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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 7, 2016 11A C ANDIDATES Continued from page 10A helped residents and business owners come to a greater con- sensus with the downtown Eco- nomic and Business Improve- ment District on the design and construction of All-America City Square. He served on the Cottage Grove Budget Commit- tee in 2010 and served as board president of Another Way En- terprises, a nonprofi t supporting many local projects and com- munity organizations. Ivan believes government often fails to legitimately rep- resent citizens and effectively meet their needs. He is running for City Council with a com- mitment to total transparency, greater input from the public and unwavering support for the health, prosperity and economic strength of our community, our Cottage Grove. For more infor- mation, visit www.facebook. com/ivansdelsol. Ward II candidates Merlyn Adams State University in Chico. The subject of her Master’s thesis was “Cultural Trauma and the Rise of Terrorism in Post-Colo- nial Societies”. Adams is self-employed as an antique picker, a lifetime hobby that has evolved into a major source of income. She works with local stores Roger’s Fine Antiques and Dierdre Holder’s Timeless Treasures, among oth- ers. She moved to Cottage Grove eight years ago and has recent- ly purchased and is restoring a 1922 Victorian house that once belonged to City Councilor Betty Horvath, one of the few women who has served on the City Council here. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Healing Ma- trix and Cottage Grove Glean- ers. She loves Cottage Grove and greatly appreciates the warm and friendly atmosphere. She enjoys writing grants and would like to help Cottage Grove work to improve our roads and side- walks; Adams is also very inter- ested in improvements for all of our municipal parks. written response Rodney Cimburke Merlyn Adams, 35, is a candi- date for Ward 2 on the Cottage Grove City Council. She has graduated with a JD from the Uni- versity of Or- egon School of Law. Prior to that, she received a Masters Degree in political science and a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from California Interview response Cimburke has lived in Cot- tage Grove with his family for 10 years, or as he put it, “long enough not to be con- sidered an outsider” to local affairs. “I just want to get involved and to help people realize that they can do a lot to change things, that they can affect local governance,” he said of his candidacy. Cimburke said he supports the upcoming ballot measure to raise Cottage Grove’s gas tax because one of the biggest complaints about living here is the deterioration of local streets. He also supports the prospective three percent tax on recreational marijuana purchases, and he said he’s hoping to work with Coun- cilor Slay and others to start a Neighborhood Watch type group that could help curb the recent spate of property crimes here. “People are getting angry, and they may feel like they don’t have a lot of power in the com- munity,” he said. “I think a le- gitimate Neighborhood Watch is a good place to start.” Cimburke records meeting minutes on behalf of the Lane Council of Governments, which he said offers an inside look at the workings of government. “I’ve been to meetings of oth- er city councils, school boards and EWEB,” he said. “I think it’s part of what has inspired me. I want to get involved with actual governance, with doing something instead of talking about ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if this happened?’” Bob Ehler Interview response Ehler said he “feels pretty good” at the outset of his third attempt at securing a City Coun- cil seat. Ehler said he seeks to serve his town as a representa- tive of its low-income residents. “I live on disability, so I un- derstand that there are people s t r u g - gling,” he said. “I know what it’s like to try to get by and survive with taxes and rates as high as they are.” Ehler said that “keeping in touch with the little guy” in- cludes working on behalf of Cottage Grove’s Pay it Forward group, where he often repairs bicycles that are later donated to those who need them. The proposed tax on recre- ational marijuana in Cottage Grove is a “good thing,” said Ehler. “If you’re going to do some- thing like that, you have to be willing to pay for it,” he said. “I smoke cigarettes, so I under- stand how that works.” Ehler said he supports bol- stering Cottage Grove’s police force and helping to make po- lice more available to the public. He said he’ll also work to bring more living-wage manufactur- ing jobs to town. Henry Lancaster Interview response Lancast- er said that he’s al- ready spent the early part of his candidacy “ wo r k i n g toward connecting with people” including the leaders of several local businesses. “It’s been very enlightening,” he said. “It’s given me a lot more information about what they do and offered a variety of what this town has to offer, and I’m planning to do a lot more of them (visits).” One message he’s heard over and over is how “kind of ridicu- lous” Cottage Grove’s water bills are, cost-wise, in addition to frustration over rashes of re- cent break-ins and burglaries. Lancaster advocates the use of the local currency known as Cottage Grove Scrip, which he said helps “put money back in the people’s pocket” and “helps keep this community knit to- gether.” He said that his experi- ence attending council meetings as the representative of the Youth Advisory Council has given him inside knowledge of the current Council and how city govern- ment works. “I’ve got fi rsthand experience, and I can be ready to do the job on Day One,” he said. Lancaster also said he thinks Cottage Grove should work to retain the “good nature” of its citizens that has earned the ac- claim of visitors, and he said he plans to work to give Cottage Grove’s citizens more opportu- nities to vote on important is- sues. Grant Gording, BC-HIS Jenna Buetow Board Certifi ed in Hearing Instrument Sciences Hearing Consultant Ward IV candidate Amy Slay Interview response Slay, who was appointed to the Ward IV seat last year, said she wishes more people would bring their concerns to her as their representa- tive. “I’m hop- ing to bring more faces into city government and try- ing to make myself available,” she said. Slay was recently part of an effort to start a Neighbor- hood Watch-style group in Cot- tage Grove in response to recent property crimes, though she said the effort will need more citizen involvement to be successful. “I think people genuinely care, I just wish they would commit to being a volunteer,” she said. A Weyerhaeuser employee, Slay described herself as “just a real person” and not a politician or business owner. “I live and work and raise my family here, so I want Cottage Grove to be the best place it can be,” she said. FREE Hearing Screenings FREE Hearing Aid Checks & Cleanings Just call to schedule an appointment! Grant's Hearing Centers 1498 E. Main St., CG www.grantshearing.com 541-942-8444 Trick or Treat on Main Street Monday, October 31, 2016 If you are a business and want to set up a booth downtown and be a part of the festivities, contact Travis at the chamber offi ce (541) 942-2411. Transmissions Plus & AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALTIES PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SERVICE SINCE 1991 Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust All makes and models. MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN “NO MONKEY BUSINESS!” www.automotivespecialties.biz DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS 541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE Brooks Dame Donated bone marrow to stranger. SACRIFICE Pass It On www.forbetterlife.org
