Filing deadline passes; Quick work on a car clout; Forest proposal could restore land to local tribe

Coast Radio News
Local News

22 March 2013

Ballot Filing Deadline Passes…

Voters in Western Lane County will have a bunch of choices in the May 21st election.  Yesterday was the filing deadline for candidates in local elections and, barring any last minute entries, the lineups are pretty much complete.

There are four seats up for election on the Port of Siuslaw Commission… in addition to all four incumbents, there are eight more candidates, making a total of 12.  There are three other contested races on the ballot… Keith Stanton has filed to challenge Siuslaw Valley Fire board member John Scott; Helen Ritchie is challenging Scott Salisbury for his seat on the Siuslaw School Board and Richard Cunningham of Eugene is hoping to unseat Lane Community College board member Sharon Stiles.

Many other offices have drawn one candidate each.  There is one open position on the Mapleton Water Board however that has no candidate at all.  The deadline for filing was yesterday afternoon.  Lane County Elections may still be processing any last minute applications however.

Siuslaw Public
Library District
3 Positions
4 Year Terms
Diane M Bailiff
D Dave Forsberg
Ian Jarman
Port of SiuslawPosition 1
4 Year Term
John D Buchanan
Shayne Burnem
Terry W Duman
Position 3
4 Year Term
John D (Jay) Cable
Dwight Coon
John S Scott
Position 5
4 Year Term
Ron Caputo
David Huntington
Jay J Nefcy
Position 2
2 Year Unexpired Term
John Murphey
Nancy Rickard
Gary Thorsen
Western Lane
Ambulance District
Position 3
4 Year Term
Bob Sneddon
Position 4
4 Year Term
Laura Anne Stonelake
Position 5
4 Year Term
Mike Webb
Heceta Water
People’s Utility District
Five Positions
Terms To Be Determined
Chuck A Gesik 
Bob Hursh
Wendy Rohner
Jim Sievers
Debby Todd
Lane Community CollegeZone 1
4 Year Term
Rich Cunningham
Sharon Stiles
Zone 3
4 year Term
Gary J LeClair
Zone 4
4 year Term
Matthew K Keating
Lane Education Service DistrictPosition 1/Zone 1
4 Year Term
Joel Robe
Position 3/Zone 3
4 Year Term
Cj Mann
Vanessa Truett
Position 6/At-Large
4 Year Term
Rose I Wilde
Mapleton School District #32Position 1
4 Year Term
Jeff Hendrickson
Position 2
4 Year Term
Mizu Burruss 
Position 4
4 Year Term
Dorman P Harry
Siuslaw School District #97JPosition 2
4 Year Term
John Barnett
Position 4
4 Year Term
Paul Burns
Position 6
4 Year Term
Helen Ritchie
Scott Salisbury
Mapleton Fire DepartmentPosition 4
4 Year Term
Kathy Gerlach
Position 5
4 Year Term
Diana Scoville
Position 2
2 Year Unexpired Term
Guy Hansen
Siuslaw Valley Fire and RescuePosition 1
4 Year Term
John S Scott
Keith Stanton
Position 2
4 Year Term
Lori A Gates
Swisshome-Deadwood RFPDPosition 4
4 Year Term
Harold Duval
Position 5
4 Year Term
David L Green
Position 1
2 Year Unexpired Term

Quick Work in Car Clout…

Police have one suspect in custody and are actively seeking another after a daylight car break-in at a busy lunchtime restaurant this week.

Shasta McMullen had just walked away from her car at Chen’s Restaurant Wednesday afternoon when someone told her that there was broken glass all over the ground.

Sure enough… someone had broken her window and stolen several items, including personal information.

Lieutenant John Pitcher said Florence police stopped a car later that afternoon and were able to take one suspect into custody… while a second eluded capture.  Officers found stolen items tying 22-year old Ashley Holden of Florence to the McMullen break-in and at least four other similar crimes that occurred outside the city.  Pitcher says they’re also looking for 34-year old Jacob Gomes of Eugene.  He added that they anticipate possibly tying the couple to several other break-ins.

Oregon State Police are also working on the case.

Tribes Seeking Return of Land

Oregon’s two senators are shopping the idea of returning control of nearly 30-thousand acres of timberlands in southwestern Oregon to two Indian tribes.

The property is part of the millions of acres known as O&C lands, which share half of their federal logging revenue with counties.

Tribal Chair Bob Garcia of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw says the transfer would “right an old wrong” and give the tribes a chance to put the land to work in a way that it hasn’t seen for many years.

Under the proposal, about half of the land would go to the local Confederation, the other half to the Cow Creek Band of Umpquas.

Counties that depend on timber revenues initially opposed the idea, but have since backed off after Wyden assured them that any O&C lands transferred would be replaced.