The filing season has opened for city council and mayor positions across Malheur County.
Malheur County residents interested in running for a city office can pick up their candidacy packets from their city recorder’s office.
Each city has its own deadlines, requirements, and rules for filing candidacy petitions for city council and mayoral positions. The official certification of candidates is due to the Malheur County Clerk’s Office by Sept. 8 for the Nov. 8 election.
In Jordan Valley, three seats are open. The incumbents are Mary Aguila, Sheila Quintero and Michael White.
Those interested in running for city council positions in Jordan Valley need to collect at least 10 signatures and addresses from city residents and submit them to the City Recorder’s office by Aug.1. Candidates need to have been Jordan Valley residents for longer than a year and be registered to vote.
In Nyssa, four of the six city council seats are open. Incumbents include Betty Holcomb, serving as mayor, Ron Edmondson, Morganne DeLeon and Pat Oliver.
Nyssa residents interested in running need to submit their signature packets to the City Recorder’s office by 5 p.m. Aug. 22. Interested candidates must be Nyssa residents for at least six months and be registered
to vote in the city. According to the City Recorder’s office, “Once the city elections officer certifies that a candidate is eligible to run, the candidate must then collect 10 valid signatures from registered Nyssa voters during the 30-day filing period.”
The top three candidates will be elected to four-year positions, and the fourth candidate is elected for two years. The mayor of Nyssa is appointed from among the city councilors. All city councilors will begin their term next Jan. 1.
In Ontario, the mayor and three council seats are up.
Incumbent councilors in those seats include Michael Braden, Ken Hart and Susann Mills. The council races are for four-year terms.
Candidates must be registered to vote, a resident of Ontario for the 12 months preceding the date of filing, at least 18, and not a current city employee. Prospective candidates must turn in a form to the city recorder and then collect at least 20 signatures and addresses of Ontario residents. The signatures must then be verified by the Malheur County Clerk and submitted to the Ontario City Recorder by 5 p.m. August 19.
In Adrian, three council seats are open. One is currently vacant and incumbents in the other two are Adele Dockter and Carlos Mendoza.
The top two candidates serve four-year terms, while the third candidate serves a two-year term.
In Vale, three council seats and the mayor’s position are open.
The incumbent mayor is Tom Vialpando and incumbents in the council seats are Christine Phillips, Janeille Bennett, and Monty Bixby.
“The city is in a good spot with a progressive mindset. They want to see good things for Vale,” said Vale mayor Tom Vialpando. Vialpando’s seat in city hall is open this year, as well as city council seats 3, 4, and 5.
Candidates need at least 20 signatures from fellow Vale city residents and petitioned signatures can’t appear on any other candidacy petitions.
Once signatures are collected the packet must be submitted to the County Clerk’s office for verification.
Once the signatures are verified, the completed petition is returned to the candidate so they can submit it to the city recorder by 5 p.m. Aug. 30, 2022.
Mayor Vialpando has not yet decided if he’ll be running for reelection in this year’s race but spoke glowingly of city council’s progress during the Covid-19 pandemic, “We have a past on the Oregon Trail, but we have to have a future.”
Malheur County Clerk Gayle Trotter recommends prospective candidates have their signatures verified well in advance of the August filing deadlines and contact their city recorder’s office with any questions about the filing process.
News tip? Contact reporter Mac Larsen at [email protected]
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