3 races in Springfield.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Faced with critical issues ranging from how to pay for operations of a new Springfield jail to the city's recent withdrawal from a Region 2050 planning effort, it's hardly surprising there are no uncontested Springfield City Council races in the May primary election.

Our recommendations:

Ward 2: Wylie

Two strong candidates are running for the Ward 2 seat, which represents the southwest corner of Springfield and Glenwood. They are Mark Molina, a 42-year-old construction estimator for Marshall's Heating and Air Conditioning, and Hillary Wylie, the 64-year-old director of Willamette Family Treatment Center in Eugene.

Molina, a Texas native and Latino who moved to Springfield in 1996, says he's running because he believes it's important for the city's leadership to reflect Springfield's "ever-changing kaleidoscope of cultures."

A relative newcomer to politics, Molina has made an impressive effort to familiarize himself with issues and serves on the city's police planning task force. His priorities include development of Glenwood, including efforts to persuade McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to locate there. He's committed to building the voter-approved city jail, and says operations should be funded by multiple sources, including a possible business license tax and a property tax levy. He says the city should work with the public sector to build a new conference center.

On the land-use front, Molina says Springfield needs to expand its urban growth boundary, and supports the council's recent pullout from Region 2050. He's undecided if Springfield should withdraw from the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan.

Molina is a compelling candidate, but he's not our choice in Ward 2. That's Wylie, whose wealth of government and business experience - and well-informed opposition to Springfield's withdrawal from regional planning efforts - would make her a valuable addition to the council.

Wylie's public service includes eight years on the Lane Transit District Board, two of them as chair. She's in her fifth year on the city's Budget Committee. Since 1988, she has been executive director of the Eugene-based Willamette Family Treatment Center, which has 130 employees and an annual budget of $4.7 million.

Wylie's top priority would be to review the city's current revenue sources, which she rightly characterizes as an inadequate patchwork. She wants to identify essential core expenses, starting with public safety and public works, and to consider more reliable ways to pay for them.

Wylie says the city should ask voters to approve a tax levy to provide the bulk of funding to operate the new jail. Like Molina, she supports a public-private venture to build a new conference center.

Wylie says Springfield needs to expand its urban growth boundary. She opposes removing Springfield from the Metro Plan and says the city should work with its partners to resolve its concerns instead of withdrawing. She also says the city should have worked to fix flaws in Region 2050 instead of pulling out of the process.

Molina and Wylie are both excellent candidates. Wylie, however, has the edge in experience and is the right choice in Ward 2.

Ward 5: Woodrow

It's rare when a challenger has more experience than an incumbent, but that's the case in Ward 5, where one-term incumbent John Woodrow is squaring off with Fred Simmons, a former two-termer who has served on numerous citizen committees.

Simmons, a 63-year-old former Lane Transit District bus driver, says his priorities are to secure operating funds for the city jail and to adequately fund public safety. He also wants to tighten city spending, saying Springfield no longer lives up to its reputation for lean government.

Simmons says money to staff the jail should come from a variety of sources, including a business license fee and a special levy. He reasons that most city businesses can afford a modest fee and is critical of the council for being too readily influenced by the business community.

But Simmons' insistence that there's fat in city government doesn't square with the reality of a city that has long managed to squeeze more out of a taxpayer dollar than most communities across the state. His suggestion, for example, that the city shift the expense of cleaning storm drains to the Oregon Department of Transportation presumes unlikely state compliance, and would be unlikely to achieve significant long-term savings.

On other issues, Simmons says the city was justified in pulling out of the Region 2050 planning, although he is justifiably cautious about suggestions that the city pull out of the Metro Plan and recognizes the importance of regional cooperation.

Woodrow is the 56-year-old chief operating officer of Armor Coatings International in Eugene and current council president. His priorities include promoting economic development, providing adequate funding for police and fire services and securing operating funds for the jail.

Woodrow's business experience equips him to contribute to the the city's economic development. His recent support for the city's continued participation in the Lane Metro Partnership, the region's primary economic development agency, reveals an understanding of the importance of coordinated efforts to attract new businesses.

He proposes paying for the jail through a combination of sources, including a levy to provide a portion of start-up funding, and a business tax. His support for the latter reveals a welcome independence from the business community - and undermines Simmons' criticism that the council and its president are too much under the chamber's sway.

Woodrow supports the decision to drop out of Region 2050. While frustrated by the city's struggles with its Metro Plan partners, he's appropriately cautious about any abrupt effort to withdraw from the plan.

Both Simmons and Woodrow are experienced, qualified candidates. But the incumbent is a better fit for the current challenges facing the city and deserves a second term to complete his unfinished priorities.

Ward 1: Lundberg

Little needs to be said about the Ward 1 contest, where 54-year-old incumbent Christine Lundberg faces nominal opposition from A.J. Ullman, a 35-year-old drafting intern at King Retail Solutions in Eugene. Ullman says he's running because he believes political races should not be uncontested and is unfamiliar with most critical issues facing the city.

Lundberg, a self-employed house painter, wants to continue the work of developing the Gateway area, which makes up most of Ward 1. She has been an effective, hardworking counselor since 1998. If she has a flaw, it's been her willingness and, at times, eagerness, to sever ties to regional planning efforts such as 2050 and the Metro Plan. While such endeavors can be frustrating and require working with partners who have different perspectives and priorities, their long-range benefits outweigh the negatives.

Voters should choose Lundberg in Ward 1.