As a County Commissioner and Democrat in mostly Republican Eastern Oregon: I appreciate the nonpartisan status of the position. 

As someone who is likely to file for the Labor Commissioner race, I also point out that having an appointed Commissioner, in a state that's drifting toward one-party dominance, for the next decade, doesn't necessarily make sense.   That's just one more way to insulate the administrative levers from inside the ballot box. As an example, I'm sure the wrongheaded pursuit of Happy Cakes by Commissioner Avakian has helped create an open election for Labor Commissioner: allowing voters to send a message about whether we want BOLI or Bully. 

Jack Howard