Whether it’s Medford’s next mayor or a potential ban on licensed psilocybin manufacturing and services within Rogue River city limits, local voters will have plenty to consider in the November general election.

Current Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino is the Republican nominee for Jackson County commissioner, and the city is facing a four-way race for Sparacino’s seat. Voters in Ashland, meanwhile, will have their say on whether the city should take on its largest-ever bond — up to $75 million — to fund a low-interest, long-term infrastructure grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Below is a list of local candidates and ballot measures.

Jackson County Board of Commissioners

• Randy Sparacino, Republican
• Denise Krause, Democrat

Justice of the Peace

• Joe Charter

Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District

Zone 1, 2-year term

• Frank D. Baratta

Zone 2, 4-year term

• Brian “Blake” Elliott

Zone 3, 4-year term

• Maxine Cass

Zone 4, 4-year term

• Donald B. Hamann

Zone 5, 4-year term

• Ronald W. Hillers

Medford

Mayoral candidates

• Curt Ankerberg
• Clay Bearnson
• Logan Vaughan
• Michael Zarosinski

City Council Ward 1

• Mike Kerlinger

City Council Ward 2

• John H. Quinn

City Council Ward 3

• Elizabeth Leydsman
• Garrett West

City Council Ward 4

• Tyler Jasper
• Kevin P. Keating

Ashland

Mayor

• Tonya Graham, incumbent

Position 1 City Council

• Teresa Cisneros
• Douglas Knauer

Position 2 City Council

• Jeff Dahle, appointed 2023
• Kelly Marcotulli 

Position 3 City Council

• Dylan Bloom, appointed 2023
• Eric Navickas

Position 5 City Council

• Gina DuQuenne, incumbent

Ballot measures

• Measure 15-232 — Open seat election — If passed, the measure would remove the requirement that city council candidates run for a designated seat position numbered 1 through 6. Instead, the three candidates with the most votes would run for any of the three seats open in each biennial general election, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 17 by the Ashland city recorder.
• Measure 15-233 — Municipal judge — The measure proposes that municipal judge be removed from the city charter as an elected position, and moves it to a position appointed by the mayor and city council, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 17 by the Ashland city recorder. The measure would also remove a salary requirement in the city charter schedule that required it to be a certain percentage as the salary adjustment of other Ashland supervisory employees and department heads.
• Measure 15-234 — Water revenue bonds — The ballot measure puts to voters whether the city of Ashland is authorized to issue up to $75 million in revenue bonds to finance water system improvements that include water treatment plant improvements and transmission line rehabilitation to the treatment plant’s east and west forks, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 28. 

Ashland Parks & Recreation

Commissioner position 1

• Mike Gardiner
• Fer Mejia

Commissioner position 2

• Ian Cropper
• Rick Vann
• Daniel Weiner

Central Point

Mayor

• Taneea Browning
• Zachary Sutton

City Council Ward 4

• Brian Whitaker

Council member at large (two vacancies)

• Robert “Rob” Hernandez
• Michael Parsons

Eagle Point

Mayor

• Kathy Sell

City Council (3 positions)

• Lena Beach
• Stacy Fields
• Tim Holdeman
• Kira Zavala

Phoenix

Mayor

• Terry Baker
• Alfred Muelhoefer

City Council (3 seats)

• Krista Peterson
• Karen Shrader
• Susan Chester
• Nicole Suetos
• Virginia Camberos

Talent

City Council seat 2

• Ana Byers
• Philip Lanni

City Council seat 4

• Russell Hodgdon
• Rosario Medina

City Council seat 6

• Daniel Collay
• Anthony Mouyios

Butte Falls

Mayor

• Trish Callahan, incumbent
• Loretta Ellis

City Council position 1

• Delena Oden, incumbent
• Jeffrey Brown

City Council position 2

• Alvin Thompson, incumbent
• Marc Ellis

City Council position 3

• Shone Ellis
• Neal Ellis
• James “Ed” Peeples

Gold Hill

Mayor

• Ronald Palmer, Incumbent

City Council at large (3 positions)

• Melia Biedscheid, incumbent
• Rebbecca “RJ” Wright
• Jerry Frazier

Ballot measure

• Measure 15-235 — Revise city charter — If passed, the measure would extend the mayor’s term limit from two years to four years, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Sept. 3 with the Jackson County Elections Office. It also includes changes to voting and quorum requirements and establishes the position of a city manager as a charter-level city officer.   

Jacksonville

Mayor

• Donna Bowen, incumbent

City Council (3 seats)

• Steve Casaleggio, incumbent
• Andrea Thompson, incumbent
• John Jorgenson
• Michelle Erwin

Rogue River

Mayor

• Pam VanArsdale

Council member at large (three positions)

• Grace Howell
• Barb Hilty
• Barb Gregory

Ballot measures

• Measure 15-230 — Term limits — The ballot measure is intended to simplify the maximum term limits for any elected official in Rogue River to a maximum of 16 years as city councilor or mayor, according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 9 by Rogue River’s city administrator. Each term would remain at four years, and elected officials would need to run for office every four years.
• Measure 15-231 — Psilocybin business ban — The ballot measure would prohibit psilocybin service centers and the manufacture of psilocybin products within the city,  according to the Notice of Measure Election filed Aug. 9 by Rogue River’s city administrator. Rejection of the ballot measure would allow psilocybin facilities to operate within the city, subject to state and local restrictions.

Shady Cove

Mayor

• Jon Ball, incumbent

City council (two seats)

• Steve Mitchell, incumbent
• Kathryn Nuckles, incumbent

Other Ballot Measures

• Measure 17-119 — Rogue Community College $60.3-million bond — Voters across Jackson and Josephine counties will decide on a bond that, when paired with reserves and a matching state grant, would allocate $41.9 million in improvements to the White City campus, $10.2 million for the downtown Medford RCC campus and $33.6 million for the Grants Pass campus. Taxes would not increase in Jackson County because it continues at the same rate as an expiring 2005 bond, but Josephine County voters would see an increase of 9 cents per thousand over a bond passed in 2016, according to an earlier news report.
• Three Rivers School District $39 million bond — The school bond, which as of Wednesday has not been formally titled, covers Josephine County voters and a small section of Jackson County voters, and would utilize a $6-million matching state grant that is available only if the bond passes, according to the Notice of Receipt of Ballot Title filed by the Jackson County Elections office. The bond covers the costs to reroof buildings throughout the school district, plus safety and security measures, such as added fencing, buzz-in entry systems, security cameras, key card entry, lighting and security doors.