Polk County News
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 12, 2016
INDEPENDENCE CANDIDATES
itemizer-Observer staff report
INDEPENDENCE — Three
positions on the council are up
for grabs without any incum-
bents running. Two candidates
run unopposed, while one seat
has three contenders.
Mayor John McArdle will run
for re-election unchallenged.
—
NAME: John McArdle, 59, of
Independence, (mayor)
EMPLOYMENT: Linn-Ben-
ton Community College: Direc-
tor of Development 11.5 years;
Western Oregon University: Di-
rector of Development 15
years.
EDuCATiON: B.S. Commu-
nity Service & Public Affairs,
University of Oregon; B.S.
Recreation and Park Manage-
ment, U of O
gOvERNMENT ExPERi-
ENCE: Mayor of Independence
1999-present; Governors
Homeland
Security
Council,
2008-2010;
Governors
Regional
Solutions
Advisory
Committee
2014-pre-
McArdle
s e n t ;
League of Oregon Cities: for-
mer president, board member
since 2006; Mid-Willamette Val-
ley Partnership board 1999-
present (current chair); Mid-
Willamette Council of Govern-
ments: board member/past
president, 1999-present; Ash
Creek Water Control District:
board member/chair 1999-
2003; Independence Budget
Committee, 1998.
CAMPAigN PHONE: 503-
838-6687
WHY ARE YOu RuNNiNg
FOR OFFiCE? Independence is
known statewide for being a
model of success. I see exciting
opportunities for the future,
and want to use my skills, pas-
sion and energy as we chart
our course toward continued
success working with commu-
nity members, city council and
the city staff.
WHAT iS THE biggEST
SiNgLE iSSuED FACiNg THE
CiTY OF iNDEPENDENCE
TODAY? HOW WOuLD YOu
ADDRESS iT iF ELECTED?
The importance of maintain-
ing a future vision for Inde-
pendence that balances op-
portunities and embraces the
culture that has made Inde-
pendence an All-American
City. Economic and business
growth opportunities are in
the development processes
with park and community
amenities as part of these
plans. Community input has
been a part of this process and
continued communication
needs to be an important part
of these future plans and op-
portunities. Independence has
a treasured history that has
been the cornerstone for re-
cent community successes. I
will work to bring jobs and
positive economic growth that
benefit all of our Independ-
ence residents.
—
NAME: Kenneth (Ken) Day,
70, of Independence (council
position 5)
EMPLOYMENT: Retired for
past 10 years
EDuCATiON: South Salem
High School, 1964; Oregon
State University, Bachelor’s in
Business Administration with
minor in industrial engineer-
ing, 1969; U.S. Air Force under-
graduate
pilot train-
ing, Air
Force Offi-
cer and
Pilot, 1970;
Texas Chris-
tian Univer-
sity, Master
in Public
Day
Administra-
tion with major in city manage-
ment, 1976
PREviOuS gOvERNMENT
ExPERiENCE: U.S. Air Force,
pilot and instructor Pilot, C-141
and B-52, 1969-1982, Minet Fi-
nance Committee Member;
2015-Present
CAMPAigN PHONE: 541-
593-1682
WHY ARE YOu RuNNiNg
FOR OFFiCE? During my 28
years in private industry, I have
held job positions ranging
from the manufacturing shop
floor to company president. I
learned the likelihood of suc-
cess increases when a free ex-
change of information and
opinions exists. I want to make
that happen in Independence.
It is not happening now.
WHAT iS THE biggEST
SiNgLE iSSuE FACiNg THE
CiTY OF iNDEPENDENCE?
HOW WOuLD YOu ADDRESS
iT, iF ELECTED?
Lack of up-front transparen-
cy from our city government.
Information needs to be made
available to residents before or
quickly after it is asked for. This
just does not seem to be hap-
pening. Current examples: (1)
paying the Minet debt with
monies from the water fund (2)
cost to date of the Independ-
ence Landing project (3) allow-
ing marijuana grow-sites with-
in the city boundaries. Solu-
tion: We need a simple and
easy method for a citizen to
ask a question and for the city
to answer the question so both
the question and the answer
are easily available to all citi-
zens.
ANYTHiNg ELSE YOu
WiSH TO NOTE AbOuT THE
POSiTiON YOu ARE SEEK-
iNg?
In the council-manager form
of government employed by
Independence, the council is to
establish policy, pass local ordi-
nances and appropriations and
develop an overall vision for
the city. The city manager is se-
lected by the mayor (with con-
sent of the council) to oversee
administrative operations, im-
plement city policies and ad-
vise the council. Bottom line:
Our city council members must
be the type of people that are
willing to ask questions and ex-
pect cogent and timely an-
swers from the city manager
and/or his staff and take action
on this information in a timely
manner.
I will be this type of council
member.
—
NAME: Michael Hicks, 35, of
Independence (council posi-
tion 5)
EMPLOYMENT: Attorney
by training, but a full-time fa-
ther of two (age 3 and 6) for
the last year
EDuCATiON: Sprague High
School, 1999; Western Oregon
University, 2004, B.S. in anthro-
pology and
philosophy;
University of
Houston,
2009, M.A.
in philoso-
p h y ;
Willamette
University
College of
Hicks
Law, 2014,
J.D. and a focus in law and gov-
ernment
PREviOuS gOvERNMENT
ExPERiENCE: No elected posi-
tions. However, I worked for
various representatives at the
Oregon Legislature, research-
ing potential legislation for the
2013-2015 sessions.
CAMPAigN WEbSiTE:
www.facebook.com/Michael-
Hicks4ICC
WHY ARE YOu RuNNiNg
FOR OFFiCE? I am running be-
cause I believe my background
in law and experience teaching
in China and at Houston Com-
munity College provide me
with a skill set that would be
an asset to the council. My
family and I love this town and
want to serve in any capacity
we can.
WHAT iS THE biggEST
SiNgLE iSSuE FACiNg THE
CiTY OF iNDEPENDENCE?
HOW WOuLD YOu ADDRESS
iT, iF ELECTED?
I think the largest issue sur-
rounding Independence in the
near future will be the expan-
sion of downtown with the ad-
dition of Independence Land-
ing redevelopment site. If done
responsibly, we can help pre-
serve the wonderful down-
town aesthetic of the city, min-
imizing any traffic issues that
come with the increased travel
and increase in foot traffic for
downtown businesses. I be-
lieve this is a real opportunity
for the city to increase traffic to
local businesses, hopefully
leading to less turnover and
fewer empty storefronts. I also
hope it will ease congestion
during large events at the park.
—
NAME: Richard King, 57, of
Independence (council, posi-
tion 3)
EMPLOYMENT: Network
Communications Technician
for three years and five months
with Salem Hospital
EDuCATiON: J. Eugene Mc
Ateer high school; AAS in
Human Resource Manage-
ment, 2015
PREvi-
OuS gOv-
ERNMENT
ExPERi-
ENCE: This
will be my
first experi-
ence with
any govern-
ment posi-
King
tion
WHY ARE YOu RuNNiNg
FOR OFFiCE? I would like
moderate population growth
that blends with infrastructure
updates of city services: Aqua
Center, streets, activities for
residents, and revised use to
the holding ponds for waste
water, such as the Talking
Water in Albany — an engi-
neered treatment wetland,
mimicking cleansing and cool-
ing characteristics occurring in
nature.
WHAT iS THE biggEST
SiNgLE iSSuE FACiNg THE
CiTY OF iNDEPENDENCE?
HOW WOuLD YOu ADDRESS
iT, iF ELECTED?
My main concern is the
holding ponds we currently
use for wastewater and the dis-
posal of said wastewater.
Treatment and disposal of our
wastewater seems out of date.
I believe we can develop a new
and clean approach to these
sites. I would explore funding
options such as the American
Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, that was adminis-
tered in Oregon by the Clean
Water State Revolving Fund, as
a source of funding for this
purpose. This is the fund that
the city of Albany used to help
build their Talking Waters nat-
ural treatment facility.
ANYTHiNg ELSE YOu
WiSH TO NOTE AbOuT THE
POSiTiON YOu ARE SEEK-
iNg?
I would also like to see how
we can provide cleaner drink-
ing water to our residents. I
don’t believe a resident should
have to buy a water softening
system for their home. Our city
water services should provide
quality drinking water to our
residents at all times. As a city
councilor, I would push for
more research and information
on this issue.
I would also purpose the re-
moval of the mandatory back
flow inspection requirement
for homeowners. This a service
the city’s water services de-
partment should be conduct-
ing on an annual basis and not
at the cost of the homeowner.
I would like to conduct a
study into how we can make
our residential streets safer for
the children of Independence.
It appears that speed signs
alone are not slowing traffic
down in neighborhoods with
children at play. I would pur-
pose the installation of speed
bumps as a speed deterrent in
these neighborhoods.
—
NAME: Kathy Martin-Willis,
55, of Independence (council
position 6)
EMPLOYMENT: YMCA of
Marion and Polk Counties,
Monmouth-Independence
Branch, two years
EDuCATiON: Poway High
School, 1978; Umpqua Com-
munity College, AA early child-
hood education, 1993; Western
Oregon State College, 1996, BS
elementary education
PREviOuS gOvERNMENT
ExPERi-
ENCE: Inde-
pendence
Planning
Commission,
2012-pre-
sent; Inde-
pendence
B u d g e t
Committee,
Martin-Willis 2 0 1 1 - p r e -
sent; Hop & Heritage Commit-
tee/Commission, 2011-present;
Tourism & Event Commission,
2013-14
CAMPAigN PHONE: 503-
838-1334
WHY ARE YOu RuNNiNg
FOR OFFiCE? I have had the
opportunity to serve Inde-
pendence in several capacities
and see this as the logical next
step to put my experience to
use for the community. I am a
committed resident, deter-
mined to help Independence
keep its small-town charm
while accommodating essen-
tial growth and development.
WHAT iS THE biggEST
SiNgLE iSSuE FACiNg THE
CiTY OF iNDEPENDENCE?
HOW WOuLD YOu ADDRESS
iT, iF ELECTED?
Independence needs to
maintain a point of balance.
We have become attractive to
developers, and we encourage
growth. There is a delicate bal-
ancing act between growth
and expansion and maintain-
ing the small-town feel that is
part of our appeal. Projects
need to continue to be ap-
proached with a commitment
to preserving the historical in-
tegrity of our downtown core
and surrounding area.
ANYTHiNg ELSE YOu
WiSH TO NOTE AbOuT THE
POSiTiON YOu ARE SEEK-
iNg?
Independence is the first
community in which I had both
the desire and the ability to put
down roots. In my time here I
have been able to become in-
volved in the community and
local government and to have
a voice as we progress. These
are exciting times in Independ-
ence. With the development of
Independence Landing, we
begin to see the fruition of
over 10 years of goal setting
and planning toward making
Independence a destination
city. I would be honored to
represent my friends and
neighbors and to give them a
voice on our city council as
well as an ear to hear their
questions and concerns on
local issues.
—
NAME: George Neujahr, 29,
of Independence (council posi-
tion 5)
EMPLOYMENT: Tutor/Advi-
sor at the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde. 10 years.
EDuCATiON: Sheridan High
School; Chemeketa Communi-
ty College; Seattle University
PREviOuS gOvERNMENT
ExPERiENCE: Elected Precinct
Committee Person (District
182)
CAMPAigN WEbSiTE:
https://www.facebook.com/ge
orgeneujahr
WHY ARE YOu RuNNiNg
FOR OFFiCE? Making a differ-
ence in the world starts with
making a difference at home.
To do this, it is important that
our leadership include the ex-
perience and judgment of vari-
ous folks. If elected, I hope to
bring the ex-
perience, vi-
sion, and
needs of the
working
class to Inde-
pendence’s
City Hall.
WHAT iS
T
H
E
Neujahr
biggEST
SiNgLE iSSuE FACiNg THE
CiTY OF iNDEPENDENCE?
HOW WOuLD YOu ADDRESS
iT, iF ELECTED?
Affordable single-family
housing. Stagnant wages, un-
deremployment, insufficient
retirement plans, the great re-
cession; there are many rea-
sons that people are facing
current living arrangements. It
is commonplace for young
adults to be living in the par-
ent’s home. It is commonplace
for parents to be living in their
children’s homes.
It is commonplace to share a
house with complete
strangers.
The departure of affordable
homes and the explosion of
cramped apartments and
townhouses is not something
that has to simply be accepted.
City council could help. In-
stead, we find pricey riverfront
condos siphoning resources
from our schools and emer-
gency services.
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