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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2018)
Election Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 10, 2018 A3 Most unopposed candidates are incumbents No competitive races in five cities By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle In many of the Grant County elections this year, the race is not competitive, and elected or appoint- ed officials are running for re-elec- tion. In Canyon City, three incumbents filed for three four-year term posi- tions: Jim Johnston, Don Mooney and Francis Kocis. Kocis was ap- pointed to the council. Mayor Steve Fischer’s four-year term has not ex- pired, and he is not up for election. The election in Dayville has one candidate for each position. Emma- leigh Larson, running for council position No. 2, a four-year term, is the only candidate who is not an in- cumbent. Ilah Bennett, who is run- ning for a two-year term as mayor, was appointed mayor after Peter Bo- gardus resigned in June. Incumbent Councilor Valli Hettinga is running for position No. 4, and Joseph M. Letosky, incumbent by appointment, is running for position No. 3. The three candidates for the three four-year council positions in Sene- ca are incumbents Lilly Foster, Bar- bara Northington and Sue Holliday. The mayor is chosen by the council. Brad Smith is the current mayor of Seneca. Competitive race for Prairie City Council One incumbent and four challengers vie for three seats By Richard Hanners Tisha Packard Chase McClung Scott Officer Les Church The little city of Granite has two candidates this year. Incumbent Ron- ald R. Simonis is running unopposed for the two-year mayor position, and incumbent Todd E. Lounsbury is running for one of the two four-year councilor positions. In Monument, the mayor is a four-year term and not up for elec- tion. Sahara Hyder is the mayor of Monument. No candidates filed for the three four-year council positions. Two incumbents are running for Mt. Vernon sees competitive council race Two incumbents and one challenger for two seats By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Eagle Prairie City has a competi- tive race for the city council this year, with five candidates vying for three seats with four-year terms. Incumbent Les Church and challengers Chantal DesJardin, Scott Officer, Chase McClung and Tisha Packard are running for the three positions. Les Church Les Church is the only in- cumbent. He was appointed and has been re-elected twice. He grew up in the Bend and Red- mond area and moved to Grant County in 1989. Church said he left high school early to go to college, and he had a real estate license by the time he was 18 years old. He’s been a building contractor since he moved to Grant Coun- ty. Church sees his role on the council as a vital one. He said he helps guide decision making and makes sure all the council- ors are on the same page. He said he’s become used to that role and said he has contributed to the smooth function of the council. As a builder, Church said he’s familiar with the city’s in- frastructure. He said he’s seen much of it and even worked on some of it. The issues facing Prairie City are not new, he said — replace pesky old parts with new ones and stay ahead of the game. He said he was excited about TREAT YOUR FEET the Fainman Springs project that could address the city’s wa- ter shortages. Ensuring a good water supply and smart financ- ing for the project are top priori- ties for him, Church said. Scott Officer Scott Officer grew up in Grant County and is a fifth gen- eration Eastern Oregonian. He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in nat- ural resource management and works in timber management for the Malheur National Forest. Officer said he’s reached a point in his life where he feels a need to contribute to his com- munity. He said he doesn’t want to just sit on the sidelines, but he has no agenda and likes to look at issues from both sides. This would not be his first elected position if he wins. Offi- cer served on the student coun- cil in high school and on the stu- dent council at OSU’s College of Agricultural Science. Chase McClung Chase McClung grew up in Eastern Oregon and moved to Prairie City, where he graduat- ed from high school. He studied forestry for a year in college and worked four years as a wildland firefighter. He now drives for United Parcel Service. McClung said he decided to run after hearing a lot of people complain instead of being part of the solution. He wants to see the local economy grow and new homes built to address the local housing shortage. Some roads need fixing, he noted, but he wasn’t sure if the city budget would accommodate that work. He also wanted to see the water shortage addressed. This would be his first elect- ed position, McClung said. He didn’t plan on an organized campaign with signs but would rely on word of mouth. Tisha Packard Tisha Packard has lived in Prairie City about 24 years. She took legal secretarial training at ITT Technical Institute and has worked as a special education assistant at Prairie City School for the past 15 years. Packard said she decided to run because she wants to help her community and be more ac- tive. She said she has no specific ideas to promote, but the recent water shortage motivated her in- terest in running. Packard said she hasn’t regu- larly attended Prairie City coun- cil meetings, but she has served as a union president for the clas- sified employees union at Prai- rie City School. She’s also on the support staff for the Prairie City Fire Department and is an emergency medical respond- er for Blue Mountain Hospital District. Chantal DesJardin Chantal DesJardin, who grew up in Grant County and is a secretary/cashier at John Day City Hall, declined to be inter- viewed. four-year positions on the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District board: Joanne Keerins for zone No. 1 and Roger O. Ediger for at-large No. 2. Two incumbents are running for four-year positions on the Monu- ment Soil and Water Conservation District board: James Bahrenburg for zone No. 1 and Brian Campbell for zone No. 3. Andrew Watkins is running for the at-large No. 2 seat on the board. Three candidates are running for two four-year at-large positions in the Mt. Vernon City Council. Incumbents Jan Lowry and Mitchel Wilson and newcomer Bryan Mon- tague are running for the two seats. Incumbent Kenny Delano is running unopposed for another two-year term as mayor. Jan Lowry Lowry has been on the council for more than four years. She won election to the council after being appointed. She also has served as the city’s assis- tant city recorder for 17 1/2 years. Lowry said she worked “at everything” after graduating from high school — as a waitress, driving trucks and tend- ing bar. She’s lived in Grant County since 1971 and has numerous chil- dren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to keep her busy. After many years working for the city, Low- ry said she knows the “ins and outs” of Mt. Vernon and believes she can be an asset to the city. She said she’s cautious but not afraid to speak out and say no. Bryan Montague Montague was born and raised in Mt. Vernon. Af- ter graduating from Grant Union, he attended job-re- lated seminars and trade schools. He now owns and manages Frontier Equip- ment in Mt. Vernon. As a long-time resident, Montague said he believes in Mt. Vernon and wants to help make it a better place. He said he’s motivated by a sense of community spir- it. This would be his first elected position. Mon- tague noted that he has no agenda and cares about the community. He said he attends Mt. Vernon City Council meetings regular- ly, and his wife serves on the city’s budget commit- tee. Mitchel Wilson Wilson was appoint- ed to the council and has served about three years. He grew up in the John Day area and took welding and fabrication classes at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario. After seven years in the welding industry in Prineville, he moved back to Mt. Vernon where his wife’s fam- Kenny ily owns a Delano ranch and opened up his own welding and fabri- cating busi- ness. He served on Bryan the board Montague of the swim team at Gleason Pool in John Day for two years. As a younger Jan city coun- Lowry cil member, he hoped to bring fresh ideas. The ex- perience has been good, he said, with several city projects under develop- ment and his service as council president for the past year. Small cities like Mt. 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