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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2020)
PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 28, 2020 DeBLASI, continued from Page A1 DeBlasi will try to unseat Councilor Laura Reid who is running for re-election to Position 1. As an advisor to the city council through commissions and committees, DeBlasi fo- cuses on how small details impact the residents and liva- bility of the city. As a planning commissioner, he advocated for changes that created the space for the new develop- ment near Sonic Drive-In on River Road that will com- bine commercial and residen- tial components. “I will admit I’m surprised that it happened as quickly as it did, but I hope that the community accepts it and that we use it as a way to engage commercial developers and show them that Keizer is open to more urban looks as we try JURAN, continued from Page A1 Advisory Board for more than fi ve years. In that time, the old saw of government’s wheels grinding slowly became a lived experience. “I’ve learned how much persistence is needed when you want to get something done. It’s not a matter of just starting a conversation, but thinking it through, the op- tions available and then mak- ing sure that a decision is act- ed on,” he said. At a recent parks board meeting he asked a question about pesticide use in Keiz- er parks – a question he was asked while campaigning – and the person who might have had the answer wasn’t available. “So that’s one month, next month we might be able to get the answer then we have to talk about the alternatives, then the possibilities of reduc- to fi ll in the missing middle,” he said. The “missing mid- dle” is used to describe the gap between lower income and more expensive housing options, a space where more and more cities are coming up short. DeBlasi is also an advocate for the city council adopting an inclusivity resolution as a fi rst step, but that the work that comes after such a resolu- tion includes making sure all residents have safe, affordable housing within reach. On economic develop- ment, DeBlasi would like to see the city engage more with the Oregon Legislature on is- sues that could bolster Keiz- er’s prospects and back up its words with actions. “I’ve heard the council- ors talk about their support for local businesses, but then In-N-Out was approved and that undercuts a local business like Nancy’s Burgers,” DeBla- si said. “A ton of people came and now they will be opening another one up north. They didn’t see us as a communi- ty, they saw us as a revenue stream.” While the council approves business developments, it can only reject them when they fail to meet specifi c standards relating to infrastructure, de- sign and traffi c impacts. It does not have a role in de- termining which brands or chains occupy a space. On the traffi c safety com- mittee, DeBlasi advocates for adding more traffi c-calming features – such as narrower lanes, greater use of trees next to streets and bulbing out curbs – whenever a Keizer street undergoes a makeover. Eventually, he would like to see the city adopt alternative standards that cater to a wid- er array of transportation op- tions and safety plans to sup- port them. While he’s seen some vic- tories in the efforts he cham- pions, he’s not been on the winning side in every deci- sion and hopes to bring that understanding to the council. “Some of the decision making is accepting the good instead of the perfect. And some of it is accepting defeats when they happen. But, be- ing on these committees, I've gotten to meet people who have issues with the city that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise,” he said. As for the choice to run against a sitting councilor, DeBlasi said he has nothing against Reid. “She’s just of a mindset with all the other counselors we already have,” he said. DeBlasi lives in Keizer with his wife, Nicole, and children Miles and Ella. Find out more about the candidate at his website: www. deblasi4abetterkeizer.com. ing it to zero and the costs on the other end. If you are in- terested in seeing something done, you have to hammer at it for a long time.” In the past, Juran has advo- cated for the city to investi- gate the possibility of making internet service available as a public utility, but he doesn’t want that to be the single is- sue he is known for. “As somebody who is working on building a fam- ily, I want to have a lot of good options for housing and schools and parks, the things that make a city liveable,” he said. On a topic like growth, Juran said he still has more work to do before offering his opinion, but that blanket, or blind, resistance to the idea of growth doesn’t move the conversation in a realistic di- rection. “If we're having conver- sations about how we grow, that's going to serve us better as a community than trying to just put up roadblocks,” Juran said. He’s a proponent of the city having some sort of state- ment or resolution regarding inclusivity. While some have resisted specifi c language ad- opted in other cities, arguing that it would make Keizer a sanctuary city, he sees no reason the council couldn’t produce a resolution without such language. “We can take those ideas and make something of inclu- sion, but the council seemed to reject it and I was extreme- ly disappointed in that,” he said. As a technical consultant, Juran works with a non-profi t that develops growth metrics for educators with the goal of helping them tailor their lessons, but he’s also a long- time volunteer with the Keiz- er-based non-profi t Satellite Gaming, which offers after school clubs in area middle schools. While students partici- pate in tournaments, Juran pulls parents aside to help them better understand their children’s interest in video games and how they can sup- port their interest in healthy ways. There’s lessons there he will draw on if elected to the council. “Some of the students we work with are even more iso- lated than some of their peers. The big thing that drives me to help is that I want them to feel like part of a community,” he said. 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