Donna Bowen – Jacksonville City Council
I am Donna Bowen, native Oregonian and resident of Jacksonville since 2008. I was a Vice President of Operations for various Brokerage firms including A.G. Edwards and Shearson, Lehman, Hutton, and American Express before retirement. I have also been a small business owner and until a few years ago, raised American Quarter Horses.
My first involvement with our city government came when my husband, Clark, and I undertook the restoration and renovation of the the historic John Bilger Home, circa 1863. Our positive experience with the city led to my first community volunteer work, in Jacksonville, as an appointed member of the Historic and Architectural Review Commission. I currently serve as the HARC Chair, on the Budget Committee and am active in the Jacksonville Garden Club. My previous experiences include serving on the steering committee for The North Coast Cultural Collaboration in Humboldt County, California and seven years with the Humboldt Arts Council, three of those years as President. I’m a Women’s History Honoree from the American Association of University Women for my contribution in establishing the Morris Graves Museum of Art in the Historic Carnegie Library in Eureka, California.
My previous occupational and volunteer experiences make me particularly suited to serve as a City Councilor. I am well versed in administration, organization, working to consensus, working within a budget, and showing measurable progress. I am known for connecting people, increasing public involvement and coordinating multiple partnerships.
Like most other cities, Jacksonville faces ongoing challenges in the next few years. Some issues are: generating consistent revenues to support our fire and police departments, a new fire hall or renovation of the current outdated facility, development of the second floor of our Historic Courthouse, urban growth boundary issues, building infill and infrastructure, traffic, and our city’s outdated planning code. These are not new issues. Some have been around for a few years and still cause dissension. We are fortunate to have a dedicated Mayor and City Council, a strong Administrator and a serious group of volunteers to help solve these challenges. One of the most important issues is the polarization of our community over funding the Police Department. The current division of our citizens over generating revenue to support Police Department funding is beneficial and expected. Some differences must and should be debated. However, healthy communities must in the end, be based on widely shared convictions. I believe we, as citizens, do share an ongoing love and concern for what is best for now, and for the future. Whatever the outcome of the November ballot, I would like to see people accept the decision and move on by making the final vote work and not resorting to the current climate of name calling and vitriol. It is time to be better, not bitter. The other issues should be addressed in the next four to six years. Some will be resolved and others may be temporarily shelved. The reasons for all should be crystal clear. This is my goal as a Councilor. The Jacksonville City Council must see these issues to completion as painlessly as possible with the funds we have and can generate. This can be accomplished with the diligence, dedication and desire we all have, to live in harmony and prosperity in our beloved city.
When I’m asked what I love about Jacksonville, it is easy to answer. We have it all here: Our heritage as an historic city, a beautiful city in beautiful surroundings, great restaurants, wonderful coffee shops, tasting rooms, nearby medical services, outstanding entertainment, trails and parks for outdoor activities, a number of places to worship, an award-winning elementary school, art galleries, a library, a community center, a senior living facility, several spas and facilities for yoga and working out, Veterinarians, groomers, a fuel station, tax preparer, insurance, financial services, a local lifestyle magazine, a farmers market, and a post office. We are a dog-friendly city and a walking city. We have many volunteer opportunities and service organizations; and some of the friendliest people you will ever encounter. We have built a solid reputation as a tourist destination, an event destination, a wine destination; and we have four seasons! We have the opportunity to govern well with exemplary results. Clark and I could have chosen any place to live but no other city offered as much as Jacksonville and her citizens. This is what I love. This is home. I look forward to serving you and Jacksonville as a City Councilor.
Ken Gregg – Jacksonville City Council – Incumbent
Four years ago, as a way to give back to this town that I had come to love since first coming here in 2010, I chose to campaign for, and subsequently won, a seat on the City Council. I had previously served as a volunteer on a Citizen Advisory Committee and as a consultant for the Planning Department working to streamline application forms and processes.
I am a founding member of the Board of Directors and website developer of Historic Jacksonville, Inc. This non-profit was founded in 2014 by Carolyn Kingsnorth for the express purpose of helping to preserve historic structures in Jacksonville by bringing them to life through educational programming, tours, events and activities. These properties include the Beekman Bank and the Beekman House, plus guided walking tours showcasing additional historic buildings around town.
As a citizen, I updated the design of the City’s business cards and stationery, created an historic photographic exhibit for the main corridor of the Courthouse and guiding the development over the last two years of the City’s new website to be launched by mid-October this year. There will be other projects I will work on in the role of a volunteer that will continue to improve Jacksonville’s status as an ideal place to live or visit.
Using Jacksonville’s Comprehensive Plan as my guide, any decision I make as a City Councilor must take into consideration the need to preserve its past, support its present and shape its future. Effective decisions must come through diagnosing each issue thoroughly, researching it, speaking to it clearly, concisely and factually, while listening to all points of view. Most of all, it is important to avoid simplistic either/or thinking and to use common sense.
While serving as a City Councilor, I worked toward: 1) completion of the old Jacksonville dam removal project, 2) retrofit and renovation of the historic County Courthouse, making it the new home of the City offices, 3) approval of a new master water plan that will ensure our needs are met for the next 20 years, 4) approval of a generous lease in support of the Jacksonville Community Center after adjusting property lines to fit their needs, 5) development of an Information Technology Services Plan to improve staff communication with residents and visitors and to create a new City website.
Looking forward, it is clear we have more challenges to resolve. These include 1) securing reliable funding for the ever-increasing costs of providing for the residents’ public service needs in the face of the second lowest fixed property tax rate in the county, 2) providing for Oregon state mandated 20-year growth projections as they relate to our Urban Growth Boundary expansion studies, 3) completing the renovation of the second floor of the Courthouse with an elevator and ADA access and determining the best use as a revenue source for the City, 4) continuing to improve all the City’s parks and public lands that enrich the life of residents and visitors alike, 5) developing a clear purpose for the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) and for the Citizen Advisory Committees (CACs) to work through updating the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Codes.
Along with serving as a councilor, I have been the liaison for the City Council to the Public Safety Committee during the time the committee studied and eventually recommended a much improved Fire Protection Surcharge Relief plan which was unanimously passed by the City Council. I was then assigned as liaison to the Transient Lodging Tax Committee where I continue to serve.
It’s a profound responsibility to be a City Councilor as I take my part in the long continuous history of those who served before me and those who will serve after me. Put simply, my goal is to preserve the best of what makes the town special, what creates a palpable feeling of community and civic pride, to encourage entrepreneurial activity and to welcome all newcomers whether they are just visiting or looking to settle here.
Jim Lewis – Jacksonville City Council – Incumbent
In 1980, our family of three moved to Jacksonville where Gayle’s family had lived since the 1880’s. We knew we would eventually live here and I am not moving again. I grew up in a Navy family. I lived in states on both coasts, in the heartland, and in Japan. I attended the College of William and Mary, graduating in 1967. In 1968, I was commissioned in the Navy and served on two ships in successive deployments to Viet Nam. Upon separation from active duty, I married Gayle Offenbacher and received a JD from William and Mary’s Law School. I practiced law in a general practice firm and then became director of a grant-funded criminal justice research and planning organization in Tidewater, Virginia. Upon our move to Oregon, our daughter Claire enrolled in Jacksonville school and we immersed ourselves in the community. I continued to serve in the Navy Reserve and retired in 1994. I first served on the Budget Committee and Historical Architectural Review Commission (HARC). In 1986, I was appointed to fill a Council vacancy and with the exception of 2008-2010, I have been elected to serve. Fourteen of those years, I was honored to be your mayor.
My positions as councilor and mayor have allowed me to participate in state, regional, and national local governance organizations. I have represented our city on the Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RCOG) for nearly thirty years and I am currently President. I chair the Regional Rate Committee and I am our city’s appointee to the Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation (RVACT) and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). I served two terms on the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Board of Directors and I am a past-president of the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA). I also served as the Oregon-Washington representative to the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC). I am serving my second elected term on the board of Rogue Valley Sewer Services (RVSS). I also serve as an appointee to the Jackson County Commissioners’ Veterans Advisory Committee.
There are several items of unfinished business that I expect will be undertaken in the next four years. First, I hope we can conclude the amendment and revision process of our planning and land use ordinances that has been ongoing for several years. Our current framework is often vague, contradictory, and overly complex. I expect that there may be discussion of our city Charter as to whether any adjustments might be warranted. I would like us to achieve stabilization of public safety revenue and have a serious discussion of the Fire Hall’s future. We might also have to revisit the prospect of Urban Growth Boundary adjustments.
In the long term, I believe we will be laboring with the ever-present issues of finance and revenue and growth management. Our city is saddled with the second lowest municipal tax rate in the county. We are very fortunate to have the senior staff we do who masterfully squeeze every nickel and provide the quality of services our community enjoys. Our past rigorous attention to the preservation of historic character has made this community what it is. Carrying that careful practice forward will help to assure the continued livability, resilience, and economic sustainability of our town.
Publisher/Editor Whit Parker asks the difficult question, “What is your favorite thing about living here?” My favorite aspect of this community is the broad and deep spirit of volunteerism. We benefit from literally hundreds of folks who give their time, energy, expertise, and fiscal support through the many service organizations, clubs, congregations, and government committees and commissions. Our citizen volunteers are our greatest resource.