Races included school board, library district board, and Jackson County RFPD 5 board
Jackson County voters have spoken at the ballot box.
Drop boxes at libraries in Ashland, Phoenix, Rogue River, Eagle Point and Central Point, and at the Jackson County Elections Office on West Main Street in Medford closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The final day to receive valid postmarked ballots from the postal service is May 27.
TURNOUT: 12.8%
Ashland School Board
For the Ashland School Board position 1, a pair of newcomers — math curriculum developer and school district budget committee member Ann M. Gaffney and Ashland Deputy City Manager Jordan Rooklyn — ran to replace outgoing incumbent Jill Franko.
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / Position 1
Rooklyn: 64.3 %, 2,441 votes
Gaffney: 35.4%, 1,344 votes
Gaffney, according to the voters pamphlet, said her “background as a teacher, administrator, union rep, curriculum developer and parent” gives her “a comprehensive view of what’s possible — and what’s needed — right now.” Rooklyn’s pamphlet submission states that, if elected, she has the “proven skills to protect our District’s budget, to protect our teachers and staff, and most importantly, to protect our students.”
For position 3, a trio of candidates vied to replace incumbent Eva Skurtowicz, who is not seeking reelection: Retiree Deltra Ferguson, former director of Resolve Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice; Noelle Christensen, a business owner, community volunteer and district parent; and property management pro and Rogue Events Collective board president Susanne McGraw.
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / Position 3
Ferguson: 55.8 %, 2,078 votes
Christensen: 24.8%, 925 votes
McGraw: 19.1%, 713 votes
For position 4, three of candidates ran against incumbent Rebecca Dyson, including: Grant Jolliffe, a family nurse practitioner, who said he would “offer a critical lens when reviewing the current status of the district budgetary concerns and bring fresh perspectives for school improvement.”
Elisa Hawksley, a special education teacher in the Medford School District, said, if elected, she would ensure that “student, parent, and teacher concerns are heard and valued in the decision-making process.”
Alex Sol, not listed in the voter pamphlet, is a retired former artistic director for a theatre company and lists unnamed nonprofit experience on his candidate application. Sol has been embroiled in a battle with the district over safety issues in schools.
Dyson, a physician at Mount Shasta Radiology and current Ashland School Board chair, was elected in 2021 and said she had served during a time of extraordinary challenges — including the pandemic, declining enrollment and financial and political strain — and would bring her experience as the only incumbent seeking to stay in office.
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / Position 4
Sol: 2.6 %, 100 votes
Dyson: 59.1%, 2,218 votes
Hawksley: 7.8%, 293 votes
Jolliffe: 30.2%, 1,134 votes
Southern Oregon Education Service District Board
The race for the SOESD board included four newcomers — Rhonda Lawrence, Ariel Bloomer, Rebecca Mueller and Mary Barton — all running unopposed.
One contested seat, for zone 7, saw a challenge between two candidates, Noel Porter and Richard Owens.
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / Zone 7
Porter: 36.1%, 1,151 votes
Owens: 62.7%, 1,997 votes
SPECIAL DISTRICTS
Jackson County Library District Board
A race to replace two candidates on the Jackson County Library District Board garnered two candidates per seat. For position 1, incumbent Viki Brown did not seek reelection. Voters chose between retired Medford City Recorder Karent Spoonts, who, per the voters pamphlet, would “work to keep costs down and avoid raising taxes” and education; and communications consultant Patty Jensen, who said she will “support our library staff members and volunteers; promote reading and ensure each library’s future viability and success.”
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / Position 1
Spoonts: 41.2%, 7,766 votes
Jensen: 58.3%, 10,981 votes
For position 2, incumbent Marta Tarantsey, an analyst for the state, sought reelection in a race against Oakdale Middle School math teacher Jenny James. Tarantsey said she was committed to “upholding the priorities outlined in the JCLD Strategic Plan and the Facilities Plan while remaining attentive to community input.”
Jensen said she would strive to make libraries “a safe and supportive community hub,” require fiscally conservative principles and “help develop the library’s vast resources to help community members thrive.”
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / Position 2
Tarantsey: 57.9 %, 10,652 votes
James: 41.6%, 7,668 votes
Two available seats on the Rogue Valley Sewer Services Board were uncontested.
Of four available seats on the Rogue Valley Transportation District Board, three seats were uncontested, with incumbents Dan Davis and Karl MacNair seeking reelection and newcomer Tyler Jasper seeking to replace outgoing board member Don Stone.
Newcomers Katrina Ehrnman-Newton and Sam Bickel ran to replace incumbent Jenna Marmon.
Rogue Valley Transportation District Board
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / (contested)
Ehrnman-Newton: 60.5 %, 8,912 votes
Bickel: 39.1%, 5,756 votes
Fire districts
Note: RFPD = Rural Fire Protection District Elections of board members to local fire district boards were largely uncontested around the region.
Districts for which only one candidate filed for each available seat include Applegate Valley RFPD (two available, two filed); Evans Valley RFPD (three available, three filed); Greensprings RFPD (three available, two filed); Jackson County RFPD 3 (two available, two filed); Jackson County RFPD 4 (two available, two filed); Lake Creek RFPD (three available, three filed); and Medford RFPD 2 (two available, two filed).
For Jackson County RFPD 5, which serves Phoenix, Talent and rural parts of Ashland, four seats were available. The board faced a slew of changes over the past year, with Jackson County commissioners stepping in to replace board members who resigned en masse after upheaval between district staff and ousted Fire Chief Charles Hanley.
Three board members appointed last year — Medford airport Fire Chief John Karns, former Phoenix Mayor Chris Luz and board chair and ETHOS Academy owner Greg Costanzo — ran to retain their appointed positions. Karns and Costanzo are unopposed, while Luz will face off against newcomer Alfredo Echaide.
District residents Eleanor Ponomareff and Jennifer Hadden will run to replace Sam Pare-Miller, who is not seeking reelection.
Jackson County RFPD 5
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / (contested)
Luz: 33.6 %, 418 votes
Echaide: 66.2%, 823 votes
Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. / (contested)
Ponomareff: 50.4 %, 635 votes
Hadden: 49.1%, 619 votes
Read more at: https://rv-times.com/2025/05/20/local-races-results-from-contested-seats-in-the-may-20-special-election/
