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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 6, 2005 Candidates seek place on planning commission Morrison prepares to fill vacancy by appointment By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings As the Ashland Planning Commission is currently configured, with just eight members, it is possible for a vote to end in a tie. However this unusual circumstance won’t be the case for much longer as Mayor John Morrison said he hopes to name a ninth member to the commission by the close of 2005. Four residents have submitted letters expressing their interest in becoming the ninth member. After Morrison interviews them, he will choose the most suitable candidate and forward that recommendation to the city council for ratification. The four applicants are Suzie Aufderheide, Tom Dimitre, Pam Marsh and Eric Navickas. Aufderheide, a 27-year resident of Ashland, is a local landlord who helped to form the Jackson County Affordable Housing Coalition. In her application for the position, she said her experience as a certified mediator and in helping to start KSKQ, a new low-powered FM radio station to serve the listening audience of Ashland, will make her a strong candidate for the commission. “I can help the planning commission to carefully balance Ashland’s planning pressures and opportunities for citizens,” she wrote. “My work on many community boards has given me a deep appreciation of the many groups and issues to address in planning decisions.” Dimitre, an agent for labor unions, has been involved in examining U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management projects for the past 15 years, according to his application. He said he is very interested in working on long-range planning issues for the city and, in particular, the downtown. “My greatest interest is in helping the planning commission do planning — providing a vision for the future — in addition to ensuring that each project that comes forward meets planning criteria,” he wrote. “This is a beautiful town — let’s work to ensure that it stays that way through careful planning.” Pam Marsh, a member of the Charter Review Committee, has also served on a planning commission in Palo Alto, Calif., and participated in the Bay Area 2020 project, an initiative aimed at designing a working planning process for the Bay Area. “I hope that my tenure (on the Charter Review Committee) reflects an ability to work with diverse points of view and to commit the time and enthusiasm necessary to carry out responsibilities,” she said in her cover letter. “I believe that I could bring an objective perspective, coupled with a broad base of knowledge and experience, to the commission.” Navickas, an architectural designer with a degree from the University of Oregon, is the only candidate with direct experience in the building and development industry. “Ashland is a rare example in America of a city that has worked to protect the character of the built environment and open space through the planning process,” he wrote. “As a commissioner I will work to continue Ashland’s tradition of rigorous attention to planning regulation with the intent of protecting our unique character.” Morrison said he hopes to interview, in person, all four candidates this month before making his decision. He said he will consult with John Fields, the chair of the planning commission and Gino Grimaldi, the city administrator, before he makes his final decision. Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams