Vernonia's voice., October 12, 2010, Page 11, Image 11

election
Vernonia 2010 Candidates Questionnaire
On
November
2,
2010
Vernonians will have an opportunity
to elect members of our community to
two positions on our City Council for
four year terms and elect a Mayor to a
two year term. Eight candidates have
filed to run for the two City Council
positions; four candidates have filed
to run for the Mayoral position. In
order to help educate Vernonia voters,
Vernonia’s Voice sent questionnaires to
all twelve candidates. Their answers
are published here, in their entirety, for
your information.
Editors Note: At the October
4, 2010 Vernonia City Council
meeting current Mayor Sally Harrison
announced in a written statement that
she was withdrawing her name from
the Mayoral race due to personal
issues. She cited the illness of her
husband of forty-nine years, Del,
recent knee replacement surgery and
a broken ankle she sustained in a fall,
and the prospect of having her home
raised after being flooded in 2007. The
deadline for these questionnaires was
October 4th and Harrison chose not
to complete the questionnaire because
she was intending to withdraw from the
race.
Harrison reversed her decision
and re-entered the Mayoral campaign
the following day after receiving what
she said were “two dozen phone calls”
encouraging her to stay in the race.
Sadly, Harrison’s husband
Del passed away on the evening of
October 4th. She was unable to submit
a completed questionnaire before press
time.
Questionnaire for Mayor:
1. Please give a brief description of
your relevant background; your quali-
fications to run for city office and why
you think you are a good candidate.
Josette Mitchell: VCLC Committee
Chair 2007 to present
City of Vernonia Budget Committee
Member 2008-2010
City of Vernonia Budget Committee Chair
2010
I believe my participation in City commit-
tees, attendance at City meetings, and my
personal passion to see Vernonia succeed,
qualifies my running for city office. I be-
lieve I am a good candidate because I am
invested in seeing Vernonia come out of
this downtime prepared for future oppor-
tunities. We have many city projects going
currently, I believe I have a solid under-
standing of where the City is currently,
and where we are headed. I am willing to
give of my time and effort to be a mem-
ber of Council and work for the benefit of
Vernonia.
Vici Peters: For about 30 years I have
been in product development where the
requirements of my job have included
identifying and prioritizing problems,
leading organized problem solving activi-
ties with diverse teams, aligning activities
to ensure maximum value to the customer
and managing large budgets. I believe
these skills would be invaluable in the role
of Mayor of Vernonia.

I started as a drafter in 1988 and
soon after began designing riflescopes at
Leupold & Stevens, where I still work to-
day. My role in my day job has, for the last
15 years been that of Product Line Man-
ager in the Marketing Department where I
am responsible for assessing what the cus-
tomer wants and needs, collaborating with
development teams to determine how we
can meet these wants and needs and lead-
ing those teams to execute creative and
effective solutions, all the while keeping
their focus on the customer. The citizens
of Vernonia are customers to The Mayor’s
office and I have the skills to ensure they
are treated as such.
Emil Rode: I served as a student senator
at Portland State University, was on the
IFC Comittee which handles student inci-
dental funds. I served as a student news-
paper reporter at the college of Southern
Idaho. I hold an A.S. in medicine from
the College of Southern Idaho and a B.S.
from Portland State University.
2. What do you see as the role of Mayor
and how would you intend to fulfill that
role? Do you have the time and abil-
ity to represent the city at city, county,
state and federal meetings?
Josette Mitchell: I believe the role
of Mayor is to facilitate City Council
meetings, attend County, State, and
Federal meetings as a representative of
the Vernonia community and liaison to the
City Council. I intend to fulfill that role
by focusing on where the City is currently,
identifying the issues and opportunities
that lie ahead, and participating with the
Council to move Vernonia in a positive
direction. I have ample time to attend the
meetings needed to represent Vernonia. I
have participated in many meetings in the
past on behalf of the City of Vernonia.
Vici Peters: The mayor has the primary
role of leading the city’s direction by
keeping order in city council meetings,
providing a tie breaking vote and acting
as ambassador for the city in a variety of
settings but I think the more important role
of a mayor should be to view the experience
of being a citizen of Vernonia in a holistic
way. I would like to take an active
interest in all influences on the quality of
life in Vernonia, including cost of living,
availability of services and products,
support of efforts of the entrepreneurs that
establish all of these great little businesses
in town and development of resources for
our youth to ensure they are entertained
with wholesome activities and achieve
personal growth that should come from
living in a great little pioneer town like
this one.

Time is precious for me, of
course but I am committed to fulfilling
this role thoroughly. I currently have none
of evening club or night class activities
I have indulged in historically and my
company is easy to work with should
I need to attend an occasional daytime
commitment.
Emil Rode: I would have to learn a lot
if elected. As far as having the time - I
work 50 hours per week out of town so
time could be an issue, but then I don’t
know that the people of Vernonia would
want a mayor who had too much time on
their hands.
3. The city is currently involved in or
developing numerous partnerships and
relationships with outside agencies,
organizations and community groups.
Which of these do you think are most
important and how would you help fa-
cilitate these relationships?
Josette Mitchell: There are currently
many important relationships developing
within and around the City and it’s
projects. The City has a vital partnership
with the administrators and grant writing
team for the Vernonia Schools project.
The Vernonia Schools project is beneficial
in many ways to the City; one benefit is
the potential for the new school system to
help stabilize and increase the local real
estate values. An increase in real estate
values will add to the tax base of the City.
Another important relationship the City
has is with FEMA and the Flood Relief. The
City will be the new owner of demolished
properties around town, as well as the
Old School site. Those properties and
how they will be maintained will be a
future issue and opportunity for the City.
I don’t think you can necessarily rank
any one partnership higher than another,
as they are all important for specific
reasons. I would help to facilitate these
relationships through participation where
it is appropriate, attending informational
discussions, and representing Vernonia
professionally.
october12
2010
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mentioned that we used to have Town
Hall meetings and I think these are a great
idea but I would also augment this with
a strong web presence. I would like to
have an online forum where we can get a
healthy exchange of ideas going. I have a
web site I developed at www.vernonialive.
com but I am a junior web developer so
it’s pretty simple at the moment. I would
transform this into my link to the citizens
and get a forum in place. I also understand
that many people do not use computers so
I think it is critical to be equally open to
any lines of communication people want
to use including letters, phone calls and
face to face talks where ever people want
to meet. There aren’t so many citizens
here that it should be difficult to give
everyone a chance to voice their opinion
and be heard.
Emil Rode: As Mayor I would need to
attend the City Council meetings and by
attending these meetings I should stay
apprised of city business.

I would use the news media to
communicate with the general public.
With city staff and council members I
would communicate verbally if possible
Vici Peters: I would want to get input and if not possible by writing.
from the citizens before establishing
priorities in these efforts but I can tell you 5. The City is currently under tight
that I think obtaining outside support for financial constraints, which have
needed development efforts is critical. limited the ability to fund projects and
I have experience working with the provide full time levels of staffing?
federal government on finding product What are your priorities in regards to
development opportunities and funding managing the budget, staffing levels
needed to bring them to fruition. I have and current and future projects?
the personal and communication skills to
Josette Mitchell: Regarding the priorities
help make these efforts really work.
in the City budget, it is essential for the
Emil Rode: I know of certain partnerships City to live within its means. The City of
such as those with trash pick up and the Vernonia has a finite source of income
bus service and am glad for them, but a to run the general fund (property taxes,
sewer treatment plant out of the flood franchise fees, state revenue sharing,
plane and the poverty of many people in cigarette and liquor taxes), however it is
crucial for the City to perform necessary
Vernonia.
duties and services as mandated by the
4. How would you plan to stay apprised State of Oregon. In better economic times
of city business and understand what the City has been able to perform extra
is happening at City Hall? How would duties and services unfortunately those
you communicate with the general pub- times are gone. We as citizens must be
lic, city staff and fellow City Council willing to contribute and participate if we
want those extra, non-essential projects
members?
in our community. The City is currently
Josette Mitchell: The packets provided at low staffing levels, being able to stay
to the City Council members prior to within the budget allows for the likelihood
the next meeting contain much valuable of keeping the staff we have, increasing
information. It is very important that all the the City staff at this time is not a reality.
documents in those packets are thoroughly Most of the current and future projects
read and that a Council members formulate happening in the City at present are part of
questions to ask at the Council meeting the enterprise funds, which currently pay
before deciding on any matters before for themselves. However if the City does
them. I would communicate with the City not spend those funds appropriately, they
Staff during scheduled appointments, risk the completion of current projects
which I believe are the most appropriate as well. If the City of Vernonia spends
use of staff time and effort. Members of wisely, we can make it out of this budget
Council should be aware of each others crisis.
opinions, communicating as needed to
individual members, I believe is best. As Vici Peters: I would begin by scouring
far as the general public is concerned, I the budget looking for waste. Value
have always communicated transparently, stream analysis is when every element
I would continue to communicate with of a budget is weighed against its value
my fellow citizens, around town, on the to the customer and this is a method I
really like to use. I will not step into
phone, via email.
this role with preconceptions about what
Vici Peters: Part of this would occur in needs to be done without a study and
the regular public meetings. Regarding collaboration period. I would want to talk
what the councils and committees are with City Council Members and members
working on, I would like to see good of all potentially affected functions and
written records that help us all stay on the resources to get their ideas. I would want
same page and give us communications to be sure we have exhausted all outside
tools to the public. Good summaries funding sources. We would compile these
should be published and complete records ideas then work with the citizens to sort
out and prioritize possible solutions. This
available upon request.

Rebecca at the Independent
continued on page 12