Race for board position in fire district heats up.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

While most rural school board and fire district candidates will be unopposed in the May 15 special election, a last-minute maneuver in the strife-torn South Lane Fire District will pit two Cottage Grove board members against a Creswell challenger for Position 4.

Cottage Grove school administrator Jerry Settelmeyer set up the three-way race by withdrawing his name from Position 2, where he is the elected incumbent, just before the filing deadline Thursday afternoon.

Settelmeyer said Friday that he decided to join challenger Thomas Carroll and appointed incumbent Keith Folkman in the Position 4 race to allow Creswell-area candidate Cynthia Knight to run unopposed for his current position.

"I'm committed to board representation from throughout the district, and what I know about Cynthia tells me she will be a good fire board director for all of the fire district," Settelmeyer said.

The district has been plagued by friction between its northern (Creswell-area) and southern (Cottage Grove) residents since they merged with the former South Lane County Rural Fire District to create a single, larger district in 2003. Some Creswell residents have complained that their area lacks representation on the at-large board and does not receive its share of district personnel, equipment and emergency services.

"I still believe I have something to offer, so rather than not run at all, I decided to file for Position 4 and make it a more competitive choice between me with a couple years' experience, Keith, who's new to the board, or Tom Carroll."

Settelmeyer said his switch was not a criticism of Carroll - "I don't know him well enough."

Among his reasons for supporting Knight, however, is that "I haven't heard her say that separating and 'de-merging' the district is a good way to achieve a strong fire and life safety system for people in either the northern or southern part of the district."

Carroll, by contrast, is among leaders of a new group, Creswell Area Citizens for Public Safety, that has begun exploring options for what he called "dissolution" of the district.

A carpenter and former Creswell volunteer firefighter before the merger, Carroll said he's watched the results and sees the situation getting worse.

"The current board comes across as a steamroller pushing things forward without a lot of regard for the Creswell district," he said.

He called Dan Olsen, the district's original fire chief who was fired and rehired by the district, "a big part of the problem."

"But even with a new chief and five new board members, I'm not convinced it would work," he said. "But I am willing to be talked out of that idea. I know there are immense ramifications to dissolving, so maybe it could be turned around and still be a great thing."

Folkman is a retired senior manager in accounting and finance for Sears & Roebuck who moved to Cottage Grove in 2003. A 13-year arbitrator for National Association of Security Dealers, he said he sought appointment to a vacant board seat last year as a way to serve his new community.

"I started going to board meetings and found out they were in a financial disaster," he said. "I thought I could be of some assistance to save the district."

Knight expressed surprise and delight at Settelmeyer's decision not to oppose her.

A retired Fresno County, Calif., deputy sheriff who grew up the daughter of an assistant fire chief, she said she would like to see the district stay together and work out its problems.

"But if a majority of the people in the district don't think that can be done, a split is the only option," she said. She stopped short of calling for Olsen's firing, but said she agrees that the district has "a leadership problem."

Other candidates in local contested fire district races include Patrick Anderson and Lee Heckart, vying for Position 5 on the Harrisburg Fire and Rescue District Board; Ray Brown and Marvin King competing for Position 1 on the Lane Rural Fire and Rescue District Board; Robert Greuner, Lana Johnson and Jerry Ritter squaring off for Position 1 on the Rainbow Water and Fire District; and Karl Enlund and Gregory Stober seeking Position 1 on the West Lane Ambulance District Board.

Several three-way races are among 10 contested elections for area school board seats.

In the Crow-Applegate-Lorane District, Paul Atkinson, Tracy Evans and Donald Gleason are seeking Position 1, while Darren Willits and Denice Goodheart are vying for Position 2.

On the North Douglas School Board, incumbent Pat Johnsrud faces challenges from Deanna Derrick and Stan Resch for Position 5. Meanwhile, David Alsup is unopposed for Position 1, even though both posts are from Drain.

Likewise, there is a three-way race for Position 4 on the Oakridge School Board between Carol Miller, Donna Tipton and Paul Forcum.

In Florence, there are three contested races for Siuslaw School Board seats. Caroline Estill faces Everett May for Position 1; Deena Mitchell is vying with Rob Shepherd for Position 3, and Tammy Butler is competing with Jeff Crayne for Position 5.

Two seats are contested in the Central Linn School District: Craig Scoggen and Julie Smith are vying to represent Zone 3, while Verne Hoyer and Joshua John Kometz are squaring off for Zone 5.

In other two-way races, Ronald Blatch and Mark Risen are seeking Position 1 on the Creswell School Board; Thomas Brandt is facing Jim Smith for Position 4 in the Marcola School District, and Robert Strutz is squaring off with Cindy Suttles for Position 7 in the Harrisburg School District.

In Florence, three candidates - Wade Hawley, Patricia Riley and David Forsberg - are vying for two spots on the Siuslaw Public Library District Board.