people person,” he said. “I’m very outgoing. I’m not shy or bashful.”
In education, he has spent almost four years volunteering in his children’s schools in Lebanon, and he serves on the Linn County Commission on Children and Families.
His priority is “what’s best for our kids,” he said.
Linn County has no direct control on education, he said, but “there are things that the county can do with our county money.”
Most such programs are funded through the CCF, he said. “We have to do anything we can,” after-school programs, for example.
In general, “I’m all for local control,” Spasaro said. “What we want here in Sweet Home may not be what we want in Brownsville. It might not be good for Brownsville, but it’s maybe good for Sweet Home.”
When the state passes legislation that removes local control, from city and county governments, those local governments can do little directly, he said, but a commissioner can influence those decisions.
“A county commissioner is like a CEO for the county, but he’s also an advocate for the people,” he said. When he meets with a representative, he can speak out for the those people.
On budgets, Spasaro said, “you can’t spend money you don’t have. I’m not one to raise taxes.”
If costs rise, the county economy needs to grow to raise more revenue, he said. “I will not spend money we don’t have.”
Spasaro was born and raised on the north shore of Long Island, N.Y. His parents were first-generation Italian-Americans who ran a family-owned window and door-manufacturing company.
Spasaro served in the Army during the Vietnam era, from 1970 to 1973. He began his law enforcement career in 1973 with the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department. After several years on patrol, he began working undercover. After being shot in the line of duty, he was promoted to detective. In 1982, he became a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Ft. Lauderdale. He transferred to Houston in 1983 and conducted many international undercover operations throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Europe.
In 1990, he became resident agent in charge in Istanbul, where he lived for about 6 1/2 years, traveling extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa. He supervised the resident office, served as a diplomat, worked undercover and taught narcotics enforcement to many foreign police officials.
He came to Oregon in 1996 with the DEA and opened “posts of duty in Salem and then Bend. He retired from the DEA. Just after Sept. 11, 2001, he was one of the first to volunteer as an air marshal for 60 days.
An Eagle Scout, Spasaro now serves on the Calapooia Distrct Board of the Boy Scouts of America and its public relations committee. He also serves on the Linn County Commission on Family and Children, served as a member of the Lebanon School District Budget Committee, teaches at Linn Benton Community College, volunteers at his children’s schools and is an active member of his church.
Spasaro lives in Lebanon with his family.