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.
Vernon have limited
funds, Wilson noted,
and city leaders must be
crafty in finding ways to
get things done. He said
he’d like to see the city
grow, with new homes
and buildings to increase
the tax base.
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