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ASD candidates give their pitch By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings With the May 20 election less than two weeks away, Ashland School Board candidates are continuing to pull for public support. A Wednesday night meeting, coordinated by the local chapter of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, brought together six candidates running for positions 2 and 5 on the board. Community members had the opportunity to ask questions of each hopeful to find out how the three men and three women intend to serve the community if elected. All candidates noted the importance of finding stable revenues for education funding and stressed the importance community input has on the decisions rendered by the board. "One thing I've heard the most from the community, is that people want someone who listens," position 2 candidate Howard Braham said. Position 2 candidate Heidi Parker also said community feedback is essential and that if elected, she would like to see more public forums. "If I were on the board, I would do more active solicitation of input from the community," Parker said. Sheryl Lipski, also a position 2 candidate, said that in addition to increased input from the community, members have to focus on finding ways to fund education and to ask themselves, "What level of funding is necessary to maintain quality education?" Jason Houk, running for position 2, said he feels the district needs more direction and that instead of taking a reactive stance to continued budget shortfalls, the board should be proactive. "I feel the school district needs to be more innovative," he said. Candidates Ellie Thivierge and Bob Kuenzel, running for position 5, also said they felt finding ways to support education is essential. However, when asked if there were any services within the district they would privatize in an effort to raise revenues, both were hesitant. "I don't think it's a meaningful answer to a very serious problem," Kuenzel said. Thivierge said before a decision could be made, every angle would need to be explored. "It's important to take a look at everything that's possible but it would also be important to get community input," she said, adding she would feel uncomfortable with using private funds. With each candidate eager to tackle the challenges of the board, community members will have to decide which one will be able to effectively represent the community while understanding and addressing complicated budget issues. In addition to the question and answer forum, additional information about the Ashland Youth Activities Levy was provided. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -