No one files to contest seats held by incumbents Mayor Graham and Council DuQuenne
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
While the mayor’s office and one council seat failed to draw incumbent candidates, council seat positions 1, 2 and 3 and Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission seats 1 and 2 all have multiple candidates filed for the approaching election.
Mayor Tonya Graham and City Councilor Gina DuQuenne will run unopposed in November.
Council Seat 1 will be a contest between Teresa Cisneros and Douglas Knauer.
Cisneros has been Indian Education Facilitator at the Southern Oregon Education District for the previous five years, according to a Linkedin page. Cisneros has also served as a bilingual education specialist for the Rogue Valley Symphony and an actor with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Douglas Nauer is listed as retired on a Linkedin page that also describes experience as a “highly experienced leader of multiple departments and major projects for global apparel, consumer electronics, streaming video and wine companies.” He also previously served on the city’s Planning Commission, according to Jackson County election materials.
Jeff Dahle and Kelly Marcotulli will compete for council seat position 2. Dahle was appointed to the council seat March 15, 2023, with previous professional experience as a flight instructor with additional government experience volunteering on Ashland’s budget committee, according to a story on his appointment on Ashland.news.
Kelly Marcotulli is a pilates instructor as well as a founding member and executive director of Oregonians for Safer Technology, a nonprofit group dedicated to “education and awareness around using tech in a safer manner; getting the benefits while reducing the harm,” according to the organization’s website. Marcotulli has been active in working to shape policy surrounding radiation and technology on the local and state level.
Citizens Agenda
Help Ashland.news cover the upcoming election by filling out its citizens agenda survey for the City Council and for the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission. Answers to the survey will be aggregated, analyzed, shared with candidates and help drive Ashland.news’ campaign coverage.
Dylan Bloom and Eric Navickas will contest council position 3. Bloom, who was appointed alongside Dahle on March 15, 2023, has professional experience selling go-karts online. He also worked as Councilor Eric Hansen’s campaign manager, according to the story on the councilor’s appointment.
On a Facebook page titled “Elect Eric Navickas,” the council campaign was described as working to “fight together for affordable housing, reinvigorating our downtown, and diversifying our economy.” Navickas is described on the page as an organic farmer, residential designer and artist. He will also serve as vice-chair of the city’s citizen budget committee for the 2023-2025 biennium budget, according to a city of Ashland page.
For Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission Position 1, previous commissioner Mike Gardiner will compete against Fer Mejia. Gardiner has served as president of the Ashland Parks Foundation, according to its website. He resigned after long service as an APRC commissioner in January 2022, citing a negative effect from the then relationship between the APRC commission and City Council with associated budget woes, according to a story on Ashland.news. Gardiner also previously served on Ashland’s Planning Commission, Transportation Commission and its Budget Commission, according to election materials.
Mejia listed experience as family engagement and outreach supervisor with the Oregon Child Development Coalition in election materials filed with Jackson County. Mejia has also served as a coach at the bicycling organization DEVO and as a writer for “Bike Mexico.”
For APRC commission position 2, Ian Cropper is running against Rick Vann and Daniel Weiner.
Cropper’s professional experience was listed as a software engineer with no prior government experience in election materials. On a personal website, Cropper described himself as a “creative” in the industry of software engineering since 2011.
Vann listed general manager at restaurant supply and design company Bargreen Ellingson as his most recent professional experience on a Linkedin page. Election materials state he is retired and has no prior government experience.
Weiner is a physician of osteopathic medicine with Rogue Community Health, according to its website. Wilderness medicine and raft guide were listed as additional professional experience in election materials. No prior government experience was listed.
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].
