Name: Talon J. Reed
How long resided in Jacksonville: 6 years

Why are you running for City Council and, if elected, what do you hope to achieve?

I was born here in the valley. I attended Ruch Elementary, McLoughlin Middle School, and graduated from South Medford High School. I continued my education at Southern Oregon University, graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice, then continued on to graduate from the University of Oregon School of Law, after which I passed the Oregon State Bar on the first attempt. Our family law firm has been in this town for over twenty-five years. My wife of fourteen years is an Oregonian and three of our four children were born in Oregon. My wife and I intend to be buried in the Jacksonville Cemetery, where we volunteer our time under the direction of one of this town’s gems, Dirk Siedlecki. To put it simply: I am as Southern Oregonian as one can get.

I am running for City Council to advocate that our families, homes, and businesses be protected by local police twenty-four hours a day – which is not currently happening. I will also advocate that our town be as prepared as possible for natural disasters and that our local government works harmoniously with local businesses to help protect the quality of life of our citizens.

Our firm recently had a burglary where valuable artwork was stolen. I learned from that experience that Jacksonville does not have a police officer on duty twenty-four hours a day. There are nights when there is no local officer on duty at all. During this time, the Sheriff’s Department responds. For us, the response time for a Sheriff’s Deputy to an active alarm was thirty-five minutes. A criminal can do a lot of bad things in thirty-five minutes. The median price of a home in Jacksonville is $630,000.00 (Realtor.com) and rents are high. Our citizens pay a premium to live here and expect local police protection while we sleep. The argument has been that statistically, not much crime happens at night in our town. My response is that statistically, a fire like the Almeda fire does not happen in our valley and burn down two cities, but it happened. Statistics are not always right, and we need local police to be able to respond quickly when an emergency happens. We must protect our citizens.

I will prioritize our local fire department to ensure our town has what it needs in the event there is a natural disaster. In 2007, when a tornado struck the town of Eagle Pass, Texas, which took the lives of ten people, I was the leader of a large group of missionaries that helped the local government and first responders shelter and facilitate displaced families two days before the Red Cross arrived. I saw first-hand how important emergency preparedness is for a local government and its citizens. A lot has been done by many here locally to help our local fire department. I want to keep that momentum going. We must be prepared.

 

What city committee and/or commission posts or other volunteer service work have you done to prepare for this office? What were your contributions and successes and how have they prepared you for this office?

  • I am a practicing civil litigation attorney and have experience in criminal prosecution, defense, estate planning, contract law, business law, and administrative law. I am currently the managing attorney of the Reed Law Firm. I will use those skills to advocate for the citizens of our town.
  • I have volunteered with Food and Friends under the direction of the late, Ann Ward.
  • I am a volunteer with the Jacksonville Woodlands Association.
  • My family and I volunteer with the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historical Cemetery.
  • I volunteered and served a two-year Spanish-Speaking Service Mission (I am Spanish-bilingual).
  • I volunteer at Jacksonville Elementary where my children, nieces, and nephew attend school.
  • I volunteer a minimum of fifty pro-bono legal hours a year to members of our community.
  • I donate dozens of hours a year with my church doing manual labor in its welfare pear farm along with many other service projects that benefit less fortunate and elderly people.
  • I volunteer and help sponsor youth wrestling programs in our valley. My son and daughter are multiple-time state champion wrestlers here in Oregon.
  • I earned my Eagle Scout in 2004. My Eagle Scout service project is still on display at the Entrance of the Eastwood Cemetery in Medford.
  • My campaign is endorsed by two prior city attorneys: Robert Bluth (Jacksonville) and Ulys Stapleton (Grants Pass).

What are the current strengths and/or weaknesses of the current City Council and how would you improve the existing council?

I am an attorney who practices at a firm here in town, but more importantly, I am a father and have the perspective of a parent raising four young children in our town right now. I think any government should reflect the citizens it serves. We are seeing more families join us, and their voices deserve representation in the City Council.

I understand the effort it takes to run a small business, our multi-generation family law firm has been here since 1997. I would improve the balance between local businesses and the City Council. The recent 40% defunding of the Chamber of Commerce from the Transient Lodging funds seems like a gouge when it was timed so freshly after our local businesses were devastated by smoke from wildfires, followed by extensive COVID shutdowns. Many small business owners were wondering if they would still be here the following year. A basic lesson from economics is that if businesses take too many financial hits, they either shut down or move from the area. The Chamber of Commerce doesn’t just benefit businesses, its efforts are a large part of what makes this town vivacious, thereby enriching the lives of all local citizens. Local free-market industry and ingenuity should be rewarded and encouraged, not penalized with unnecessary, drastic budget cuts. The lack of any consideration toward a meaningful compromise — resulting in a unanimous vote by the prior City Council– has had a chilling effect on our community when we least needed it. From my extensive personal experience in negotiating for a living, I can say that winning deals are not to be done that way if one wants to foster productive, working relationships. Our citizens and local businesses deserve better than that. Let’s Win Together!