Stayton mayoral and city council candidates
will have an opportunity to present their
views at the Stayton/Sublimity
Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum
Thursday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m. at the
Stayton Public Library, 515 N. First Ave.
The forum will be in a question-and-answer
format, giving each candidate time to share
his or herfor the city and reasons for
seeking election.
All candidates will be asked the same questions.
The public is encouraged to attend the free event,
which will be available for viewing after the fact
on public access cable and SCTC web videos.
Call 503-769-3463 for information.
A self-employed insurance agent, a bed-and-breakfast inn and café owner and the co-owner of a professional automotive shop are competing to be Stayton’s mayor.
Incumbent Mayor Scott Vigil is facing challengers Ronald Lierman and James Loftus in the Nov. 6 election. Our Town gave each candidate a list of questions and an opportunity to submit their responses in writing.
Vigil, 33, is the co-owner of Cascade Professional Automotive in Stayton. He has served one two-year term as mayor. From 2007 to 2010 he served on the Stayton City Council. In addition to his duties as mayor he is a volunteer with the Stayton Fire District. In 2003, he was deployed as a U.S. Army Combat Medic for Operation Iraqi Freedom. After returning home he was deployed to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Lierman, 62, has been a self-employed insurance agent for 31 years. He is a director for the Stayton Fire District, North Santiam Credit Union and Idanha-Detroit Fire District. He has been a volunteer firefighter for 15 years and started the first Relay for Life in Stayton. He is the announcer for the basketball games at Stayton High School.
Loftus, 48, is the owner of Gardner House Café and Bed and Breakfast. He has served four years on the Stayton City Council.
What made you decide to run for mayor?
Lierman: “I feel that there needs to be changes made to make the council and city more efficient in the way business is done.”
Loftus: “I was asked to by the citizens.”
Vigil: “I’ve had a lifelong dedication to public service and I’m a lifelong resident of the Santiam Canyon community. To be able to serve the community and people I grew up with is an honor. And, to have their confidence in me for a second term as their mayor in order to continue the city council’s improvements for Stayton is a double honor.”
What skills do you bring that the city will benefit from?
Lierman: “A good ear for listening to all sides of a subject BEFORE making a decision, particularly when that decision effects other people. I also feel that I have leadership skills that the other two candidates have not shown.”
Loftus: “Honesty, integrity, leadership, passion and commitment.”
Vigil: “I believe the mayor needs to be someone who is able to truly listen to diverse views, comments and suggestions, and then be very thoughtful and sensible when responding or giving input on city issues. That’s what is needed to ensure a well-working city government. When City Manager Eubank and I put together the ‘Accentuate the Positive’ campaign it was for exactly this purpose, to foster respectful communication and discussion for all Stayton citizens, and that by doing so we all can work together to accomplish more for everyone. That communication must also be fostered between the private and public sectors to bring jobs to Stayton, which continues to be a priority for me as Mayor. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve the town that we all love. Also, I want to continue to improve the town in the best ways we can, for example doing improvements like Santiam Park, economic development and taking advantage of grants available to us.”
If elected, what are some of the goals you have for the city?
Lierman: “I would like to see a sense of community pride that appears to have gone by the wayside. Getting the citizens to believe in local government and its officials. Not saying one thing and maybe meaning something else.”
Loftus: “We are fortunate to have a wonderful community. A major renovation planned for Pioneer Park will enhance our community further. However, my goals would include making Pioneer Park multi-use by keeping and improving the basketball courts to maintain athletic options for local children and adults. For parks, we need to move promptly on construction of a skate park which has been promised to our young for almost a decade. The other pressing issue is, of course, our streets. I would move the council give priority to finding funding sources to bring all our streets up to standard both in construction and esthetics. Such as the 10th Avenue improvement. Finally, but not any less urgent, I would move council to put high priority on bringing more business to our community to increase our job opportunities and funding sources. We cannot presume that those who have lost local jobs because of the economic downturn have moved elsewhere rather than become dependent on government and private assistance.”
Vigil: “I’d like to continue on a plan of improving the infrastructure of the city in the best ways we can. For example, we can make improvements to Santiam Park by taking advantage of grants available to us. I’d also like to continue small, affordable improvement projects that add up in time, some of which the mayor and councilors have some control over. Sewer and water rates come to the top of the list, followed by street/sidewalk improvements and ordinance enforcement. These are not new issues and will never be 100 percent solved, yet through the budgeting process, the City of Stayton has moved in the right direction.
“Doing small affordable improvements each budgeting cycle has and will continue to improve the image and livability of our city. To fulfill these goals, we also need Stayton to prosper, which is why I continue to work with the private and public sectors to bring jobs to Stayton. This may very well be my number one priority as Stayton mayor. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve the town that we all love.”
If you were having coffee with a voter, what would you tell her about why she should vote for you?
Lierman: “In a discussion about voting for me I would ask for their vote on the basis of what I would like to see happen and make changes for the good of ALL the citizens of the community.”
Loftus: “I read every report to understand the issues. I advocate on behalf of the citizen because that is who I represent. If they vote for me I will help lead our city with honesty and integrity.
Vigil: “I would be more interested about what she had to say.”
Anything else you would add?
Lierman: “I would like to say that I am in full support of the North Santiam School District bond issue. It is about time that the people of this district become concerned about maintaining our present properties. I encourage everyone to look at what this measure will do for us.”
Vigil: “I want nothing else but to see the city I love continue to be a great place to live, work, and play.”
Editor’s note: Stayton City Council candidates’ responses to questions will appear in the Nov. 1 issue of Our Town.
