On City Council, EXPERIENCE Counts
To meet the challenges that lie ahead, Jacksonville needs experienced political leaders who are better-prepared than ever before. Decisions made by City Councilors impact our lives – they should be the most experienced citizen-volunteers we can find. With the city about to re-write its Codes and Ordinances, update its Comprehensive Plan, acquire 4 historic properties, complete a watershed land swap, possibly expand its growth boundary and deal with all sorts of yet-to-be determined issues, EXPERIENCE counts.
We need councilors ready to hit the ground running on Election Day and not ones requiring months of catch-up time to study the issues and learn the ropes. A Council post is one you prepare for by attending lots and lots of meetings over the years… and by volunteering and serving at the committee and commission level first. Every week, at the various committee and commission meetings, dozens of citizens participate in the process, volunteering time, energy and expertise. For most, serving at the committee level is the extent of their civic service. For a few, however, the posts are preparatory ones for City Council.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not against citizen-volunteer-candidates who seek office to right a wrong, lead a cause or change the world. Given the choice at the town level, however, I prefer City Council candidates who possess basic experience before filling the post.
The best councilors gain education and experience by first serving on the Planning Commission, Parking Commission, Personnel Committee, Public Safety Committee, Historic Architectural Review Commission, Budget Committee, Parks Committee and others – all appropriate “classrooms” to learn the ropes.
Although this year’s 6 council candidates are concerned citizens, Jacksonville needs leaders with hands-on knowledge of how our city functions, experience working with staff, councilors, commissioners, committee members and the citizenry.
Fortunately, 3 candidates are prepared for City Council and have, therefore, earned my endorsement. They are David Jesser, Criss Garcia and Owen Jurling.
Before weighing-in on why I support them, I’ll explain my position on the rest of the field.
Jocie Wall: (Neutral) Her interest in serving is admirable, but I believe she only became interested in running after the Parking Commission implemented regulations that impacted her home near the Britt pavillon. I encourage her to serve on a commission and then run in 2014 after gaining experience and a broader, city-wide perspective so she can represent a constituency beyond her own street and immediate neighborhood.
Katie Haugse: (Strongly Oppose) Ms. Haugse frequently attends city meetings where I have witnessed her being hostile, argumentative and confrontational. In my opinion, she is opposed to any sort of change, lacks vision, holds a grudge against staff members/councilors and brings nothing constructive to the table. If elected, she would be a detriment to the citizenry and council by hampering the city’s ability to collaborate and work together as a cohesive unit.
Bill Hampton: (Strongly Oppose) Mr. Hampton’s candidate questionnaire is not published due to his failure to meet the submission return deadline. He is a newcomer to the political scene and, to the best of my knowledge, has never attended a Jacksonville public meeting. In my opinion, he has no concrete knowledge of how the city operates and is not a candidate to be taken seriously at this time.
The GOOD news is that David Jesser, Criss Garcia and Owen Jurling have proven themselves effective, dedicated public servants and deserve to be elected to the City Council.
David Jesser: (Strongly Support) I am proud to call David one of my good friends. His in-depth knowledge of city workings has developed during his seven years of volunteer service on numerous committees, commissions and organizations. His work with the entire Budget Committee has resulted in several years of balanced city budgets. His leadership on the Planning Commission and as Council liaison to Planning has benefited the city in a myriad of ways. As Chair of the Urban Renewal Committee and as an advocate for local business, David has proven a valuable Councilor with a positive vision for the future. As the city tackles acquiring 4 historic properties and other projects, David’s skills will be useful. He is an entrepreneur/civic leader who has advocated for our senior community, students at Jacksonville Elementary and other groups, earning my trust and support.
Criss Garcia: (Strongly Support) Criss is a thoughtful, friendly and capable candidate with a professional background and skill set perfect for City Council. I’ve witnessed him working alongside staff and citizens at the Planning Commission and am impressed with his ability to grasp complex topics and reach thoughtful, rational decisions. Criss’ municipal management, budget and administrative experience will be valuable as the city explores funding a host of potential projects while striving to keep the city budget in-check. Criss is a pragmatist with sensitivities to reigning-in growth, the arts, preserving our historic properties and enhancing Jacksonville’s livability and quality of life.
Owen Jurling: (Strongly Support) Owen epitomizes a “citizen-volunteer” and has earned my respect from his work on CERT, the Planning Commission, HARC and the Public Safety Committee. He took the time to learn how the city functions by attending meeting after meeting before volunteering to serve. (There many were rainy, cold nights in Old City Hall when Owen and I were the only attendees in the audience!) His sensibilities for historic preservation and willingness to entertain new uses for the Historic Courthouse demonstrate that he possesses vision for Jacksonville’s future.
I invite you to learn more about the 6 City Council and 2 Mayoral Candidates at a “Meet the Candidate” forum on October 9 at Old City Hall from 7 pm – 8:30 pm. The forum will be moderated by former Jacksonville Review Publisher Carolyn Kingsnorth to offer you an opportunity to learn more. I look forward to seeing you there in Our Small Town with Big Atmosphere!
Whitman Parker is Owner and Publisher of Jacksonville Review and Southern Oregon Wine Scene magazines.
Dear Whit,
Thank you for your brave and clearly expressed editorial in the October issue of Jacksonville Review. I think you contribute in a positive way to the discussion of what constitutes good government and what preparation is needed to serve within our town’s government. I found your evaluation of individual candidates to be persuasive and consistent with your stated criteria for an effective council member.
I also realize that your conclusions come from years of constant active observing and reporting of council meetings and citizen participation. So, I know you haven’t come to your conclusions through whim or fanciful thinking.
Sincerely,
Ed Gosselin
Your opinion, and that’s what this is, is noted, however, when voting for someone we think will better serve our town, new or incomebant, and they believe in themselves that they will do a good job, why not give them a chance to prove their selves. Good views, thank you
If citizens vote per Publisher Parker’s endorsements for city council (Jesser, Garcia, Jurling), we will end up with a council consisting of 7 men – all with comparable experience. Please note that both women who are running for council were not endorsed(Haugse was “strongly opposed” and Wall was “neutral”.) Both these candidates bring in-depth experience as neighborhood citizen advocates. While they may not have served their time as proscribed by Publisher Parker, i.e., serving on other committees and attending “lots and lots of meetings,” they have proved themselves by becoming involved as strong neighborhood citizen advocates. Jacksonville is a small town. It is not necessary to serve on a commission in order to learn to “represent a constituency beyond your own street and neighborhood.” As a fellow neighborhood citizen advocate there are more similarities than differences among our neighborhoods. In addition, Publisher Parker’s characterization of Ms.Haugse as “hostile, argumentative and confrontational” is mean-spirited. I have addressed the council and planning commission as a neighborhood citizen advocate, doing my homework to understand the confusing array of codes and regulations. However, it is just not that easy to stand up and address a panel of strangers – many of whom, in the past, have projected strong and negative behaviors, including disdain and sarcasm. While improving, Jacksonville government has a long history of backroom chicanery and bargaining. Many of the conflicts presented to the council today relate to incorrect past decisions by incompetent staff. So citizens of Jacksonville, if you want a city council with no gender or experiential diversity, vote Publisher Parker’s endorsements. On the other hand, if you want a council consisting of both men and women who bring backgrounds that are richly diversified, vote for Ms. Haugse and Ms. Wall